A Michelin-starred restaurant transforms the upcoming experience into a special one. Each dish is not just to satisfy your appetite, but a work of art for intellectual saturation.
In order to describe this extraordinary experience, I, as an artist, will use the values and my understanding of the work of art. But in the end, I will tailor my impressions using restaurant criteria.
1. Idea and Personality of Cuisine. It was a 13-course Paris-Tokio menu. Restaurant Victor's Fine Dining is located in Germany on the border with France, not far from Luxembourg in the old castle Schloss Berg bei Perl-Nennig the first mention of which occurs in 1180. Getting into the pompous atmosphere of the past, you do not expect to see fresh tuna or kampachi fresh fish on the plate. Choosing such a menu brings freshness to this region of Germany since the traditional cuisine is rich in meat and is a bit heavy. At the same time, the very idea of combining the experience and techniques of French cuisine with the traditions of Japan makes it possible to learn something new, to combine the incompatible, to think about the general features of food culture, globalisation and inspiration.
2. Colour, contrasts, shape. The gastronomic journey began with the dish "Karotte. Joghurt. Curry".
Karotte. Joghurt. Curry. by Christian Bau. Victor’s Fine Dining. Schloss Berg bei Perl-Nennig [Germany] Photo made on 08.12.2022
Two dishes are connected by a green colorful spot. One green is light and crispy, while the other is oily and bubbly. "Joghurt" is a multi-layered experience consisting of different consistencies and temperatures, while "Curry" is one texture where the taste complements the first course and sets the tone for all subsequent action.
Japanische Waffel. Saba. Yuzu-Koshu. by Christian Bau. Victor’s Fine Dining. Schloss Berg bei Perl-Nennig [Germany] Photo made on 08.12.2022
This is a colourful beginning, where contrasts are cold and warm, crispy and soft, and moderately sweet and sour. Each subsequent dish is a carefully thought-out composition of taste and products. Chef Christian Bau's working principle - is "Do things with passion or not at all."
Coquille Saint Jacques. Kartoffel. Spinat. Weisser Truffel by Christian Bau. Victor’s Fine Dining. Schloss Berg bei Perl-Nennig [Germany] Photo made on 08.12.2022
It seems to me that not only this passion but also exquisite taste, an exceptional understanding of colour and form, and enjoyment of nature and life are manifested in each of the dishes.
Konigskrabbe. Yuzu. Mentaiko. by Christian Bau. Victor’s Fine Dining. Schloss Berg bei Perl-Nennig [Germany] Photo made on 08.12.2022
Lachs (-bauch) Katsuobushi. Myoga by Christian Bau. Victor’s Fine Dining. Schloss Berg bei Perl-Nennig [Germany] Photo made on 08.12.2022
3. Rhythm, movement, time.
Seasonality is brought to the dishes with autumn leaves,
Bar de Ligne Seeigel Tigermilk by Christian Bau. Victor’s Fine Dining. Schloss Berg bei Perl-Nennig [Germany] Photo made on 08.12.2022
emphasized by the first frost in the form of ice balls with taste,
Bar de Ligne. Meeresfrüchte. by Christian Bau. Victor’s Fine Dining. Schloss Berg bei Perl-Nennig [Germany] Photo made on 08.12.2022
and the catch of the hunting season in the form of a wild rabbit.
Wildhase. Chou Rouge. Shiso. by Christian Bau. Victor’s Fine Dining. Schloss Berg bei Perl-Nennig [Germany] Photo made on 08.12.2022
The dishes are served according to the rhythm from light and cold to heavy and hot and back to light, cold and sweet. Sometimes the serving intervals between dishes are a little stretched, but perhaps this is the director's idea so that we stop to rush and run and our inner world comes into harmony.
4. Quality of Products. One of the features of Japanese cuisine is the use of fresh products and the desire to preserve the natural colour and taste.
Kimbap. Tuna. Kimchi. by Christian Bau. Victor’s Fine Dining. Schloss Berg bei Perl-Nennig [Germany] Photo made on 08.12.2022
Toro. Shoyu. Wasabi. Caviar. by Christian Bau. Victor’s Fine Dining. Schloss Berg bei Perl-Nennig [Germany] Photo made on 08.12.2022
Knowing this, the role of simply serving pieces of fresh fish with a delicate sauce becomes clear. The quality of the products leaves no doubt about their perfection. This is how fresh fish or black caviar should sound.
