Berlin, Germany (Gastrosofie). New in the fine dining restaurant Le Faubourg of the Berlin Hotel Sofitel is above all the chef. René Klages not only lives in Berlin for a long time but now also, at last, many say cooks in the capital.
Klages makes his way
Previously, the now 31-year-old Klages was chef de cuisine in the two-star restaurant Le Noir in Saarbrücken. Most recently – before a little break – Klages cooked in the restaurant 17fuffzig being part of the hotel and spa resort “Die Bleiche” in Burg where it only took him a few months to be honoured with the first Michelin star. His apprenticeship years got him going, as is shown by his jobs in the kitchens of excellent restaurants such as the Vendôme in Bergisch Gladbach and at Klaus Erfort in Saarbrücken.
Burgers of a special kind – like his best from the Bleiche – is also offered in Le Faubourg. Anyone who knows Klages appreciates calf tartar with Japanese flavours, avocado with marinated beech mushrooms and his egg yolk confit with lardo, chicken skin and roasted cauliflower.
French gourmet cuisine
However, René Klages does not reinvent the Le Faubourg. The French gourmet kitchen remains in place, as Stefan Winistörfer, General Manager of the Sofitel Berlin Kurfürstendamm, points out when saying he is pleased that „René Klages … is a gain for our restaurant“. „Together with hostess Andrea Sinner, he will serve modern culinary art with French roots at Le Faubourg – in line with our concept: modern, French, casual chic,“ says Winistörfer and leads us Gastrosofen to a table to test:
Harmony and reduction or pure pleasures
„A dish is perfect when it has been freed from all superfluous“, explains René Klages his approach. „At Le Faubourg, I want to offer a clear taste through a contemporary and cosmopolitan interpretation of French classical cuisine.“
How abundant he has worked with harmonious aromas, can be seen in the new card at Le Faubourg, for instance mildly smoked salmon from Loch Duart with a small salad of ginger, radish and sugar snaps with Tuscan olive oil or Imperial quail with takojaki, foie gras and small vegetables.
Whatever is served, according to a press release by Riedel PR dated 5.8.2019: “More than three very clear aromas would not signify the genuine taste of high-quality ingredients.”
The guests can look forward to that at
Le Faubourg
Address: Augsburger Strasse 41, 10789 Berlin
Phone: 030 8009997700
Mail: lefaubourg@sofitel.com
Opening hours: Mondays to Saturdays from noon to 3 pm and from 6 pm to 11 pm
Dress code: casual chic to elegant
Remark:
Christopher Prescott based on a text by Ole Bolle.
Note of 4.10.2019:
Chef René Klages has left Le Faubourg for health reasons.
