"First of all, a small disclaimer: The four stars should be understood in the context of the claim. This is of course quite high for a restaurant of this category. I was missing a little something atmospherically. The Aqua presents itself as noble and purposeful, but it lacks a bit of the extraordinary component. The menu, for all its quality, which I'll get to later, misses the chance to tell a story. The service had a few unexpected vulnerabilities. Among other things, there was a lack of consistency in the address (sometimes you, sometimes you) and people failed to introduce themselves. The fluctuation within the service staff was also noticeable; I would have liked to have been accompanied through the evening by the same person. But there were also many nice moments in which our numerous questions were answered competently and friendly. One can summarize here that the atmosphere and service are certainly subjective, but they seemed a bit too stiff and submissive for me. About the menu: The Kalamata olive was a first highlight for me. Simple, with local cheese, but surprising in its intensity of taste. The bread served was also convincing. Well-made sourdough bread enriches every menu. Pulpo and Chorizo were also convincing. With the pork belly, the fantastic, slightly peppery aftertaste of the jus was a particularly great experience. The eagle fish carpaccio was a dish with a high surprise factor. While the outer part was almost a little boring, the flavor intensity increased massively towards the middle. The red onions were awesome. The Breton sole resulted in a very familiar and less innovative taste, which was so technically perfect that it was still my second highlight of the evening. We continued with an onsen egg, which once again showcased the Aqua team's exceptional craftsmanship. With the Étoufféé pigeon, the question of the meaning of the name should perhaps have been avoided. Even though I'm a little frightened by the perfidious methods of dealing with animals that our French neighbors sometimes practice, the pigeon in this form was a completely new culinary event for me. So exactly what I expect from upscale gastronomy. The champagne sorbet just wasn't for me. But the same applies here: great quality and attractive presentation. The first desert, consisting of coconut, carrots and passion fruit sorbet, was creative, beautiful and tasty and qualified as the third highlight. The second: popcorn, corn and strawberries was the complete opposite and by far the weakest dish of the day. I have no idea what they were thinking. The praline finale was a visual highlight, but in terms of taste I didn't have much choice. All in all, the Aqua presented itself at a fantastic level on the ability scale. But I think the restaurant lacks a bit of character. Despite this criticism, I had a really successful evening."
Carpaccio
