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| The bed of tulips outside Hotel Bareiss's reception |
We’re back in Baden-Baden for our annual visit to the Osterfestspiele 2014. Before Baden-Baden, we made a detour to the Hotel Bareiss in Baiersbronn in the Black Forest for an unforgettable experience at the venerable 3 Michelin star institution of Claus-Peter Lumpp. The hotel was going through a major renovation of its guest rooms at the time of our visit but despite the disruption, the service was maintained at a highly professional level. View of the densely planted fir trees in the Black Forest basking in warm spring sunlight was entirely captivating. The fresh mountain air was like heavenly manna to those pollution-filled lungs – each deep breath had felt like an energising boost, a sort of purging of those impurities!
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| View of a Black Forest hillside from our hotel room |
A glass of welcome champagne, a few nibbles of the petits fours in the room, and a restorative visit to the spa, we were ready for an indulgent meal at the gastronomic restaurant. It was so refreshing to be able to enjoy a Michelin star quality meal where every dish distinguished itself by the intensity of flavours, freshness of produce, elegant presentation, meticulous execution and professional service, without any ‘foam’, ‘dust’, ‘jelly’ or mousse! The dishes were refined interpretations of classic flavours and combinations. I started with a cream of sorrel soup, with char caviar and egg of quail, accompanied by a separate dish of char poached in olive oil with herb vinaigrette and pea puree. The char was fresh and delicate, with an almost creamy texture from the poaching in olive oil, this was well balanced by the tartness of the sorrel. My main course consisted of 3 different preparations of sole: sole fillets fried in croutons on glazed tips of asparagus, sole fried in brown butter on asparagus risotto, Bearnaise sauce and spring blossoms, and strips of sole poached in olive oil in warm asparagus salad and chives. All three dishes were excellent, with great contrasts of texture and flavours, something citrusy balancing the brown butter and olive oil. The sommelier recommended a 2011 Castelberg Weissburgunder by Martin Wassman (Bereich Markgräflerland, between Freiburg and Basel) that would have sufficient weight, richness and acidity to go with Richard’s foie gras starter, and yet it would not be too over-powering to pair with my sole dishes later on. A perfect choice. Good aromatic intensity on the nose, with notes of honey, pineapple, almond, toast and smoke. On the palate, the wine was nicely voluptuous, without being too heavy, and well-balanced by the refreshing lift of a lively acidity. Finishes long and refreshing, without any cloying sensation. Perfect now! 16/20
For Richard’s suckling lamb dish, he had gone for a 2005 Volnay Santenots-du-Milieu, Comtes Lafon. The colour was a medium ruby. The bouquet was dominated by primary fruit still, blackberry, dark cherry, dried strawberry, hint of fig and cinnamon. Fleshy texture on the palate, characterised by ripe tannin, which would need quite a few more years to soften and integrate into the wine. At the moment, it felt astringent and not yet in total harmony. Finishes long. A rich and chewy wine and patience will be required. Drink from 2018+. 17/20
The cheese selection was excellent and served with a comprehensive bread selection….at this point, I had had to admit defeat to jetlag! But it did look very tempting!
(I did search for the Black Forest Gâteau but could not find it anywhere in Baiersbronn....I did eventually find it in Baden-Baden! So it exists!)
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| Advertisement of Black Forest Gateau and coffee at a Baden-Baden coffee shop |
We had arrived at Baden-Baden after some rather interesting negotiation of the city’s intricate traffic circulation. Baden-Baden looked totally transformed with spring in full blossom. How different it looked compared to the bleak and wintry feel when we were here last year! Suddenly, the town was rejuvenated with the appearance of outdoor cafés, strollers in the parks, daffodils and tulips decorating the famous Lichtentaler Allee.
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| Baden-Baden in full blossom |
Our first meal was taken at the hotel’s restaurant – the Park Restaurant at Brenners Park Hotel. After the amuse bouche, we were served the bread and selection of condiments: pumpkin seed oil (produced by the chef’s family!), olive oil from Tuscany, butter from Alsace and Maldon sea salt from Britain. The pumpkin seed oil had a very dark colour, viscous texture and a most intense flavour. Absolutely yummy! The food was less impressive than my recollection from last year’s visit. Richard’s turbot main course was a little bland and dry – he had to add some olive oil and salt to it to revive it! I thought my crabmeat starter was adequate but lacked imagination. The organic egg yolk in egg white soufflé, on a bed of purée of peas, parmesan froth and black truffle was closer to the expected standard!
