Jante

Rating: 18
Author: Gault&Millau

Marienstraße 116, 30171 Hanover, Germany

18/20
Prestige Restaurant

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Location: Hanover
Chef: Tony Hohlfeld
Cooking: Gastronomic | German | Local | Vegan | Vegetarian
Services: Terrace
Style: Romantic

Gault&Millau's review 2025

18/20

Prestige Restaurant

From the inside, the Jante has a funny log cabin charm: a lot of wood in the furnishings, a lot of greenery in front of the windows of the half rotunda. You wouldn't expect that in this restaurant between the main street and the railway embankment, which used to be an outhouse. But it fits in with Tony Hohlfeld's unspoilt, completely independent cuisine. The fact that almost everything comes from the region – including the pigeon, even the prawns – does not justify a style here. What is more significant is the force with which each plate manifests a supposedly simple aroma. There is, for example, the char, which the kitchen had cooked simply but effectively until translucent under the passport lamp. It was accompanied by roasted yeast crumbs, a foam of fermented asparagus, but above all by sorrel, which in turn had been marinated and thus acquired an almost unreal aroma fullness. Hohlfeld loves porcini mushrooms, walnuts and bitter vegetables. And when he uses something fine like white asparagus, he works out his character with eel, tarragon and chervil oil, dried gooseberries and citrus zest, and then brings sweetness back into it with a corn foam. The harmoniously composed menu always sets a few calm tones in between, for example with an almost classic sweetbread on salads with strawberry jus and pumpkin seeds. But in both cases, the strength lies in the length with which the aromas linger. This was best achieved with our main course, a complex variation of pigeon. It impressed not only with the unlikely combination of Sichuan pepper and elderberry, but also with the clever use of cucumber slices, which bring a moment of coolness to the plate. It would be a bit too early to speak of a Hanoverian culinary miracle. But the fact that a lot is developing culinarily in this city is certainly mainly due to the Jante, which impresses us more than many a hyped capital city restaurant. However, we did not experience the service quite at the level of the kitchen. Some of the announcements sounded downed or meaningless from the constant repetition (for example, a champagne is presented with the one word "strawberry notes!"). The boss herself was there with passion and knowledge, albeit quite mission-conscious and not open to contradictions. It is certainly not a shame when a Beaujolais comes into the glass at room temperature, but it is also not a "matter of taste". But, so as not to end the impressive evening with complaining: The wines here are well and, above all, cheaply selected. And the usual sales event at the aperitif, which is supposed to tempt guests to buy a rather expensive extra course, is at least shorter than before.