There’s a brand new dining concept which has just landed in Baden-Baden and I couldn’t wait to share it with you! Located inside the jaw-droppingly beautiful Brenners Park Hotel & Spa in Baden-Baden, new restaurant Fritz & Felix is set to become this spa town’s latest hot spot. Opened late October 2018, the restaurant is open five evenings a week and its food concept designed by Swiss star chef Nenad Mlinarevic.
We entered the restaurant through the main doors of the luxurious Brenners Park Hotel & Spa which takes you straight into the stunning bar area. The bar concept is based on the roaring twenties with its fascinating cars and exuberant lifestyle. Lots of leather, copper accents illuminate the rooms light and snug seating areas are designed to engage with people around you. I really don’t think you’ll find a more beautiful bar in Baden-Baden.
Dining on a Thursday, we were lucky enough to experience this bars brand new experience – Negroni Night! Every Thursday, this bar will be serving a selection of expertly paired Negroni’s at just 8 euros, each complimented by small snacks from the kitchen and a DJ spinning tunes throughout. It was a fantastic place to start and end our evening.
Looking after the kitchen is executive chef Sebastian Mattis and the dining room by restaurant manager Julius Hilger. The food may be based around the fine-dining concept, but the feel is relaxed and with service to match. The latter is something this hotel gets so right and you’ll be looked after from the moment you arrive inside this beautiful dining room which has been designed by renowned London designers, Robert Angell Design International. They’ve designed well-known venues such as the Dorchester, Belmond, Four Seasons and Hotel Café Royal – just to name a few.
After finishing our cocktails, we sat down in the restaurant and enjoyed some expertly made bread whilst we looked over the menus and sipped on a glass of Champagne.
The dishes here are all about sharing and so we ordered three. Fritz & Felix beef tartar with parmesan, kale and roasted onion. King Crab with roscoff onion & orange blossom water. And cauliflower “polish style” with parsley, whole wheat and crumbs. The beef tartar was quite honestly one of the best in terms of flavour we’ve had in some time. The king crab was sweet and juicy. But the cauliflower dish was not just our favourite small plate, but of our entire meal. Delicious textures, packed with flavour and something we only wish we’d ordered two portions of.
For mains, we absolutely fell in love with the duck breast with a honey, ginger and pumpkin stock. There was such a depth of flavour to everything in this dish, the duck breast was beautifully cooked and the side of chervil root with wild herbs and puffed barley was the perfect accompaniment to this simple, but exquisitely cooked piece of meat.
Another equally lovely main course was the redfish with chorizo. Again, the fish was perfectly cooked, the chorizo added a lovely touch of heat and for a cold January – this was the perfect Winter warmer. The side of carrot with ginger and buttermilk was visually quite exciting, but for me this was just a little too fiddly and didn’t quite pack the punch as a great side dish I’d hoped for.
To finish, one of my all-time favourite desserts given a twist – sticky toffee pudding. Rich, decadent and moist – it had all the markings of a seriously good classic sticky toffee pudding but with the addition of grilled pineapple which lifted it to new heights. The fruit also added just a touch of freshness which helped lift what is usually quite a heavy dessert. A delicious dessert and a lovely way to end our meal.
Still early and the DJ spinning tunes in the bar, we stayed on after dinner and indulged in more of those delicious Negroni’s. We had an absolutely fabulous time at Fritz & Felix and can’t wait to see how it develops. Considering the restaurant has only been open for 5 months, it’s already packing a punch to becoming one of the best restaurants in Baden-Baden. If you’re staying at Brenners Park Hotel & Spa it’s a must and if you’re not – then make a reservation now before everyone finds out.
The hotel looks beautiful but the food looks incredible!