Our choice of white wine was a 2009 Ihringer Winklerberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs, Dr. Heger. We had been hesitant about this choice because of the warm 2009 vintage in Europe, but this concern had turned out to be unfounded. The freshness and minerality of the wine was stunning. The bouquet was characterised by honey, green apple, pineapple, flowers and nuances of petrol/slate/flint. Medium+ body, balanced by precise acidity, complete with vibrancy, depth and refined minerality. This minerality is believed to have come from the strong presence of volcanic soil in the Winklerberg einzellage. The soil of the Bereich Kaiserstuhl is generally based on volcanic stone, mostly covered by calcareous loess and loam top soil. The volcanic soil particularly favours Grauburgunder and Spätburgunder. A beautiful wine and perfect with food. 16.5/20
The restaurant had kindly allowed us to drink our bottle of 1990 Drouhin-Laroze Chambertin Clos de Bèze. We did not feel that the wine needed decanting and were rather perplexed by the head sommelier’s strong disapproval of our decision. A mature Burgundian bouquet of mushroom, sous-bois, animal and plum notes. The palate lacked the depth, power and concentration of a Chambertin Clos de Bèze, even though it displayed a fair degree of complexity and elegance. Finish was not particularly long. There was a good expression of the vintage characteristics but overall it lacked the presence of a top Gevrey grand cru, that it did not quite deliver what was expected of a Chambertin Clos de Bèze – it could well have been a Charmes or Mazoyères Chambertin. Drink now and over next 3 - 4 years. 15.5/20
After the performance of Puccini’s opera Manon Lescaut, we headed over to the restaurant Le Jardin de France for dinner. I thought the opera was technically well performed but it just lacked a certain emotional adhesiveness amongst the actors. The asparagus season (white and green) is in full swing at every restaurant in Baden-Baden (probably Germany too)…..and the theme of morels and asparagus took centre stage on the menu, with an appearance in 4 guises…..simply on their own, with the ubiquitous cream that seems to be an essential ingredient used in liberal amount in most culinary creations in Germany; or with foie gras ravioli, or served with pike perch or with turbot! I went for the pike perch which was really fresh and tasty!
Conventionalism was well challenged by the performance of Bach’s Johannes Passion on the second evening…….the orchestra and the choir were both on the stage and it was rather difficult to follow the movements of conductor Sir Simon Rattle. Most of the time, the orchestra and the choir competed for my attention. I had to admire the choir members singing while performing some tricky ab crunches! It was a good idea to have this piece about the last days of Jesus’s life acted out….but both choir and orchestra on the stage, with the choir taking an active role in enacting the final scenes……it was confusing, at least for me!
The following day, we drove down to Kaiserstuhl for a tasting at both Franz Keller and Dr. Heger, interluded with lunch at Schwarzer Adler (Fritz Keller's restaurant that has had a Michelin star since 1969, and a comprehensive wine list featuring many fine bottles from Bordeaux and Bourgogne!). Based in Votsburg-Oberbergen, Weingut Franz Keller is a family wine estate, now run by 4th generation Fritz Keller, making high quality dry, pure and elegant wines expressive of the different terroirs from 62 hectares of vineyard. We tried a range of Pinots during our visit to the wine shop......very impressed by the Spätburgunder Selection A and S. The grapes for Selection A are mainly sourced from the Eichberg vineyard (predominantly volcanic with some loess) in Oberrotweil and also from the Kirchberg einzellage (a pure volcanic site)....and from certain parcels in Jechtingen and the Achkarrer Schlossberg vineyard (also a pure volcanic site). The terroir here lends the wines a particular harmony, complexity and minerality and a clear delineated structure. We also tried the Selection S of the Weissburgunder (with ageing in oak barrels for a few months) - a very fine accompaniment to the brulée of foie gras that was our amuse bouche at Schwarzer Adler. We each had one course at lunch - Richard had possibly the best turbot on this trip and I had a delicious langoustines in curry sauce. There were so many tempting bottles on the wine list that we decided that a revisit to Schwarzer Adler (with stay in the guest room above the restaurant) seemed like a must-do on our next visit to Baden. Fritz Keller also has another restaurant, more casual and with a focus on local cuisine, across the road - Winzerhaus Rebstock. It was closed on the Monday when we visited.
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| My langoustines in curry sauce at Schwarzer Adler - rather nice with the Selection S Weissburgunder! |
After lunch, we beetled over to taste at Weingut Dr. Heger, based in the Ihringen village. The wine estate started in 1935 when physician Dr. Max Heger acquired some parcels of vines in Ihringer Winklerberg and Achkarrer Schlossberg (both south-facing sites have exceptional microclimate, enjoying long hours of sunshine and particularly known for the dominant volcanic content in the soil). Now it is run by Joachim Heger (since 1982) who took over from his father Wolfgang (affectionately known as Mimus which became the name of a single vineyard wine). Dr. Max Heger built his fame on Silvaner, but now the focus has switched to the Pinots and Riesling. There are two Grosse Lage wines: Winklerberg GG and Schlossberg GG. The wines are typically full-bodied, rich, with vibrant acidity, giving a strong sense of elegance, finesse and freshness, and always with that persistent saline finish. The wine estate also started an entry point range called Weinhaus Heger in 1986 for fresh fruity wines, made with grapes from contract growers. Look out for the 3-star selection of Grosses Gewächs wines.....I liked them all, especially the Grauburgunder and Riesling!
