As last week hubby had a Friday night off work, we decided to celebrate and have a fancy dinner out before the moving.

We went for Oro e Argento restaurant as we heard many good reviews and feedbacks. The restaurant is situated in the premises of hotel Sofitel Europe, in Kirchberg. We got to the main entrance of the hotel, lift to the first floor and wow.. For one second I had the impression to be again in our Cancun honeymoon resort: huge hall, rooms overlooking and restaurants and bars on one side and the other. I am not sure this was a 100 per cent positive feeling, as I was expecting a more discreet and romantic venue.

We were welcomed at the restaurant, waitress took our jacket and accomodated to a very nice round table, spacious and nicely setted.

We ordered a prosecco aperitif and went to study the menu. There are pretty nice choices a la carte and a tasting menu (80 euro). We would have gone for it, but it was “surprise” and we personally didn’t like it: knowing my husband being pretty picky on ingredients, we were afraid to find courses with ingredients he did not like.

My choice for the night was: Olive all’Ascolana as starter (olives filled with crab, lobster, scampi and prawns), half portion of Spaghetti alla Chitarra with sardines and fennel pesto, and to conclude Sea Bass with artichokes and potatoes.

Hubby had the same main, while for starter he went for octopus cooked in red wine, followed by a half portion of lobster risotto with prosecco and pistache..

We had a Marina Cvetic chardonnay during the meal and we ended up with espresso – accompanied by some sweets – and Cognac.

Bill came out to be 320 euro for the total.

Before my general impression and the pictures, I have to specify I had very mixed feelings regarding the cuisine.

My starter was interesting as concept, and above all the olives with black panure were great. But the salt balance was not right between various pieces and the olives tasted a bit too loose – I came from the area were the original “olive all’ascolana” are made and we use a specific type of olives who keep the fragrance and the consistency.

My half portion pasta was very deluding: first, the pasta used was not spagnetti alla chitarra – that are made fresh with eggs and have a particular squared shape – my grandmother used to do them at home so, again, I know pretty well.. Those were simple spaghetti made of durum wheat, those you can buy at the supermarket. Then, I am used to believe the ingredients in the menu are listed in a predominant order: in this case the last one, the fennel pesto, was the strongest and spoiled the dish – you can taste just it.

Lastly the fish: nothing very gastronomic, quality of the ingredient was great, but again the salt balance incorrect: artichaud were very salty (too much, really), the fish totally without. I have to say the fish was very good and very well cooked, but again I had the impression the dish could have been better.

Pictures and then a small summary.

Things I liked about Oro e Argento:

• I liked the idea of cuisine they have, all the dishes looked very interesting and the quality of ingredient is excellent. Presentation is also very fancy.
• I liked the service: we had a misunderstanding on the wine and they changed the bottle without adding to the bill. Generally, it was polite and always available, waitresses were young but competent and kind.
• Compared to our expectations, the bill was quite fine for the kind of place. Out of 320 euro, more than 150 were for drinks choices (95 euro the wine, plus prosecco aperitif, cognac, coffee and water), so food is generally well priced.

Things I did not like about Oro e Argento:

• I was not convinced by how the dishes were realized. My spaghetti alla chitarra were the biggest delusion. The rest was good but not over the top.
• I don’t like to be on a quite open space on an hotel hall, having people coming back to the rooms passing in front of the windows. You have this resort feeling I am not able to appreciate in Luxembourg.

To sum up: I liked Oro e Argento but not how much I expected. While the service deserved a Michelin star and products and ideas behind are amazing, the dishes themselves, for the level of the restaurant, did not astound my tastes. The place is perfect for a romantic getaway or a business dinner.