Marina Wittemann
Google
A Michelin-starred restaurant transforms the upcoming experience into a special one. Each dish is not just to satisfy your appetite, but a work of art for intellectual saturation.
In order to describe this extraordinary experience, I, as an artist, will use the values and my understanding of the work of art. But in the end, I will tailor my impressions using restaurant criteria.
1. Idea and Personality of Cuisine.
It was a 13-course Paris-Tokio menu. Restaurant Victor's Fine Dining is located in Germany on the border with France, not far from Luxembourg in the old castle Schloss Berg bei Perl-Nennig the first mention of which occurs in 1180. Getting into the pompous atmosphere of the past, you do not expect to see fresh tuna or kampachi fresh fish on the plate. Choosing such a menu brings freshness to this region of Germany since the traditional cuisine is rich in meat and is a bit heavy. At the same time, the very idea of combining the experience and techniques of French cuisine with the traditions of Japan makes it possible to learn something new, to combine the incompatible, to think about the general features of food culture, globalisation and inspiration.
2. Colour, contrasts, shape.
The gastronomic journey began with the dish "Karotte. Joghurt. Curry". Two dishes are connected by a green colorful spot. One green is light and crispy, while the other is oily and bubbly. "Joghurt" is a multi-layered experience consisting of different consistencies and temperatures, while "Curry" is one texture where the taste complements the first course and sets the tone for all subsequent action. This is a colourful beginning, where contrasts are cold and warm, crispy and soft, and moderately sweet and sour. Each subsequent dish is a carefully thought-out composition of taste and products. Chef Christian Bau's working principle - is "Do things with passion or not at all."
It seems to me that not only this passion but also exquisite taste, an exceptional understanding of colour and form, and enjoyment of nature and life are manifested in each of the dishes.
3. Rhythm, movement, time.
Seasonality is brought to the dishes with autumn leaves, emphasized by the first frost in the form of ice balls with taste, and the catch of the hunting season in the form of a wild rabbit.
The dishes are served according to the rhythm from light and cold to heavy and hot and back to light, cold and sweet. Sometimes the serving intervals between dishes are a little stretched, but perhaps this is the director's idea so that we stop to rush and run and our inner world comes into harmony.
4. Quality of Products.
One of the features of Japanese cuisine is the use of fresh products and the desire to preserve the natural colour and taste.
Knowing this, the role of simply serving pieces of fresh fish with a delicate sauce becomes clear. The quality of the products leaves no doubt about their perfection. This is how fresh fish or black caviar should sound.
5. Mastery of Flavour and Cooking Techniques.
My absolute favourite is Rouget Barbet. The scales of this fish become the main feature of this dish. Here it seems to me that the mastery of the cooking technique is especially obvious. As a viewer, I don’t have the slightest idea what needs to be done so that each of the scales is wrapped in a tube, remains crispy and does not come off the peel. And in the flavour, you can recognize all the shades that are in balance from sour to sweet.
6. Value for Money.
This is a sensitive and very personal question, I think. On the one hand, I won’t be able to come here for lunch once a week, but visit a restaurant whose menu was created by a person who contributed to the development of culinary business in Germany (Federal Cross of Merit 2018) since 2005 has consistently had three Michelin stars and in 2022 it is in the top 10 of the international restaurant ranking La Liste, is worth it. Since the age of fourteen, Christian Bau has been a passionate cook, so I believe that this person "can think taste"!
