Great food and service – suboptimal location: Restaurant Genuss-Atelier (2. June 2018)
The Restaurant “Genuss-Atelier” is ranked as the best restaurant in the city according to TripAdvisor. While I think there is still room for improvement, I must admit, it definitely deserves to be in the top 10 (and I’ve only tried no. 4 at the time). I went for the “Four Course Menu – Vegetarian” (EUR 49.00) and what I liked a lot was the fact that they’ve asked me if I was just not eating meat and fish or also had other issues (like not eating lentils or beans which are bad for gout). The starter was a “carrot tatar” which sounded utterly weird but was actually an explosion of taste to start the evening.
As a second amuse bouche, “home-made asparagus ice cream” was served which was something I had not really expected but it was good. Especially with the pieces of asparagus which were still there.
The “home-made DINKEL wheat bread and smoke butter” (usually, EUR 3.50) looked a bit weird to me at first. The bread was quite dense and you had to – physically quite strongly – rip it apart. While the first bite of bread was absolutely delicious in its simplicity, the second bite with smoke butter was a bit odd. However, with each bite I’ve had, the combination improved in flavour.
Given my vegetarianism isn’t really voluntary (but much more due to gout), I’m still highly skeptical of vegetarian options. The “cottage cheese, carrot, herbs, chive dots” (usually, EUR 9.00) was something which – at first – didn’t get my approval as I had only tried (intentionally) the single pieces of the dish. And all of them – per se – are rather average, standard, boring. However, if you start mixing the elements and manage to get a bit of everything on your fork, it is actually quite a tasty explosion in your mouth.
The “asparagus cream soup with pan-fried asparagus” (usually, EUR 7.50) was simple but delicious. And burning some asparagus pieces to substitute the bacon (which would usually come with the soup) was an idea I liked quite a bit.
At this point in time, I was considering becoming vegetarian for a minute. And then, they served the main course: “gnocchi, tomatoes, pine nuts” (usually, EUR 15.50). Now, to be fair here, the dish was good and well-prepared but it was just lacking somehow that little extra the four previous dishes have had. So, I was looking for it quite a bit and there was just nothing about that. A pity really. And in all of it, it could definitely have been upped by adding a pinch of salt.
The actual dessert was “strawberries, mascarpone” (usually, EUR 9.00) which looked lovely but it was – literally – lacking taste. Of course, there was a hint of strawberry, there was a hint of everything but it just somehow did not do the trick. I can appreciate the lack of salt in gnocchi as salt is an individual taste (and of course is sweetness) but it is difficult to sweeten more (unless you just pour sugar all over it), so adding some ‘effect’ to it wouldn’t hurt.
Additionally, there were three elements which came on top of the actual dessert like “elderflower shots” which were – at least for me – too subtle in taste.
The “lemon sorbet” and the “chocolates” were more what I had expected of a dessert. The lemon sorbet had an intense taste of lemon and the chocolates had a hint of marzipan in them (which I love anyways). But the element of repetition came in. If you serve as a main dessert “strawberry sorbet with crumbles” then it kind of defeats the purpose of a dessert on the house if you serve “lemon sorbet with crumbles”. I mean, come on! It’s pretty much the same (besides the flavour).
What I like a lot about the place is the attention to detail. I had booked a table in advance through an online booking portal and they had mine name written on the little STAFFELEI. The service was also incredibly friendly and competent. She just made everything possible! Exquisite, outstanding!
All in all, I get why the Restaurant Genuss-Atelier can be number one in Dresden. The food is really good (and admittedly, I’m complaining on a high level), the prices are absolutely fair, the service is exquisite and the atmosphere of the little garden is close to perfect. Why not perfect? Well, simply because it is located right next to the main road which can be incredibly busy and loud sometimes (definitely kind of destroying that atmosphere of peace and quiet). I would highly recommend you to book a table in advance as you won’t be able to get a table on short notice!
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Genuss-Atelier
Bautzner Strasse 149
01099 Dresden (DE)
Tel.: +49 351 25 02 83 37
Homepage: http://www.genuss-atelier.net
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
