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| My Review |
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A pretty country inn with a few rooms and an attractive garden. Amuse-bouche were a salmon carpaccio, lobster soup, chilled cucumber soup with a red pepper mousse, a quails egg and raviolo of fish (9/10). We went for a degustation menu. Next up was red mullet and a single scampi, sublimely cooked and served with endive, a tarragon salad with a light vinaigrette and a few sprigs of dill (10/10).
Next was a very fine Dover sole with langoustine resting on a bed of cabbage with a citrus sauce (10/10). A fine John Dory was marred only by some overcooked mange-touts, an uncharacteristic slip (9/10). The next course was lobster with a ginger and curry sauce, the lobster without a trace of chewiness, the spices subtle and in balance; even my bête noire, couscous, served here in a filo pastry cup, was good (10/10). Next was sea bass with red and yellow peppers, the fish again beautifully timed and very fresh, served with some sliced green beans in an aged balsamic sauce, with a few stunning cherry tomatoes with breadcrumbs. A potato puree with rocket and deep fried artichokes was offered as a garnish (10/10).
Cheese was in excellent condition, and as well as the usual array of French classics (St Maure, Comte, Reblochon, Brie, Munster etc) had a solitary fresh goats cheese from Germany (9/10). Next, griottes were served with an excellent waffle and a chocolate chip ice cream (9/10). Then a slight decline with a pleasant vanilla cream with ginger with circles of sponge roulade topped with meringue, along with a yoghurt jelly and yoghurt ice cream topped with wild strawberries (7/10). Coffee and a wide selection of petit fours were excellent (10/10).
Overall 10/10, and tough to choose between this and Im Schiffchen for the best meal of the trip in 2002. The chef was charming and very modest – this again was better than a great many 3 star places in France. |
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20/10/2009 - JJ STIVES (USA)
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| I just came back from a short trip to Germany and had one night to visit Waldhotel Sonnora. I totally agree with your comments and ratings.
Had a perfect dinner with two old friends who know the German Three Star line up far better than I do and we were not disappointed. I stayed in one of the rooms and commented that I thought it had just been refinished or was new, but found that it was just being beautifully maintained by a brilliant hausmeister who I wish would write a book about how such hotel rooms should be maintained.
Sonnora is, as a friend once told me, a restaurant with rooms, not a hotel with restaurant. This is correct.
The family that has owned and operated this lovely inn for years was on hand and we chatted a some length about how they manage to stay fully booked year around without any real advertising and being, perhaps gratefully, pretty much unknown to the rest of the world.
Getting to Dreis by train was not easy and even the German Railroad fell flat on their faces trying to tell me how to get there. But it was worth it. Food, wines, ambiance all well up to and above the Three Star levels. |
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