Timo Franke Vegan Cuisine - Das Restaurant

I have to admit that I am far from being a Vegan. My son, who is a Vegan, took me to this restaurant. I do appreciate the effort and persistence by the chef and the owners to have such a restaurant in the middle of nowhere. This is why I gave them 3 stars instead of 2.The food is tasteless, almost all the dishes served where bland. Maybe one or two where OK. Nothing was special or really tasty.The wine selection was small and the wine we got (Venetian Rosso) mediocre. The bread that was served was stale, dry and not tasty - and this is Germany - where one gets superb breads at every corner.The service was extremely slow, the whole meal took more than 2.5 hours. I can accept this with a 6 course meal, not with 2 course simple meal. There were very long waits.On the positive side: the service was friendly and prices are inexpensive. Also the espresso was good.I have tried several Vegan restaurants, they were all inferior in my taste, this one is less than most of them. I think that my introduction to Vegan food is over and finished, no more Vegan food for me. I read other reviews (in English) of this restaurant, apparently written by religious Vegans, and I do not share their enthusiasm. I thought that maybe Vegans have different taste buds, so I checked with my son and he confirmed that he did not like the food either.

I live in the SF bay area, where there are lots of vegan restaurants and food options. In my travels I always try to find good and new vegan restaurants. I have been to the Bühl are many times before, but hadn't seen many/any options for vegans. The last two times were different - Greatly different! I happened to be in the area when Timo Franke opened his restaurant. I certainly had to try it out! I ordered everything on the (then limited opening) menu and shared it with new friends I had made that day. Everything was spectacular! I also got to talk to Timo that day. He's not just a great chef, but also a genuinely nice guy!I came back a second time on that same trip to Germany, went for my third time on my next trip to Germany and also tried his food at the Baden-Baden Christmas market. What can I say; I'm hooked! On my next trip I'll be back for sure!!!!

- Experience with service: friendliness, devotion, politeness, attention to details. - What tasted exceptionally well: the vanilla ice cream

Everything we ordered was tasty but we would really appreciate bigger portions (it's just veg!). And the dishes obviously draw inspiration from traditional German dishes (with meat as the centerpiece), which I am not particularly fond of (I really don't need something that resembles meat or plays it part). I would love to see more imagination (maybe there is not much incentive in the absence of competition). The staff is very friendly and they are willing to help you with translating the menu.