The best dishes of 2013 – “The Directors cut”

Again in 2013 many good meals were had, many extraordinary dishes were consumed in restaurants in Luxembourg and Europe.

I think my favourite meal this year I had at Falco in Leipzig, the most romantic eve I experienced in Anna Amalia in Weimar. The most surpricing and low budget lunches but with great food was also consumed in the Pickled Piglet in Birmingham and Le Fromagerie Marylebone, London. It was nice to be back at Le Cinq but especially the amuses let me down a bit.

There was less dining out in Luxembourg, especially the drop in quality in some old favourite places made me sad. I do think that Restaurant Clairefontaine and Bouquet Garni are among the best in the country. And my favourite Italian Il Riccio never let us down. I enjoyed some easygoing and Luxembourgish inspired menu at Brasserie Aubergine.

Private great cooking classes were held at Clairefontaine and in a small German town where I found new friends and an amazing group of people that were all with an amazing cooking level. And who knew how to have fun.

I shall present you with some of my best shots of some of those dishes that made 2013 a VERY gastronomic year for me.

Here you go…

10. Gaumenschmaus, Potsdam, Germany

Simply the best Flammkuchen I ever had. The missus had an equally good salad. GREAT quality for little money. Potsdam was such a nice city, especially the Dutch Quarter.

9. The Pickled Piglet, Birmingham, England

Went here with good friend Jörgen, to catch a Bruce show, spiced up with performances by good friend and great singer Gazza, who dedicated a song to me – The Ghost of Tom Joad and after the Bruce show Mark Wright performed his Elvis show. What a day. Lunch was had at the Pickled Piglet, and the army of GREAT tasting tapas dishes amazed us. They outshone the meal the next day at one star rated Turner´s by many miles. I think we had a range of nine Tapas and especially the lamb meatballs blew us away.

8. Restaurant Clairefontaine, Luxembourg

A burger as good as it gets. I think it stayed on the menu for quite a while. It was damn good. Kobe style beef, with panfried frois gras. Respect Arnaud.

7. Restaurant Clairefontaine, Luxembourg

And while we are here, why not stay. I must say I think my favourite meal this year at Clairefontaine was my birthday menu. I thank you for that dear Arnaud and Edwige. This dish is of course one of Arnaud´s classics. His bio egg on truffles and risotto his way.

6. Lameloise, Chagny, France

I have said it before and I shall say it again. Lamb at Lameloise is a marriage made in heaven. Happy to be back always. The service, the room, the food, the wine, – pure class. The crust on this lamb, the roasted garlic. Oh my God.

5. Schloss Berg, Nennig, Germany

And just as Lamb is never wrong at Lameloise – Tuna is never wrong at Schloss Berg. In fact nothing is ever wrong there lol. The staff, especially Mrs. Bau and sommelier Daniel Kiowski make sure you are spoiled while Christian Bau and his brigade in the back does their magic.

4. Falco, Leipzig, Germany

Without compare the evening at Falco was the best dining experience the missus and I had in 2013. The fun, the interaction, the sometimes crazy and surpricing ideas that was presented to us. This porc, was the best meat I have had in 2013 for sure and maybe in my life. It was outstanding. Thanks, Peter, Christian, Oliver and all the staff that made this evening stand out.

3. Le Cinq, Paris

Even though the menu as such let us a down a bit, it was good to be back, and to be here with good friends Jerome and Dragana. It was definetely a treat to be invited here, thanks Drag. But the amuses was not up to par, and the menu swayed a bit up and down. This starter, variations of octopussy was the best octopussy I have ever had in my life, and I have no problems in saying that THAT dish and watching the ballet that Le Cinq is was worth the admission alone.

2. Falco, Leipzig, Germany

So lets repeat what I said about Falco. That evening blew us away. This dish was the best fish we had all year. The somehow unlucky glazing of the plate made it hard to shoot – but trust me the Omble Chevalier wth wasabi, curry apple was to die for.

1. Greenhouse, Mayfair, London

The Greenhouse was awarded their second michelin star for the 2014 edition of the guide. And that holds out. From the minute we entered the room we felt special and in good hands. Many of the dishes were amazing. This little something was mainly cornish crab and mint jelly, cauliflower, apple (granny smith). I do believe it was more or less a signature dish of the talented French chef Arnaud Bignon. So if you go there – try it out and say hi from FWRR. Sometimes it is the little things that counts. I never wanted this dish to end.

