Would that be the Plate of Boiled Sprouts and Cauliflower, or the Bloody Wild Boar Fillet in Red Wine Sauce, Sir?

Tuesday 30/11/2004

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Diary and Notes

This is not fair!

I chose this week as vegetarian week for two reasons. Firstly, after the last weekend I thought it might be good for me and secondly, my friend Marc wants to go to this renowned vegetarian restaurant, Muskat, in a small town nearby, called Geismar. Rumour has it that this place is excellent (they even have their own motto "Essen wie gott in Geismar") and, though no one I spoke to had actually eaten there, like all urban myths, they all knew someone who had. There is a general 'buzz' about the place however and if reputation is anything to go by it should be a fine evening of top class vegetables, pulses, perhaps some fine gourmet cheese and of course a glass of wine.

Before I start complaining, it was brilliant. A true gastronomic delight. However, this is vegetarian week and I was hoping to go to a fine vegetarian restaurant, so as not to be overly tempted and also to sample what Göttingen has to offer for the pasty, white, lonely, skinny folk (vegetarians).

This was not a vegetarian restaurant!

Not only was it not a vegetarian restaurant, it wasn't even geared up for vegetarians. It was however, an organic meat restaurant and had a lovely selection of wild boar fillet, venison, bloody steaks, pheasant and every other thing which normally makes me salivate.

Oh, what has become of the world when I am lured to such places to tempt me. Was this some karmic pennance? Was Marc actually Satan, tempting me as he did Jesus in the desert. I could almost hear his words being translated from "There's nothing here that's actually vegetarian." to "Jump off the cliff and let your hosts of angels save you from the fall." or something to that effect. This is the sort of restaurant I drag vegetarians to, in order to lure them out of their foolish and unhealthy ways. It was a meat eaters heaven and for me, a vegetarian of two days, a complete torture.

Would I falter? Was there anything I could eat that would be good enough, but not break my sacred oath? We scoured the menu and found one lowly, single, option. Gemüse teller, with three sauces and mushrooms. Oh well, I can always come back next week and have the jugged hare.

So how good was this vegetatiran feast? Well, firstly the waiter seemed a bit shocked that anyone was even ordering it (my friend Björn also had this, he's a vegetarian too) but Marc, who normally doesn't eat meat, went for the wild boar fillet - get behind me, Satan!

My plate of vegetables, mushrooms, three sauces and a potato gratin was superb. Quite some of the best prepared vegetarian food I've ever had (almost as good I'd say as Greens in Manchester, which is probably the best vegetarian restaurant I know). It did lack in the protein department though and really could have done with a lump of meat one the top. We had a little samosa to begin with (samosas are quite exotic in Germany), the selection of vegetables (creamed potatoes, brocolli, carrot, swede, parsnip, sprouts and cauliflower) was great, the mushrooms (a mixture of chanterelles and paris) were crispy and garlicy and of the three sauces (a herb sauce, a sharp carrot and tangerine flavoured sauce and a mushroom sauce) the mushroom sauce may be one of the best I've ever had. My dessert was also really quite special; two chocolate mousses, one white - one dark, a strawberry and cinnamon water ice and a piece of vanilla ice cream with strawberry sauce (plus a little triangle of baumkuchen), so all in all a fine evening's food. However, if you ever come here and want to enjoy yourself, eat meat like normal people do. That's why god gave you canines.

And I nearly forgot to mention, the whole meal was less than 22 Euros.


Cake Blog

Nougat Ring: A very good cake indeed. A ring of biscuit, topped with a brown fondant type choccy topping and covered in dark chocolate. From Cafe Hemer, one of the finest bakeries I know.


Menu

Samosa,

Vegetable Selection,

Potato Gratin, Mushrooms,

Three Sauces.

Selection of Desserts.

Entre-Deux-Mers 2000








JCBorresen@gmail.com