We made it back to Baden-Baden just in time for the concert of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto and Richard Struass' Ein Heldenleben (translated as A Hero's Life). After the concert, we went to a restaurant called Stahlbad, at Ausgustaplatz. I would strongly advise to focus on the 3 signature dishes highlighted on the menu. Richard had the veal schnitzel and thought it was the best he had had.....my pasta with prawns was adequately prepared but not exhilarating!
We had chosen the 2012 Schloss Neuweier Goldenes Loch GG. Schloss Neuweier is based in Bereich Ortenau, which stretches 60 km from Baden-Baden to Berghaupten, near Offenburg. The northern part is based on granite bedrock, giving extremely complex and elegant wines. Schloss Neuweier is better known for its fine Rieslings from Mauerberg and Schlossberg sites....cultivated with vines since 12th Century. The Goldenes Loch is a monopole vineyard of 1 hectare southwest facing amphitheatre between Schlossberg and Mauerberg. The name came from the leaves acquiring a golden colour in the rays of autumnal sun. This 2012 vintage expression was elegant, refined, succulent and rich with minerality.....with notes of citrus, apple, honey and an unmistakable flint-like stoney character.
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| Schloss Heidelberg up in the hills, overlooking the Neckar River |
We left Baden-Baden the following day and headed north towards Mannheim, for the 3-star cuisine of chef Juan Amador. We stayed the night in Heidelberg and arranged for a taxi to take us to the restaurant. The taxi driver had input the restaurant address into the GPS system which took us to a carpark/warehouse site in an industrial district, adjacent to a large supermarket. When we asked various people at the carpark, nobody seemed to know about this restaurant. Then the taxi driver spotted a signage outside a reddish brick warehouse in the corner and thought we would give it a try before calling the restaurant. Sure enough, this was it! Discreetly disguised. We were greeted with a request for aperitif: Cava or sherry......the Spanish chef has instituted an all Spanish wine menu. The chef's greeting followed with a trio of 3 amazing tapas....a clam whose shell was edible and made of tofu, a dish of filled tree bark with black pudding and pear and a chicken dish with crispy skin.
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| Entrance to Restaurant Amador, a little south of the city Mannheim |
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| The decor inside the restaurant |
Richard had gone for the full menu while I took the more modest 3-course menu. My 3 dishes was 1) octopus with potato, paprika flavoured oil and leek; 2) salsify made to resemble white asparagus, served with beef tongue coated with a crispy coating of quinoa; and the truffle main course, consisting of scallop (in place of the original version with sweetbread), Jerusalem artichoke and pearl onion, all laced with intensely flavoured truffle emulsion, topped with a piece of dried truffle 'bark'!
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| The octopus in paprika oil, with potato and leek |
Dessert was a 'Zen' garden of Easter eggs, filled with almond cream, nougat chocolate truffle and pistachio cream. Then there were the petits fours of lollipops, and various candies! It was a remarkable tale (as we understood from the staff)......Born in Germany, this Spanish chef had already had a restaurant with 2 Michelin stars when he first went to have dinner at El Bulli. He apparently was so inspired by this dinner that he decided to dramatically change the way he cooked.....so he experimented and experimented and has now achieved his current reputation and Michelin stars, all by himself! While we were less convinced by just a couple of the creations and the combinations of flavours, we were left in no doubt about the chef's talent and dedication. The dinner had been an absolutely extraordinary experience and one that was truly memorable. Good news for us is that Chef Amador is actually coming to HK in June, cooking for a few days at the Jockey Club....and watch this space!
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| Dessert in the form of a Zen garden! |
The menu actually offered a wine-food pairing option, but we had gone for our own wine choices instead (with the help of the enthusiastic and knowledgeable sommelier): a 2010 Tomás Postigo Rueda, Fermentado en Barrica and a 2007 Roda I Reserva.
The 2010 Rueda went rather well with a number of dishes, especially the octopus and Richard's gooseliver course. Herbal, citrus, pear, honey, ginger, with a hint of smoke. Medium body, could do with a bit more acidity to keep the palate fresh.....15/20.
The 2007 Roda I Reserva was a great wine, but worked less well with our food. Deep ruby colour. Red fruit, sandalwood, and spice. Ripe but still firm tannin coating the palate, with acidity giving the wine a nice refreshing lift at the finish. Quite a powerful wine, but there was plenty of elegance and vibrancy to keep this harmonious and intriguing to the palate. Gorgeous now with some aeration....and over the next 10 - 15 years.....a roast lamb rack with harissa or lamb tagine with couscous would have been a better choice with the wine. 17/20
This concluded our visit to Baden in 2014.......and with the few new tips acquired from this trip, we are already planning the next visit!
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