5. Mastery of Flavour and Cooking Techniques.
My absolute favourite is Rouget Barbet.
Rouget Barbet. Meereskopfsalat. Kojyu by Christian Bau. Victor’s Fine Dining. Schloss Berg bei Perl-Nennig [Germany] Photo made on 08.12.2022
The scales of this fish become the main feature of this dish. Here it seems to me that the mastery of the cooking technique is especially obvious. As a viewer, I don’t have the slightest idea what needs to be done so that each of the scales is wrapped in a tube, remains crispy and does not come off the peel. And in the flavour, you can recognize all the shades that are in balance from sour to sweet.
Valrhona Grand Cru. Exotische Fruchte. Kokos-Yuzu by Christian Bau. Victor’s Fine Dining. Schloss Berg bei Perl-Nennig [Germany] Photo made on 08.12.2022
6. Value for Money. This is a sensitive and very personal question, I think. On the one hand, I won’t be able to come here for lunch once a week, but visit a restaurant whose menu was created by a person who contributed to the development of culinary business in Germany (Federal Cross of Merit 2018) since 2005 has consistently had three Michelin stars and in 2022 it is in the top 10 of the international restaurant ranking La Liste, is worth it. Since the age of fourteen, Christian Bau has been a professional cook, so I believe that this person "can think taste"!
Mojito. Limette. Rum. Minze by Christian Bau. Victor’s Fine Dining. Schloss Berg bei Perl-Nennig [Germany] Photo made on 08.12.2022
Christian Bau: "Es fehlt der Schulterschluss. Keiner will sich den Mund verbrennen" [online] At: https://www.restaurant-ranglisten.de/news-magazin/magazinthemen/interviews-mit-sternekoechen/interview-mit-drei-sternekoch-christian-bau/ (Accessed 28.12.2022)
Victor’s Fine Dining. Schloss Berg bei Perl-Nennig [Germany] Photo made on 08.12.2022
Each of the 15 dishes was on its own a piece of art. The colour composition, the material, and the play of ingredients reminded me strongly of the work of great artists. I was so delighted with the aesthetics of the whole process, the depth of the idea told, and the versatility of taste that I wondered why such an experience is available only to a limited circle of people. Wouldn't such sensory experience help make all people better?
Because I have applied the same criteria from fine art to fine dining, the work of an artist and a great chef can be categorized as art. But is art also beautiful?
“Satisfaction in the good depends on concepts, purposes, values, and our interests in bringing the object or the act into existence. None of this is the case with respect to the beautiful.” (Wenzel, 2005 p.25) According to Kant, beauty has no purpose. So what is the purpose of potatoes with butter - to satisfy primitive hunger, and what is the purpose of a dish from a three-star restaurant - to create aesthetic pleasure? If so, I can assume that such sophisticated dishes can be categorised with the aesthetical concept, which can be called beautiful.
And if fine dining and art can be recognized as beautiful, then this prompts me to the following reflection. Kant, in his “Critique of the power of judgment”, says that the beautiful is a symbol of the morally good. (Kant, 2000 p.227) “Kant suggests that we must already have been exposed to what is morally good (sittlich gut) in society in order to be able to see the deeper moral significance (Moralität) in the beauty of nature. When we encounter something in society as sittlich gut, we can take it as a manifestation of something deeper: Moralität; and when we find something beautiful in nature, we can take it as a sign of something deeper as well: that we fit into nature and that nature appears as if it were made for us. There is a deeper ground based on which beauty and morality can strengthen and serve each other and together promote our development as human beings” (Wenzel, 2005 p.115)
It turns out that morally good and beautiful have something in common that can develop one, and, accordingly, the other. So isn't this the hope for development and cure for immoral behaviour? During the war, this goodness and beauty do not exist. I’m wondering if the introduction of the beauty can turn down aggression?
What is war?
