It’s a food that might be most easily associated with the jet set and wealthy.But what is less well known is that a small company on the outskirts of Brussels has earned itself an enviable reputation for producing some of the best caviar this side of the Caspian Sea.

That should not actually come as a surprise really because Caspian Tradition, a company based in Waterloo, also operates a “pisciculture”, a type of fish farm, on the banks of the Caspian Sea. The company has been run for almost 25 years by an Iranian-born couple, Ahmad Razavi and his wife Arya.

Their success story started back in the 1990s when Ahmad, a lawyer by training, came to Brussels to study for his PhD at ULB. Although his father, back in Iran, had some knowledge of caviar, Ahmad got involved in the business purely by accident.

“I was asked by a colleague at the university about caviar one day and that’s really when my interest first took hold,” he recalls. Having met Arya at university in Brussels, Ahmad launched what at the time was a very small scale operation buying in caviar and distributing it.

The company, essentially, is doing the same today, albeit from larger premises in Waterloo, but the scale of their activities has multiplied.

While Belgium is an important market – not least at Christmas and New Year – the company now exports its caviar all over the world. Ahmad explains how the business has evolved over the years, particularly since the fishing of wild sturgeon – the prehistoric fish from whose eggs caviar comes –  was officially outlawed in 2009.

This was to ensure that the species, already designated endangered, did not become extinct. The ban on sturgeon fishing in the Caspian Sea has led to the development of aquaculture as an economically viable means of commercial caviar production.

The caviar produced at Ahmad and Arya’s company is farmed and meets the strictest quality standards which should not be surprising as the couple are on hand most of the time to oversee a multi-million-euro operation that employs 20 people with exports to over 70 countries.

This, as Ahmad explained, involves the scrupulous selection and preparation of the caviar from its country of origin to the point where it is treated, packed and labelled for distribution from the Waterloo workshop.

This attention to minute detail ensures, as he points out, a guarantee of the highest quality, further enhanced by the purchase of new equipment in 2012. Also worth pointing out that the couple place great emphasis on the traceability of their caviar.

In the past, the Caspian was the traditional source of the sturgeon but, nowadays, caviar can come from just about anywhere in the world, including China which is now churning out this delicacy on an industrial scale.

That is one reason why one tip, if you happen to buy caviar this Christmas (or any time) is to look for the country of origin and species on the back of the tin. The company has grown enormously since 1995: from occupying an area of just 500 sq metres back then it is now spread over 1,500 sq metres and produces some 12 tonnes of top quality caviar annually.

It has cleverly negotiated the 2009 ban by the development of farmed caviar. The quality is just as good but this means that this couple are playing their part in helping to protect and maintain this rarest and most precious of marine products. Their own Beluga caviar is the product of the so-called “pisciculture” tradition but, as well as their native Iran, they also handle caviar from other parts of the world.

Ahmad, now 60, and 50-year-old Ayra, are now training up their son Kyan with a view to him taking over the business eventually. But that’s for the future.

If you are thinking of that special treat this Christmas and New Year, why not consider caviar? If you do splash out on these  tiny black pearls one top tip to remember is the “nose test.” This involves flattening a few of the grains on the back of your hand and then smelling the caviar (the best caviar doesn’t have a smell!). Serve it cold and consume quickly once opened.

Further info on Caspian Tradition is available here 

The post Sturgeon fish farming in Wallonia: Caviar from the Caspian Tradition appeared first on Brussels Express.

Rêve, in French, means dream so the owner came up with the novel idea of removing the “d” from the road where it happens to be located (dreve Richelle) for the name of the restaurant.

There’s no doubt that the food served here has a “dreamlike” quality and the inventive thinking that went into the relatively mundane task of finding a name also goes into the cooking.

At Le Rêve Richelle, Benoit Decelle successfully marries the traditional with the modern which is just one of the reasons why his business is still going strong 26 years after he launched it. Everything from the friendly welcome diners are given on entry and the relaxing and spacious surroundings to the fine cuisine itself is top notch here and reflects very well, both on Benoit and his wife Claire.

The beginning of this adventure

Benoit’s success story, or “adventure” as it might also be called, actually goes back all the way to 1991. His parents were pharmacists but, for Benoit, his future lay in the culinary, rather than chemist, world.

After leaving a renowned catering school in Namur, he worked for several high class restaurants in Brussels and also had a spell at a top hotel in Singapore. Having returned to Belgium,he passed a “nice-looking” villa in Waterloo one day which was up for sale and also conveniently located opposite what, at the time, was  a fledgling business park.

It didn’t take long for him to decide that this was the place where he might set about launching his dream of opening and running his very own restaurant. That was 26 years ago and, along the way, he met Claire, a trained interpreter but who had a background in hotel/restaurant management.

Fast forward to the present and, while Benoit’s focus is very much on creating some mouth-watering creations, Claire is in charge of “front-of-house” affairs  where, amongst other things, she also dispenses some very knowledgeable expertise for diners on the restaurant’s extensive – and eclectic – wine selection.   The couple have a delightful way of describing their success here, describing it as a “love story.”

“It a love story between us, a love story between Claire and her clients and, finally, a love story between me and my cuisine,” declared the locally-born Benoit.

The real bread and butter

For diners, the love story actually starts with the tasty homemade bread which, as a foretaste of what is to follow, is very inventive (some of it is made from octopus ink and tomato and cumin).

Benoit’s inventiveness knows no bounds and that extends to the appetiser which is popcorn – not the variety you find at the cinema but a version which contains truffle!

The love affair blossoms with the a la carte which specialises in what might be called Franco-Belgian classics. It currently includes sweetbread (a personal favourite of Claire); grilled turbot and fillet soles (interestingly served with Monbazillac, a sweet white wine). There’s also deer, duck fillet  and dry aged steak served with homemade chips.

Everything here is recommended but, it seems, the majority of customers opt for the fixed menu which, at €56 per head, represents particular good value for money (the price is even lower, €39pp, if only one starter is taken). This 6-course feast, which changes every month, currently features some lovely options such as red tuna, St Jacques and boneless quail (easy to see why it’s so popular!)

Eating here, though, is not complete with availing yourself of Claire’s impressive expertise when it comes to wine and, here, there is quite a choice. Thankfully, the choice (available by the glass as well as bottle) is not restricted to the “usual suspects” but extends to other wine markets, such as Romania, Lebanon and Bulgaria which are rarely featured at restaurants  in Belgium.

Each dish on the fixed menu includes a recommended wine, including (with the starter) a very satisfying Stellenbosch red which is a great accompaniment to the food generally.

Benoit says he particularly likes to use the fixed menu to “experiment” and “surprise” customers a little with its featured dishes – this is also where he can bring his influence of working in the Far East to bear on his cooking.  But, whatever one’s choice (menu or a la carte) the emphasis is very much on freshness and employing only seasonal products.

The quality of both the service and food is evidenced by the fact that some customers travel from as far as Antwerp. In a business that can be quite volatile the fact that this restaurant is still a top attraction after over a quarter of a century is going some.

Good to know:
96 dreve Richelle, Waterloo
Telephone: 02 354 8224
www.reverichelle.eu

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