The Gault Millau Guide is suggesting that "schwarz. Das Restaurant" (that's the exact - if you ignore the typeface - presentation of the restaurant's name) is the best restaurant in Heidelberg, awarded with 16 out of the 20 possible points (although the guide always insisted that 20 points are reserved for God - if he ran a restaurant anyway...). One might expect Heidelberg's best restaurant to be located near the old castle (Schloss) or the old town centre (Altstadt), but instead it is within spitting distance of the main train station (Hauptbahnhof) inside a modern tall office building that's wrapped into an energy efficient glass hull. After checking in with the restaurants separate reception desk in the lobby, we are sent to the 12th floor in a glass elevator that already raises (no pun intended) expectations; the ride is not for people with high anxiety though.
schwarz presents itself with a modern interior and great views over Heidelberg and the surrounding areas (including a very tall industrial chimney standing right between the restaurant and the castle. The maÎtre'd greeted us in a friendly way and was slightly surprised when we chased our order for an aperitif with the question what Gins might be available to chose from. With a mildly puzzled look he suggested there would be a Frederiques (the spelling is owed to the distinct French accentuation of the word) and, of course (this was suggested with an almost undetectable disapproving scoff) Gordons. We felt adventurous and went for the unknown French gin, only to find out a minute later that it was indeed Hendricks, as the head waiter confirmed with an apology. We were very happy with that turn of events, but since the gin was served just with ice and tonic, I asked whether it would be too much trouble to be served with a couple of slices of cucumber. When I saw the surprised look I hastened to add, rather undiplomatically, that Hendricks was usually served with cucumber. The maÎtre'd complied without hesitation, but seemed a little wary of what other strange demands we might come up with during the next couple of hours; indeed, I couldn't help the feeling that he was a little hurt in his professional pride to be found to offer a service short of perfection.
The lunch menu offers limited choices but changes on a weekly basis. With a couple of choices each for starters, main dishes and desserts, a 2 or 3 course menu option offering different dishes and a daily special, there are still sufficient choices to be made. We decided for the à la carte option and ordered Vitello Tonnato, perfectly cooked to medium-rare (more rare than medium) and served thinly sliced with a light tuna sauce and some rocket and fragrant cocktail tomatoes, and Scallops on a pineapple curry, in my view the by far best dish we experienced on the day, due to it's imaginative nature, perfect balance of fresh, tangy flavors and impeccable preparation and presentation: the roasted scallops sat on a handful of pineapple pieces flavored with a Vietnamese-style curry boasting the fresh aromas of lemongrass and ginger, with the sauce presented in a "spuma" that is probably about to go out of fashion again but nevertheless worked perfectly for this dish. The touch of genius were the baby shisso leaves (the purple variant) that gave the dish yet another exotic, fresh flavor that accentuated the other aromas in perfect harmony. A 19 points dish in my book, to use the Gault Millau scale on this occasion. The main dishes consisted of saddle of lamb served on a pleasantly crunchy mix of beans with potatoes (a good dish with a slightly overcooked lamb that was closer to well-done than medium, but still juicy, tender and full of flavor) and a suckling pork shank in a rich dark-brown sauce, nicely glazed and with very delicate, tender meet that practically fell of the bone, served with cabbage and a dumpling. The main course offered classic dishes updated to the modern ways of cooking and prepared with professional attention and unquestionable craftsmanship. The brilliant inspiration that was evident in the scallop starter was not to be found here, but then again one cannot expect a miracle when enjoying what would typically be served as a business lunch at a very reasonable price of 20 Euro for the main course (the starters ranged between 9 and 12 Euro and the desserts were in the same price category). We ordered a 2003 Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) Auslese from the Pfalz region from the extensive wine list, which offered good value for money at 59 Euro for the bottle and managed to convince my rather skeptical friend David that the Germans can actually produce a decent bottle of red wine! By this point the maÎtre'd had lost his initial caution after the "Hendricks incident" and allowed us to order the dessert from the Set Menu (apple tarte with raspberry sorbet - yummy) - but just because we were nice!! I decided to have the Tartlet of Nougat with Baileys Ice Cream, the latter not very imaginative and even available from Häägen Dasz if I'm not mistaken, the Nougat Tartlet though being surprisingly delicate with a wafer thin biscuit crust filled with light, nutty nougat mousse - here was that creative energy at work again! We finished with a couple of espressos (my choice of a single espresso was greeted with a playful scoff of the maître'd, suggesting that only a lightweight would give the double espresso a miss) and we were presented with a bill of 173 Euro that we felt provided good value for money.
