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Opening in
November after a four-month summer hiatus, the unique
establishment remains an international destination. Fans book
months in advance, bring their own wines and drive for hours for
the experience. Serving eight guests at a time in the serene and
idiosyncratically decorated farmhouse, chef-farmer-guru Michael
Stadtländer daily devises an eight- or nine-course dinner, using
mostly organic ingredients sourced from the farm and from
neighbours. The evening begins with freshly baked crusty bread,
its moist crumb deliciously tangy, followed by six amuses all
presented together on a slab of wood: a raw oyster spiked with
sake and shallot; a plump mussel in a pungent fennel broth; a
slice of house-smoked ham; some morsels of beef tongue with sesame
and soy; soft, rich grilled whitefish with bitter dandelion
greens; and a salad of rare lobster meat tossed with black olive,
sun-dried tomato and powdered sea asparagus. All flavours are
lucid, strong and harmonious. Next, an unforgettable beef
consommé—sweet and meaty, clear as whisky—holds two ravioli filled
with braised oxtail; fresh mustard greens wilt on the surface of
the soup and almost steal the show. Sautéed foie gras (not quite
heated through) joins a firm roulade of rabbit meat and white
asparagus; more of the last features with wild morels in the
sauce. Small fillets of grilled pickerel and poached splake bathe
in a green broth of nettle, pepper cress and dill, the chlorophyll
flavours earthed by wild rice. After an intense blackcurrant-rum
sorbet, the main course brings various cuts of one of the farm’s
own lambs, cooked simply with an abundance of wild leeks from the
property and served with fiddleheads, black trumpet mushrooms and
a mixture of fava beans, chopped beetroot and celeriac purée; a
sauce of the lamb tongue and brains boosts the richness a point.
Desserts are a selection: tart, tangy, deeply flavourful lemon
foam with wild blueberry compote; a juicy pear decorated with
squiggles of crisp pastry; awesome icewine-grappa ice cream; and a
tiny cup of chilled strawberry-rhubarb soup scented with orange
thyme. Petits fours appear with the coffee or tea. Service from
various family members is full of charm and information. BYOB. No
corkage. |