So, I again thank you dear friends who made all those meals worthwhile and possible in 2013, I missed dinners with some old friends I hope we will be able to catch up in 2014 – for what is outstanding food without the right dining partners….so thank you dear missus Astrid and dear dining friends, Torben, Jerome & Dragana, Serge, Johan & Tracy and Jörgen and of course Oscar and Emil who again made room for some very proud parents.

I shall leave you with some shots of the boys fine dining.

Emil at the Greenhouse after a long London day.

Oscar having a Burger at Clairefontaine – 1-2 and 3 🙂

I am the Walrus…

Knive and fork is a Man´s Job

Chocolate cake is never wrong 🙂

And finally Emil looking not so impressed. He finished the plate 🙂 at wonderful Hotel les Florets in Gigondas.

Turner´s, Birmingham – 21 June 2013

Being invited to a trip to see a Bruce show in Coventry and spice it up with some gastro adventures by good friend Jörgen, and leaving me in charge of all the details and bookings. It was easy for me to pick Hyatt, Birmingham,  love this hotel, love Birmingham – and the lunch we had before this visit at Pickled Piglet put our hopes up high for this evening. The last time I chose Simpson´s restaurant where I was mostly impressed by the friendly staff and the decent dishes – but where there were also obvious flaws. So, up to something new – well for me – Turner´s also hold 1 star Michelin. I have had this review sitting around, but having visited The Greenhouse in London I thought it would be fun to compare.

Turners – view from the High Street.

And inside looking out.

I liked the room, but unfortunately, given the choice I chose the corner table, only to discover later it was half the size of a normal table. My mistake I guess.

Richard Turner is in the kitchen, and the small restaurant (main room holds less than 16 people I would say) – and I am not sure there is any other rooms. It is a funny little wooden barack, I think I remembered the carpet a little worn, and what Jörgen spotted right away was the dust on the liquor shelves behind us. Note to staff. With all the spots on, it does look nicer when the dust is gone.

Well, we are common people, and that should not spoil our dinner.

Tasting menu was ordered and here it goes…

A little fish burger

Nice, if not very posh presentation. And taste was ok, but not overwhelming – we were starting to wonder.

Tomato consomme

Very fresh, very nice amuse – that I nearly spilled.

Amuses – 6p

Our bread selection

Nice quality bread. Funny thing, after saying no to the second bread I think, no further bread was offered during the whole menu.

Organic (bio) egg yolk

This was the first dish to hit the michelin level we had expected. 7.5p

Frog legs…

Not a fan of frog legs, but this was a funny little variation with the tempura 7p

Salmon

Slowly cooked at low temperature, this confit of salmon was close to perfect, and again a rather rustique presentation 7.5p

Scallop

The worst dish of the evening, the scallop slightly overcooked, the truffle cream totally overpowering everything else on the plate. The onion ring on top I liked. 1p for the onion ring.

Fois Gras

So after the worst dish, the scallop, we had this little pearler, mango, ananas to go with the delicate pan fried fois gras. Great dish, way up there where you start to smile and remember how happy food can make you. We shook our heads by the up and down in the dishes, but this was definetely a winner. 8.5p

Turbot

I do believe it was Turbot, and I do believe it was very nice. Perfectly cooked, nothing here was out of balance. 7.5p

Veal

Same level as the fish, nothing more nothing less. 7.5p

Say cheese.

The selection from a larger tray was done outside of our view, but it was all goat cheeses and they were all bloody nice. At this point I always forget to shoot the pictures, thus the half eaten plate. But very nice selection 8p

Pre-dessert

This little thing was just brilliant. Delicate, fluffy, berry. We both loved it 9p

The grand finale…

Another go at a tiramisu – again, high level, great finish 8p

Sweets for my sweet – well for Jörgen actually :-).

Conclusion:

The service – the three people – I think – consisted of an eager very friendly maitre/sommelier (?),  a young waitress, who only started to smile after my small mishap where I shook so hard to my dish that it almost fell over. At least it broke the ice. The last waiter looked misplaced – kind of your local bouncer. Now there was nothing really wrong with these people. They were VERY friendly. But they were not very professional. The knowledge, or at least the knowledge that was transported to us when serving the wines was very very poor. Or very very general. And the wines inside the wine menu that we chose did not leave us impressed at all. Actually the female waiter was the best I thought.

The food  – there were some highlights, some of accepted quality and some of below par quality. It was a large menu. We did get a lot of impressions to take with us home. But in compare to the dishes in my post before in London. They did not quite hit that level. But the biggest difference for me was the way the whole evening went down, impressions, table, room, wine selection, wine presentation, dishes presentation, all those things that makes a perfect restaurant. And Turners tonight was a nice little restaurant where we would have had a blast had we expected less. It was just that it has just been rewarded readers choice in Birmingham 2013/2014 – and holds 1 michelin star. Well tonight it might hold that star, but just barely in my humble opinion. And in compare to Greenhouse. Well as I said there really is no compare.