In the oxford dictionary, a War is characterized as a situation in which two or more countries or groups of people fight against each other over a period of time. As we can imagine war is killing, death and destruction. Killing means taking life from a person, and in a war, this moment can be described with dirt, blood and scattered intestines on the sides. The facts that we see from the war speak of the ugliness of what is happening. Kant does not give a clear definition of the ugly, but describes such perception as a "negative judgment of taste."
Professor Christian Helmut Wenzel believes that it is necessary to perceive and evaluate the ugly in the same way as the beautiful. "...and this is so not only in the case of the beautiful but also in case of the ugly or the sublime: The ugly can be fascinating and intriguing in many ways…" and “We shall see that there are good reasons to believe that Kant’s “Critique of Aesthetic Judgment” is intended also to cover judgments about the ugly, in fact, to treat them on equal grounds with those about the beautiful.” (Wenzel, 2005 p. 41, 129) It turns out that the ugly can be attractive, hold our attention, intrigue, which means there will be people who will need to propagate such emotions.
By translating this experience into my work in the studio, I choose "weird stuff" for my work. I work with used newspapers, pieces of metal, iron, unnecessary boards, fabrics, and so on. These materials are devoid of their value to society and therefore they are often perceived as ugly, negative, rubbish and not aesthetic. But what if it isn't? And in any material, there is a potential for beauty. To specific beauty. Where is the line between attractiveness and the moment when the material becomes unpleasant?
For example, for my current artwork, I choose:
Burlap - its structure is rough but natural, and the colour is so calming. To the touch, I feel its simplicity, brutality and at the same time, it fascinates me that a person has made something so attractive and useful out of the hard skin of the jute plant or sisal.
The same natural and exciting pieces of jeans and canvas.
These materials suggest to me the natural way to connect them - sewing. So to speak, the material dictates what to do, and I listen and try to answer to it with respect. I would simply sew with a needle and thread, but these materials asked for something more complex, and intricate for the eye to study. I used different types of seam and thread colours.
Mama this was my world, 2023, recycled metal, concrete, burlap, fabrics, newspapers; acrylic paint, screws, 58 x 60 x 64 cm.
In contrast to such a soft, feminine, natural, shapeless, I needed something clear, solid, bold, and masculine. Therefore, the second leading object for me was an incredibly beautiful piece of metal grid. I found this piece once at a construction site, it lay aside as unnecessary, torn off from a large part, which apparently had already been used in construction. I saved it (the metal grid). This piece, with two square gaps that are clearly calibrated, and at the same time the third square is not finished, it seems to be striving to become something. Its texture is pleasantly rough with a warm brown colour.
And then the question arises whether these materials are ugly or beautiful?
For me, they are clearly not only attractive but I see even more. I see the potential and inherent beauty in them.
“… must art always be beautiful? Certainly not! ... he argued that a certain kind of “judging” precedes the liking for the beautiful. This judging is essentially the free play of the faculties in which we find the object suitable for this very play. The work of art must provide room for such play. It must be suitable for it by providing a good basis for discovering various kinds of purposiveness without a purpose.” (Wenzel, 2005 p. 96) A work of art as well as haute cuisine is not about beauty. It is intended to create questions, outline doubts, but does not have to be beautiful. At the same time, if something is beautiful for me, it does not mean that for others it is just as beautiful.
Therefore, a work of art or something beautiful cannot turn down aggression. Firstly, people can enjoy the ugly and be fascinated by it, and secondly, if a work of art is aimed at raising a question, and not at achieving maximum beauty for everyone, then it will not be able to change people. A change in thinking can come about because of the beauty, and because of a work of art, it all depends on the receiver.
Bibliography and references
1. Victor’s Fine Dining by Christian Bau [online] At: https://www.victors-fine-dining.de/en/restaurant (Accessed 28.12.2022)
2. Michelin Guide. What It Takes to Earn a Michelin Star 26 September 2018 [online] At: https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/news-and-views/how-to-get-michelin-stars (Accessed 28.12.2022)
3. Christian Bau [online] At: https://christian-bau.de/en/christian-bau (Accessed 28.12.2022)
1. Christian Helmut Wenzel 2005 An Introduction To Kant’s Aesthetics. Core Concepts and Problems, Blackwell Publishing
2. Immanuel Kant Critique of the power of judgment Paul Guyer, Eric Matthews 2000 Cambridge University Press
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