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travels for friends, food and wine - in exactly this order
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San Sebastian, Spain
Born
July 21
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Barbara Eselböck and Alain Weissgerber are arguably one of the foremost hosts in the world. Luckily in the wintertime when the surroundings of Neusiedlersee, where their hotel and restaurant is located, gets quiet, they pick their gear and staff and move for six weeks to Vienna.
It is a much beloved tradition now for local and international guests... More
Barbara Eselböck and Alain Weissgerber are arguably one of the foremost hosts in the world. Luckily in the wintertime when the surroundings of Neusiedlersee, where their hotel and restaurant is located, gets quiet, they pick their gear and staff and move for six weeks to Vienna.
It is a much beloved tradition now for local and international guests to indulge on a grand evening. Because when Babara and Alain get started, nothing is left to chance. This year they converted an old ballroom from the former Hotel Donauhof, which was used as a storage room for wood (!). In an unbelievable short time they converted it into a Grand Ballroom with beautiful decorations and to top everything using light fixtures from Lobmeyr. Make no mistake, these lights are the exact ones which are hanging in the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. The staff including Barbara wear costumes which fit the occasion and time the evening is set in. Marvellous.
And the food is what you would expect from a winter menu of Alain. Rich, full of flavour and umami, perfectly executed and very, very tasty. Alain starts you slowly with some fresh and light dishes, like trout and radish, moves you then through some delightful dishes like poppy, mushrooms and cream until he arrives at his pièce de résistance, the dairy calf which he cooks in a big piece in his oven. What a fantastic dish, sweet, soft, savoury, perfectly cooked. Together with the fried celery and the Maggikraut, it was simply delicious. Alain is one of the dwindling group of chefs who can actually cook a big piece of meat without using water or other technical assistance. It is regrettable, but it appears that this skill does not get taught anymore. But as long as Alain and a few others like Hans Haas in Munich is holding out, there is hope for a meat lover like me.
A fantastic evening in a wonderful ambience, hosted by Babara, one of the best FOH hostesses I know and with great food by Alain. I would love to sign up for the 2020 pop-up right now.
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Dinner at aend at [aend] with Steve Plotnicki
New up and coming restaurant in Vienna. Fabian Günzel who trained in the Palais Coburg and then had a short stint at the Sofitel Loft opened up his place in 2018 in a part of Vienna which very few people would call posh.
I would call his cuisine "focused French". He is not a locavore, most of his ingredients come from France, his technique is distinctly... More
New up and coming restaurant in Vienna. Fabian Günzel who trained in the Palais Coburg and then had a short stint at the Sofitel Loft opened up his place in 2018 in a part of Vienna which very few people would call posh.
I would call his cuisine "focused French". He is not a locavore, most of his ingredients come from France, his technique is distinctly French but he reduces his dishes to two components. There are some unusual combination like savoy and caviar, but he always makes it work. The foie gras gets pressed into a cucumber which creates a nice contrast between the sweetness of the foie and the acidity of the cucumber. His fishes and meats are executed to perfection and shows his rigorous classical training.
A fresh wind for Vienna and great addition to the dining scene. I am sure that this is not the end of an already great development. I'll certainly go and check in soon. Less
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Dinner at Geisels Werneckhof at WERNECKHOF by Geisel with John Bruno, Scherrer
The young gun in Munich. Chef Tohru Nakamura, even though born and raised in Munich, draws on his Japanese heritage when he composes menus. However, his dishes are deeply rooted in French training.
Some of dishes were outstanding like the skate wing with XO miso. The texture and layers of flavours was excellent.
The Shibuya experience in the wine... More
The young gun in Munich. Chef Tohru Nakamura, even though born and raised in Munich, draws on his Japanese heritage when he composes menus. However, his dishes are deeply rooted in French training.
Some of dishes were outstanding like the skate wing with XO miso. The texture and layers of flavours was excellent.
The Shibuya experience in the wine cellar may be interesting for people who have never been to Japan, but for me it is an unnecessary interruption of a very good meal with no apparent gain.
Overall, certainly in the top three restaurants in Munich.
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Lunch at Konstantin Filippou at Konstantin Filippou with Steve Plotnicki
Fantastic lunch. Unfortunately I had to leave earlier, so I only got to eat part of it.
Konstantin Filippou refined his cuisine over the years and reached now a very high level. All dishes have an interesting combination of flavours, the plating is artisanal, the ingredients well sourced and the execution perfect.
It is fair to say that he belongs... More
Fantastic lunch. Unfortunately I had to leave earlier, so I only got to eat part of it.
Konstantin Filippou refined his cuisine over the years and reached now a very high level. All dishes have an interesting combination of flavours, the plating is artisanal, the ingredients well sourced and the execution perfect.
It is fair to say that he belongs to one of the most interesting restaurants in Austria Less
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This must be one of the most interesting dining rooms you can find. The decor is eccentric but very tasteful and it really works.
Unfortunately one cannot say the same for the food. It is very good but totally unmemorable, not one dish which amazes. Everything is perfect, the ingredients, the cooking but nothing is special.
Why this places got elevated... More
This must be one of the most interesting dining rooms you can find. The decor is eccentric but very tasteful and it really works.
Unfortunately one cannot say the same for the food. It is very good but totally unmemorable, not one dish which amazes. Everything is perfect, the ingredients, the cooking but nothing is special.
