It’s a sunny spring day when I meet Valentin Rottner in the west of Nuremberg. Not only is his Michelin-starred restaurant Waidwerk located here – just a few hundred meters away is also one of the 37-year-old’s hunting grounds. More precisely, the hunting ground where the wild ducks are shot. Other plots in the surrounding area are home to hares, roe deer, stags and wild boar.
And all of these products can also be found in the Waidwerk menu: fine dining with an absolute focus on game products from our own hunt! In autumn in particular, it is of course high season and the menu becomes a game feast. During the closed season, when the selection of fresh wild products is much smaller, Valentin Rottner does without alternatives from his freezer. He switches to fish and regularly available game – such as wild duck. And that’s exactly what I’m going to try during a brief visit in the afternoon.
Before that, however, restaurant manager and sommelier Thomas Wachter guides me through the restaurant and the wine list. A Riesling from Georg Breuer is quickly placed on the table to accompany a starter of hamachi, ponzu and kimchi. The marinated yellowtail mackerel is wrapped in a chard leaf together with some kimchi. Next to it is a pointed cabbage cream and tapioca chips. A tom kha gai broth balanced with precise acidity brings the components together well.
The duck is a great course – so I am all the more grateful to be able to enjoy it here on this sunny afternoon, after a reservation I had planned for the evening before was not possible. The breast is first cooked sous-vide, then roasted until very crispy. The crispy skin is already cut into thin strips, which show the way when eating. Some guests are somewhat surprised by the firmer texture. Of course, this is a sign of a good poultry product: due to the exercise in the wild, the muscle tissue is more trained than in conventional products. To prevent this criticism, the incisions on the skin result in smaller cuts – and the firmer texture is less noticeable.
The duck is served with a roll made from leek, the core of which is filled with a cream made from black salsify. Next to it is a salad of leek and another small crème.
A bao bun served á part is topped with an intense ragout of duck legs and is actually worth its own course. The bun is also perfect for dipping into the sauce again…
In the glass, a 2018 Pinot Noir L.L.L. from the Landmann winery. Like most of the wines on the menu, this is a local producer.
I’m looking forward to another visit next fall to delve even deeper into Valentin Rottner’s wild passion. Then hopefully with a small deer and a hare – and the odd venison offal.
Restaurant Waidwerk
Winterstraße 15 – 17
90431 Nuremberg, Germany
