Matthias Speybrouck

The Climb

Technique in this profile is built kitchen by kitchen: Le Lutin Gourmand, Oud Sluis, In de Wulf, then De Vitrine in Ghent, Belgium. For Matthias Speybrouck, each house added another layer of repetition, discipline, and control before the move to Va et Vient in Kortrijk.

Today

At Va et Vient in Kortrijk, Belgium, Speybrouck works from a restaurant that began in a shed belonging to his parents. That origin gives the place its weight: not inheritance as a shortcut, but a build carried out from the ground up. The kitchen now sits in his hometown, and that local anchor is part of the restaurant’s meaning. The result is a room shaped by practical seriousness, with the chef’s own history built into the project.

Signature

Café Paté is listed among Matthias Speybrouck’s signature dishes. It fits a style that privileges legibility: food the guest can identify immediately, without losing the pressure of craft. The point is not obscurity. It is control, and the ability to make something familiar carry the mark of a disciplined kitchen.

In Their Words “I think it is important that a customer recognizes what is on their plate.” “I like to describe my style as "Rough and Refined".”

Recognition

The clearest recognition here is the role itself: chef of Va et Vient, the Kortrijk restaurant Speybrouck opened after moving through Le Lutin Gourmand, Oud Sluis, In de Wulf, and De Vitrine. It reads as the outcome of time spent inside demanding kitchens, with each stage sharpening the next. The project also carries a useful tension. Va et Vient began in a family shed, yet the work is described in terms of precision and a rough-and-refined style. Those two ideas are not in conflict; they define the frame. One side is grounded, the other exacting, and the combination gives the cooking its edge. The throughline stays plain: specific kitchens, a hometown opening, and a chef who wants the guest to recognize what is on the plate.