HAERLIN

The evening begins in the kitchen located beneath the restaurant, where Christoph Rüffer has been at the helm for 24 years. Regarding the food (My subjective opinion! The rating reflects my expectations for a restaurant of this category and price. +/0/– should be self-explanatory) The first amuse-bouches arrive quickly: Helgoland lobster in a bed of flowers, a sea bass taco, and veal tartare. Sometimes an evening begins subtly – not at Haerlin. All three bites are an assault on the senses – wow! (0+) The mushroom variations are somewhat more understated, presented as a broth with peas and as a crustado with truffle. (0) Upstairs, we move to a room that has become a rarity in Germany. We are at the Vier Jahreszeiten (Four Seasons), and here, there is nothing understated. The opulence is balanced by the young service team, who do an outstanding job this evening. For the bread course (0), butter is flavored to order at the table, something I've never experienced before. Sometimes it's the little details that make all the difference. The amuse-bouche is pulled spider crab in fennel tea with caviar. Flawless (0) I almost swapped the first course, Salade Niçoise—that would have been one of the biggest mistakes of my culinary travels—the tuna belly is delicious, as is the sardine broth—but the red onion sorbet, which I discuss at length with the chef at the end, is a magnificent surprise—it's complemented by a mild tomato foam. A fantastic dish (+) The additional suckling pig belly arrives and is, of course, very intense. The richness of the stuffed belly is tempered by a variety of tomatoes and a Sauce Lumière. A successful addition (0-) Now prawns are on the menu. With the generous portion sizes and the sauces always left on the table for refills, I wasn't sure I could make it through the evening—but I gave it my best shot. The king prawn was of fantastic quality, the bisque (paprika and shellfish foam) was divine, and then a touch of vinaigrette—fabulous! (0) The red mullet looked wonderful. The fish was more subtle than expected, but the nage of mussels and saffron was anything but. Perhaps even a bit too intense; the fish was somewhat overpowered, but I had no problem with the liquid being so incredibly delicious. (0-) The ratatouille, the second integrated course, was the weakest dish of the evening—again, of course, with a fine sauce. (-) The highlight of the savory course was a gratinated saddle of venison with the fruitiness of mirabelle plum and a velvety celery puree. Accompanied by a classic jus. The meat was perfect. (0-) The pre-dessert has been served, and minutes later I still have a hint of spice on my palate. A fabulous blend of Dôme de Champagne, passion fruit, and jalapeño. A dessert that scores points. (0) The main dessert arrives in two parts. The warm pieces of greengage plum in the small bowl are comfort food, but the large plate is in a different league. On it, greengage plum, a pecan praline, and honey provide a satisfying end to the meal. Subtle, wonderful. (0) With the petit fours, the large drawer opens to reveal the included espresso—just the way I like it, and fortunately, the pralines and macarons are also available to take away—I'm full and content. (0) Overall, it remains a sauce-focused menu that doesn't have any weaknesses. The very fitting non-alcoholic accompaniment is also worth noting. The main course is a sauce-focused menu that doesn't have any weaknesses. With two additional courses and drinks, the menu price increases from €350 to a total of €600. You should also allow plenty of time. My visit lasted almost 4.5 hours, but the pacing was good – the wait times between courses were well-balanced. Conclusion: Highly recommended!

The Haerlin has a stunningly beautiful ambiance – elegant and sophisticated, yet so warm that you almost feel like you're in a home you've never been to before. The acoustics are also superb. The Dom Pérignon 2017 as an aperitif was a first for me and an instant highlight. A particularly nice touch: there was also a fantastic children's menu with fruit, schnitzel, tomato soup, etc., and the non-alcoholic drinks were surprisingly innovative and perfectly paired. Culinary highlights for me were the prawns and the Dôme de Champagne (dessert). A huge thank you to the entire team and especially to Nurael, who anticipated our every need.

Its not all about the food. Its the service, atmosphere, experience and most importantly, the memories.

The Haerlin was a truly special experience for us, and also our first visit to a Michelin-starred restaurant. I had planned the evening as a surprise for my partner. We opted for the vegetarian menu once and the regular menu once, each with wine pairings. Both menus were truly outstanding. Every course was exceptional, meticulously crafted, and the flavors exceeded our expectations. We were particularly impressed by the course with the mushroom essence and the mushroom croustade. For us, it was the absolute culinary highlight of the evening. The wine pairings were also excellent. The wines were perfectly matched to each course and complemented the flavors of the food beautifully. In addition, the service was superb. The entire team was professional, attentive, and incredibly friendly. Of course, the prices here are quite high. However, after this evening, we can say that our expectations were significantly surpassed. Precisely because it was our first visit to a Michelin-starred restaurant, the entire evening was something extraordinary for us, an experience we will remember for a long time. One small thing did catch our attention, but it doesn't change our overall rating. We're still relatively young and were therefore probably considerably younger than most of the other guests. When the head chef personally visited the tables, we had the impression that he spent a little more time with the other tables than with us. Of course, this could simply have been due to timing, as the dessert trolley was arriving just as we were dining. Nevertheless, for a brief moment, it gave us the feeling that we were perhaps being given less attention because of our age. However, we don't want to overemphasize this at all. The head chef was very personable, and we were absolutely thrilled with the culinary creations he and his team served. Overall, our evening at Haerlin was truly special.