It's easy to lose your bearings in the historic setting of Bottminger Weiherschloss. Once you have regained your bearings, after entering the splendid estate, head right to the brasserie or left to the gourmet restaurant that opened last year in the rococo salon. And there you can experience the fine dining of the eighties and nineties. Dignified, elegant, with perfectly laid tables and plenty of space in between. The nostalgic ambience still has its charm today, as does the polite service. And the dishes on the menu have a modern twist alongside the classics. On our visit, the four-course menu cost 130 francs, the five-course menu 142 francs (now five francs more in each case). We were delighted with the Norway lobster carpaccio, the combination of smoked trout and cauliflower was beautifully balanced, and the roast duck liver with quince and brioche was prepared in a way that is rarely practiced, let alone mastered, these days. Head chef Guy Wallyn is a veteran. The saddle of venison with pumpkin, gnocchi and juniper sauce, for which the friendly waiter had selected a 2014 Branaire-Ducru, was also a classic. Further Bordeaux trouvailles, perfectly matured, are on the bottle list. We found Tatin with vanilla, the dessert, a little too sweet, as were the mignardises at the end, although they were finely and classically prepared. But in the eighties and nineties, people didn't pay as much attention to the line as they do today!
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