The Stage

Rating: 16
Author: Gault&Millau

Karlsbader Straße 1A, 44225 Dortmund, Germany

16/20
Remarkable Restaurant

1 PHOTOS

Chef: Michael Dyllong
Cooking: Vegetarian
Services: Access for people with disabilities | Garden | Private Parking | Terrace

Gault&Millau's review 2025

Nobody expects walk-in customers at The Stage. In the evening, the guest on the ground floor rings a button that is easy to overlook, the glass doors open to the foyer with elevator. Once at the top, this is quickly forgotten in view of the ambience and view. The first little things finally get the guest out of the slight dreariness of the entrance: tuna tartare or cheese croquette, which indicate the direction in which things are headed: rich in finesse, bold combinations, ingenious, arranged, draped, constructed. Dishes at The Stage are composed of numerous components, and the guest would do well to mix them with the cutlery. Individually, the trifles are often supposedly unbalanced, but in interaction with the other actors, a clear picture emerges thanks to the clean distribution of roles. This could be described in detail by the scallop course with its wonderfully spicy scent, the fried potato sauce or the outstanding quail course with a yuzuic acid kick, but it is easiest to understand in the cheese course. Each cuboid of the five cheeses is assigned a designated fruit partner in the form of a chutney, and so five types of cheese become ten small taste experiences, depending on whether the cheese is enjoyed pure or with its play partner. The kitchen does not rely on its techniques and wild combinations, which could quickly slide into meaningless deception, but provides all this on the basis of very good products. The hake is caressed warm, so to speak, so that it retains its consistency and juiciness, the melon piece of the petits fours is dark red, seedless and aromatic throughout. Whenever the thought creeps in that less could be more, the team convinces on the plates with the next twist of aroma and impeccable quality of the base.