Bootshaus at Weissenhaus, yoghurt with chilli, a small sourdough loaf with brown butter and a butterflied sea bream

+17 +15

Down to the beach by Porsche

Bootshaus is the beach restaurant at Weissenhaus Private Nature Luxury Resort. It sits on its own directly on the Baltic Sea, a good distance from the main castle, where we were staying.

Getting there is a little excursion in itself, and here the resort has a really nice touch. A complimentary Porsche chauffeur service collects guests and drives them around the grounds. We were driven to the door, and it was a luxurious and comfortable start to the evening.

We visited in November, so it was already dark, and the beach and the view were hard to make out. The location is obviously something special, and we could easily imagine a summer's day with life on the terrace and cocktails right by the water.

The room and the menu

We were shown to a nicely laid table with good, comfortable chairs. The décor is attractive and inviting, but not the classic, pared-back gourmet style you might imagine at a luxury resort.

There were white tablecloths, coloured glassware, red flowers and a slightly more playful feel to the table setting. The room felt more relaxed and informal than a traditional fine dining restaurant. It worked in a cosy way, and we were very comfortable.

One of the things we appreciated most was the broad menu with fish, meat, pasta and lighter dishes. At a resort where you can't simply walk out of the door and find another restaurant, that variety is a big advantage.

Yoghurt with chilli and sourdough bread

We started with an unusual yoghurt dish with honey, chilli, cucumber and fennel, which appears as Joghurt Fuhlrei on the bill (20 €). It may sound simple, but the combination was a real success. The freshness of the vegetables, the sweetness and the gentle heat played together beautifully, and it was one of the strongest dishes of the evening.

Bread isn't included, so we ordered the Bootshaus signature bread on the side (8 €). On the bill it's called Sauerteigbrot. We were given a small sourdough loaf, almost like one baked in a Dutch oven, with brown butter.

Because the loaf is so small, it has plenty of crisp crust all the way round. It tasted fantastic. For us, the two dishes were at their best together.

Beetroot and octopus

I had beetroot with goat's cheese, Rote Bete on the bill (20 €). The beetroot was folded into small parcels, and the dish both looked inviting and tasted lovely. I would, however, have liked a little more goat's cheese to give a better balance between beetroot and cheese.

Jes had the octopus, Oktopus on the bill (29 €). It was a single octopus tentacle, nicely seared, full of flavour and with exactly the right texture.

The plating looked a little messy, but there was nothing wrong with the flavour. Here the produce and the cooking were clearly stronger than the presentation.

Pepper steak and sea bream

For his main, Jes ordered the pepper steak, Pfeffersteak 280 g on the bill (69 €). Unfortunately the meat wasn't quite as juicy as he had hoped. It was slightly dry and a little overdone.

The flavour was actually perfectly good, but the plating was once again rather messy. The steak came with classic chips with truffle salt, plus béarnaise, mayonnaise and ketchup. It counts against it that the sides for a steak in this price bracket came across as so ordinary.

I chose the sea bream (49 €), prepared in a handsome butterfly cut. The fish was opened out and pan-fried, so it looked incredibly inviting on the plate, and it was nicely cooked and tasted lovely.

The garnish didn't quite hit the mark. Deep-fried potatoes and tomatoes felt a touch too ordinary for a fish that was otherwise so beautifully presented.

Champagne, Chablis and the wine list

We had two glasses of Laurent-Perrier (56 € for two) and shared a bottle of Louis Jadot Chablis (79 €). The wine suited the evening well, and the lighter dishes in particular. Alongside that, a 0.7-litre bottle of San Pellegrino (12,50 €).

The wine list is interesting, with plenty of German and Austrian wines. We don't yet know those regions well enough to venture into them, so we stuck to our safe choice, white Burgundy.

Polite and efficient service

Professionally, the service was very good. It was polite, efficient and well organised, and everything arrived as it should.

The only thing we missed was a little more warmth, fun and personality. At times the atmosphere felt a touch stiff.

Price and level

The bill came to 342,50 € for the two of us, so a good 170 € per person. That covered bread, the yoghurt course, two starters, two main courses, two glasses of champagne, a bottle of Chablis and a bottle of water.

Was it worth the money? We had a lovely evening, and the surroundings, the transport, the comfortable chairs, the service and the starters all counted in its favour. But there were too many details, especially in the main courses, that didn't quite match the price level. A good experience, just not quite as strong as we had expected.