Chalet 18 - Frankfurt am Main

We had an anniversary to celebrate and wanted to a have real treat and to disregard costs. On this, you cannot blame Chalet 18 – they are transparent about being expensive.And we didn’t mind spending more the 350 Euros on our special night – but afterwards we did regret spending that kind of money for a rather mixed experience of great food and mediocre wines. We chose the six course menu, meaning you are basically free to select the items and compose your own order of courses. And we ordered “Weinreise” (wine tour), meaning your host chose the wine that she deemed to best match the food.The food was immaculate. Starting with a selection of free amuse-gueules, from prawn and soup to Wagyu beef it got better with each course. The only thing to criticize was the size of the portions which were, even for nouvelle cuisine standards, rather small. In particular the cheese platter was somewhat disappointing – three small pieces and cow milk cheeses only.However, the 200 Euros we paid for the food alone were money well spent.The reason I rate Chalet 18 as merely average is due to the disappointment that resonates considering their wines. We started off with two glasses of Crémant de Alsace. My wife had a rosé which was OK, I had the white which didn’t show any bubbles at all. As we were the first customers I assume I got what was left in the last bottle of the night before. I didn’t complain as I wasn’t sure whether the sparkling was on the house and didn’t want to spoil the atmosphere – however, the non-sparkling Crémant added another 8 Euros (per glass, that is) to our bill.Having studied the wine list before, I deliberately choose the “wine tour” hoping that some knowledgeable waiter would pour just this surprising drop you never heard of before. Well, for the whites she started us off with a local Riesling, followed by a local Chardonnay (the latter, admittedly a perfect match). The whites, in particular the Riesling, were way too warm (and that’s no question of personal taste). When it came to the red meat (hence red wine) dishes she served us the cheapest (!) Cote du Rhone to be found on the wine list. The Bordeaux to go with the Wagyu again was OK. We eventually turned down her recommendation for the cheeses (“red or dessert wine?”) and instead chose a Pouilly Fuissé. The poorest wines on the liste were the dessert wines, a fortified Muscat de Rivesaltes (which was either of poor quality or too old or both) and Gewürztraminer from Alsace which was no better.Considering that most of the time we were rather poured three sips than proper glass to go with each course, the “wine tour” ended in a place called Dissapointia. Still, drinks alone, incl. Crémant and water, added up to 152 Euros!If we should ever decide to go again, we’d rather order main courses – and select the wines ourselves.As I said, we were willing to spend quite some money on a wonderful evening. The money we did spent – the wonder, however, failed to appear.

Vers cozy with 18 seats, serves a wonderful 5 course menu for 88 EUR with wide choice between 12 courses (no rule about starters, mains...). If seating was a bit more discrete and some additional perks which current location does not permit, would be ready for a Michelin star. I would normally not give 5 stars, as team still needs to work on their wine list a bit (although good wines by the glass are available)... but given the scarcity of young aspiring cooks in Frankfurt, deserves full support.

We dined alone on a Sunday night in this cosy and lovely restaurant.The food was some of the best I have ever had. Varied and complex but everything went perfectly together in my opinion. The highlight for me was a lobster dumpling with a delicious broth. We got more food than anticipated and the thought and passion that they put in their restaurant was evident from the menu card and water through to the composition of the dishes.The service was perfect. Attentive, and joking with us in both german and english. We could not have asked for a better night. I very much hope to get the chance to return there.

Our experience at Chalet 18 went above and beyond our expectations. We ordered off the menu a la carte and were still treated with amuse bouche between courses. Every dish was well balanced with a beautiful presentation and unexpected flavors. The restaurant is intimate (22 seats) and a perfect size. We were treated like family, and when we asked to meet the chef, we realized that the chef and the front-of-house-manager are a team, and a great one at that. This was certainly one of the best meals any of us have ever had -- it wins on beautiful presentation, perfect flavors and a serene setting. And the price point was a bargain in our books. For the quality of the meal, service, wine and presentation, this is one of the best experiences you can have, world-wide, hands-down. Go. Enjoy.

The Chalet 18 is small, very small and tight. Its furniture is rustical with french charm. Its a hidden secret.But the food is out of this world. We were all impressed. The cook deserves all recognition and the service team too.its expensive but worth every penny.Highly to recommend. We will return for sure . ( despite the condition of their toilets , not ok for guests ).