Restaurant Session (in Wittem, Netherlands): Julemont

By end of April, we went for a Saturday lunch at restaurant Julemont✨✨from chef Guido Braeken at Chateau Wittem. Great dishes, beautiful wine pairing, very friendly and competent service: always a joy to be back!

 

Starting at the lounge, with a glass of champagne Jacquesson 746 and some appetizers.

 

 

Oyster.

 

View from our table. Love this dinning room!

 

Beautiful flower!

 

The amuse bouche, prepared at the table.

 

Bread, butter and the delicious brioche to share.

 

The first dish: Japanese Hamachi, sesame, ponzu, radish and Imperial Heritage Caviar.

 

Beautiful plating!

 

Pairing with the hamachi, a glass of 2020 Riesling Goldberg from Château Pauqué. Very nice!

 

Kagoshima wagyu, unagi, black garlic, onion and Hollandaice sauce. Excellent!

 

Breton turbot - eel, dashi, fermented white asparagus and shiro kombu.

 

With the turbot, a glass of 2020 Ozyetra from Weingut Von Winning.

 

Sea bass, Eastern scheldt lobster, mala coconut and tandoori masala. Great dish!

With the sea bass, a glass of 2019 Marsannier from Weingut Knipser. Perfect pairing!

Roger enjoyed the non-alcoholic pairing.

 

As main dish, lamb with green curry, morels, tarragon and lime.

 

Sweet time! Raspberry with goat yogurt, shiso, basil and caramelised white chocolate.

 

We went back to the lounge for coffee and gourmandises. Macarons, tartlets...

 

...white chocolate twix and...

 

...jelly (that Roger enjoys, I don't 😊).

 

Apr 29th, 2023.

Restaurant Session (in Dreis): Sonnora

In the evening, we went down for dinner at restaurant Sonnora✨✨✨ from chef Clemens Rambichler.

Great dishes, perfect pairing, very friendly service. Unfortunately the pacing was not as good as our first visit here: at a certain moment, it took very long between dishes. But despite it, still one of our favourite restaurants💗

 

As a little note: I can't find a picture of the menu... So lots of pictures to remember, but no description this time. We will definitely have to go back again 😊

We had an aperitif in the lounge. I had a glass of champagne Brut Rosé from Billecart-Salmon. Roger had a glass of 2019 Riesling Sekt Brut from Saarfeilser.

 

 After the aperitif, we went to our table. View to the entrance - love the beautiful flower arrangement.

 

At our table.

 

With the appetizers, a glass of 2021 J.R. Riesling Feinherb from Weingut Josef Rosch.

 

 

Oyster with cucumber in a nice refreshing preparation.

 

Tuna with pear and lovage.

 

Green asparagus, peas and wagyu.

  

 As first dish, foie gras.

 

 A glass of 2009 Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese from Weingut Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken.

 

We added the signature dish to our menu: tart of beef tartare with N-25 caviar selection and hash browns.

[Kleine Torte vom Rinderfilet-Tatar mit N25 Caviar-Selection Sonnora auf Kartoffelrösti]

 

 Pause to use the toilet and take a picture of the icon golden swan 😊

 

As second dish, langoustine.

 

Pairing with the langoustine, a glass of 2019 Engelgarten from Domaine Marcel Deiss.

 

A glass of 2015 Anjou Blanc from Domaine Pithon-Paillé.

 

I missed the dish picture. But we had a glass of 2016 Château Carbonnieux Blanc Cru Classé Péssac-Léognan.

 

As main dish, we had the wagyu preparation. 

 

Perfection!

 

With the main dish, a glass of 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée Vieilles Vignes from Domaine Silvie Esmonin.

 

 

Sweet time! The first dessert.

Pairing with the first dessert, the 2017 Riesling 'Alte Reben' Qualitätswein feinherb from Carl von Schubert'sche Gutsverwaltung. Very nice!

 

Hello!

 

The second dessert, with strawberries.

The last wine of the pairing: a glass of 2018 Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Auslese from Weingut Franz-Josef Eifel.

 

To finish an excellet dinner, coffee and gourmandises.

Apr 21st, 2023.

Restaurant Session (in Hamont-Achel, Belgium): Food Emotions

For Roger's birthday lunch, we went to restaurant Food Emotions, from chef Mark Bonneu, in Hamont-Achel (Belgium).

 

They renovated the restaurant, and now it is also open for dinner.

We love this place, always nice to be back 😊

 

With the aperitif...

 

...some appetizers. 

Red cabagge, apple and duck confit.

 

Tuna tartare on merengue - soooo good!

Mussel with smoked tea infusion olive cracker.

 

The amuse bouche: bisque ice cream (very good!!) with coffee powder and over a layer of celeriac. What an exquisite - and delicious - combination!

 

(Rosita) bread with...

 

...bacon and butter.

 

 As starter, fried foie gras, fig, dulce de leche.

 

The fried foie gras (so good!), then...

...in pate variation and...

 

...a cone of dulce de leche. Delicious!!

 

A glass of 2020 Gewuerztraminer Scharf from Weingut Seeperle.

 

Shrimp tempura.

 

As main dish, three variations of Angus beef 😍

 

With cheeks on a role.

 

Dessert time! The traditional Dame Blanche, with a creamy vanilla ice cream and...

 

...hot chocolate sauce. Perfection!

 

To finish an excellent lunch, espresso and gourmandises.

 

Nov 17th, 2022.