The Silk Bed Restaurant in Frankfurt is made employing one of the most modern restaurant concepts, although reminding one of the most ancient: Eating while lying on a bed like ancient Romans. Nevertheless, Silk at the Cocoon night Club has developed a truly avant-garde version of this concept. The interior of the restaurant is all white, giant white leather beds are incorporated in the sides of the room which has slightly vaulted (white) walls (reminding the shape of a cocoon). The whole interior is warmed up by a dynamic light concept which emits shades of pink with varying intensity; following the rhythm of the “loungy” music mixed by the restaurants own Dj.
The whole architecture, the sound and light concept create a relaxing atmosphere on its own.
When we arrived, we were invited to take off our shoes and put them in a drawer underneath our bed. Another drawer contains Japanese sandals, which a guest can borrow in case he wants to reach the bathroom. So we lied down on this huge leather bed made for 10 guests (we were a party of 4, another party of 4 and a party of 2 were lying next to us on the same circular bed) and put some cushions under our backs. The waitress, who is by the way also dressed up all in white, offered us a glass of champagne inaugurating a succulent dinner. All guests of the restaurant are served the same menu at the same time, reducing the logistical burden for the kitchen team. We also chose the accompanying wine menu option which includes the champagne, 2 different white wines, one glass of red wine and one glass of dessert wine.
Then the dinner started.
The staff brought us at first a small cornet (waffle) filled with crab cream and horseradish which was an elegant appetizer. Then in the manner of Ferran Adria, we were being handed a Pina Colada mousse, shaped as an egg with 2 spoons and shortly frozen in liquid nitrogen in front of us. It was frozen on the outside and soft and creamy in the inside. The smoke of the liquid nitrogen made a good show but at the same we also realized that it was more than a gimmick since it was tasty. In another restaurant we were served a tonic lemon version of this dish, which didn’t have much flavour, but on the other hand we can’t compare since there it was served as a trou normand for neutralising the palate between 2 courses. The amuses parade continued with foie gras, Pata Negra and Périgord truffle. The first white wine, a Sauvignon Blanc from Austria was fitting well with all the small portions.
The one hour Organic egg with mushroom and rucola-gnocchi, served next was actually cooked during one hour at 62 °c, explained the waitress, and it had in fact a truly different texture than any egg I’ve eaten before. The yolk as well as the white had both the same melting consistence and although one would have thought that this was a gimmick too, it was truly a revelation.
Then came 2 fish dishes: hamachi, which is a yellowfin amberjack fish with cantaloupe and ginger sauce and loup de mer on wild spinach and wodka caviar sauce. Both plates were again convincing and cooked in the manner of a star-awarded restaurant. The second white wine, a 1998 Vouvray made of 100% Chenin Blanc with a nice fruitiness went well with the flavours.
Now we were ready for some meat. The Irish lamb (saddle of lamb from an Irish lamb) was cut in tiny slices, which you could easily handle with a spoon. The meat was tender and harmonized exceptionally well with the exotic tamarind sauce.
The red wine, L’Espill criança Celler Cecilio 1998 from the Spanish Priorat region was concentrated and flavoured, but maybe a tick to strong in terms of alcoholic taste for being in perfect accord with the meat.
Finally the desserts were a class of its own. Generally, desserts don’t have the potential to keep up with the high level of entrees in terms of creativity. But these desserts truly marked another highlight of the dinner.
The first one, rhubarb with sour cream and mint, was a harmonious build-up of tasty products, which neutralized our palate. The second one, called corn, white chocolate and raspberry gratinee, was a real stunner. The combination of the corn, which was in fact popcorn, together with a white chocolate cream and a crunchy raspberry taste was a true revelation, or I would rather say a masterpiece underlining the capacity of Mario Lohninger for creating innovative and delicious dishes.
Then fennel, grapefruit and white tomato sorbet was also a nice play with flavour and textures as the fennel was served dried or baked like a crunchy chip and contrasted well with the sorbet. Also the sauvignon Blanc Beerenauslese from the Austrian winemaker Tschida, was a discovery for my palate and accompanied all the desserts perfectly.
In the end we received, as a final reminder of the kitchen’s creativity, the cocoon lollipop which was a small piece of nougat ice cream on a stick surrounded by cotton candy with crunchy pieces of roasted almonds.
As a conclusion I must first say that all our worries of how it would be to have dinner while lying on a bed have been dissolved. After half an hour you wouldn’t think of the “eating position” anymore. Also, all dishes were served either as a bite sized portion, or in a manner that you could easily eat it with a spoon; cutting with a knife wasn’t required.
All in all we were lying more than 3 hours on our white leather beds, enjoying a really creative and high level cuisine in an ambiance which liberated our minds from anything else and let us concentrate on the flavour-compilations of Mario Lohninger.
