Restaurant Vendome - Diners will be impressed by the elegant flavours and variety of culinary creations inside a glorious castle near to Cologne
The dining room - This is a newly refurbished dining place which is more modern, lighter tone and less light compared to the previous one
Bread Collection - The selection is actually extensive. They often come with different ones each time. I tasted the focaccia, sun-dried tomato, lentil, cumin, bacon oregano, saffron & ginger as well as sea salt bread
Amuse-bouche: marinated mackerel, bonito fish tartar and beef black sausages
Pre-appetizer: "Cha" salmon-like fish served with vinaigrette sauce and truffle ice cream. A generous portion for opening, the fish is smooth in texture and light in taste
Scallops served with boletus, juice of palourde clams and seaweeds - The carpaccio scallop is outstanding in quality combined with rich foie gras. The fungus and the sauce are nice, except I'm not too keen of the jelly
Mottled ravioli of mascarpone served with Perigord truffles, bonded jabugo, bellota and ham juice - A very interesting dish, mixture of mild old balsamic, tasty cream of Spanish ham and lots of chanterelle mushrooms below ... an ingenious combination
Grilled lobster served with curcuma cabbage and shiitake mushrooms - It tastes like Maine lobster with not-so-firm texture, but it is still quite delicious. The lobster juice is not dominating, so that the ingredients' flavor shine
Red mullet a la bouillabaisse served with sauce rouillie and green beans - The green beans jelly condensation technique is amazing, but I don't really the taste. The rests are delicious, in particular the juice and mussels ... the pan fried red mullet with its scales is also yummy
Escalope of sweetbread with black salsify and warm mayonnaise - The sweetbread is good, mild flavor and velvety texture. It's intensified with the delicious mayonnaise while the salsify has an oyster-like flavor (do not blend really well)
"Vierlander" duck with tangerine and licorice brussels sprouts braised in eel served with lard & corn and truffle - Essentially, it's duck tasting menu. The small breast & leg covered with skin are succulent, foie gras is normal. The green puree blends well with the duck's heart & stomach. This dish shows chef's mastery of different cooking skills
Lemon cream in pepperbisquit served with campari, inlaid lemon, fruits and olive oil ice cream - Refreshing dessert. It shows the contrast of ice cream's sweetness and grape fruit's bitter/sour. The lemon cream & biscuit with campari alcohol are not too bad
Sweets and petit four: coconut ice cream with dark chocolate, pineapple & coconut jelly, caramelized milk skin, German cream with cookies as well as cream of coffee, caramel and red currant
Chocolates: Good qualities and numerous in flavors. I had the green tea, champagne, olive oil, strawberry, coffee, banana and passion fruit
Moi avec Joachim Wissler, a very capable chef who can execute both traditional French cuisine and modern menu with German influence at ease. He's certainly among the world's best chefs under 50 years of age
