Beluga may refer to:

Animals

Watercraft and aircraft

Other

See also

The beluga whale or white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus Delphinapterus. This marine mammal is commonly referred to simply as the melonhead, beluga or sea canary due to its high-pitched twitter.

It is adapted to life in the Arctic, so has anatomical and physiological characteristics that differentiate it from other cetaceans. Amongst these are its unmistakable all-white colour and the absence of a dorsal fin. It possesses a distinctive protuberance at the front of its head which houses an echolocation organ called the melon, which in this species is large and plastic (deformable). The beluga's body size is between that of a dolphin's and a true whale's, with males growing up to 5.5 m (18 ft) long and weighing up to 1,600 kg (3,500 lb). This whale has a stocky body; it has the greatest percentage of blubber. Its sense of hearing is highly developed and it possesses echolocation, which allows it to move about and find blowholes under sheet ice.

Beluga is a restaurant on Plein 1992 in Maastricht, Netherlands. It is a fine dining restaurant that is awarded two Michelin stars from 2005 to present. It was awarded one Michelin star in the period 1998-2004.GaultMillau gave the restaurant a rating of 19.5 out of 20.

The restaurant was established by chef Hans van Wolde in 1997. Originally is was located in Havenstraat in the old centre of Maastricht. In 2001 the restaurant moved to the ground floor of a new building by Jo Coenen on the banks of the river Maas in the posh neighbourhood Céramique. In the Summer of 2011 Van Wolde started Beluga Beach Club in a park along the Meuse river, as a temporary project.

Other ratings

The independent food guide Lekker.nl places Beluga often in the top five of the "Lekker Top-100". In 2005 the restaurant placed fifth, advancing to second place in 2006. In 2007, Beluga placed first, ahead of three restaurants with three Michelin stars.

References

Coordinates: 50°50′45.93″N 5°41′55.75″E / 50.8460917°N 5.6988194°E / 50.8460917; 5.6988194