GOOD FOOD IS PURE BEATY

Tastes Of The World

Cocktail Carousel At Papillon

We’re starting off with an aperitif at Papillon, where we are served the absolute finest cocktails and mocktails by mixologist Paul Morel. However, even the term mixologist doesn’t quite cut it for Morel as he is so much more: he’s a true artist when it comes to tailoring drinks, tastes, scents and sentiments. This is top-shelf craftsmanship, served with a complete experience in the greenhouse-like Papillon pavilion, where you look out on the MESA Garden from one of the tables behind the DJ. We were treated to the Fizzy Margherita – a refreshing mix of frozen tequila, dry Curaçao, lime and citrus soda – followed up with the Horse’s Neck, one of Morel’s personal favourites. It’s a Japanese-inspired drink, a classic whisky and ginger ale highball with a touch of Japanese yuzu citrus and aromatic shiso leaves. This is the perfect start (and probably also finish) to our day.

More Is More At Mesa

On to MESA, Tomorrowland’s very own restaurant, which is hosted this year by chefs Eric Ivanidis and Marcelo Ballardin from Door73 in Ghent. Located in front of the Mainstage, here you have the most stunning panoramic view over the beating heart of the festival. And if it’s true that half the taste comes from eating with your eyes, then both the outlook over the Mainstage crowd and the stunning dishes are sure to get your saliva flowing. After a welcoming cocktail with a twist of white peach Bellini, Lillet and Umeshu, we’re offered some sharing platters of appetisers. There’s marvelously-looking beetroot tzatziki with pane carasau and the infamous Oyster No Oyster Shot – this one gives the sensation of an oyster without actually having any oyster in it. A stunning main dish with a BBQ shortrib accompanied by some spicy cashewnuts, patatas bravas and aubergine parmigiana follows, but by now we’re already flying away over the Mainstage out of pure joy.

Wine Up At Artevino

Time for another drink, and as the saying goes: life is too short to drink bad wine. Following Ernest Hemingway, who famously said that his only regret in life was that he didn’t drink more wine – and if you’re just a bit familiar with Hemingway, you understand the severity of that statement – we head back to the MESA Garden for an inbetween at the Artevino booth. Artevino is a collective with a passion for people, wine, and uniting the two. No overpriced hype-winery where marketing dictates everything, but wines that speak for themselves, sourced from familyowned boutique wineries with a sparkling story. The Artevino sommeliers have a huge stock of wines behind them from just about every country in the world – you name it, they serve it. We had a nice Italian Musa Lugana by Buglioni, a white from 2021. It gives a fine florality and juicy citrus combined with an undertone that’s both delicate and deliciously mineral. That glass was followed by a sauvignon blanc from a New Zealand winery called Misty Cove, which was nothing to sneeze at either.

Feel The Burn At Brasa

To end this enchanted food tour with an absolute bang, we head over to Brasa, located in between the Terra Solis and Rise stages. This is a true meat lover’s paradise, powered by legendary Belgian butcher Luc De Laet, who specialises in fine artisan meats and dry-aged beef. The story of De Laet is one of pure metier, terroir, hard work and massive ambition. You can feel the workmanship quite literally, sitting close to the sizzling hot Ofyr barbecues as the flames soar high. This is a story of fire, wood, steel and the best quality meat. The pulled chicken taco with barbecue sauce appetizer was promising, but the real piece de resistance is the main course, a celebration of lacquered brisket of beef and a Belgian blue and white entrecote, with a side of pointed cabbage bathing in smoked beure blanc and jacket potato with stracciatella burrata. Overlooking the lake next to Brasa with a full stomach and taste buds still twinkling with joy, walhalla has never felt closer.