Restaurant on the Hunte river

Rating: *****

Price performance: good

AnnaHunte_Harbour_20160622_201221_HDRSince ‘Anna Hunte’ opened in 2011, many people in Oldenburg have recommended this restaurant to me. Unfortunately I never managed to visit it, until I was invited recently. ‘Anna Hunte’ is on a former industrial site in Oldenburg’s harbour, near the rolling bascule railway bridge. The restaurant and terrace offer nice views over the river Hunte and one of Lower Saxony’s busiest river ports. However, the area is rapidly turning residential and upmarket.

 

Service

The four young waiters who attended us were polite and knowledgable. The team left a good impression.

 

Food

AnnaHunte_LambCarre__20160622_191116_HDR‘Anna Hunte’ is one of Oldenburg’s pricier eateries (pricier in respect to Oldenburg, not Hamburg or London), offering a selected menu with an emphasis on fresh, organic produce. Some people may consider their portions small, but we were absolutely happy and satisfied with our mains, a Dorade, stuffed with herbs and vegetables and a Lamb Carré, slightly pink on the inside, with garden vegetables, cooked perfectly and still crunchy. We ordered both main courses with the also very recommendable “papas arrugadas”.

 

AnnaHunte_Dorade_20150626_124619_HDR‘Anna Hunte’ offers a good range of wines and a few draft beers.

 

Coffee

Extra kudos for the team using fresh, local milk for their Caffè Latte. This is entirely in line with the restaurant’s ethos for locally produced and organic ingredients, which many other restaurants overlook.

 

Ambiente

AnnaHunte_20160622_202243_HDRThe modern interiors, large windows and views over the river make visits to this restaurant special. The place looks clean, modern and well maintained.

 

On a warm evening in early summer, we sat on on the long terrace on comfortable wooden chairs, but with no upholstery or cushions.

 

Price performance

Prices at Oldenburg’s restaurants tend to be fairly reasonable. ‘Anna Hunte’ is one of the more expensive ones, but for people valuing quality, fresh food, this restaurant is certainly recommended.

 

A good combination of location, ambient and food, let down by the coffee.

The Wassermühle (water mill) in Wardenburg, is popular with locals, families and groups. Located on the cycle wheel route around Oldenburg, it is also a great stop for cyclists, though it lacks safe cycle parking. The Mill’s weekend brunches are popular and it is a good destination for lunch, afternoon teas and dinner.

 

For an early Sunday supper in early October we were happy to still be served at one of their tables outdoors by the mill pond, for which their friendly and apparently well trained staff brought us blankets as the night progressed.

 

The diners were a mix of families, groups celebrating something and diners from Oldenburg and surroundings. The Wassermühle has a special pizza stove for pizzas and tart flambée – these Flammkuche were good, considering that Wardenburg is a six hours drive from the Alsace.

 

A soup, two Alsacienne tart flambée (Flammkuchen), and two drinks came to €14 per head, which I consider modest in relation to the quality, service and pleasant surroundings.
Note: Unfortunately the people at the Wassermühle follow the bad German habit of preparing milk coffee (e.g. Caffè Latte Macchiato, Café au lait et al) with what they call “normal milk”, which is unfortunately terrible UHT milk. Restaurants have fridges, so there is no need to pour dead white liquid into coffee. I rest one star for slaughtering espresso.