The setting: a parkside anatomy room
VanOost sits on the second floor of the former 1908 university building, with fifteen-meter-high ceilings, original wooden beams and stained-glass windows. Large windows overlook the Oosterpark. The open kitchen has a marble bar - those seated at the Chef's Table look directly into the kitchen. That is the space where VanOost Sundays take place: at a time when the building benefits from daylight and the afternoon has time to unfold quietly.
Floris van Straalen and his mentor
Floris van Straalen started in the kitchen at age 15. He then worked at Oud Sluis, Pure C and Vinkeles. He currently works with three-star chef Jannis Brevet as a mentor. With more than fifty years of experience, Brevet guides him in refining his dishes through simplicity and the pure essence of each ingredient. Brevet transferred Inter Scaldes to Pillows Hotels in 2023 and has since worked as the hotel group's culinary advisor and Van Straalen's mentor at VanOost.
That relationship is visible in VanOost Sundays: the series began with an edition in which Brevet himself was at the stove.
Three Chefs and Easter
The opening edition was called Three Chefs: Jannis Brevet, Paul de Groote and Floris van Straalen together in the kitchen, for twelve refined creations composed of canapés, amuses-bouches and hors-d'oeuvres. Paul de Groote worked alongside Brevet at Inter Scaldes for more than 20 years and is now chef-de-cuisine at LOF in Ghent. Three people with a shared kitchen history, on a Sunday afternoon in Oost.
Twelve courses on a Sunday afternoon: the format does not force anyone to go anywhere afterwards, and that is exactly the intent.
The Easter edition revolves around asparagus from Lindenhoff, served as a six-course lunch with a live DJ. That shows how the series works: each edition has its own theme or guest chef, but the basics - daily menu, relaxed pace, serious cuisine - remain the same.
Why it works
VanOost is open for dinner during the week. Sunday lunch is a separate format, off the regular menu. Sommelier Rick Neuteboom's wine list received a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2025. At VanOost Sundays, you can choose a wine pairing with it, but you don't have to.
The building, the kitchen, the chefs and the time of the week come together at this series in a way you don't get during the week. If you want to know what's coming up next, check the calendar on VanOost's website.