Restaurant Fischerzunft, Schaffhausen
Apr
2009
Panierte Wachtelkeule mit violettem Kartoffelsalat
Spargel mit Lachs
Hummercocktail mit Thaimango, Hummernavarin fumé, Crème Brûlée mit Fivespice
Langoustine in frittierten Reisnudeln
Saiblingsfilet in Butter sanft pochiert auf Schwarzwurzelpurée mit soufflierten Rosenkohlblättern, Beurre Blanc mit Vanille und Seeigel
Pojarski von Lammrücken mit marokkanischen Gewürzen, Gurken-Tomaten Fondant mit Estragon, Shanghaiessig-Jus, Bramata mit Parmesankräcker
Interpretation von Emmentalerrösti mit Spiegelei und Vacherin Mont d’Or
Puffreis mit Maracaibo Schokolade, Koriander-Thymianeis, Schwarze Kirschen mit Bittermandeln
Cognac dispensing contraption
Continuing our series of Saturday lunch outings, we headed to Andre Jaeger’s Fischerzunft. It actually has a very nice dining room, comfy and classic, an air of grandeur and a bit of Grand Hotel charm can be felt. Something which always startles me if they serve you an amuse bouche before handing you the menu. Ever since I’ve ran into a scam in younger years in a tourist trap, I go into full battle mode, the same way you would do in sleazy strip joints in Eastern Europe if suddenly a bottle of champagne appears on the table. The maitre de reassured me that we will get a proper menu after our amuse bouche and I was able to relax. Gluttony is my favourite sin and I attempt to commit it on a very regular basis. We opted for the menu and added another dish, some Langoustines with fried vermicelli. Look at the pictures and compare it to Didier de Courten. Mr. Jaeger’s artistic line is much less strict, more flowery and elaborate but beautiful and special, just look at the pictures. On the second amuse bouche a truly perfect green asparagus and a piece of salmon were served. Never have I eaten such a perfectly cooked and slightly sweet asparagus. This simple piece of greenery showed perfectly what can be achieved if you buy absolute top quality food and prepare it expertly (taking into account about 25 steps instead of 3 as you would at home). You’ll find yourself balking at anything else you get in normal restaurants if you oversaturate yourself with Michelin star places… The most interesting dish was the duo of lobster served in two glasses. One was upside down filled with black tea smoke around a lobster navarin, really displeasing, the flavours were off and the smoke a joke at best but it certainly didn’t add to the experience. On the other hand the lobster cocktail was perfect. A combination of lobster tiered with an advanced adaption of a cocktail sauce and a biscuit like layer inbetween. You got the creamy- and crunchyness as well as the distinct lobster taste and texture. I’m not sure if this is the Ying and Yang concept of having a screwed up and a faboulous bit of food on the same plate. The dish which made me chuckle was the intepretation of roesti and eggs with some Vacherin cheese. Quite frankly, Mr. Jaeger’s roesti is nice but it isn’t stellar. Such a comfort food must be done in larger portions, I’m here to try the sea urchin sauce and necessarily the roesti. He took a risk on that dish and it only played out partly. The funniest thing were the other guests in the place, a gay couple around 50, celebrating the birthday of one of the gentlemen. It became quite clearly who was the wife and who was the husband in this group. The elder of the two kept ordering for both of them. It’s very strange if a 50 year old grown man states that Mr. So-and-so will be having this and that as if Mr. So-and-so was an 8 year old boy…
Moving over to the salon, where smoking is allowed, there is a huge cognac bottle held in some kind of tipping contraption to pour for guests. Only Mr. Jaeger is allowed to operate this machinery and the price for a glass is rather steep with 36 CHF. Speaking of prices, even if you only stick to tap water the hit is rather steep, and I once again let censorship prevail:
My personal economical stimulus package
23/04/2009 at 08:46
beim Herrn Jäger ist es halt immer ein erlebnis
26/04/2009 at 23:22
das design mag ja ein wenig 80er jahre mässig und blumenhaft wirken, aber der anblick der speisen und das lesen der beschreibung rufen dieses “schnell hin!” gefühl im bauch hervor 😉
23/05/2009 at 21:52
Considering the intended scope of your ‘saturday lunch outings’, i can only assume that you have dined at the highest calibre of swiss restaurants. Therefore, after reading your article, it leaves me rather nonplussed that you would balk at the prices of such a top-flight institution. As you yourself mentioned, this restaurant buys ‘top quality food’ and cooking said food requires ’25 steps instead of 3′. I, for one, appreciate the time Mr Jaeger and his staff invest in perfecting their craft and producing the best culinary experience possible, and it is not, I believe, ludicrous to suggest that such efforts deserve to be recognised and accordingly rewarded. Furthermore, when entering a Michelin-starred restaurant with 19 Gault-Millau points, one should be prepared to pay for the experience, as one should in any other context.
I have been a longtime customer of the Fischerzunft and am also a friend of Mr Jaeger, and while I disagree with your opinion on the food, to each his own. I do believe, however, that one must appreciate the creativity of the Fischerzunft’s food and the new paths that Mr Jaeger has forged in the gastronomic arena. For example, you state that Roesti should be served ‘in larger portions’. The purpose of haute cuisine is to explore new flavours and expand on traditional ones. Therefore I defend the dish, if simply for its element of experimentation and originality.
23/05/2009 at 22:41
The prices are what I expected, still dishing out more than half your monthly rent for a meal is decadent and justifies calling it expensive. Even if a Mercedes gives you good value for money in the long run, initially it’s expensive.
I credit your thoughts on the Roeschti, it takes some balls to put it on the menu and it wins on originality. But – Roeschti is a dish (just like spaghetti) which everyone knows and is best cooked by your mom. There are just too many memories and personal experiences attached to it.
Any recommendation for a “Saturday lunch outing” ?
09/01/2011 at 00:47
Do they change their menu seasonaly?
Just wondering because this meal looks good
31/10/2011 at 21:14
Why censor the prices? We are adults, we know about these things.
31/10/2011 at 21:18
My mom reads this, I had to tone it down a notch 🙂