When they closed the doors of the first version of their Délice du Jour, in Gerpinnes, in 2017, many gourmets and food lovers missed the friendly, gastronomic and human address that Fabrizzio Chirico and Sanae Chergui had raised so high in twenty years. They are therefore more than numerous, and with them many others, happy to see this institution reopen, certainly in another place but with what panache and what evolution! 

A bit like the chef's journey over so many years. Mark Twain said: "In 20 years, you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the things you did. A motto that must have spoken to Fabrizzio, who entered the restaurant business as a teenager, via the Fleurus Hotel School.  Even back then, he didn't hesitate to extend his internships and learn on the job as soon as he could. All his Sundays and vacations were spent learning the trade at the restaurant of the Château de Trazegnies, next to the family home. Very quickly the kitchen replaced the dining room, under the protective wing of the bosses. At the same time, the young man launched his personal 'chef à domicile' service with friends (a great success!), and did a few stints in establishments on the Belgian coast and in Brussels in particular. Resourceful, hard-working, with his feet on the ground but his head on his shoulders, Fabrizzio was not yet twenty years old when he took the plunge and opened his own restaurant: "Le Délice du Jour". It was in 1996. 

The continuation you know it. The Gerpinnes address will remain open for 21 years, going from a family pizzeria to a regional gastronomic reference: he won the title of "Young Chef of the Year 2014" at Gault&Millau. However, in 2017, he and Sanae decided to answer the sirens of Carolinian investors who dragged them into a mega(lo) project in the heart of the lower town, opposite the train station. They did not skimp on the means. And even if Fabrizzio finds there a magnificent tool, he loses there a little of his... Latin blood. He certainly seduced a new clientele there but this one has a hard time coming back, for a lot of good reasons that have nothing to do with the talent of the chef, nor with the smile of his companion. Feeling the wind change, after five years, they decide to reinvest themselves in a new project. Or rather... in the rebirth of their initial project. And with more maturity. Long live the Délice du Jour 2.0. 

The villa is well-to-do and was home to a starred restaurant until a few years ago. The setting and the tool were already very beautiful, they have pierced the chrysalis and released the butterfly. A comfortable room bathed in light by the large bay windows opening onto the garden that will delight lovers of summer meals. In the evening, a beautiful play of lights puts the nearby greenery in perspective while letting the intimate side of the room take over. Happy as ever in the dining room, Sanae reigns over a newly enriched but already well-trained brigade, while in the kitchen, Fabrizzio spreads his wings over stoves that were not asking for so much to allow him to express himself at his best. His signature dishes are slipped in here and there in a menu that combines greed, finesse and elegance, without falling into the unnecessary or ostentatious. In short, an address that hits the nail on the head. And delights all the nostalgic as well as the amateurs of new discoveries. 

PL