Le Chalet de la Forêt Begins a New Chapter

This September, Le Chalet de la Forêt, the two Michelin-starred restaurant of chef Pascal Devalkeneer in Brussels, unveils an entirely new chapter.

More than a renovation or a new menu, this is a profound rethinking of what a great contemporary restaurant can be. After twenty-seven years of defining fine dining in Belgium, Devalkeneer has chosen not to reinvent his identity, but to rediscover its essence.

The result is a restaurant that feels more personal, more contemporary and more alive, while remaining uncompromising in its pursuit of excellence.

A More Personal Vision of Fine Dining

For nearly three decades, Pascal Devalkeneer has built one of Belgium's most respected gastronomic destinations. Today, after fourteen consecutive years holding two Michelin stars, the chef found himself asking a surprisingly simple question: what does a great gastronomic restaurant need to be today?

His answer is neither a rejection of haute cuisine nor a departure from the standards that have made Le Chalet de la Forêt one of Belgium's most celebrated dining destinations. Rather, it is an attempt to strip away everything that no longer feels essential and return to what has always mattered most: extraordinary ingredients, instinctive cooking, technical precision and genuine hospitality. The result is a restaurant that feels more personal, more contemporary and more alive, while remaining uncompromising in its pursuit of excellence.

When cooking at home for friends, his cuisine naturally becomes freer, more instinctive and often revolves around the fireplace. Luxury ingredients remain central, yet are treated with greater spontaneity, creating dishes that are both refined and deeply comforting.

It is precisely this spirit that now defines the new Le Chalet de la Forêt.

Rather than creating a place reserved exclusively for life's biggest celebrations, Devalkeneer wanted Le Chalet to become a restaurant people feel like returning to more often—a place that is just as natural for a spontaneous Tuesday lunch as it is for a memorable Friday evening. The ambition is not to make fine dining less ambitious, but to make it feel more effortless, more generous and ultimately more relevant to contemporary life.

The menu evolves, the foundations remain

That evolution is reflected throughout the menu. Signature dishes that have become synonymous with Le Chalet de la Forêt—including the oyster tartare with caviar, scallops with salsify and black truffle, and grilled Brittany lobster—remain firmly in place. Alongside them appears a new repertoire of dishes: exceptional risottos, lemon linguine, slow-cooked beans and other seemingly simple creations executed with exactly the same level of precision, craftsmanship and respect for ingredients. Luxury and simplicity no longer exist as opposites; they coexist naturally within the same philosophy, where excellence is measured not by complexity but by the quality of every product and every gesture.

While the expression of the restaurant evolves, its foundations remain unchanged. The producers who have supplied Le Chalet de la Forêt since its earliest days continue to provide its ingredients, the front-of-house and kitchen teams remain in place, and chef Simon Boyer returns to work alongside Pascal Devalkeneer. In the cellar, wine director Jeno Del Turco has broadened the selection with a wider range of more approachable wines, while preserving the depth and ambition that have long distinguished the restaurant.

A Completely Reimagined Interior

The transformation extends naturally to the restaurant itself. Although the name Le Chalet de la Forêt remains unchanged, every space has been completely reimagined by architects François Marc and Nelly Smets, with artistic direction by Pili Collado. A new orangery functions as an indoor terrace, a welcoming bar invites guests to begin or prolong their experience, and an intimate chef's table offers a closer connection to the kitchen.

Custom-made beech woodwork crafted by Sonian using timber from the nearby Sonian Forest, velvet banquettes, white tablecloths, bespoke carpets and restored windows create an atmosphere filled with warmth and natural light. Belgian craftsmanship is celebrated throughout the space, culminating in a monumental ceramic sculpture by artists Feipel & Bechameil, installed around the open fireplace at the heart of the bar. The overall atmosphere is one of understated luxury rather than spectacle, recalling the timeless elegance of Rome's and Paris' great dining rooms while remaining unmistakably Brussels.

A New Way of Welcoming Guests

Ultimately, this transformation is about far more than a new interior or a new menu. It is about redefining what hospitality means today. Twenty-seven years after opening Le Chalet de la Forêt—and after fourteen consecutive years with two Michelin stars—Pascal Devalkeneer has chosen not to reinvent his restaurant, but to return to its essence. A place where remarkable cooking is guided by instinct as much as technique, where luxury is expressed through sincerity rather than formality, and where guests are welcomed as warmly for a simple lunch as they are for a once-in-a-lifetime celebration.

Or, as Pascal Devalkeneer sees it, a great restaurant is defined not only by the way it cooks, but by the way it welcomes people.

Practical Information

Official opening: 15 September 2026

Le Chalet de la Forêt
​Drève de Lorraine 43
​1180 Uccle (Brussels)

​