My final comments are dedicated to the service staff: although the restaurant was almost empty, the staff found the exact right balance between being attentive and keeping in the background. It would have been tempting to "over-serve" us, which did not happen once and we appreciated the efforts of the excellent maître'd to make up for his Hendricks "mistake", again without going over the top or getting disconcertingly nervous. I will look for an opportunity to return for the 7 course tasting menu (120 Euro) and will wait with applying a score until then (if pushed, I would probably go for a 7.5/10 for now, as a result of the average between the two "9" dishes and the other "7" dishes).
Sunday, 18 September 2011
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Film Review: An American Crime (Blu-Ray)
Ellen Page and Catherine Keener headline the cast in this film which is based on true events that took place in Indiana, USA, in the mid-60s. The film is horrifying, sad, upsetting and almost unbearably intense, but it asks a range of painful and important questions about why people look the other way or even willingly participate in obviously wrong acts of cruel violence. Keener is one of the top Drama actors of her generation and her performance in this film is again flawless. The real discovery though is Ellen Page, who starred in this film in 2007, the same year that she had her breakthrough with Juno. She walks a very thin line in her portrayal of Sylvia Likens and manages to get the balance right through an almost underplayed approach to the role that is unsettling and almost heartbreaking. The casting of the support roles is very solidly done, too, with James Franco (127 Hours, Spiderman 1-3), Bradley Whitford (Josh from The West Wing) and Ari Graynor (who also starred with Ellen Page in Whip It!) being the most prominent names perhaps. 8/10, but be prepared for your mood to sink significantly.
Ellen Page and Catherine Keener headline the cast in this film which is based on true events that took place in Indiana, USA, in the mid-60s. The film is horrifying, sad, upsetting and almost unbearably intense, but it asks a range of painful and important questions about why people look the other way or even willingly participate in obviously wrong acts of cruel violence. Keener is one of the top Drama actors of her generation and her performance in this film is again flawless. The real discovery though is Ellen Page, who starred in this film in 2007, the same year that she had her breakthrough with Juno. She walks a very thin line in her portrayal of Sylvia Likens and manages to get the balance right through an almost underplayed approach to the role that is unsettling and almost heartbreaking. The casting of the support roles is very solidly done, too, with James Franco (127 Hours, Spiderman 1-3), Bradley Whitford (Josh from The West Wing) and Ari Graynor (who also starred with Ellen Page in Whip It!) being the most prominent names perhaps. 8/10, but be prepared for your mood to sink significantly.
Saturday, 3 September 2011
Future Female Film Stars: Top 10
If you're a film buff, you will probably not find any surprises here and you will probably counter with some other names which are still much more unknown. If you enjoy movies and look for some suggestions, which actors that are currently launching their career are worth looking into, here are my current Top 10 future female stars:
5) Olivia Wilde - Born 1984 in New York, Ms. Wilde developed her career both on television (The O.C., House) and the silver screen, the latter with appearances in a wide range of films from independent productions such as Nick Cassavetes' Alpha Dog in 2006, to silly teen horror flicks (Turistas, in the same year) and more recently big budget productions such as TRON: Legacy and Cowboys & Aliens. Her name is already attached to 10 future projects, including Andrew Niccol's In Time (with Justin Timberlake - Mr. Niccol is best known for his brilliant first film, Gattaca) and a rumored remake of Tomb Raider.
4) Elle Fanning - the youngest in this list, at 13 years old four years younger than her sister Dakota (War of the Worlds, the unbearable Twilight Saga), this is probably the biggest gamble. Although Elle Fanning has already appeared in 18 feature films, that includes films as early as 2001 (I Am Sam) when she was three years old. Her breakthrough came with Sophia Coppola's wonderfully slow paced and melancholic film Somewhere, in which she played Stephen Dorrf's character's daughter Cleo. She since appeared in Super 8, JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg's summer movie that pretty much tanked at the Box Office, and will appear soon in Ms. Coppola's Dad's latest film Twixt, followed by Cameron Crowe's (Say Anything, Singles, Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) newest film, We Bought A Zoo alongside Matt Damon. I think Ms. Fanning will be the much better actress in the family if she picks her films carefully - with directors such as Sofia Coppola and Cameron Crowe, she should be doing very well!
