Ulrike Janus
Google
We came here as a larger family group. There were some hiccups with the booking process. This became apparent when we arrived and our reservation could not be found. However, the staff quickly accommodated us and within minutes a table was readied. We were greeted in a friendly manner.
Part of the menu was unavailable due to the holidays and an apparently unexpected deviation of a larger group from the menu the day before. This meant that for some of us the dish of choice was no longer in stock. We each ordered different dishes. Some chose the goose menu with five courses, others went for a la carte.
It took a bit of time to order and to receive the drinks. From what I could see, the restaurant was not fully booked that evening, so I was wondering why the process felt less seamless than expected. We later learned by chance that there was an unexpected staff shortage due to illness. For a restaurant of this price category this of course is tantamount to catastrophic. It definitely explained why all of the processes felt less smooth than I would have expected them to be.
The food started arriving. There was an amuse gueule made with bell pepper and served with a macaron. It wasn’t particularly to my liking.
The kale and goose starter with the goose menu was excellent. It was served with a perfect sauce and delectable.
The lobster soup was nice. It wasn’t overpowering, but still packed the punch of taste.
There was homemade bread with salted butter and Maldon sea salt, which made for a nice combination. The bread was particularly tasty.
After the starters, the main dishes arrived. Some of the group had ordered leg of goose and were a bit challenged by the fact that it was a little difficult to cut it. The breast was juicy and tender. The red cabbage and the dumplings were also good.
I had ordered a steak and had thankfully decided against having a starter and only ordered a small side dish of eggplant and fried goat cheese. This turned out to be a good decision, since it was 350 grams of Wagyu beef - quite a large portion. The steak was impeccable. The sauces that came with the steak were really good. I particularly enjoyed the cafe de Paris butter.
The dessert that came with the set menu looked a bit overwhelming due to loads of components. However, it tasted very good. The meringue dessert was a tad too chewy for me. I was expecting it to be either crumbly or creamy. Still, it was a nice way to end the meal.
Others at the table had the sorbet and enjoyed that.
During the meal, aperitifs, cocktails, wine and digestifs were consumed. It sometimes took a little longer than expected for the drinks to arrive, which I credit to them being (regrettably) understaffed.
The cocktails varied in their taste from nice to spectacular.
Probably due to the hiccups in the booking process, we were served a complementary cherry brandy, which made for a perfect way to end the evening.
The young team is clearly ambitious to revive the famous old name with a new twist. I hope that they will get the chance to do this.
From the experience that we got yesterday I do wish them success.
