A few weeks ago I wrote a post in German about a Frankfurt restaurant and wine-bar named Weinsinn. Luckily I had the chance to return to this small gem just shortly later. So this time I decided to report about it in English, confident that such a place deserves international attention and knowing that Frankfurt is a polyglot enough city.
As fellow blogger Ingo of High End Food already explained well enough, Weinsinn could somehow represent the dawn of bistronomics in Germany. This trend, which is at its peak in Paris and Barcelona with restaurants such as Le Chateaubriand, Frenchie, Rino, Saturne, Septime and the likes, brings fine dining in a simplified way in a relaxed and laid-back bistro atmosphere. The point is that bistronomics are in no way necessarily less creative than classic fine dining, but in the contrary rather more so and often even in more funky ways. Chefs are truly getting rock n’ roll when they don’t have to stick with too many rules.
But no need to get funky without knowing the basics. André Rickert, chef at Weinsinn, gained some solid cooking foundations, having worked with a couple of German Michelin-starred chef such as Juan Amador and Thomas Bühner. At Weinsinn he now has all the freedom he needs to express his own creativity.
The restaurant offers 3 types of degustation menus – 3 course at 45€, 4 course at 55€ and 5 course at 59€- as well as à la carte dining. As expected, the wine selection is big enough and there are also many wines that won’t nuke your wallet.
Luckily, I’m also able to come up with a slightly better pic quality than in the last post.
Tasty nibbles served along a refreshing glass of Ayala Champagne.
Bread and flavoured butter.
Amuse-Bouche.
A great first course. The waiter described it as a Decomposed Walldorf Salad, but what an understatement! Superb specimens of perfectly seared scallops. Luscious puree of celery. fresh and crunchy cubes of the same celery. Explosive fruity dollops of green apple compote. dots of parsley oil. Walnuts and micro herbs. Not sure I got it all here, but this just created some kind of firework on my palate. Dynamic interactions, explosive harmony, simply a lot of emotions on one plate. Awesome dish!
Scottish Salmon on potatoes with a pea cream and a small side dish of salmon tartare with mustard ice cream. Luscious, just slightly cooked piece of salmon. Pure and precise flavor of peas reminding we truly are in Summer. Good produce, good execution, a good dish.
mustard ice cream on Salmon tartare, the side dish.
Beef filet and braised beef with Café de Paris cream. Perfect cooking of the beef, I’m not sure I ever had a better cooked piece in Frankfurt. The composition with parsley cream, Mushroom-cream, small onions, capres is again a succulent proof of Rickert’s talent. Somehow there’s many details on the plate, but one never has the impression it’s getting complicated. Simplicity and complexity are unified. And the way things are disposed on the plate somehow make sure one always has the right things on his fork. Great!
As a red wine: Clos Baquey from the obscure region Côtes Du Marmandais, not too far from Bordeaux- Nearly black color. Sweet and somehow cool scent of forest berries. With good weight and velvety tannic structure. Fruit-sweetness but not overdone. Nice balance, good presence. warm and velvety finish with good length. A good job by shooting star winemaker Elian Da Ros.
Dessert of my co-diner. A Decomposed Black-Forest tart. A delicious composition that reminded me of a dessert we had at Bart de Pooter’s restaurant Pastorale in Belgium not too long ago. De Pooter holds 2 Michelin stars. I couldn’t really see a big difference in quality here!
My own dessert. A harmonious composition of poached apricots, goat cheese, cookie crumbles, apricot ice cream and honey. Delicious interaction of sweet and salty here.
Final nibble: mango ice-cream with chocolate and coconut coating.
cosy atmosphere
Well, I think you might guess what I’ll say now. I can only recommend a visit at Weinsinn. André Rickert‘s cooking simply is at a great level and comes at an unbeatable price. Seriously, this is some of the best foods you can get in this city, including all the high-end, Michelin-starred restaurants.
Plus, it is at the same time a wine bar and offers a nice selection of bottles from all corners of the world. The bistro-type simplicity might not suit everyone – I’m thinking of the business crowd here in particular- but for a dinner with friends or for a date this is a nice and friendly location. Unfortunately there’s only one table outside for those who like to catch some sun. For some the inside might be a bit to dark and closed (small windows) and one has to know that the sleek walls are reflecting sounds for creating a slightly loud but authentic bistro-like atmosphere. But go try it out. That food is addictive!
Weinsinn Restaurant/Weinbar
Fürstenbergerstraße 179
60322 Frankfurt am Main
Phone: +49 (0)69 56 99 80 80
Open daily from 6:30 pm
except mondays, sundays and public holidays