3) Chloe Grace Moretz - Born in 1997 in Atlanta, Ms. Moretz wowed the world when she dropped the C*Bomb in a very unexcited way in the 2010 Kick-Ass. Since then she has been in four more films, including Let Me In, which would be a great film if it wasn't for the much better original Let The Right One In. She is already linked to seven new projects, including Martin Scorsese's Hugo, co-starring Jude Law, and the currently filming Dark Shadows, directed by Tim Burton and co-starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer and Eva Green. One to watch very closely.
2) Saoirse Ronan - Born 1994 in New York, but raised in Ireland, Ms. Ronan starred in 10 feature films so far, including Atonement, Death Defying Acts, the rather disappointing The Lovely Bones (not her fault though), The Way Back and Hanna. She delivered great performances in each of these films, and the roles she played were all rather demanding and versatile. She also doesn't fit the usual bill of the Hollywood beauty, which makes her interesting and immensely promising.
1) Ellen Page - the 24 year old Canadian had her breakthrough with Juno, in which she starred in the title role. Before that, she delivered a brilliant performance in the horrifying An American Crime alongside Catherine Keener, a shocking and thoughtful film based on a true story but unfortunately unknown to wider audiences. After Juno, her most prominent role was as Ariadne in Inception, but she also starred in smaller films such as the funny Smart People, the surprisingly entertaining Whip It (a film about the Roller Derby League directed by Drew Barrymore - really??) and, perhaps her most whacky and surprising role to date, as Libby (aka Boltie) in the hilariously strange Super. We will see her next in Woody Allen's new film, The Bop Decameron, alongside Jesse Eisenberg (he will appear in my Future Male Stars Top 10). Way to go, Ellen!
10) January Jones (Mad Men, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Unknown, X-Men: First Class)
9) Mila Kunis (Family Guy, The Book of Eli, Black Swan, Friends with Benefits. Next: The Muppets)
8) Rose Byrne (Damages, 28 Weeks Later, Knowing, X-Men: First Class)
7) Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
6) Rebecca Hall (The Prestige, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Frost/Nixon, The Town. Next: The Awakening)
5) Olivia Wilde - Born 1984 in New York, Ms. Wilde developed her career both on television (The O.C., House) and the silver screen, the latter with appearances in a wide range of films from independent productions such as Nick Cassavetes' Alpha Dog in 2006, to silly teen horror flicks (Turistas, in the same year) and more recently big budget productions such as TRON: Legacy and Cowboys & Aliens. Her name is already attached to 10 future projects, including Andrew Niccol's In Time (with Justin Timberlake - Mr. Niccol is best known for his brilliant first film, Gattaca) and a rumored remake of Tomb Raider.
4) Elle Fanning - the youngest in this list, at 13 years old four years younger than her sister Dakota (War of the Worlds, the unbearable Twilight Saga), this is probably the biggest gamble. Although Elle Fanning has already appeared in 18 feature films, that includes films as early as 2001 (I Am Sam) when she was three years old. Her breakthrough came with Sophia Coppola's wonderfully slow paced and melancholic film Somewhere, in which she played Stephen Dorrf's character's daughter Cleo. She since appeared in Super 8, JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg's summer movie that pretty much tanked at the Box Office, and will appear soon in Ms. Coppola's Dad's latest film Twixt, followed by Cameron Crowe's (Say Anything, Singles, Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) newest film, We Bought A Zoo alongside Matt Damon. I think Ms. Fanning will be the much better actress in the family if she picks her films carefully - with directors such as Sofia Coppola and Cameron Crowe, she should be doing very well!
3) Chloe Grace Moretz - Born in 1997 in Atlanta, Ms. Moretz wowed the world when she dropped the C*Bomb in a very unexcited way in the 2010 Kick-Ass. Since then she has been in four more films, including Let Me In, which would be a great film if it wasn't for the much better original Let The Right One In. She is already linked to seven new projects, including Martin Scorsese's Hugo, co-starring Jude Law, and the currently filming Dark Shadows, directed by Tim Burton and co-starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer and Eva Green. One to watch very closely.
