Würzhaus Restaurant Nürnberg — Restaurant in Nuremberg

We followed a recommendation, walked in with little knowledge or expectations (slow food??), so it hit me unexpected and was amazing.

Been to a few fine dining locations and I stand behind my words: they are on par with the best ones. We opted for the 5 course menu with matching wine proposals, I mixed in one main dish into the starters and off we went.

The journey was nicely composed and delivered in a steady quality: impeccable cooking technique, visually pleasing, bold, colourful combinations with all sorts of ingredients you may never heard of before in conjunction with a dinner, which flexed most of your senses with the different textures, colours and temperatures. Every dish was a discovery on its own right - and that's exactly why we are ready to pay the extra when going in a haute cuisine restaurant.

My favourites were the piglet, where the skin, instead of the overwhelmingly common understanding of being crispy was soft as butter - but this was all nothing to the fireworks of the dessert, the white chocolate with the parsley sauce and red currant. For me that was the moment for crying.

The young waiter staff was on top of their duties, could explain in detail what is on the table and there were even a few interactive show-pieces (but never show-offs): the dish was finished in the plate by them (by pouring sauces). Why still 4 stars only for the service? I have never ever saw in a restaurant of this quality someone from the staff adjusting the already served dish - and this just happened in the table next to us. That was - despite the best effort to make it look cute - extremely strange and unusual, at least for me. Carry it back to the kitchen, add the missing piece and return to the guest probably would have been more appropriate here.

Besides that - perfect evening, nice ambience, attentive staff and reasonable prices considering the quality we were treated...

This was our forth time in this wonderful restaurant and it just keeps getting better and better - which is hard, when you are already really really really good. Chef and her team creates wonderful creative meals with high quality, fresh and local ingredients. During my first visit a few years ago I was stunned by the meat dishes, but the vegetarian dishes cought up and the combination of the different flavor are just brilliant. Thanks a lot for having us. And...

Das Würzhaus - in Nürnberg früher für ambitionierte und gehobene Küche bekannt - war für uns leider eine gleich dreifache Enttäuschung.

Schon beim Betreten fiel mir die triste Stimmung auf. Klar, das Lokal ist mit dunklen Holztischen eher im "Gasthaus-Stil" gehalten aber muss der Blick gleich auf eine Reihe sehr sparsam eingedeckter Tische fallen? Auch im hinteren Raum, der wochentags abends eher schwach besetzt war, kam keine Wohlfühlatmosphäre auf. Das fahle Licht von der Decke lässt den Raum ein bisschen wie eine Wartehalle wirken.

Auch die sicherlich professionelle aber freudlose Dame im Service, die zwar nicht fix genug war um uns die Mäntel abzunehmen, dafür aber darauf hinwies, diese bitte an die korrekten Haken der Garderobe zu hängen, begeisterte uns nicht besonders.

Die Küche passte dann gut ins Bild. Hier fehlte bei allen Gängen der Pfiff und überhaupt das Bemühen, die einzelnen Bestandteile zur Geltung zu bringen. Heilbutt, Rosenkohl und Currysoße. Sicher keine leichte Aufgabe, diese drei nebeneinander bestehen zu lassen. Aber ob es so eine überwürzte Pampe werden muss?? 69 EUR für vier Gänge sind nicht die Welt, aber die Qualität machte leider auch keine Lust ein größeres Menü.

Fazit: Wer handfest essen möchte, kann dies auch eine Preisklasse günstiger in vielen Lokalen der Region; wer gehobene Küche sucht ist z. B. mit dem Wonka 300m weiter zwar etwas teurer aber um Längen...