Neuer Haferkasten: Nostalgia in Italy

Some restaurants are so good at their job and admirably sustain their quality as best as they can do so that when you visit them years later, you feel happy to find the same menu you had before. Having become quite skilled at their dishes, such restaurants are exempt from the criticism such as “lacking the vision hence not refreshing the menus” and so on.

For me, Neuer Haferkasten is one of those places. It is almost 40 years now that it has been active in the suburb of Neu-Isenburg in Frankfurt. Don’t get frustrated by its long name since everyone briefly calls it “Italian Luigi.” Located on the tip of the Boot (Lo Stivale), Neuer Haferkasten’s flavors are from Calabria region. As being one of the chefs who were born in the town of Mandatoriccio in the same vicinity and now work for several popular European restaurants, Chef Luigi Lavorato is the talent behind the simple yet enchanting menu which is worked with genuine ingredients.

I visited the Italian chef’s old and new restaurants in Frankfurt for several times. It is unbelievable how successful he is at his job. For example, I will always remember the “spaghetti alle vongole” (spaghetti with clams) accompanied by the popular Italian white wine “Gavi dei Gavi La Scolca” I had in the past for my lunch following a day that started fast.

As I wound up at this small suburb thanks to the last-week business trip, the city was celebrating the oldest Christian holiday Easter with paschal eggs and traditional cakes.

When I stepped inside the restaurant, out of instinct, I headed towards the same table I remember myself sitting at 35 years before. The first dish was squid from the Atlantic coast of France.

It was simply wonderful with the accompaniment of fresh purslane which was slightly flavored with lemon and olive oil.  With the production of 222 thousand tons of olive oil in the last year, Italy is one of the biggest olive oil producers following Spain, Greek and Tunisia, and Calabria has a remarkable share in this. You could also tell the Calabria olive oil served in the restaurant has a fine quality judging from its acidity.

The following dish was a nostalgic one: spaghetti alle vongole which was cooked “al dente” at its best. The dish was orgasmic with its simplistic ingredients, among which is parsley, olive oil as well as red hot peppers. Consumed a lot around Calabria and Sicily, these little peppers also show up in other dishes of the restaurant.

The paired wine was La Scolca’s almost 100-year-old Gavi dei Gavi, which I had felt lucky to find in this small restaurant in Frankfurt years ago. Produced from the April-May harvest of the 60 year-old vineyards, Gavi dei Gavi perfectly matches seafood dishes with its strong smell and taste with the notes of almond and nut. It could be even better enjoyed in a few years following its production without getting aged further. Also the grappas served in the restaurant deserves a mention since it is possible to find in the restaurant all the popular grappa brands such as Poli, Gaja, Nonino, Berta and Marolo.

The meal came to an end with the last piece that completes this Italian puzzle: tiramisu. The light dessert was made with mascarpone cheese, quality coffee cream and white maple syrup. The biggest trick behind its taste is the inclusion of genuine Marsala wine in accordance with the original recipe. However, although now it is widely replaced with rom, cognac or even coffee liquor, the Sicilian Marsala is the key alcoholic beverage in the recipe of a genuine tiramisu.

The restaurant has a seating capacity for 30 people in a cozy way. The staff is also Italian just as the chef is. However, they can speak German enough to communicate with the customers.

Neu-Isenberg is not one of those places that you normally include in your holiday plans. However for those gourmet palates that happen to visit Frankfurt, Neuer Haferkasten or briefly, “Luigi” is a must-see restaurant which will surprise you with its flavors…

Bon appétit and enjoy the taste of life…