2) Saoirse Ronan - Born 1994 in New York, but raised in Ireland, Ms. Ronan starred in 10 feature films so far, including Atonement, Death Defying Acts, the rather disappointing The Lovely Bones (not her fault though), The Way Back and Hanna. She delivered great performances in each of these films, and the roles she played were all rather demanding and versatile. She also doesn't fit the usual bill of the Hollywood beauty, which makes her interesting and immensely promising.
1) Ellen Page - the 24 year old Canadian had her breakthrough with Juno, in which she starred in the title role. Before that, she delivered a brilliant performance in the horrifying An American Crime alongside Catherine Keener, a shocking and thoughtful film based on a true story but unfortunately unknown to wider audiences. After Juno, her most prominent role was as Ariadne in Inception, but she also starred in smaller films such as the funny Smart People, the surprisingly entertaining Whip It (a film about the Roller Derby League directed by Drew Barrymore - really??) and, perhaps her most whacky and surprising role to date, as Libby (aka Boltie) in the hilariously strange Super. We will see her next in Woody Allen's new film, The Bop Decameron, alongside Jesse Eisenberg (he will appear in my Future Male Stars Top 10). Way to go, Ellen!
Film Review: Hanna (Blu-Ray)
So in my last post I sang the praise of British film makers. Next thing I watch is Hanna, directed by Joe Wright, born 1972 in London. Mr. Wright previously directed Pride & Prejudice and Atonement (both with Keira Knightley), followed by the American film The Soloist with Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey jr. A talented actor, no doubt. but somehow a little trapped in the "emotional drama" category? Well, if he ever was, he's not any more. Hanna is a brilliant action film starring Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett and Tom Hollander. I won't give any of the plot away on this one, and I hope you haven't read anything else about the film or even seen a preview. Despite the action scenes, Hanna is still a character movie, with a deliberately obvious fairy tale backdrop (which is explained quite well in some of the documentaries that accompany the Blu-Ray release). The music is written by the Chemical Brothers, which works exceptionally well for this film. The Blu-Ray delivers a crisp picture combined with a powerful soundtrack and is absolutely worth the extra money in comparison to a DVD. More about Saoirse Ronan in my next post. Absolutely recommended, 8/10.
Thursday, 18 August 2011
Film Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
British film makers seem to offer the best, most intelligent "popcorn movies / summer blockbusters" these days: Christopher Nolan (Inception, The Dark Night) and Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) have shown how to do it, and Rupert Wyatt is following in their footsteps, without being a copy cat. His first feature film "The Escapist", a small independent UK production, seemed to be just another prison break film; it was much more than that though, and despite the underlying action a very emotional and engaging story (8/10 - the best prison film since Shawshank Redemption). Equally, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is not just another big Sci-Fi action flick, but indeed a moving story about sickness, death, friendship, betrayal and corporate greed. The best thing is: it works! For fans of the franchise the film offers a "how it all started" account that fits perfectly into the lore, for everyone else it provides two hours of clever entertainment. There is really only one fly in the ointment, which I think can be easily forgiven: why the apes keep flying through window panes completely effortlessly without taking even the tiniest cut is completely incomprehensible. Other than that: Enjoy!! 7/10
Thursday, 28 July 2011
Ratings
I have reviewed and changed some of my previous restaurant ratings - the more reviews I wrote the more did I struggle to apply fair ratings. What I have tried now is to apply ratings that reflect the positioning of a restaurant in it's appropriate segment - for example, Mikuni, a Sushi & Izakaya type restaurant, deserves a 9/10 because it offers great quality and value for money in this category; The Bengal Lounge is the best Indian Restaurant I have been to and probably deserves an even higher score in that category (I will know for sure when I have sampled a few more comparable restaurants), and so on.
Food Review: La Grenouillère
La Grenouillière is a modern French restaurant just outside Montreuil-sur-Mer, a coastal town about 70km south of Calais. Which makes it the perfect destination for a casual lunch if you live in the London area. You might disagree given the myriads of good restaurants one can enjoy in London, but London is London, and France is France! Yesterday was the second time I made the trip with a friend and fellow gourmand and it was just as enjoyable as the first time around, although quite different in some regards.
