La Vie Thomas Bühner

For a foodie in search of the very best among German restaurants, a visit to Aqua naturally will be followed by having a meal at La Vie, a culinary landmark in the Lower Saxony state. The restaurant was housed in the old building, known as Haus Tenge; it was located in the heart of Osnabrück's historic old town. Contrary to its exterior and surrounding, the interior of la vie had plenty of contemporary elements. The main dining room, covered about 20 people, was well-spaced with elegant brown curtain, large tables, wooden floor and modern arts. The hallway was lined with wooden panels and on the 2nd floor, there was a smaller (private) dining room with colorful chairs and beige walls. In short, the 'simple' decor displayed an understated luxury of the restaurant.

Similar to the building, the cuisine of chef-owner Thomas Bühner also combined the classic and modern elements. He skillfully integrated traditional French cuisine as the foundation with modern technique by exploring various range of textures and flavors to produce avant-garde dishes as well as innovative menu. In addition, Chef Buhner was adventurous and loved using top ingredients from around the globe, often producing European fusion. Despite this, he would ensure that the dishes served at his main restaurant were unmistakably German in its root. His tasting menu (no a la carte here) was well-structured and carefully sequenced. The food here was more than just some wonderful dish by itself but more like a symphony ... though I somehow disrupted it by mixing some "tunes".

My meal began with some nibbles. First, it was consomme of walnut with wakame (seaweed) tea and new leaves - a bit salty but felt healthy; then it's followed by Thin goat cheese with grapes - tangy & light met with juicy & sweet flavors. The bread was of high quality and made from scratch here. There were 2 kinds: Sourdough with cumin had nice crispy crust and soft inside. It was served with deep Spanish olive oil and creamy French butter. Secondly, Focaccia with thyme was aromatic with puffy texture. There were 2 menus you could choose from - Tradition & Qualite, served mainly the classic dishes of La Vie. Another one was Le Grand Chef, served innovative and avant-garde dishes of Thomas Buhner. I selected the later one since it had more dishes. Furthermore, I added a couple of dishes from the chef's specialties ... talking about me being greedy

Le Grand Chef menu with some extras

Wagyu japanisch 30 d dry aged | salad kabeljau consommé (Japanese Wagyu beef, dry aged for 30 days, served with Cod fish, wild herbs salad, and saffron + fish consomme) - The thinly sliced beef, by itself, was pure and creamy (a decent pairing with the salad) while the radiant Cod was delicate and light. The consomme was flavorful but a bit too intense - it complemented the fish better while somewhat too dominant for the wagyu, distracted the wagyu's natural flavor instead of enhance it. Overall, it was still a nice dish

Saint Pierre & King Crab {cresson, chanterelles | wasserkresse, pfifferlinge} (John Dory and king crab served with watercress and chanterelle mushrooms) - The white fish was firm and rather mild in contrast to the tender and 'sweet' red crab. The sea creatures were combined with subtle white Cod fish sauce, earthy / woody mushrooms and their cream, fresh & nutty green peas, peppery but not-so-pungent watercress sauce. Innovative dish with tons of elements in which you could try many different variations. It was interesting & quite delectable though at times not necessarily harmonious

Octopus | wildschwein – emulsion kimchi | apfel (Octopus served with Iberico pork belly and its emulsion, kimchi + apple sauce) - The thick octopus, carefully cooked, had good texture (pleasantly bouncy). The pork was tasty albeit very small. The more concentrate flavor was coming from the dark boar emulsion, then in contrast to it, the kitchen prepared lighter and a bit sour kimchi / apple sauce. A dish with Asian influence that went well ... nice combination and not as complex as the previous dish; like it

Accompanied by wine: 2016 Weingut Manz Weissburgunder (fresh, fruity and quite good balanced)

Spargel weiß | tintenfisch | carbonara style (White asparagus, formed like noddles, served with thin squid underneath, salmon roes and consomme) - The asparagus and the squid showed some texture contrast; the salmon caviar was pleasant, popping with briny yet sweet ocean flavor. The squid broth was rather strong that sometimes it overwhelmed the main ingredients. It's alright