When that it said. A nice evening was spend, and I feel that on any given night Richard Turner might give you some great dishes. I wish he had more professional staff.  Because maybe then he will feel the the whole thing rise to a higher level. But – we had a few words with the friendly maitre, and he was a nice chap. He just did not have the heart in the thing. And that makes the difference.

We left with mixed emotions, happy that the end of the meal was stronger than the shaky start, it is always better than the other way around.

My rating for this visit: Food 7p (10), service 3p (5), ambience 3.5p (5), 13.5p (20)

The Pickled Piglet, Birmingham, – 21 June 2013

The food day on this trip was also the day after a day full of Bruce Springsteen music, first in the small venue where Gazza where the starter and gave many Bruce songs his touch, and the main dish –  at the Ricoh Stadium where Bruce rocked the house – and the sweet dessert – where a crowd of 300 peeps enjoyed Mark Wright shacking his legs and singing the songs of Elvis and Bruce into the wee wee hours. Thank you Steve “Gazza”, Bruce Springsteen and Mark Wright for making it a day to remember.

So the game was up for The Pickled Piglet and later Turners to fill this day with food to remember.

The Pickled Piglet has only been open for a good 3 months and is already rising in the tripadvisor charts and elsewhere. It is situated just below the Hyatt Regency Hotel, where a channel and few other pubs and bars would make this little area something to focus on – on the next meetings in the City Planning Commision. Really – this area could be made into somthing quite special – “hell a little touch-up and a little paint”. Birmingham Mail recently made a review giving the restaurant a good 4 stars.

The period building hosting “The Pickled Piglet”.

Inside you will find a pretty light dining room on the first floor with original floors and a bar. Behind the bar smiling Chrissy with her spouse Mark taking care of the cooking.

On Monday evenings they are full, and one can understand why, an offer of dry aged beef with sides at 10 punds seems like an offer too good to refuse.

Great light room

Chrissy serving the Sauvignon Blanc.

I loved the menu, first small tapas like plates to choose from – priced at 4-6 pounds per plate, and a large selection of starters and mains where some of the tapas variations could be found in larger versions it seemed. All this can be found on their homepage  also a description of the breed of pig they use etc.  http://www.thepickledpiglet.co.uk/

So having a dinner planned, we opted for a selection of the smaller tapas – tasting plates. The wine list is kept small and simple, but we were happy with our selected NZ Sauvignon Blanc. I think the bottles on offer ranges from 15-25 pounds and the wines list has a majority of new world wines.

So, with a good review, a perfect host, a great room – we were ready to see if they could live up to our expectations. Here is what we got.

1-2-3

Smoked Mackerel Pate, loved it. great crackers too, Crab and Celariac and Apple Pancakes – wonderful. Among the best of the day. The pancakes being done in the style of a tortilla almost. This was indeed the only complaint in the review of the newspaper, but we loved them, and understood they had adjusted the dish after the review. Third in this selection was Sweet peppers and Rosemary Cheese. Great cheese, but for me the peppers was a bit too watery and not sweet enough.  Nevertheless a great first selection of tapas.

4-5-6

Scallops, Apples and Smoked Bacon. This bacon and apples were done like my mom used to do them, and she would call it “Äblefläsk”. The bacon being a good partner always to the delicate scallop. The scallops were – in fact – damn – cooked a little too long. I am talking a little. But those 10-20 seconds that make them go from just right to just a little chewy. However, there may be a cultural cooking difference here, because at Simpsons last year and Turner later on today, I had the excact same experience and complaint.  And in compare to Simpsons and Turners, these scallops were halfed – making the “over-cooking” more understandable. Besides at Simpsons in 2011 I remember the scallops being a “signature dish”  and that just underlined/exposed the error in my eyes.

Second off, Spiced Lamb and Olive Meat Balls. Now this was probably the best dish. Try them. Soft, smooth, spicy with a lovely dip. Best meatballs ever.

Third one here was the Saffron and honey belly porc. Single complaint here was there were too few. No not really 😉 Great portion size, but I could eat that dish and nothing else the whole day. Every day. Again way up there.

7-8

Crispy Shredded Porc and Pickles…GREAT taste, great texture, but with the low fat meat used – it seemed a bit dry. All it need to make it perfect would be a small greek yoghurt dip, even a tzatziki without the garlic, maybe mint…;-) Just saying.

