Yirmi

Is Yirmi Worth Booking in Malonne?

Yes — particularly if you are looking for creative French cooking at €€€ prices in a part of Belgium that rarely makes the shortlist for serious food tourism. This is not a consolation prize for missing a table in Brussels or Ghent. It is a deliberate choice.

The Room: An Elegant Villa, a Glazed Wine Cellar, a Host Who Knows Both

The physical setting at Yirmi does a lot of the work before the first course arrives. The restaurant occupies an elegant villa — the kind of building that signals occasion without demanding formality. The defining spatial feature, confirmed by Michelin inspectors, is the bespoke glazed wine cellar into which guests are invited to select their own bottle at fixed prices tied to the menu they have chosen. The format turns a typically backstage ritual into part of the meal itself, it is guided by Adrien, whose role as host extends from the front door through to that cellar visit. For anyone who cares about how a room feels and how a dinner unfolds spatially, this arrangement is a genuine differentiator. It is not a gimmick, it gives the room a logic and a sequence that most €€€ restaurants do not bother.

The villa setting also anchors Yirmi firmly in Malonne rather than despite it. This is a quiet residential commune just outside the city of Namur, the restaurant does not try to import urban energy it does not have. The elegance here is domestic in the leading sense: proportionate, considered, built around the idea that you are a guest rather than a customer. For the food and wine explorer looking for context and depth, that distinction matters. Wallonia's restaurant scene tends to be overshadowed by Flanders in the broader conversation about Belgian fine dining, Yirmi is exactly the kind of venue that deserves to correct that imbalance. See our full Malonne restaurants guide for the wider picture.

The Cooking: Plant-Forward Creativity With French Structure

Chef Jeremy Vandernoot works within a Creative French framework but has developed a serious commitment to vegetable-led cooking, not as a concession to dietary preferences, but as a point of culinary ambition. We're Smart, the organisation that tracks vegetable-focused restaurants across Europe, has noted the quality of the plant-based creations coming out of Yirmi, confirming that if you request a pure plant menu at the time of booking, the kitchen will deliver it as a considered, composed experience rather than an afterthought. This is worth knowing before you book: proactive communication about your menu preferences unlocks a different version of the meal.

Michelin's inspectors called out the apple brioche and croissant ice cream with butterscotch caramel and cider sabayon as a highlight, a dessert construction that uses French pastry technique as a scaffold for unexpected combinations. The flexible course-count format means you are not locked into a fixed tasting menu progression. You choose the number of courses, which gives the meal a degree of control that longer omakase-style formats do not. For solo diners or couples who want depth without a three-hour commitment, that flexibility is practical rather than cosmetic.

The team's energy, as Michelin's inspectors noted, comes through in the food itself. That is a meaningful signal at this price point. At €€€, you are paying for care and intent, the evidence suggests both are present.

How It Compares

Practical Details

Reservations: Direct to book, no extended lead time required at this stage, though weekend evenings will fill faster than weekday slots. Dietary needs: Request the pure plant menu at the time of booking, the kitchen delivers it as a full composed experience. Dress: Smart casual to smart; the villa setting invites effort without demanding black tie. Budget: €€€ per head, with wine selected from the glazed cellar at fixed prices aligned to your menu choice. Getting there: Malonne is a short drive from central Namur. Check our Malonne hotels guide if you are staying overnight, our Malonne bars guide for pre- or post-dinner options.

Pearl Picks: More to Explore

• Our full Malonne restaurants guide
• Our full Malonne hotels guide
• Our full Malonne bars guide
• Our full Malonne wineries guide
• Our full Malonne experiences guide
• d'Eugénie à Emilie in Baudour, Wallonia's closest peer at this price tier
• Willem Hiele in Oudenburg, for vegetable-forward Belgian cooking at the leading level
• Ralf Berendsen in Neerharen, another under-the-radar Belgian address worth the detour
• Restaurant Haerlin in Hamburg, Creative French at the northern European top tier, for context
• Atelier in Munich, Creative French with a different national register