Cauliflower is transformed into mousse, spheres, and chips in a single dish: a stunning vegetable-based creation that brings nature to the table at this three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Antwerp.

Photo of the dish by Kris Vlegels; photo of the chef by Tom Corremans

The Heart of Zilte: A Story of Family and Haute Cuisine

Behind the three Michelin stars, the driving force behind the Zilte restaurant is a fascinating story of family dedication. In 2026, the restaurant marks the milestone of thirty years in business: a true journey that began from scratch with chef Viki Geunes and his wife Viviane. In the early years, the couple literally did everything themselves, juggling dawn shopping at the market with cleaning the dining room after service.

ZILTE winter026 kris vlegels 037 1 — Kris Vlegels

Today, that bond has extended to the next generation, transforming the restaurant into a harmonious, collective ecosystem: Gitte, the daughter, upholds its warm welcome as Restaurant Manager, while her husband, Aaron Moeraert, oversees the wine cellar as Head Sommelier. Every decision is the result of teamwork rooted in unwavering trust—a pure energy that guests sense the moment they step through the door.

While the atmosphere is intimate and welcoming, Viki Geunes’ culinary vision looks toward infinite horizons. His cuisine is not confined by geographical boundaries but is enriched and elevated by pure artistic influences. Guided by the rhythm of the seasons, the chef establishes a deep and personal dialogue with his ingredients, celebrating the sea and the plant world in particular.

Viki Geunes PC Marjorie Romeijn 1 — Marjorie Romeijn

Cauliflower

Cauliflower Mousse

1 cauliflower
3 sheets of gelatin
300 g cauliflower purée
2 dl whipped cream

Cook the cauliflower in salted water, drain, and purée until smooth. Reserve 1.5 dl of the cooking liquid and dissolve the gelatin (previously soaked). Set the remaining cooking liquid aside. Combine the gelatin mixture with the cauliflower purée, then gently fold in the whipped cream.

Sea Buckthorn Berry Jelly

1.5 dl sea buckthorn berry juice
2 dl shellfish stock
1 dl sweet bell pepper juice
0.5 dl tomato ponzu
10 g light soy sauce
5 g red yuzu-koshu
20 g vegetable gelatin

Cook all ingredients together. Bring to a boil and dip the cauliflower mousse sphere into this mixture. Set aside the remaining gelatin for preparing the spheres.

Cauliflower mousse sphere and bay leaf oil

200 g young bay leaves
3 dl pure alcohol (Buongusto)
5 dl neutral oil
100 g cauliflower cooking water (see above)
3 g Glice (Texturas product)
150 g oil
200 g hot cocoa butter
Cauliflower mousse (see above)
Sea buckthorn gelée (see above)

Grill the young bay leaves on the barbecue and vacuum-seal them with the pure alcohol. Let it mature for a week, then strain and add the neutral oil. Bring to a boil until all the alcohol has evaporated. Freeze this mixture in a small spherical mold.

Mix the cauliflower cooking liquid with the Glice and 150 g of oil. Freeze in a larger spherical mold.

Once frozen, remove the spheres from the molds and coat them in hot cocoa butter. Fill them with the cauliflower mousse and place the frozen laurel oil sphere in the center. Freeze the entire assembly. Remove from the mold and dip the final sphere in sea buckthorn gelatin.

Sliced Cauliflower Florets

100 g young cauliflower sprouts
50 g brown butter

Vacuum-seal the cauliflower sprouts with the brown butter and steam for 5 minutes at 80 °C. Divide into small florets and slice them. Make sure you have 5 slices of cauliflower florets per person.

Cauliflower chips

100 g cauliflower purée
12 g isomalt
6 g powdered glucose
9 g cornstarch
10 g sea buckthorn powder
20 fresh sea buckthorn berries
6 marigold flowers (velvet flowers)
30 bronze fennel leaves

Combine the cauliflower purée with the isomalt, powdered glucose, and cornstarch. Spread a thin layer on a baking mat or parchment paper. Dust with sea buckthorn powder and let dry. Cut out discs and bake briefly at 140°C for 10 minutes until crisp. Garnish with fresh sea buckthorn berries, marigold flowers, and bronze fennel.

Crème royale

2 dl shellfish broth
70 g caramel
30 g white miso
5 g red yuzu-koshu
5 g dried lobster mustard
60 g cauliflower purée
30 g egg white
4 dl neutral oil

Reduce the shellfish broth and caramel to 1 dl. Add the miso, yuzu-koshu, dried lobster mustard, cauliflower purée, and egg white. Whisk in the neutral oil in a thin stream (like mayonnaise).

