Nice design - light, clean, industrial looking. I wonder if the "movie director owner" had any say in the design. He was quite the social butterfly, walking around saying hi to all the customers, introducing himself, asking if everything was okay, giving recommendations on what to try if it's your first time. He really built some rapport with the customers.
The server himself (at least ours) was very professional. He had recommended that we should order the tasting menu as well, given that the travelzoo voucher was for the tasting menu, but was completely fine that we ordered a la carte as well. Even when we swapped places and changed what we wanted he was very gracious with us.
The server himself (at least ours) was very professional. He had recommended that we should order the tasting menu as well, given that the travelzoo voucher was for the tasting menu, but was completely fine that we ordered a la carte as well. Even when we swapped places and changed what we wanted he was very gracious with us.
To start they gave us sea salt and paprika butter to go with our bread. The bread was warm and fluffy and the butter was very tasty.
Then we had a complimentary amuse Bouche which was a thin slice of venison with apple puree and jelly and "foie gras dust". By itself the venison tastes smoky and quite gamey. The Apple puree and jelly was a little too sweet and tart. That being said when you eat the combination of venison, puree, and jelly in one bite, it was really well balanced.
The first of the six dish tasting menu was the spiced salmon. The salmon was tender and moist. It had a subtle flavour and went really well with the sides of shaved black salsify, pickled and pureed rutabaga, quinoa, and capers. The pureed rutabaga was fantastic. It was very light and fluffy, yet it still had substance.
The second of the six dish tasting menu was the poached sole. By itself the sole was a bit fishy. Together with the bacon and bacon powder, it was perfect. The mustard foam was a little tart, but still tasted fine. When you eat it with the spinach, however, it really balanced the flavours and tasted so creamy it was unreal.
The third of the six dish tasting menu was the liver sausage ravioli, however, it arrived as a tortellini. I'm not sure how they made the consomme, but it tasted mildly of the liver as well and was very well seasoned. The tortellini itself also had a very strong liver taste - not the metallic kind, but the creamy kind that even B enjoyed. On the side there was an egg flan, which was very light and helped balance the saltiness of the consomme.
The fourth of the six dish tasting menu was the venison that was seared to perfection. It was very tender and had a nice subtle flavour that wasn't gamey at all. It was served on top of a parsley puree, an onion puree, and some jus. On the side is a caramelized onion and onion "sponge". This was something you had to eat together, because the combination of flavours were so well balanced - from the richness of the meat and pureed onion to the freshness of the parsley puree to the tartness of the jus. The sponge was interesting, it didn't add to the meal, but shows how creative the chef is.
The fifth of the six dish tasting menu was the braised venison shoulder served with pureed quince, brioche dumpling, crumbled blue cheese, and sauteed brussel sprouts. The venison was gamier than the other dishes, but when you add the sweetness of the sauce, the tartness of the quince, and the sharpness of the blue cheese, it was very well balanced. Blue cheese itself goes very well with quince, and then you add the meat, and the combination was quite enjoyable.
The tasting menu dessert was a (deconstructed) plum cake. The cookie base was gingery and sweet. The plum and ice cream was infused with gluehwein. The spices were pronounce and went very well with the sweetness from the sugars in the ice cream and cookie. The ice cream itself was light - I think it may have been gelato, but I cannot remember.
Since the coupon was only for two, we had to order more food for the extra two people. I ordered the roasted duck. It came on a bed of balsamic lentils and creamy leeks with a side of mashed potatoes. The duck was seared very well and the skin was so crispy I am at a loss how that was achieved. The meat itself wasn't gamey at all and was moist and tender. The balsamic lentils were very flavourful but not too tart and the combination of lentils and duck gives it great flavour and made it very well balanced. The creamy leeks were so creamy it felt like I was eating leek flavoured cheese sauce. I have no complaints about the mashed potatoes.
As my dessert I had the sorbet. I think it was raspberry flavour, but cannot confirm as I was not told what it was. It was heavier and sweeter than expected. It was good, and the flavour was balanced, but it seems less of a palette cleanser and more of a "real" dessert.
Overall, we had a great experience. The dishes were well executed, each one was presented beautifully and tasted wonderful. The complexity of each element on the dish really shows how skilled the chef is. We will likely return for a special occasion but not anything else as it was quite pricey and not within our normal budget. As B says, it's a place we will go back to quite often if we're rich. The food was worth the price tag, if you can afford it.
