Amaranth

Where Vegetables Are the Whole Argument

The address — Ringvaartstraat 51, on the edge of Merelbeke in the Ghent suburban fringe — doesn't signal ambition from the outside. That gap between setting and seriousness is, in Belgium, almost a tradition: the country's most technically demanding kitchens have long operated out of converted farmhouses, canal-side warehouses, and quiet provincial streets rather than city-centre stage sets. Amaranth fits that pattern, and the decision to open here, away from Ghent's increasingly crowded dining scene, reads less like a compromise and more like a statement about where the kitchen's priorities actually lie.

What Amaranth represents in the Belgian dining context is specific: a 100% plant-based restaurant operating at fine-dining level of technical ambition, rated at the ceiling of the We're Smart classification system on opening. That combination is rare. Plant-forward cooking in Belgium has moved steadily from novelty toward credibility over the past decade, but fully plant-based menus at this level of intent remain a small category. Amaranth occupies the upper end of that category from day one.

Five Radishes: What the Rating Actually Means

We're Smart is the specialist rating body for vegetable-forward restaurants, now recognised across Europe as the authoritative benchmark in its category , broadly the equivalent of a Michelin star structure applied specifically to plant-based and vegetable-led cooking. The five-radish rating, the highest the system awards, was assigned to Amaranth immediately upon opening, which is an unusual signal. Rating bodies at this level don't typically lead with ceiling scores; the decision to do so here reflects assessors who had prior knowledge of the chef's technical approach and concluded, on the basis of what they found, that it warranted no qualification.

For context on what five radishes implies in practice: other Belgian restaurants operating at comparable levels of technical ambition in the fine-dining space , including addresses like Boury in Roeselare, Zilte in Antwerp, and Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem , have accumulated their recognition over years of operation. Amaranth entered the conversation at that level without the runway. That is worth noting when calibrating expectations.

The Sourcing Logic Behind a Plant-Only Menu

A fully plant-based kitchen at fine-dining level operates under ingredient pressure that omnivorous menus don't face in the same way. When the entire menu is built from vegetables, herbs, grains, and plant-derived elements, sourcing becomes structural rather than supplementary. There is no protein anchor to carry a dish when the produce underperforms; the vegetable is the dish, and the quality of what arrives in the kitchen directly determines what is possible on the plate.

Belgium's agricultural geography is useful here. The East Flanders region, which surrounds Merelbeke, has a serious market-garden tradition, with specialist producers growing heritage and season-specific varieties at a scale and proximity that urban fine-dining addresses in major capitals rarely access as easily. The Flemish kitchen has historically treated vegetables with more structural seriousness than many of its European counterparts , chicory, endive, white asparagus, and leek appear as protagonists in the classic Flemish repertoire rather than as accompaniments. A plant-only fine-dining kitchen in this part of Belgium has a regional tradition to draw on, even if what Amaranth is doing technically goes well beyond that tradition.

The approach described in We're Smart's assessment centres on using vegetable ingredients to make a difference both technically and in terms of taste , which, in practice at this level, typically means applying classical fine-dining technique (reduction, fermentation, precise temperature work, textural contrast) to plant materials that are more challenging to work with than muscle protein. Getting acidity, umami depth, and textural variety from plant sources alone, consistently and at tasting-menu pace, is a different kind of kitchen discipline. It is the discipline that the five-radish rating is specifically designed to recognise.

Merelbeke in the East Flanders Dining Picture

Merelbeke sits immediately south of Ghent, a city that has developed one of Belgium's more interesting mid-tier and fine-dining scenes over the past fifteen years. The Ghent area has also been, not coincidentally, one of the more receptive markets in the country for vegetable-forward eating: the city launched its famous Veggie Thursday campaign in 2009, which had measurable effects on local food culture. An ambitious plant-based restaurant opening in the Ghent orbit in the mid-2020s is arriving into a local audience that has had more exposure to the idea of vegetables-as-serious-food than almost any other Belgian urban catchment.

Within Merelbeke itself, the dining conversation has until recently been shaped by more traditional formats. De Blauwe Artisjok represents the area's modern French direction, while La Traverse holds the classic cuisine position. Amaranth sits outside both of those frames entirely, which makes it less a competitor to the existing local scene and more an addition to a different tier of conversation. For the full picture of what Merelbeke offers across categories, the EP Club Merelbeke restaurants guide maps the range.

For those travelling from beyond the immediate area, Ghent is accessible by direct train from Brussels in under thirty minutes, and Merelbeke is a short drive or taxi ride from Ghent-Sint-Pieters station. The address sits in a part of the municipality that is straightforwardly reached by car; for visitors extending a trip, the Merelbeke hotels guide covers accommodation options, and the bars guide and experiences guide address the broader visit. Those building an East Flanders itinerary around serious eating might also consider Castor in Beveren and Willem Hiele in Oudenburg as part of the same circuit, both operating at comparable levels of technical seriousness in different culinary directions. Further afield in Belgium, Bozar Restaurant in Brussels and Cuchara in Lommel offer additional points of comparison for creative, produce-led menus. For those contextualising Belgium's serious dining scene against international benchmarks, Le Bernardin in New York City and Emeril's in New Orleans represent how technical fine-dining ambition translates in very different culinary cultures. The Merelbeke wineries guide is also available for those planning a broader regional visit.

Practical Details

Amaranth is located at Ringvaartstraat 51, 9820 Merelbeke-Melle. Given the five-radish rating and the specificity of the format, booking in advance is strongly advised; a restaurant at this level of recognition and with this degree of culinary focus is unlikely to have significant walk-in availability. Current hours, booking method, and pricing are not published in EP Club's verified data, so confirming directly with the venue before visiting is the practical approach. The menu format is 100% plant-based with no animal-derived ingredients , this is not a venue that offers a plant-based option alongside a conventional menu, which means the format works leading for diners who are fully committed to the premise rather than those requiring flexibility.