Stepping into Onda, a new restaurant in Avenue de la Porte-Neuve (on the corner with Rue des Bains), you mentally leave the Grand Duchy behind for a moment. What you see here could be found in Paris, possibly also in Berlin or Madrid. Maybe even in New York, as the lady who has come for dinner with me exclaims.
Marble tables, dark wood, comfortable bistro furniture, inviting upholstered corners and large lampshades: designer Vanessa Tuilliere has created a truly inviting ambience in which everyone should and can feel welcome. A glance around the dining room confirms this. Roughly three months after its opening, there is space for everyone: tie and sneaker wearers, no-names and VIPs, groups of friends and intimate couples.
Appetisers include small plates of bread, ham or olives (6 euros each). © Photo credit: Michael Juchmes
The owners, Erik and Alexandre De Toffol from the Black Sheep restaurant group (including Schuman, Partigiano and Munchies), did not want pretense, they said in a press release marking the opening. Hospitality takes centre stage. And: “We don’t hide ingredients behind complicated recipes. We let them speak for themselves.” Well, let’s see about that… or rather taste it.
Green beans and foie gras
After a warm welcome from waitress Aigul, a signature cocktail and appetisers and the explanation that the dishes on the menu are meant to be shared (of course: not a must), it’s time to choose the starters. We go for the “Onda Salad” (€24) with tuna, olives and potatoes, which turns out to be a solid choice, and the “Green Beans Salad” (€22). “It’s really sensational,” says my friend, for whom this is her third visit to the restaurant.
It beats the bean and foie gras salad hands down: the beef carpaccio with a balanced shallot and caper dressing © Photo credit: Michael Juchmes
Unfortunately, I’m not quite so blown away: although the foie gras as an ingredient manages to give the whole thing a little zing, the beans are a little too pale for me. Nevertheless, I’m suitably impressed when I’m served the larger portion of the “Beef Crudo with Shallot Dressing” (€26). The meat melts in my mouth. And the sauce with a delicious hint of caper is a poem.
As our eyes were a little bigger than our bellies – the portions are not exactly small – we limited ourselves to one dish for the two of us when choosing the main course. Of course, I would love to try the 1.5kg roast chicken (€115). But our appetites aren’t up to the task – it’s supposed to feed two or three people – and also, we’d have to wait a whole 45 minutes for it.
The meat melts in your mouth. And the sauce with a delicious caper flavour is a poem.
We therefore skip the poultry, the rib-eye steak (€56) and the grilled tiger prawns (€36) and opt for the sea bass fillet (€38). The perfectly cooked, slightly glassy but neutral fish is served with much more strongly flavoured and really tasty pieces of courgette and date tomatoes.
The side dishes include baby broccoli with a tangy lemon-chilli dressing (€8) and a small potato gratin (€8). This really knocks our socks off. So cheesy and creamy, but also flavoursome at the same time. Maybe we are in Paris after all. At least this is a classic of French cuisine at its best.
The main course is also meant to be shared: the sea bass, served with baby broccoli and potato gratin © Photo credit: Michael Juchmes
A trendy dessert to finish
However, I reserve my final judgement after the dessert. My friend wants to “just try a forkful”, so the decision is up to me. I say no to her suggestion: the “Chocolate Tarte” (€19). The “Pistachio Tiramisu” (€15) also doesn’t appeal to me on the menu.
My eyes quickly wander to the “Basque Cheesecake”. This trendy dessert has been haunting my Insta feed for some time now. And what can I say: the Onda version makes my taste buds rejoice. Vanilla dominates, thankfully, because I generally don’t like too much lemon in cheesecake. The inside is creamy and slightly chilled. The whole thing turns out to be a relaxed end to a dinner full of surprises that we want to top off with a cocktail.
Melts not only on the plate, but also on the tongue: the Basque cheesecake © Photo credit: Michael Juchmes
This is served in the new in-house bar, which serve as an extension of the restaurant for the time being, as the demand for tables exceeds supply. Diogo, the master of shakers and strainers, charmingly asks about our preferences and finally advises me to try the “L’abricotier Royal” (€18) with amaretto and blood orange sorbet. This turns out to be a tongue-tingler and therefore a small but delicious refreshment.
My friend chooses the in-house espresso martini creation (€17). Diogo tops it off with a chocolate foam topping (or is it whipped cream?), which makes the eyes sparkle as well as the palate. A high-calorie cocktail, but only pecking at dessert like a sparrow? Well, if that’s not a culinary contradiction in terms!
A toast! The in-house espresso martini is crowned with a chocolate topping © Photo credit: Michael Juchmes
Info
Address: 17 Avenue de la Porte-Neuve, L-2227 Luxembourg
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 12:00 to 22:30 (limited menu selection between lunch and dinner time)
Website: www.ondarestaurant.lu
(This story was first published by the Luxemburger Wort. Translated using AI, edited by Cordula Schnuer)
Dining and Cooking