Sea Buckthorn Caramel

1 kg sea buckthorn berries
10 g salt
10 g fresh chili pepper
200 g fresh sea buckthorn berry juice
130 g sugar
150 g fermented sea buckthorn juice

Ferment the sea buckthorn berries with the salt and chili peppers for 2 weeks at room temperature. Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth and press it under a weight.

Heat the fresh sea buckthorn juice with the sugar to 110°C. Gradually add the fermented juice, a little at a time, and reduce over low heat until the desired consistency is reached.

Brine

1 L water
70 g salt
1 orange
1 lemon
5 g Kampot red pepper
5 g tarragon
5 g coriander seeds
1 vanilla bean

Dissolve the salt in the water. Bring to a boil with the orange and lemon zest, Kampot red pepper, tarragon, coriander seeds, and vanilla bean. Let cool.

Lobster Glaze

200 g shallots
25 g ginger
5 kaffir lime leaves
4 lemongrass stalks
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon red curry paste
2 dl brown rice vinegar
5 dl shellfish stock
4 dl pine bud honey
100 ml tomato ponzu
80 g shiitake dashi
1 tablespoon fermented tomato paste
1 tablespoon red miso

Sauté the shallots, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, and lemongrass with the garlic. Add the red curry paste and cook briefly with the other aromatic ingredients.

Then add the brown rice vinegar, shellfish stock, pine honey, tomato ponzu, shiitake dashi, fermented tomato paste, and red miso. Simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and reduce until a light syrup forms.

Marrow Cream

300 g pure bone marrow
100 g raw lobster claw meat
20 g roasted garlic
50 g panko

Rinse the bone marrow thoroughly in cold water, then blend it with the other ingredients until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous.

Lobster Medallions

2 raw lobster tails, shelled
5 dl brine (see above)
20 g bone marrow cream (see above)
1 g powdered transglutaminase (TGA)
A few bay leaves
5 dl brown butter
Lobster glaze (see above)

Marinate the raw lobster tails in the brine for 5 minutes. Cut them in half lengthwise along the underside and stuff the inside with the bone marrow cream.

Lightly brush with transglutaminase (TGA) and roll them tightly in plastic wrap. After a few hours, remove the tails from the plastic wrap and tie them with kitchen twine along with a few bay leaves.

Cook the tails in brown butter at 65°C for 6 minutes. Remove the string and brush the tails with the glaze. Keep warm over the grill. Cut into medallions.

Shellfish Jus

300 g raw lobster claws
20 g onion
15 g carrot
15 g celery
10 g fennel
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon fermented tomato paste
1 dl cognac
1 dl white wine
12 dl vegetable broth
30 g sour cream
60 g cold butter

Crush the raw lobster claws in a food processor or stand mixer. Sauté the claw meat and fragments, then add the onion, carrot, celery, fennel, and garlic, continuing to cook.

Add the fermented tomato paste. Flambé with both the cognac and the white wine and let the alcohol evaporate. Cover the base with the vegetable broth and let it infuse over very low heat for 1 hour. Strain and reduce further until you have 3 dl. Whip the base with the sour cream and cold butter until light and fluffy.

Puffed Buckwheat

50 g buckwheat
5 g sea salt

Cook the buckwheat until three-quarters done. Drain and let dry under a heat lamp (or in a low-temperature oven). Deep-fry in oil at 190 °C and season with sea salt.

Buckwheat Salad

100 g kasha (toasted buckwheat)
0.5 L dashi broth
50 g puffed buckwheat (see above)
0.5 dl shellfish stock reduction (see above)
A drizzle of olive oil

Briefly cook the kasha in the dashi broth and drain. Combine with the puffed buckwheat and season with the shellfish stock and olive oil to taste.

Buckwheat Jus

200 g buckwheat
1 L dashi
5 dl fermented carrot juice
200 g cold butter

Toast the buckwheat on the grill, transfer it to a bowl, and cover it completely with the dashi. Let it steep for 10 minutes. Strain, add the fermented carrot juice, and reduce over high heat until you have 4 dl of liquid. Finally, whip in the cold butter. Arrange the buckwheat salad on the plate, placing the cauliflower mousse in the center. Arrange the lobster medallions, the cauliflower slices and chips, and the royal cream around the salad. Garnish the plate with sea buckthorn caramel drops and the buckwheat base whipped with brown butter.