Votum

Rating: 16
Author: Gault&Millau

Hannah-Arendt-Platz 1, 30159 Hanover, Germany

16/20
Remarkable Restaurant

BOOK

1 PHOTOS

Chef: Benjamin Gallein
Cooking: European | Gastronomic | International
Services: Access for people with disabilities | Electric charging station | Private Parking | Terrace
Style: Casual | With friends

Gault&Millau's review 2025

It's better not to come here for a romantic evening. The gourmet restaurant in the Leineschloss has the charm of an airport lounge. But above all, there is Benjamin Gallein's cuisine. It demands attention. His ingredients and techniques are based on newer French cuisine, but what he does with them never ceases to amaze. Why not grill peas, ripen fish in a dry-ager or boil leftover eel carcasses with pig's blood? There is no shortage of ideas here. Even our first course, a variation of unstuffed foie gras, rhubarb and herbs, basically consisted of three dishes spread over two plates. Gallein is not someone who places a dozen flavors next to each other. He is more inclined to build turrets and thus encourages the guest to taste everything at once. The fact that there is a pencil on each table has to do with the "theme" of the restaurant: The menu here is designed in the style of a ballot. But you are also happy about the chance to take notes with it. Let's take a closer look at a plate, there is not enough space for more here: the white asparagus with shrimp and blood orange. A single stalk came, first cooked sous-vide, then smoked, then grilled again. Halved lengthwise and filled with a crustacean farce. Wrapped with kataifi threads. Topped with a lobster tom khah, candied blood orange and asparagus caramel. Then a sauce maltaise (hollandaise with orange juice) was poured. An ingenious dish that already inspires with its cheekiness: The shrimp as the most valuable ingredient was completely crumbled. This is typical of the vote. Here, they don't cultivate a cult of premium products, but rather process normal goods. This not only keeps the menu price within a reasonable range (unless you choose the somewhat annoyingly advertised extras), it also unleashes the kitchen team's play instinct. We almost confused the main course with dessert: a thaler of braised veal cheek, coated with bone marrow emulsion and cranberries. We can't get together what exactly was in the brown sauce – lots of peculiarities such as hay and almond nougat, mushroom vinegar and chestnut-based koji. But they combined so flawlessly that we licked up the leftovers with our fingers. Sometimes the kitchen indulges a little too much in umami and the possibilities of transformation (scallop dust!), but the craftsmanship precision of each preparation was always impressive. It is also pleasant that Gallein often serves along and shares his thoughts with the guests without conceit. We also experienced the regular service as very nice and present, even if sometimes unnecessarily solemn.