La Grenouillière dares to be different. Sometimes a little too much so, as I will point out in this review, but mostly in a pleasant and entertaining way. We were curious about what we might expect this time around because last year we had been presented with some truly inspired food experiences such as a little heap of smouldering fresh juniper branches with a lobster tail hidden within (great fresh smoky flavour), a scoop of grass-green ice cream inside a crystal-clear sugar glass ball thrown on to your plate where it would shatter into pieces or, with coffee, a hammer and chisel taken to what looked like a piece of lava rock left as decoration on the dining table and what was really a Turkish Delight-like substance dyed grey through the use of squid ink. In addition, the restaurant had closed earlier this year for a major refurbishment so we were curious what it would look like.
As we arrived we went to sit in the lounge for a drink (G&T at and a glass of Champagne at a rather steep price of €15 each to find the cozy little area mostly unchanged. While we had our drinks we were presented with the menu in form of a crumpled up piece of flimsy A4 paper (one of the less inspired attempts at being different), an idea which was continued in the presentation of the wine list which was printed on the same flimsy paper and folded in half as a collection of loose sheets. While nibbling on some complimentary bread with herb-infused crème fraîche and very young raddish plants (the whole thing, including the still tender leaves - rather pleasant), we decided to go for the 8 course tasting menu for €85 (supplement of €12 for an extra cheese course) and proceeded to the dining area. Last year the restaurant consisted of a number of smaller interconnected dining rooms. This is now replaced by a large open room with a big glass front looking out into the garden, furnished with modern but comfortable light brown leather chairs and ovally shaped tables which also seemed to have a leather top in the same colour. In the middle of the room was a strange contraption which we suspected to be a hoax, or some would perhaps say a piece of modern art. There is also a spaghetti salad of wires hanging under the high ceiling feeding electricity to the small LED point lamps scattered around the room. One corner of the dining hall opened up into the showroom-type kitchen so we could watch the kitchen staff as they prepared our food in a calm and controlled manner, always a good sign I like to believe. The atmosphere of the restaurant has changed significantly since we came last year - a rather traditional French country restaurant (and I mean the premises not the food) has turned into a modern food temple. I have to admit that I preferred the previous setup, so call me old-fashioned!
We ordered a bottle of Pouilly-Fumée Prédilection 2009 from Jonathan Didier Pabiot at €86 and a bottle of Château Soutard Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé 2000 at €124 (both very good wines and normally priced for a Michelin-starred outfit: both wines retail for around 40-50 Euro), the former decanted and placed in an ice-bucket inside a leather-bag that was hung on the wall and the letter just opened and left to breathe in the bottle - an informed choice by the sommelier as we agreed on later. So, without further ado, here comes the food!
Bar, Nectarine - thin slices of raw fish, very thin slices of fresh nectarine, a drizzle of olive oil and a little bit of pepper. Nice, a good start.
Eau de Mer, Avocat - a cube of ripe avocado flesh with a thin slice of raw fish hidden inside and some sea water (I would say it was water flavoured with Wakame algeas, salt and olive oil - then again, maybe it was really sea water). Good, not great.
Courgettes, huîtres - a massive half oyster shell (haven't seen them that big since Hawaii) with a raw fresh oyster inside, a thin slice of courgettes and some other green bits I can't quite remember now... Very good flavours, great presentation, but don't make the mistake we made: we were only given forks or spoons up to this point (and for the rest of the lunch as we realised later on), no knives, so in the effort to be good sportsmen we tried eating with the fork only. While you got away with that until now, you really needed a knife to cut the oyster and courgette at least in half so you can enjoy them together (unless you want to risk choking on them). We reckon that what was until then used as a butter knife (which was unusually sharp and big for that purpose anyway) was meant to be used as our all-purpose knife for the day. That is an attempt at being different that I find rather daft to be honest.
Petit pois - four types of peas: pea gnocchi, pea shoots, pea jus and pea powder (!!). The most inspired dish so far, quite clever!