Why this places got elevated to three star in 2019 is a riddle to me. Nothing really has changed, it is a solid two star but why push it up this year? Less
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Dinner at Bianc at bianc
Matteo Ferrantino describes his kitchen as having only two ingredients, love and passion. Sometimes however I wish he would add some food which he sources more carefully than what he is serving now.
His new restaurant in Hamburg is a ultracool space on two levels with an olive tree from his home in Apulia in the middle.
The front office is extraordinarily... More
Matteo Ferrantino describes his kitchen as having only two ingredients, love and passion. Sometimes however I wish he would add some food which he sources more carefully than what he is serving now.
His new restaurant in Hamburg is a ultracool space on two levels with an olive tree from his home in Apulia in the middle.
The front office is extraordinarily efficient, competent and friendly without missing a beat.
The food is ambitious with three menus on offer which all start with a firework of amuse bouches. It continues with free format Mediterranean dishes with some unusual flavour combinations.
The carabineros, the loup de Mer and the scallops were very good, perfectly executed and the taste well calibrated.
The let down was the 100% prensa which simply was not of the quality which one wold expect in a place where the cook had 2 stars.
Overall a very enjoyable meal, with the entire combination of kitchen and front office being well in sync. Less
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Dinner at Da Terra at Da Terra
Chef @elcordobesss teamed up with Rafael Cagali whom he worked with at The Fat Duck to create this new restaurant in a former Town Hall in East London. They draw from their Argentinian and Brazilian heritage but combine it with modern flavours and techniques. Da Terra is not a London outpost of Amelia in San Sebastian as Rafael is his own man when it... More
Chef @elcordobesss teamed up with Rafael Cagali whom he worked with at The Fat Duck to create this new restaurant in a former Town Hall in East London. They draw from their Argentinian and Brazilian heritage but combine it with modern flavours and techniques. Da Terra is not a London outpost of Amelia in San Sebastian as Rafael is his own man when it comes to creating the tasting menu which is the only thing available in a short or longer version.
Of course there is the famous chicken, the only obvious import from San Sebastian. The skin being waver thin and crispy but with an umami explosion on the palate. Other notable dishes were the scallop, prepared like an ceviche with fennel and Granny Smyth apples and the Hampshire duroc pig which Rafael served with condiments from his native Brazil. The bouquet of herbs together with the Farofa with chillis complemented the main ingredients excellently.
A big surprise was the first dessert, a Rum ice cream with Oscietra caviar, who would have thought that this actually works.
All dishes have a great combination and layering of flavours, not bold but quite distinct, they are executed without any flaws and importantly they are slightly different.
The dining room is divided in two sections and the kitchen is completely open. As it is common practice now, the Chefs are serving the dishes and explain them in detail. All of this creates a really friendly atmosphere which lets you enjoy your meal.
A great addition to the London dining scene. Less
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Lunch at nineOfive at nineOfive
Here is an interesting concept. A restaurant focusing on wine (over 700 positions on the wine list!), fairly priced and with very interesting selections. When thinking about this concept, Daniel (the sommelier) and Florian (the owner) thought they pair the wine list with food everybody loves - pizza. But not any pizza, they apply German engineering... More
Here is an interesting concept. A restaurant focusing on wine (over 700 positions on the wine list!), fairly priced and with very interesting selections. When thinking about this concept, Daniel (the sommelier) and Florian (the owner) thought they pair the wine list with food everybody loves - pizza. But not any pizza, they apply German engineering precision to their pizza dough and the baking process. The result is incredibly good, it certainly matches the results of the best pizza places in Tokyo.
Phenomenal. Less
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Dinner at Gasthaus Wickerl at Gasthaus Wickerl
Do you know that Vienna is the only city on earth wich has its own cuisines, the "Wiener Küche". No other city has that. Interestingly the person who made this term popular was the wife of Bertolt Brecht, the Austrian Helene Weigel, a passionate and excellent book, who published a cook book entitled "Meine Wiener Küche".
One of the places where... More
Do you know that Vienna is the only city on earth wich has its own cuisines, the "Wiener Küche". No other city has that. Interestingly the person who made this term popular was the wife of Bertolt Brecht, the Austrian Helene Weigel, a passionate and excellent book, who published a cook book entitled "Meine Wiener Küche".
One of the places where you can eat the Wiener Küche is gasthaus Wickerl, a wonderfully quirky "Beisel" in the 9th district of Vienna.
The serve you stuff like smoked arctic char, breaded chicken liver, Cordon Bleu and to finish off, cream cheese nougat dumplings.
To die for! Less
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Lunch at Harwood Arms at Harwood Arms with Andy Hayler
This place is on no foodie's list of places-to-go. But it should be. A former pub converted into a Gastro pub it serves honest food at excellent prices. And it has special gems which one should not miss.
Game is definitely one of the strong points here as they get supplied on a weekly basis from the owner with whatever he shot.
The Venison Scotch... More
This place is on no foodie's list of places-to-go. But it should be. A former pub converted into a Gastro pub it serves honest food at excellent prices. And it has special gems which one should not miss.
Game is definitely one of the strong points here as they get supplied on a weekly basis from the owner with whatever he shot.
The Venison Scotch egg has redefined the way this dish was presented. It comes with a liquid core wrapped in thinly cut venison and an outer layer which is crispy and double fried.
The Venison Wellington is a piece of art. There are three layers, two pancakes and one spinach layer, to protect the outer puff pastry from getting soggy from the juices of the venison. It creates a beautiful dish which also tastes wonderfully. It has to be pre-ordered but I tell you it is worth the effort. Less
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