Paul de Pierre

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A House Built on Passion and Precision

Paul de Pierre sits in Maarkedal, in the rolling landscape of the Flemish Ardennes, and it is very much the creation of two people: Paul-Henri, owner and sommelier, and Fabian Bail, head chef for over a decade. Together they have shaped a restaurant that earns serious recognition year after year — including the Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, held continuously since 2016, and Gault&Millau's best wine list in Belgium for 2022 and 2023.

Paul-Henri describes his wine collection as "a passion that got out of hand." With more than 2,000 different wines on the list and around 10,000 bottles in the cellar, that is an understatement. He was named Sommelier of the Year 2022 and won the international Copa Jerez finals in 2021 alongside chef Fabian — taking both the best chef and best sommelier prizes at the same competition. In 2017 he also claimed the title of First Maître d'Hôtel of Belgium. The wine list carries the Fair Wine Restaurant label, a guarantee that every bottle is priced honestly.

The Kitchen and the Garden

Fabian Bail's French-rooted cooking changes every two months, built around what the season offers. The restaurant grows 88 varieties of vegetables, herbs and fruit in its own garden, cultivated entirely naturally and organically, and these find their way into the menus as they come into season. Sourcing beyond the garden follows the same logic: close relationships with local farmers, a deliberately short food chain, and a focused rather than sprawling carte.

The current menu — "L'Inspiration du chef" — runs four, five or six courses, with dishes such as scallop with cauliflower, sesame and courgette; leek with North Sea crab, chimichurri and mascarpone; and Duke of Berkshire loin with courgette flower and shallot. A vegetarian menu, "Le Tour du Jardin," runs in parallel. The signature à la carte dish — langoustine with Royal Belgian caviar and mousseline — appears in both starter and intermediate sizes. On Friday lunchtimes a market lunch is available; Saturday evenings are reserved for the five- or six-course format.

Beyond the Restaurant

Paul de Pierre extends well beyond the dining room. The property hosts private and corporate events across modular spaces accommodating eight to two hundred guests, and a catering service brings the restaurant's French cuisine to your table at home — from an intimate two-person menu to cold buffets for larger gatherings. Paul's Wineshop offers the cellar's selections for purchase directly.

What holds it all together is the team's stated priority: experience shaped to the individual. After more than thirty years of event organisation and a trophy cabinet that spans three continents, Paul de Pierre has the credentials to back that claim.