When I relocated to Frankfurt for a consultancy assignment in my day job half a year ago, I was looking for a nice place close to the office where I could use free WiFi and have a quick dinner in a pleasant atmosphere after work, and that’s how I stumbled across Fleming’s Brasserie and Wine Bar, Hamburger Allee, in Bockenheim, five minutes by tram from the city centre and central station, close to the congress centre and trade fair.
Fleming’s is a Frankfurt hotel chain (roughly 20 hotels cum restaurant here and in other cities such as Munich and Vienna), and the Barbarians do not like chains. However, for what it’s worth, this is one of the better chains. I’ve never stayed at any of their hotels, but have used a couple of their restaurants in various cities for business meetings (for work, not to impress), because they are affordable but up to the same, reliable good standard.
The Brasserie & Wine Bar is a great place to go to if you’re in the area and are looking for some very fairly priced food in a reasonably elegant business ambiente. The service has impressed me enormously from day one, always very friendly, chirpy, cheeful, professional, and polite.
Now, the food: I’ve eaten here many times over the past few months and usually I was surprised by the quality of the ingredients, preparation, and presentation. The lunch deals vary, but some include a drink for under €10 total. The dishes vary from pub food and grilled meats to more sophisticated meals like Tafelspitz (traditional Viennese boiled prime beef) or French seafood dishes.
Tonight, I opted for the special of the week: confit trout on mashed potatoes with parsley foam and carrot crisps for €15. When, after my meal, the waitress asked how I liked it, and I expressed my satisfaction, she mentioned that it is the young chef’s signature dish which he will cook later that week for his exam. She then walked over to the kitchen and l could hear her tell him that he’d just received another positive feedback.
Only now did I realise that the blackboard that informed about the dish of the week was labelled “Benni’s Week”, quite a sweet gesture by the hotel management.
So when I’ll head home in a few minutes, not only will I have had a nice meal, I know that I’ve served the greater good of being a test eater for a chef called Benni, what’s not to like.
For other restaurant reviews click on any of the following links: Lafleur, Frankfurt, Cafe Central, Vienna, Berners Tavern, Benares, or Aquavit in London.
For non-food related reviews: Sahara trip, helicopter ride over London, or our stay at the Cotswold House & Spa in the West Country, England.
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