A good taste of Luxembourg

Georges Rouzeau-2009-12-16

 

Now here’s a very likeable chef. Not only is Yves Radelet Belgian, but he also hates travelling. A fine paradox, because each of his dishes looks beyond the borders of Europe. Playful and self-taught to a large degree, this man has character. Moreover, he makes his cheese and cured meats himself. He likes to experiment, dabble in everything and, like a northern Ferran Adrià, try his hand at molecular cuisine. On the menu he nevertheless takes care to distinguish the “classics” from so-called “progressive” dishes. Far from smacking of sterile experimentation, these sensual, carnal compositions whet the appetite! Yves Radelet readily admits that he “likes to chew” and each of his dishes offers the palate a fine range of sensations. His langoustines in strips of spring roll pastry on a salad of crisp oriental-style vegetables, diced coconut and fresh coriander pesto (€24.50*) are a fine example: gourmet and balanced. His medallion of deer on a bed of chanterelles, chestnut purée, pumpkin fritters and chocolate and Banyuls sauce (€29.50) is delicious. With an unbeatable lunch menu at €26 and menus at €60 and €80 (not including wine), this gourmet restaurant certainly deserves a place on your itinerary.

 

When gastronomy reaches this level of precision and intensity of flavour, you can only be chez Mosconi in Luxembourg, the only two-star Italian restaurant outside Italy – the other one being in New York. The chef Ilario Mosconi, a taciturn Lombard as thin as a rake with an emaciated face, seems to have come straight out of a masterpiece of Italian neo-realism. His cuisine is like him: concentrated, sensitive and without ostentation. The modern touches (blend of sweet and sour, exotic spices) are in keeping with a classic Italian cuisine. And indeed, “from the Tuscan beef to the Piedmont veal and Sicilian tomato, 90% of the ingredients come directly from Italy” confides Simonetta Mosconi, the chef’s wife, who takes care of the dining room and customers. The emphasis on flavour commands respect, and you often have the impression of tasting products as simple as basil, tomato and ricotta for the first time in your life. Lastly, this restaurant benefits from a rare setting, a beautiful grand house built at the edge of the river Alzette, in the now highly sought-after old brewers’ quarter.

 

In certain photographs, Damien Klein looks a little like Robert Smith, singer with The Cure, with his palm-tree-like dishevelled mop of hair (when he is not wearing a headband which emphasises his two earrings and pierced chin). The look of this former student of Bocuse sets the tone for his cuisine: fun and fusion, trendy and colourful, playing with colours and textures and even using a few decorative accessories. From South America to Japan via the Himalayas, our young prodigy draws inspiration from all over the world. Morels and pineapple, calf’s liver and onion chutney, red mullet and coconut, crayfish and Bounty bar: the range of flavours (and ingredients) is vast, often served in small, light portions for a figure-watching, high-class clientele. Some dishes do, however, lack oomph and identity. But the Apoteca is not just a restaurant – it’s a place to relax, where you can come at almost any time of day. At the wine bar, for example, you can sip a modestly priced Rioja or Montepulciano, served with a dish of cured meats. Lastly, the Apoteca has a lot of charm, thanks to its refined decor and maze of small rooms set on different levels in what was an old Renaissance house. Lunch menus at €14, €17 and €20.

 

The Philharmonie’s restaurant (see article) boasts a designer decor where white predominates above a pale wooden floor. The cuisine is in keeping, being very much into the five continents. Chicken and guacamole, langoustines and exotic fruit, fillet of deer and dried apricots – the flavours blend nicely on the plate without leaving an unforgettable impression.

One euro is worth approximately GBP0.66.

 

20 rue du Curé, L-1368, Luxembourg

Tel.: +352 22 26 18

 

13 rue Münster, L-2160 Luxembourg

Tel.: + 352 54 69 94

 

restaurant, bar, lounge, 12, rue de la Boucherie, L-1247 Luxembourg

Tel.: 26 47 82 45

Fax.: 26 47 82 46

 

1 place de l’Europe, L-1499, Luxembourg

Tel.: 00 352 26 687 888