Dining at Sergio Herman’s new PrivéPrivée in Antwerp: this is how much it costs
Sergio Herman closed a large number of his restaurants last year. Pure C and AIRrepublic closed their doors, and the top chef said he wanted to continue only with Le Pristine, so that he would have more time to really cook himself again. He is now doing that at the new ‘restaurant’ PrivéPrivée in Antwerp. What exactly can you expect, how much does an evening with the famous chef cost, and how can you secure a spot at the table in Sergio’s living room?
On 8 October, restaurant Le Pristine in Singapore opened. Sergio Herman may devise most of the dishes here and will also be present regularly, but he does not actually stand at the stove himself. Anyone who wants to see Sergio Herman up close and personal should go to his new ‘restaurant’ PrivéPrivée in Antwerp. PrivéPrivée differs in many ways from his other establishments. Among other things, because here, for the first time since Oud Sluis closed in 2013, he is cooking himself again. For a maximum of 24 guests, that is.
Private kitchen
Sergio Herman welcomes guests at home, beneath his apartment. That is why he does not call the new PrivéPrivée a restaurant, but a private kitchen. You could easily walk past PrivéPrivée at Verlatstraat 36 in Antwerp. There is only a reference on the doorbell. What can you expect from dining in Sergio’s private sphere? Mara Grimm, culinary journalist and reviewer for Het Parool, went before us and reports in the newspaper that PrivéPrivée is truly different and innovative.
‘PrivéPrivée resembles nothing that already exists. “It is more like having dinner at a friend’s house who has an insanely good taste than visiting the latest establishment of a star chef. Once through the door, you enter a large loft with an open kitchen and a gigantic Y-shaped table with vintage leather chairs. Wherever you look, there is art, candles are burning, books are lying around, as are memories of Oud Sluis and his travels. The space is a collection of what Herman has gathered over the past few years. Not only ideas and flavours, but also furniture, music and tableware.”
Making a reservation at PrivéPrivée
PrivéPrivée is open for approximately eight days a month. To avoid the reservation frenzy, you can only make a reservation if you are a member of a WhatsApp group. You can sign up for PrivéPrivée’s WhatsApp group via sergiohermangroup.com/brands/priveprivee
530 euros per person
Dining with the top chef, enjoying fantastic dishes without endless stories about wine and ‘pretentious nonsense’ that, according to the chef, nobody is waiting for anymore, does come with a price tag. Dinner at PrivéPrivée costs 530 euros per person, including wine, payable in advance. It prevents cancellations—no-shows are killing for the business—but ‘more importantly, it means you skip the least enjoyable part of the evening,’ according to the chef. At PrivéPrivée, you pay a fixed amount, regardless of how many glasses of champagne you have drunk.
‘An embarrassing amount of money’
However wonderful it sounds—it seems fantastic to me to sit down at Sergio’s table—people on social media are taking issue with the price.
‘24×530=12,720 per evening. It is so over the top that it is becoming embarrassing. Half the city barely has enough money to put a healthy meal on the table in the evening,’ we read. And: ‘Speaking of pretentious nonsense … “Why on earth would you want to have dinner for €530?”’
I will not deny that it is an incredible amount of money, no matter how many glasses of bubbly you drink with it. But you do not need a crystal ball to know that PrivéPrivée is invariably fully booked as soon as the dates it is open are announced.
Fries from the top chef
Fortunately, you can always have fries from the famous chef. You can find branches of Sergio’s Frites Atelier in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Roosendaal and The Hague. And perhaps soon in London, Dubai and Istanbul as well. Because whatever Sergio Herman comes up with, his ideas are applicable and highly sought-after worldwide.
Read also:
- Chef discovers the secret behind Sergio Herman’s fries
- Why you should make Sergio Herman’s chilli oil right away
- These are all the Michelin-starred restaurants in the Netherlands in 2023
Source: Het Parool, Tijd.be, image: ©Liselore-Chevalier