Saint Pierre, épinard fraise - the latter is a spinach-like plant carrying tiny little berries which look more like raspberries than the strawberries lending their French name. This was cooked very briefly and served with a small filet of John Dory: a very nice, well rounded dish. Unfortunately did the little red fruits provide much more colour than flavour - the eyes were pleased but the palate somewhat disappointed. Therefore a little anti-climatic and not one of my favourites of the day.
Vachette ferrée, salicorne - the only meat dish in the menu was reminiscent of a dish that was served last year, too: then, a plate with many little leaves of different herbs was served (to achieve the "what the f..." effect I suppose), shortly after followed by some flash-grilled thin slice of marbled beef served from a carving board. This year, the herbs were replaced with some samphire, the meat and the presentation were the same. The beef was tasty and cooked rather rare, a good simple dish.
Les fromages - a selection of good cheeses, not the best I have seen, but absolutely fine. No frills (fruit, honey, chutneys, nuts, etc) attached, a little disappointing given the restaurant's ambitions.
Marjolaine, citron - lemon curd, arranged in a cigar-shape on the plate, with lots of marjoram-sprinkled mini-merengue sticking out of it. Original, very yummy, great dish! The best in my opinion since the more you tasted it, the more you wanted to have more of it!
Pêche, lait de vache - wonderfully sweet and aromatic peach wedges with a milk based cream, milk powder and some whipped cream on the side. A seemingly simple but rather clever combination of best quality fruit and varied textures of rich milky flavours. Right up there in my top three dishes of the day.
"Deux Espresso et deux Cognac" (each coffee charged at €5.50 and each Cognac at €18) were accompanied by some slightly different petit-four: one being absolutely brilliant, little fresh rhubarb sticks covered in and served sticking out of a bowl full of crushed almond dragées, and a quite overpowering generous portion of what looked like tiramisu but was really rather rubbery chocolate-streaked marshmallow...
All in all a great day out, a nice lunch but in comparison to last year less ingenious and occasionally even a little pretentious at what seemed to be noticeably increased prices (I believe then menu last year offered ten courses at just under €80 and drinks seemed quite a bit less pricey, too). Maybe La Grenouillière was listed a little too early in the Top 100 Restaurants of the World (ranking at 78)...
I find it difficult to apply my rating - last year it was certainly a 9/10, with mostly lovely food, brilliant ideas, a great atmosphere and providing very good value for money. This year I must take it down a notch. 8/10, mostly still that high because of the very friendly and charming service.
La Grenouillière dares to be different. Sometimes a little too much so, as I will point out in this review, but mostly in a pleasant and entertaining way. We were curious about what we might expect this time around because last year we had been presented with some truly inspired food experiences such as a little heap of smouldering fresh juniper branches with a lobster tail hidden within (great fresh smoky flavour), a scoop of grass-green ice cream inside a crystal-clear sugar glass ball thrown on to your plate where it would shatter into pieces or, with coffee, a hammer and chisel taken to what looked like a piece of lava rock left as decoration on the dining table and what was really a Turkish Delight-like substance dyed grey through the use of squid ink. In addition, the restaurant had closed earlier this year for a major refurbishment so we were curious what it would look like.
As we arrived we went to sit in the lounge for a drink (G&T at and a glass of Champagne at a rather steep price of €15 each to find the cozy little area mostly unchanged. While we had our drinks we were presented with the menu in form of a crumpled up piece of flimsy A4 paper (one of the less inspired attempts at being different), an idea which was continued in the presentation of the wine list which was printed on the same flimsy paper and folded in half as a collection of loose sheets. While nibbling on some complimentary bread with herb-infused crème fraîche and very young raddish plants (the whole thing, including the still tender leaves - rather pleasant), we decided to go for the 8 course tasting menu for €85 (supplement of €12 for an extra cheese course) and proceeded to the dining area. Last year the restaurant consisted of a number of smaller interconnected dining rooms. This is now replaced by a large open room with a big glass front looking out into the garden, furnished with modern but comfortable light brown leather chairs and ovally shaped tables which also seemed to have a leather top in the same colour. In the middle of the room was a strange contraption which we suspected to be a hoax, or some would perhaps say a piece of modern art. There is also a spaghetti salad of wires hanging under the high ceiling feeding electricity to the small LED point lamps scattered around the room. One corner of the dining hall opened up into the showroom-type kitchen so we could watch the kitchen staff as they prepared our food in a calm and controlled manner, always a good sign I like to believe. The atmosphere of the restaurant has changed significantly since we came last year - a rather traditional French country restaurant (and I mean the premises not the food) has turned into a modern food temple. I have to admit that I preferred the previous setup, so call me old-fashioned!
