In Belgium, if you look hard enough, you can still find dozens of restaurants where time seems to have stood still.

These places really deserve to be cherished, because they are witnesses of the past, with an interior that has hardly been touched for decades. And because they offer a taste of the cooking of olden days: hearty food, with straightforward and pure flavours. In Bistro Belge, Toni De Coninck tells the story of these establishments, and of the people who work there.

He visited restaurants all over Belgium, from West-Flanders ('t Hommelhof in Watou) to Namur (Lesse Capade in Resteigne), and from Limburg (Tante ( Auntie ) Julia in Stevoort) to Brussels (Vert de Gris). He learned all there is to know about the history of these places and the families who run them, and also gathered some recipes of speciality dishes that for generations have been prepared in the exact same way.

The photos in this book complement the texts; they immerge the reader into the warmheartedness that is so typical of the Belgian culinary heritage.

• An ode to Belgium's amiable and authentic culinary heritage