Gourmet Restaurant Schloss Lerbach - Bergisch Gladbach
In 1997, young Nils Henkel went to work for legendary German chef, Dieter Muller. Through hours of hard work and experience, 7 years later, Henkel grabs a chef's position in the kitchen brigade assisting the head chef. In 2008, the torch is passed from Muller to his protege and Henkel finally becomes Head Chef at this prestigious restaurant. Armed with this knowledge I booked a lavish lunch on Easter Sunday. There was only one menu at 165 Euros and that was the eight course Easter lunch menu.
FIRST AMUSE BOUCHE: Vegetable Sushi and Mousse of Maize
Julienne vegetable sushi wrapped in nori, topped with jellied aloe. Adjacent to it, mousse of maize on toasted corn cracker with sweet popcorn. While the maize mousse with popcorn was ok, the vegetable sushi was plain weird. It didn't work for me at all. Not a good way to start a long lunch!
SECOND AMUSE BOUCHE: Listed Below
Left: asparagus jelly with cream cheese and artichoke puree w/ olive oil.
Center: Asparagus foam and oxtail mousse.
Right: Artichoke tuile with Braised Artichoke and Sea Bass cooked in its own jus.
Technically, all the dishes were very well planned and created. The artichoke tuile and braised artichoke were divine though.
FIRST DISH: Deconstructed Millefeuile of Duck Liver With Peas
Every bite brought a smile to my face. The combination of duck liver and peas were truly outstanding. The crunch from the toasted bread encasing the duck liver as a sandwich also worked perfectly well.
SECOND DISH: Dandelion Surprise Egg with Brioche
The ingredients consisted of quail egg, duck rillettes, oxtail and dandelion flower mixed into the egg shell for the so called surprise. It was good but maybe a bit overpowering with the duck rillettes? Surprisingly, the brioche wasn't tasty at all. I was even expecting the brioche to be cut into 'soldiers' to dip the bread into the egg surprise but as you can see, this was not the case.
THIRD DISH: North Sea Shrimp, Atlantic Char, Marinated Cucumber, Dill and Fish Roe
When I was presented this dish, you had to just take a step back and admire the creativity and the vision of Nils Henkel. I mean you could visually interpret the dish in so many different ways. It was very tasty, yes...but I have to say bravo to the chef. Everytime I see this photo, I just think it's brilliant.
FOURTH DISH: Pike Perch with Spring Morels, Chives and Fried Cauliflower
This was a really superior dish throughout what I had eaten so far. The cooking of the fish was outstanding. The fried cauliflower worked fantastically with the strong morel flavors and it was a dish in complete unison with each indiviual ingredient. The plating of the dish also deserves top marks.
FIFTH DISH: Icelandic Crayfish, Cumin, Purple Carrots, Pistachio Mash
This dish looked amazing. In fact it almost felt playful and somewhat cartoonish in nature. When I took my first bite of the Icelandic Crayfish, I knew I had reached the pinnacle of Nils Henkel's reperetoire. All I coud taste was pure bliss. It was so tender, exquisite and full of flavor. I have never heard of Icelandic Crayfish and I still haven't been able to find much info about on the web but I have to say, whether it comes down to the taste of this dish or to the key elements like preparing the crayfish - one thing is for sure. This is one of the best dishes I have ever had in my life.
SIXTH DISH: Asparagus, Violet Flower, Mascarpone, Herbs & Coffee Oil
At last. At long last. A subpar dish. The 3 stalks of asparagus were cooked very well as one might guess by now. However, in this case it wasn't exactly a problem with the preparation or cooking of the dish - it was the overall taste. The coffee bean oil mixed with the cream, violet flowers and variations of seeds made the whole dish taste too salty and lacking in finesse. I didn't want to send it back to the kitchen, but it was really a bit too much and a small let down in the string of fantastic food thus far at the restaurant.
SEVENTH DISH: Muritz Lamb with Radish, Wild Garlic, Lamb Cheek and Fondant Potatoes
Lamb might be one of the few animals that I wouldn't choose to order to eat. That being said, I told myself I'd make an exception to eat it at this restaurant. I'd heard that lamb was traditionally served at Easter therefore it had to make an appearance on the eight course menu. The lamb was great as were the fondant potatoes et al.
