Zur Post*, St. Vith
My parents came to visit from Singapore, and as it was game season, my dad thought it would be a good idea to go the Belgian Ardennes to have some proper game. I usually don't eat much meat, but for this I did have to make an exception. Our first stop was a two night stay in a little hotel in the town of St. Vith. The restaurant in this hotel, Zur Post, has one Michelin star, and the gastronomy arrangement we booked allowed us to have dinner in the restaurant twice. This post will consist of snip bits from both meals.
The amuses we received were the same on both days, and consisted of Smoked Halibut with Cucumber foam, Ham on Toast and Cones filled with Ham mousse. We also received a mushroom soup in a little cappuccino cup. The amuses weren't that special, but they were some nice bites.
One of the first courses we received was the "Vitello Tonnato from the Region." Essentially the traditional ingredients were replaced by locally sourced ones. Instead of the usual veal, they used deer, and the trout replaced the tuna. The meat was surprisingly tender and the trout complemented it nicely. There was some Ricotta foam, which I didn't really understand what it added to the dish. However, the anchovy cream and fried capers added a nice hit of salt to the meat.
The second dish was the chef's attempt at a fusion dish. Seabass with Coconut, warm Citrus vinaigrette and Cabbage fondue. This was a huge disappointment. The chef used some form of desiccated coconut, that tasted rather stale. Also the skin on the fish wasn't crisped up, so it was just lumpy. Both my parents and I had a hard time finishing it, and really didn't enjoy it at all.
The main dish was the Open Ravioli of Pheasant with Mushroom Duxelles and Chestnut Puree. It was a lovely idea, especially since all the ingredients are in season. I really enjoyed the mushroom duxelles and the chestnut puree. The pasta was also homemade and nice and tender. My parents both had pheasants that were sublime, however mine had, what seemed like, a large chunk of fat or a tendon, which wasn't very appetising at all.
Before the dessert we received a little pre-dessert, which was a perfectly executed Creme Brulee. I could find no fault with it.
The dessert was an Apple Calvados Souffle. As you can see from the picture the souffle was perfectly risen and it was nice and fluffy inside. It was executed well, although I wish it would've been served with some vanilla sauce and that the ice cream had been larger. towards the end it was just a bit too dry.
With our tea we were served this platter of friandises, which were all very tasty.
Our second evening started with the Lobster Salad with Green Apple. This was a simple, yet stunning dish. I think it just goes to show how simplicity is often best. The pieces of lobster were perfectly cooked. I definitely could've had a second plate of this.
We then had the Turbot stuffed with Smoked Salmon served with Mediterranean flavours. This was a lovely dish and definitely much better than the Asian dish he tried to do the evening before. The relish that came with is was extremely tasty and he managed to develop all the Mediterranean flavours, that you would expect, in it.
The main course was Venison with Mushrooms, Potato Puree and an Aceto Balsamico Jus. It was supposed to be served with figs, but since I don't like figs I asked if they could replace it. They didn't however, leaving it off the plate and just placing a piece of meat on the place where it was supposed to be. This wasn't extra meat that they gave, since I counted the pieces on both my parents (who had the fig) and my plate. Slightly sad. However, the venison was perfectly cooked and the mushrooms and balsamico just made it complete. The potatoes didn't add much to the dish and could've been left off.
The dessert was a Pear on top of a Vanilla Cream and Vanilla Ice Cream filled Paris Brest Pastry. I really loved the flavours in this dessert and it definitely was preferred to the Souffle, the evening before. One technical mistake would be that the pear was still extremely hard. It really needed to be poached longer, and if it were, this dish would've been perfect. [sorry that the picture is turned on its side, not too sure how to change it]
Overall the quality of food was quite good and I really enjoyed my stay. It's quite clear though, why they only have one Michelin star and not more. I look forward to seeing what hey're going to come up with in the future, however I hope the chef sticks to his roots and towards European/Mediterranean flavours, rather than going down the Asian route.