The bread selection was great but – the only real flaw of the day -being a little bit “tired” and thus not up to par with the rest of the meal.

Conclusion:

It is always nice when something exceeds your expectations, I had a few, my dining partner – good friend Jörgen had let planning of the whole trip in my hands had no prejudgements whatsoever. But – we were both impressed by the freshness of the produce and cooking. The simple dishes were tastefull and well crafted. Minor flaws did certainly not ruin our dining experience. And often when I do this, look for good things or bad things in food, I tend to forget what it is all about. It is like with a good Bruce concert. There will be ups and downs – favourite parts – more dull parts – but what matters is the feeling you go home with. We left with smiles on our faces, and wish both Chrissy and Mark the best of luck and success with their little piglet. I loved the way you were interested in hearing what we had to say about the food. An the way you both seems like genuine nice people. From the moment we walked in we felt at home. The food is not re-inventing any wheels, but it is well crafted and Mark can surely cook. If you are a tourist in Birmingham, or if you live here – be sure to check this little piglet out…It is worth it.

Jörgen, I thank you for your friendship and both as a friend and dining partner I treasure your opinion. Being in Birmingham I should of course leave you with a Jeff Lynne song – my scores first…

My rating for this visit: Food 7p (10), service 4p (5), ambience 4p (5), Total Score  15p (20)

Simpsons, Birmingham – 12 February 2011

Going to Birmingham for the first time in my life, I decided to pay this 1 star michelin rated restaurant a visit. My friend could not make it, so I had to dine alone.

Outside the Simpsons

I was warmly greeted by the staff, and placed in a slim “hallway” between one of the two dining rooms and the terrasse. A loud air-conditioner somewhat irritated me but apart from that it was a nice spot where I could follow the waiters and the plates coming out of the kitchen and look at the beautiful terrace where I am sure many good summer evenings could be spend.

View outside from my table

Having time to kill before the “Born to run, an evening for Dan –  show” in the evening I opted for the big tasting menu and after talking with the young French female Sommelier I opted for a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc/Semillion from Pemberton, WA and a bottle of NZ Pinot Noir. Neither of the wines were masterpieces, but they did their job, especially the white wine was a nice companion to most of the dishes.

And here is what I had

The amuse, A mushroom shot...

Citrus cured Salmon, avocado purêe, micro herb salad, Auruga Caviar

A great first dish. 8.5p

Great selection of homemade bread, loved it.

Some of the best bread I have had in any restaurant 10p

Pan-fried Fois Gras, banana purêe, pain d'epice, salted pecan nuts

I do not think I have ever had Fois Gras mixed with banana before, but it worked. Great dish. 9p

Seared Ross Shire Scallop, orzo, squid, chorizo, broccoli, preserved lemon, cuttle fish sauce

Great bed of Orzo etc.. The Scallop slightly overcooked. As I mentioned to the waitress – I have no idea why the broccoli was on the plate. Added nothing to the picture or taste – not the strongest dish of the day. 7.5p

Ballotine of Mackerel, chicory marmalade, lemon confit, lentils du Puy, sweet/sour Mackerel nuggets

Back to form. The lemon worked well, the marmalade and also the bitterness of the endives leafs did magic 8.5p

Home-salted organic Cod, butternut purêe, baby spinach, capers, sultanas, crispy-fried whitebait

One of the strongest dishes. The fish cooked to perfection 9p

Tete de Moine, Sardinian flatbread, carrot & sultana salad

Wonderful cheese, for me this could have been the last dish, since I was running out of steam 8p

Pre-dessert

To be honest I forgot what this was, I guess it did not do a lot of things to me, positively or negatively.

White chocolate & green tea mousse, sesame seed ice-cream

Very beautiful presentation. Loved it. But the taste is difficult for me to rate since I rather dislike green tea…..but I loved the details on the serving, the pale colours. So I shall give it at good 9p

Sweets...

Conclusion

I spend a perfect 150 min. All by myself, but never alone. The friendly staff, especially the beautiful waitress Kim, made sure I was always taken care of and entertained, and she even stood up for my old man flirting.  So I shall be happy to be back with the family or with friends. Beside the restaurant, Simpsons offer a few beautiful hotel rooms and even a weekly cooking school which apparently is very popular and something I would be interested in booking.

Only one or two flaws, being the in my book “misplaced” broccoli and the dull pre-dessert – the staff however as well as the outstanding quality of the bread and the overall good quality of the food, surely made this a lunch to remember.

http://www.simpsonsrestaurant.co.uk/

My rating for this visit: Food 8.5p (10), service 5p (5), ambience 3.5p (5), total score for this visit  17p (20)