There was one odd feature though. The dish was served with a bowl of tripe (not pictured) which I found lacking in flavour and not exactly neccessary.
EIGHTH DISH: Strawberry, Rhubarb, Buckwheat, Ivory Chocolate and Chervil Ice cream
After finishing the lamb dish, I wasn't sure I could stomach anymore. I mean the menu could have been six courses and I would have been a happy camper. Alas, there obviously had to be a dessert dish. The chevril ice cream was nicely done, not too overpowering and not too sweet either. It provided an excellent contrast to the sour rhubarb which I found positively delightful. The amount of technique that went into this dish is amazing. Notice the tiny rhubarb like spaghetti on top of the strawberry cake followed by the rhubarb tuiles. It was just the right amount of sourness I was looking for to tie the dessert all together. I kept force feeding myself just to show the 'kitchen' that I didn't want to waste any of the food.
PETIT FOURS: Apple with Salted Caramel Crumble and Assorted Chocolates
It took real courage to eat this last plate of crumble. The crumble was just so-so. In fact, I don't really remember much about it. We asked for the remaining petit fours to be boxed up so we could give them to a friend of ours as a thank you for watching our dogs while we were on our Easter vacation.
Lunch at Gourmet Restaurant Schloss Lerbach was a welcomed experience. Mr. Henkel even came out to greet us during the meal to ask if everything had been pleasant. I had remarked that his technical skills were outstanding. He politely thanked my wife and I for dining at the restaurant and quickly made a bee line back to the kitchen. Although the lunch was great, I wasn't prepared for an astronomical bill. The accompanying beverages that were not included in the lunch menu were so expensive that we could have fit in two of the regular four course lunch menu including aperitif, water and coffee for the same price.
The Schloss Lerbach hotel is a Relais & Chateaux member and part of the Althoff Hotel Group.
Gourmet Restaurant Schloss Lerbach
http://www.schlosshotel-lerbach.com/en/cuisine/gourmet-restaurant-lerbach.html
In 1997, young Nils Henkel went to work for legendary German chef, Dieter Muller. Through hours of hard work and experience, 7 years later, Henkel grabs a chef's position in the kitchen brigade assisting the head chef. In 2008, the torch is passed from Muller to his protege and Henkel finally becomes Head Chef at this prestigious restaurant. Armed with this knowledge I booked a lavish lunch on Easter Sunday. There was only one menu at 165 Euros and that was the eight course Easter lunch menu.
FIRST AMUSE BOUCHE: Vegetable Sushi and Mousse of Maize
Julienne vegetable sushi wrapped in nori, topped with jellied aloe. Adjacent to it, mousse of maize on toasted corn cracker with sweet popcorn. While the maize mousse with popcorn was ok, the vegetable sushi was plain weird. It didn't work for me at all. Not a good way to start a long lunch!
SECOND AMUSE BOUCHE: Listed Below
Left: asparagus jelly with cream cheese and artichoke puree w/ olive oil.
Center: Asparagus foam and oxtail mousse.
Right: Artichoke tuile with Braised Artichoke and Sea Bass cooked in its own jus.
Technically, all the dishes were very well planned and created. The artichoke tuile and braised artichoke were divine though.
FIRST DISH: Deconstructed Millefeuile of Duck Liver With Peas
Every bite brought a smile to my face. The combination of duck liver and peas were truly outstanding. The crunch from the toasted bread encasing the duck liver as a sandwich also worked perfectly well.
SECOND DISH: Dandelion Surprise Egg with Brioche
The ingredients consisted of quail egg, duck rillettes, oxtail and dandelion flower mixed into the egg shell for the so called surprise. It was good but maybe a bit overpowering with the duck rillettes? Surprisingly, the brioche wasn't tasty at all. I was even expecting the brioche to be cut into 'soldiers' to dip the bread into the egg surprise but as you can see, this was not the case.
