Belgium’s Bentley-on-a-Rooftop Stunt: A Poor Man’s Adrian Portelli Flex Or Gastronomy Glory?
It’s happened again. A luxury car. A crane. A rooftop. Only this time, the setting isn’t a Melbourne penthouse but a Michelin-starred restaurant in Belgium.
And while it’s generating global headlines, Australians are having a quiet chuckle… because we’ve seen it before.
Chef Nick Bril, best known for his acclaimed Antwerp restaurant The Jane, recently oversaw the craning of a $420,000 Bentley Continental GTC onto the rooftop of La Réserve in Knokke-Heist. The spectacle marked the launch of Bril’s new rooftop dining experience, ‘Celestial’. It’s part fine dining, part theatre, all flair.
It’s the kind of headline-grabbing move the luxury scene lives for.
But while Belgians were quick to claim the drama, Australian readers will recall Adrian Portelli, the so-called ‘Lambo Guy’, who famously hoisted a McLaren Senna GTR into his penthouse in Southbank last year.
Bril’s Bentley may have added a Michelin-starred twist to the stunt, but let’s be honest. Portelli walked so this chef could sauté.
Of course, there are subtle differences. Bril’s rooftop isn’t his home. The Bentley is a working centrepiece, not a static collector’s item. But the intent is the same: a flamboyant flex designed to dominate social feeds and announce a new era of luxury experience. And frankly, it works.
In a world where every luxury brand is trying to outdo the next with attention-grabbing content, the Bentley stunt isn’t just about dinner. It’s about digital dominance. It’s a marketing move dressed up as art, dressed up as dinner.
To be fair, Bril’s vision for Celestial is larger than the stunt. The Bentley is part of a rotating series of experiences designed to explore the intersection of speed, sensory pleasure, and elevated dining. But if you strip away the press release buzzwords, it’s still a flashy car on a roof.
So while Europe catches up, we’ll give credit where credit’s due. Belgium might have the cuisine, but when it comes to car-stunt one-upmanship, Portelli remains the undisputed OG.
