Filip Claeys

Coming Up

At De Jonkman, Filip Claeys works from the same premise that shapes The North Sea Chefs: use what is there, and make it worth keeping. The roles are separate, but the method is shared — a kitchen built on attention, precision, and a refusal to leave value on the table. That approach places the craft ahead of display, and treats familiar material as something that can still be sharpened.

Where They Are Now

Change is part of the job when a dining room is expected to stay alive to the present. Claeys puts it plainly: new crockery, a new interior, new dishes all change the room’s pressure, and in his terms, inject oxygen. The point is not novelty for its own sake, but regular adjustment — enough movement to keep the restaurant from settling into habit.

Signature

Signature dishes such as Message in a Bottle from the North Sea, Tribute to my father, and Filip is the cigar show how Claeys uses naming as part of the work, not an afterthought. The titles point to a kitchen that allows memory, homage, and wit to sit alongside technique. Each dish carries a line of thought beyond the plate, which is why the names matter: they tell you the cooking is doing more than feeding, and that the idea behind it has been composed with care.

In Their Words “We founded the North Sea Chefs because an enormous amount of fish was thrown away. An awful shame, since those unfamiliar fish are just as tasty.” “It's not an option to stand still. New crockery, a new interior, new dishes, they all inject oxygen.”

Honors

Michelin Guide, two stars