THIRD DISH: North Sea Shrimp, Atlantic Char, Marinated Cucumber, Dill and Fish Roe
When I was presented this dish, you had to just take a step back and admire the creativity and the vision of Nils Henkel. I mean you could visually interpret the dish in so many different ways. It was very tasty, yes...but I have to say bravo to the chef. Everytime I see this photo, I just think it's brilliant.
FOURTH DISH: Pike Perch with Spring Morels, Chives and Fried Cauliflower
This was a really superior dish throughout what I had eaten so far. The cooking of the fish was outstanding. The fried cauliflower worked fantastically with the strong morel flavors and it was a dish in complete unison with each indiviual ingredient. The plating of the dish also deserves top marks.
FIFTH DISH: Icelandic Crayfish, Cumin, Purple Carrots, Pistachio Mash
This dish looked amazing. In fact it almost felt playful and somewhat cartoonish in nature. When I took my first bite of the Icelandic Crayfish, I knew I had reached the pinnacle of Nils Henkel's reperetoire. All I coud taste was pure bliss. It was so tender, exquisite and full of flavor. I have never heard of Icelandic Crayfish and I still haven't been able to find much info about on the web but I have to say, whether it comes down to the taste of this dish or to the key elements like preparing the crayfish - one thing is for sure. This is one of the best dishes I have ever had in my life.
SIXTH DISH: Asparagus, Violet Flower, Mascarpone, Herbs & Coffee Oil
At last. At long last. A subpar dish. The 3 stalks of asparagus were cooked very well as one might guess by now. However, in this case it wasn't exactly a problem with the preparation or cooking of the dish - it was the overall taste. The coffee bean oil mixed with the cream, violet flowers and variations of seeds made the whole dish taste too salty and lacking in finesse. I didn't want to send it back to the kitchen, but it was really a bit too much and a small let down in the string of fantastic food thus far at the restaurant.
SEVENTH DISH: Muritz Lamb with Radish, Wild Garlic, Lamb Cheek and Fondant Potatoes
Lamb might be one of the few animals that I wouldn't choose to order to eat. That being said, I told myself I'd make an exception to eat it at this restaurant. I'd heard that lamb was traditionally served at Easter therefore it had to make an appearance on the eight course menu. The lamb was great as were the fondant potatoes et al.
There was one odd feature though. The dish was served with a bowl of tripe (not pictured) which I found lacking in flavour and not exactly neccessary.
EIGHTH DISH: Strawberry, Rhubarb, Buckwheat, Ivory Chocolate and Chervil Ice cream
After finishing the lamb dish, I wasn't sure I could stomach anymore. I mean the menu could have been six courses and I would have been a happy camper. Alas, there obviously had to be a dessert dish. The chevril ice cream was nicely done, not too overpowering and not too sweet either. It provided an excellent contrast to the sour rhubarb which I found positively delightful. The amount of technique that went into this dish is amazing. Notice the tiny rhubarb like spaghetti on top of the strawberry cake followed by the rhubarb tuiles. It was just the right amount of sourness I was looking for to tie the dessert all together. I kept force feeding myself just to show the 'kitchen' that I didn't want to waste any of the food.
PETIT FOURS: Apple with Salted Caramel Crumble and Assorted Chocolates
It took real courage to eat this last plate of crumble. The crumble was just so-so. In fact, I don't really remember much about it. We asked for the remaining petit fours to be boxed up so we could give them to a friend of ours as a thank you for watching our dogs while we were on our Easter vacation.
Lunch at Gourmet Restaurant Schloss Lerbach was a welcomed experience. Mr. Henkel even came out to greet us during the meal to ask if everything had been pleasant. I had remarked that his technical skills were outstanding. He politely thanked my wife and I for dining at the restaurant and quickly made a bee line back to the kitchen. Although the lunch was great, I wasn't prepared for an astronomical bill. The accompanying beverages that were not included in the lunch menu were so expensive that we could have fit in two of the regular four course lunch menu including aperitif, water and coffee for the same price.
The Schloss Lerbach hotel is a Relais & Chateaux member and part of the Althoff Hotel Group.
Gourmet Restaurant Schloss Lerbach
http://www.schlosshotel-lerbach.com/en/cuisine/gourmet-restaurant-lerbach.html
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