We ordered a bottle of Pouilly-Fumée Prédilection 2009 from Jonathan Didier Pabiot at €86 and a bottle of Château Soutard Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé 2000 at €124 (both very good wines and normally priced for a Michelin-starred outfit: both wines retail for around 40-50 Euro), the former decanted and placed in an ice-bucket inside a leather-bag that was hung on the wall and the letter just opened and left to breathe in the bottle - an informed choice by the sommelier as we agreed on later. So, without further ado, here comes the food!
Bar, Nectarine - thin slices of raw fish, very thin slices of fresh nectarine, a drizzle of olive oil and a little bit of pepper. Nice, a good start.
Eau de Mer, Avocat - a cube of ripe avocado flesh with a thin slice of raw fish hidden inside and some sea water (I would say it was water flavoured with Wakame algeas, salt and olive oil - then again, maybe it was really sea water). Good, not great.
Courgettes, huîtres - a massive half oyster shell (haven't seen them that big since Hawaii) with a raw fresh oyster inside, a thin slice of courgettes and some other green bits I can't quite remember now... Very good flavours, great presentation, but don't make the mistake we made: we were only given forks or spoons up to this point (and for the rest of the lunch as we realised later on), no knives, so in the effort to be good sportsmen we tried eating with the fork only. While you got away with that until now, you really needed a knife to cut the oyster and courgette at least in half so you can enjoy them together (unless you want to risk choking on them). We reckon that what was until then used as a butter knife (which was unusually sharp and big for that purpose anyway) was meant to be used as our all-purpose knife for the day. That is an attempt at being different that I find rather daft to be honest.
Petit pois - four types of peas: pea gnocchi, pea shoots, pea jus and pea powder (!!). The most inspired dish so far, quite clever!
Saint Pierre, épinard fraise - the latter is a spinach-like plant carrying tiny little berries which look more like raspberries than the strawberries lending their French name. This was cooked very briefly and served with a small filet of John Dory: a very nice, well rounded dish. Unfortunately did the little red fruits provide much more colour than flavour - the eyes were pleased but the palate somewhat disappointed. Therefore a little anti-climatic and not one of my favourites of the day.
Vachette ferrée, salicorne - the only meat dish in the menu was reminiscent of a dish that was served last year, too: then, a plate with many little leaves of different herbs was served (to achieve the "what the f..." effect I suppose), shortly after followed by some flash-grilled thin slice of marbled beef served from a carving board. This year, the herbs were replaced with some samphire, the meat and the presentation were the same. The beef was tasty and cooked rather rare, a good simple dish.
Les fromages - a selection of good cheeses, not the best I have seen, but absolutely fine. No frills (fruit, honey, chutneys, nuts, etc) attached, a little disappointing given the restaurant's ambitions.
Marjolaine, citron - lemon curd, arranged in a cigar-shape on the plate, with lots of marjoram-sprinkled mini-merengue sticking out of it. Original, very yummy, great dish! The best in my opinion since the more you tasted it, the more you wanted to have more of it!
Pêche, lait de vache - wonderfully sweet and aromatic peach wedges with a milk based cream, milk powder and some whipped cream on the side. A seemingly simple but rather clever combination of best quality fruit and varied textures of rich milky flavours. Right up there in my top three dishes of the day.
"Deux Espresso et deux Cognac" (each coffee charged at €5.50 and each Cognac at €18) were accompanied by some slightly different petit-four: one being absolutely brilliant, little fresh rhubarb sticks covered in and served sticking out of a bowl full of crushed almond dragées, and a quite overpowering generous portion of what looked like tiramisu but was really rather rubbery chocolate-streaked marshmallow...
All in all a great day out, a nice lunch but in comparison to last year less ingenious and occasionally even a little pretentious at what seemed to be noticeably increased prices (I believe then menu last year offered ten courses at just under €80 and drinks seemed quite a bit less pricey, too). Maybe La Grenouillière was listed a little too early in the Top 100 Restaurants of the World (ranking at 78)...
