Domestic

 

Amuse-bouches

Mushroom and celery
Dumpling and cod
Red deer with dill and ramson
Egg and cabbage
Sour dough and smoked cheese
Beetroot and cheese
Potato and ox heart
Pork and barbeque

José Dhondt, Champagne, France

The eight snacks or amuse-bouches were all beautifully presented. Due to shellfish allergy, we got red deer with cheese and dill and ramson, which inspired us to use more dill with red meat. This was served raw like carpaccio, which was an excellent choice.

The highlight was the beetroot and cheese, where we sensed that the chefs had had fun while thinking out new ways to use the local produce. Its presentation could have won a bake-off competition.

The champagne was a blancs de blancs. A mild and gentle flavour which suited the amuse-bouches.

 

1st course

Leek, strawberry, and dill

Galsgaard 2018, white wine, Denmark

A whole leek presented like a fish course, with pieces of leek and green strawberries inside it. The dish was perfectly executed, and it was a playful and fresh dish to begin with.

As the wine goes, we do wish that someone had the courage to dismiss Danish wine until it has reached a drinkable quality. This one was like drinking light apricot soda without the fizziness.

 

2nd course

Sweetbread (thymus) with cucumber and nobilis (pinecone)

Schnaitmann 2017, Riesling, Germany

Normally, the main ingredient in this course would be lobster, and the taste of that would have been more dominant than the sweetbread was. We disagreed about this course. Christian thought that both the nobilis (pinecone leaves) and the sweetbread were flavourless, and he thought that the sweetbread’s texture was rubbery. Charlotte liked the apple taste of the nobilis as well as the taste and texture of the sweetbread. The wine was more acidic than sweet, which suited this course – no matter our disagreements.

 

3rd course
Celery, butter milk, and lavender

Marche Bianco 2018, Terre Silvate, Italy

The wine had a hint of honeydew melon, and the balance between the wine and the baked celery with its slightly salted and dry buttermilk sauce was excellent. The hint of lavender was never overwhelming, and this dish was our favourite. It was so simple, still funny and well executed. If we should have had one of the courses twice, this would be our choice.

 

4th course

Cod, Jerusalem artichoke, and honey

Johannes Zillinger, Burgland, 2016 (10 %), 2017 (10 %), 2018 (80 %)

The wine was sweet and flavoury, and its taste of honey served the cod well. The cod, however, had just had 10-20 seconds too much before serving – and we do know that this particular fish is a tricky one! Otherwise, the dish was well prepared, and the flavours served the slightly acidic wine. The quenelle with hemp seeds and crab apples was very delicious; and contrasted the white cod beautifully.

 

5th course

Onion, ramson, and liver

Roussillon, Domaine Armaget, Cuvée Lulu, rosé, 2017

This course was exactly what the menu said: An onion. It was served in a chicken liver sauce and seasoned with ramson. It was a light dish with lots of umami, and the wine combination was perfect.

 

6th course

Venison, elderberries, and dill

Fond Cyprès, Syrah de la Pinelle, 2017, France

The waiter announced that the venison would be served very rare – bleu. We love our meat this way, and nothing else would have fitted this dish. It needed a pinch of salt to enhance the venison, and the waiter got that for us. The venison was the centre piece, and there was nothing else to it apart from the dill, the berries, and the sauce. Nothing else. Simple and delicious with a wonderful wine, which had the smell and taste of a powerful Pinot Noir.

 

7th course

Sea buckthorn with cream and beetroot

Seehof 2018, Fass 10, Riesling, Germany

The wine tasted of mild passion fruit, and it complemented the dessert excellently. The ice cream with sea buckthorn was delicious, and so was the beetroot sauce. However, the liquorice notes became too dominant if you didn’t hold back on the beetroot sauce.

 

8th course

Jerusalem artichoke with barley and hazelnut

Chateau Barouillet, Montazar 2017, Bordeaux, France

This ice cream made from Jerusalem artichokes had a wonderful structure, and the fresh hazelnuts and barleys contrasted its earthly flavours beautifully. The wine contrasted very well.

 

Coffee and sweets

Pumpkin and woodruff
Ice cream cake with meringue
Swiss roll with strawberry

After the full menu we decided to finish the evening with the finishing touches, and they certainly lived up to the expectations. Beautifully plated cakes were placed before us, and even after 16 servings, we enjoyed them.

 

To conclude

The chefs had managed to structure a full menu well, with suitable sized portions, and we were happy that we had chosen the more advanced and experimental wine menu instead of the more expensive and safer choices. Many wines were biodynamic, and even though some of the producers still have a long way to travel (hence the Danish experience), we enjoyed being presented for something different. A small hiccup: All the wine was stored at 17°C, and it was a couple of degrees too warm for our taste.

Our waiter was charming and smiling, and he told us that he was a trained chef, too. This educational combination really shone through, and it was evident that he knew what he was serving. We enjoyed this dialogue.

All in all, Domestic’s Michelin star is solid and well-deserved. This was our second visit to the restaurant, and definitely not our last.