Ghent based restaurant-cum-dancefloor Amigo has invited some of their extended family members to curate a series of mixtapes, dedicated to make you feel just that little bit more hungry. And willing.

Todays episode is made with loads of love, experience and craftsmanship by two people we care very much for at Amigo. Gerald & An are pure family! People that are not close to them or us might know them from a very wide range of projects, such as: t Misverstand (a bar in Latem), Humør (a design store), John Terras (a culinary pop-up), Les Plachettes (a b&b in Flobecq), Odnar (bar/resto in Oudenaarde), Charlatan (notorious bar/club in Ghent), Jos, Gloria, etc etc 

They breathe all things horeca and hospitality, so it made sense they cooked up a list containing ten of there favorite restaurants. Be warned: you might get hungry

John Terras was a pop-up bar/bistro at the Reep (Ghent) that now houses the fish restaurant John Dory, run by former Amigo chef Louis Snauwaert. After 60 years, the Leie and the Schelde were reconnected, making Ghent an island again. It was and is quiet and pleasant sitting along the banks of ‘the new graslei’. At John Terras, music was very prominent and therefore very important. We enjoyed creating a mix of fine music that suits cozy dining.

Here are our 10 favorite restaurants (not in order) where we like to stay. When we have planned a visit to one of these, we can sometimes almost not eat for days, with the prospect of all those goodies.

Listen back to John Terras Soundsystem’s mix for Music For Sharing Plates

1. Aroy Aroy (Ghent)

The favorite restaurant when we want to spoil ourselves. Price/quality is just great, and we love Thai cuisine! What Michael and Jason do with it can appeal to us completely and we have been lucky enough to have Jason as a guest chef at John Terras.

2. Le Vieux Chateau (Flobecq / Vloesberg)

For several years now, we have been running a holiday home in rural Flobecq / Vloesberg, a picturesque community of facilities in Pays des Collines, literally translated as hilly country, in Hainaut near Brakel and Ronse. It is slightly more hilly and quiet than in the Flemish Ardennes. There are several top restaurants in the area, but this one is our favorite. The young chef Tanguy De Turck opened a gastronomic restaurant in the old castle where you can choose between an affordable multi-course menu or just enjoy a drink outside at the bar or enjoy small dishes à la carte.

3. Bartholomeus (Heist)

Every year we celebrate our wedding anniversary together with our friends Ben Brunin (musician with, among others, Isolde) and his wife Evy Lemaire (sister of Kirsten) invariably by the sea in the restaurant of TV chef and all-around great guy Bart Desmidt. Did we mention that we prefer lunch already?

4. Lusitania (Oostende)

Also by the sea. This restaurant just moved some houses so got an update. You can enjoy well-known classics (fish, but also meat) according to the old-school. You can have a 5-course menu for only €40!

5. l’Apero D’Oc (Gent)

Willem & Eva used to sell their southern-French specialties on the market. After a few years they started an apéro store which has since grown into a kind of sharing restaurant. You can find us there on Sunday afternoon during the book market at Ajuinlei.

6. John Dory (Ghent)

John Terras was An Gyselinck in the kitchen and Gerald Claes (Charlatan) behind the bar during the summer months of 2019. The plan was to operate for only 5 months, before continuing their business adventures with the exploitation of their holiday home Les Plachettes in Flobecq / Vloesberg. But what do you do with such a top location afterwards? Son Louis Snauwaert (ex-Amigo) and girlfriend Cheyenne Dekeyser converted the house into a gastronomic fish restaurant, open since February 2020. Unique in Ghent, recommended!

7. Loanton (Affligem)

Super Local place for the self-employed from the neighborhood with a cozy outdoor bar and quality kitchen. Operated by the Rollier family since 1978. Seasonal dishes (fish and meat) with a fixed menu of salads, pasta, wok dishes, etc. supplemented with lobster preparations.

8. Amigo (Ghent)

Co-manager Jules Gahide is a jack of all trades. He has also worked for Charlatan for several years. Louis Snauwaert (son of An Gyselinck, 1/2 John Terras Soundsystem) once started the kitchen. We usually come there for lunch. Unfortunately, there are few places in Ghent where you can eat so well during lunch. We like to be there and are there a lot.

9. Sanseveria (Zarlardinge)

We got to know co-manager Lies Blomme as the life companion of Bart De Kegel (Decadance / Caplette). She runs a nice restaurant with a ‘brown café’ feel right in front of the church of Zarlardinge, a few kilometers from Flobecq. You will always be welcomed home and the food is great!

10. John Terras (RIP!)

Does not exist anymore, but we are proud of what we have realized there.

On the picture you can see our ‘kind of signature dish’; “John’s carrot”. That was a carrot homemade cumin mayonnaise and ketchup, fish lump eggs and various types of onion.

11. (BIS) Chambre Separee (Gent)

Hors categorie. Mega experience for any foodie with money in their pocket. What Kobe and his team are doing there is just ‘pas normal’!!

12. (BIS) Home snacking

Last but not least, our favorite guilty pleasure, for during the movie.