I find it difficult to apply my rating - last year it was certainly a 9/10, with mostly lovely food, brilliant ideas, a great atmosphere and providing very good value for money. This year I must take it down a notch. 8/10, mostly still that high because of the very friendly and charming service.
Location:Montreuil-sur-Mer, France
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Film Review: Mad Men (Seasons 1-4) Blu-Ray
OK, I admit it - at first I didn't get the whole hype about Mad Men. I watched a few episodes of Season 1 last year and, fair enough, the reviews were right in that the show was very stylish. But every single character on the programme was somehow... well, kind of horrible. And the whole idea of a programme about a marketing agency just seems alien, unless it would be done by Ricky Gervais. So after three episodes or so I gave up.
And then a few days ago I started over. And gave it a bit more time. And as the first season progressed it was getting better. The show looks great, the production value is fantastic and the USA of the early 60s come to life on your television like never before in a contemporary programme. But that's not it - the weird thing is that the apparently horrible characters over time just prove to be damaged people, flawed, weak, sad and sometimes just misled. And that is what makes these characters real - behind the façade of the smart creative director, his beautiful wife and so many other characters you discover people who you can't help but care for, not despite of but because of all their faults. The show has a few funny moments which are not very obvious and not laugh-out-loud funny, but it's mostly serious drama you're in for. An investment worth making though, stay with it into the second season and you will be hooked, too. 9/10
And then a few days ago I started over. And gave it a bit more time. And as the first season progressed it was getting better. The show looks great, the production value is fantastic and the USA of the early 60s come to life on your television like never before in a contemporary programme. But that's not it - the weird thing is that the apparently horrible characters over time just prove to be damaged people, flawed, weak, sad and sometimes just misled. And that is what makes these characters real - behind the façade of the smart creative director, his beautiful wife and so many other characters you discover people who you can't help but care for, not despite of but because of all their faults. The show has a few funny moments which are not very obvious and not laugh-out-loud funny, but it's mostly serious drama you're in for. An investment worth making though, stay with it into the second season and you will be hooked, too. 9/10
Monday, 18 July 2011
Film Review: Unknown (Blu-Ray) - and The Tourist, in one half sentence
Unknown is everything what The Tourist probably tried to be: It's elegant, suspenseful and filmed 50 years earlier could have fit in seamlessly with the best of Hitchcock's thrillers. Liam Neeson leads the cast as Dr. Martin Harris, a Biologist visiting a conference in Berlin with his wife (rising star January Jones from Mad Men and X-Men: First Class). After an accident he loses his short-term memory and nothing is the same anymore. The whole film takes place in Berlin and was shot on location and in the Babelsberg studios. It manages to keep you interested at all times and moves at a good pace while keeping you guessing what is actually going on. Other than Neeson and Jones, the cast includes the German actors Diane Kruger (playing a woman from Bosnia - you may remember her from Inglorious Basterds, the two National Treasure flicks, Troy and The Piano Player), Bruno Ganz (actually Swiss, but led the cast in many German films from Wim Wenders' classic The American Friend to Downfall - Der Untergang) and Sebastian Koch (The Loves of Others) as well as Aidan Quinn and Frank Langhella. The film is reminiscent of some of Hitchcock's work such as North by Northwest or Torn Curtain, but in a modern packaging. 7/10
Film Review: Eat Pray Love (Blu-Ray)
I'll be brief - very much unlike this film: Eat Pray Love was the first film in quite a while that I didn't finish watching. After about an hour I gave up. And even then did I make it through the last 30 minutes or so merely hoping that Javier Bardem may finally appear in a desperate attempt to save the film - he never showed (well, not within the first hour anyway). I wonder whether part of the problem was the casting - Julia Roberts does not fit into the role of the somewhat annoying high maintenance lead character. Julianne Moore or Julia Dreyfuss could have given this film a different perspective, the former with a much more edgy presence, the latter with her trademark sardonic sense of humour. Don't get me wrong - I love Julia Roberts in films such as Erin Brokovich, but this one doesn't work. Give it a miss. 3/10
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