Auster (gillardeau) | kalbsbries portulak | austernsauce (Gillardeau Oyster served with sweetbread, purslane leaves and oyster sauce) - The oyster was excellent - refined, plump, a bit nutty and sweet - truly a premium ingredient. It went along well with the 'pure & simple' sweetbread - creamy texture and mild flavor. The oyster sauce, thankfully not overly salty and strong, brought together the main produces and the many elements on the sides such as leeks, turnip, potato and quince; they made the overall dish to be more delicious. Awesome! A great example of maximum dish (a dish with numerous ingredients) that worked together properly. The flavor and even the plating showed some Chinese influence - not so beautiful ;)

Accompanied by wine: 2014 Testalonga Chenin Blanc El Bandito (white wine from South Africa; light, fresh, floral perfume, and "pure + natural")

Etouffée taube | wacholderrauch karamellisierter kürbissaft (Etouffee Pigeon smoked with juniper smoke and served in caramelized pumpkin sauce) - The Canadian pigeon was pink with thin but crispy skin, hence the carefully seasoned and meticulously cooked meat was succulent, flavorful and juicy. The dish was really delightful. The sauce (pumpkin + pigeon jus) enriched the wonderful bird - simple, generous portion and perfectly executed - love it very much

Filet de bison Canadien {racine de tournesol, ortie, morilles | kerbelwurzel, brennesseln, spitzmorcheln} (Filet of Canadian Bison served with chervil root, stinging nettle and morels) - The bison meat was naturally leaner and less flavorful than beef, but it was still tasty, slightly sweet with no gamey taste. The chervil root was good - some nutty flavor, starchy texture, quite fragrant - a good 'pairing' for the bison. The white sauce (sour cream & soy milk) was decent, neutralize any cloying flavor while the morels were intense. I was told that the presentation showed how German people often ate their veggies + meat + cream altogether. A well-deserved classic from La Vie

Accompanied by wine: 2014 Vietti Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco (nice body, decent complexity in particular in the nose, some acidity and fruity - a good Italian red)

Tonkabohne & edelweiss I geeist  selleriemilch I dill (Tonka bean and white chocolate served with celery milk, green apple, iced, olive oil and dill) - At first, I thought it was a vegetable dessert, in fact looked like salad, since it's predominantly green. I usually was not a fan of white chocolate but I was glad that it's not too sweet here. Tonka bean was a versatile ingredient (great taste and scent); it's pretty much the backbone of the flavor. There were lots of elements with different textures ... When I scoped many different ways, they generated many pleasant taste and "feel". An innovative dessert that worked better than I initially expected

The petit four introduced some unfamiliar flavor combinations. For instance: a macaron of black tea and lemon, chocolates with curry flavor and for fun, there was a gumball machine containing chocolate in yuzu, cherry and passion fruit flavors. Forgot to mention that, the pre-dessert was sweet caramelized soya milk ice cream with grapes and green melon; no sour or acidic taste. The wine served was also sourced from all over the world, consistent with La Vie's approach. The pairing above was satisfying.

The service has been exceptional throughout. I reached Osnabrück by train and was picked up by the restaurant's staff driving Mercedes-Benz S class with the restaurant's logo. The round trip transport was provided for guests dining at la vie. With 4 staffs, including the assistant sommelier, taking care only 10 of us during lunch, they delivered smooth hospitality. The wine and water were topped up promptly, dishes arrived in good pace and for a lone guest like me, I was offered some magazines and the senior staff took time to chat with me. After finishing his cooking class, Thomas Bühner visited each table in the dining room including mine. He even took time to sit in my table and patiently listened and answered my questions. It was a weekend lunch in a small town, probably that's why the atmosphere was relaxed and guests tended to dress down (I was the only one with jacket and tie).

La Vie offered one of the most attractive dining experiences in the country. The kitchen was very ambitious and had unique approach towards contemporary German cuisine. Thomas Buhner was not afraid of creating complex dishes featuring many components (there's hardly any meaningless element) yet they did not lack focus; in fact, they usually worked together harmoniously. Dishes after dishes displayed the ingredients natural flavors, some texture contrasts and the chef's imagination without being pretentious. It's recommended that a foodie visiting Germany should make an effort to detour to this place. You can see the pictures of the food: La Vie May '17  

Food (and Wine): 95 pts

Service (and Ambiance): 96 pts

Overall: 95.5/100