Friday 21 September 2012
On arrival into Frankfurt S had organised a rental car. The type of car was a mystery as you can only order in a category and not a specific car (S tried his darndest). We ended up with an Audi A8 so I was also pretty happy about this. I am missing my little car. The A8 is not a little car on the other hand and is full of walnut and leather and lots of buttons for little boys to press and play with. It was also full of power and seemed to float on air.
Stephan drove the first part of the journey to our hotel just outside of Frankfurt. We could not test the real power of the Audi until the next day. We were staying at the Villa Rothschild (which is said quite differently in German) and is a former home (read mansion) of the Rothschild family. It is now a hotel with 22 rooms. The reason for this location was that S along with Stefan had signed up for a champagne tasting through American Express.
The hotel was traditional in style in keeping with the history of the home. We had a wonderful suite with more than enough space. I did think the addition of the gas masks in the hotel cupboard were an interesting touch. Either they really want to protect their guests in case of fire or just are a bit kinky.
The afternoon was spent admiring the view and the grounds and also downing a couple of vinos. It was then time for the champagne reception and dinner. It was hosted by Amex and a wine importer (so, they were there to sell champagne) and each champagne came with commentary (in German....I just drank, I wasn't there to listen!).
It was an incredible list with seven out of eight being vintages. Now I will give away a little tip....apparently if you really want to show off about how sophisticated you are about champagne you should order the Salon "S" (was anyone expecting I would say Cristal?). This is made by a small producer who only bottles about 35,000 per year and that is if he thinks the grapes are good enough. Compare this to the 35 million bottles that Moet & Chandon produce! It was quite a nice drop but comparable to others I have tried.
The food that was served with the wine was, well, pretty average. My first course seemed to have the chicken left off it and the risotto was crunchy. Still, the focus was on the champagne. Interestingly enough during the course of the event our table ended up with two bottles which were corked.
We were also given a demonstration of how to open a champagne bottle with a sabre (sword). I was the only one there who had seen this before (in a bar in North Perth no less!!) and it is still very neat. I was given the chance to try it (as the Australian special guest star) and failed miserably. I was more concerned with dropping the bottle or slicing my hand - pathetic really.
After all of that champagne it was time to lie down (and have a bit of a groan - a happy groan mind you).
Saturday 22 September 2012
Awoke with a slight headache (I thought only cheap wine could do that!?!?!) and then it was off to a relaxed breakfast in the dining room.
We are on the move today to a town near Dusseldorf called Bensberg and this meant a chance to see what the Audi could do. As you know those crazy Germans do not believe in speed limits on their autobahns. First leg was to catch up with some of Stephan's university friends.
I was allowed to drive the beast and I took it through its paces and managed to get to 200 km/h. Oddly enough it did not seem that fast when the rest of the traffic around you is travelling at at least 150 km/h.
We had a lovely time at Stephan's friends and some delicious cake....mmmm, cake. It was then time for the last part of the drive and meeting up with Stefan once more. Stefan had brought his Ferrari this time and I was to be the passenger. I was a bit intimidated I have to admit. Off we went with a roar and to the autobahn. The traffic was a bit heavier today so we were only able to get to 270 km/h (phew for heavy traffic). S was in the Audi and kept up the entire way. I have never been in such a car (other than the showroom) and never travelled that fast. It was exhilarating and scary all at the same time. Stefan is a very safe driver and let's face it, does not want to die either!!. After about two hours we reached our next hotel which is the Grand Hotel Schloss Bensberg. I certainly needed a little down time after such an amazing car ride - thank you Stefan.
We settled into our room and relaxed a while before dinner. Tonight we are off to Vendome which is one of a few three Michelin star restaurants in Germany. I cannot believe the quality (and amount) of the food that I am being presented with. I really need to be cycling a lot more or I will turn into the Michelin Man after eating all his food!!! I kept being told that the food was pretty light so the forty (just kidding) courses should be a breeze. The restaurant is lovely and modern and the service is sensational. Everything is done meticulously well and often with white gloves - maybe the big QF could introduce these (before they become the big EK).
We elected to go for the medium menu (only 14 courses) and added one course and took off two. The food was sensational and very inventive. There was still a bit of foam and micro herbs which still seems de riguer these days and I still get a chuckle out of it but some of the food pairings were cool. My favourite had to be the fois gras in soy and sesame matched with a cherry sake - pure genius. I was very full by the end but I would have to say it was the best meal I have had so far. Put it on your list I say!
Sunday 23 September 2012
We managed to have a lovely sleep in (Sunday is the day of rest after all) and then had a late continental brunch in the hotel lobby bar. It was then time to hit the road and head to Dusseldorf Airport and home to Zurich.
What an incredible gastronomic weekend it was - thank you, thank you, thank you S.
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