Treat in Thale

We made a quick trip for a few days into Thale, a little township about 2 hours out of Erfurt. More specifically, we were at Thale Harz; Thale being the name of the town and Harz, the name of the mountain. 

To get to Thale Harz, you would have to go through the little town with its pretty cobbled streets and cottage industry businesses. It is a storybook town set at the foot of two low mountains - low, because they weren't exactly Mount Everest height, but significantly high enough to not qualify as high hills. What made them even more significant was that they were twin mountains. Legend has it that a princess ran away from her kingdom (on one mountain) to the other and dropped her crown in the river than ran in between. A prince (or warrior) was sent after her to bring her and crown back. He attempted to jump from one mountain to the next (I'm assuming she had a good headstart for him to want to do a shortcut??) In so doing, his horse landed so hard on the other side, it left a deep hoof imprint which can be seen till today. The story goes that he still hasn't managed to get the crown back and some days, can be heard riding. The fact that it's pretty windy up there hints to me that it's actually only the sound of the wind blowing through the deep valley between two mountains. But then again, who am I to question legends, right? 

Fascinating folklore aside, I had lunch up on the mountain at the mountaintop hotel restaurant. 

The menu had a varied offering of Wildfleisch (wild boar/venison, a Thuringian specialty), fish, pork and chicken meats. I decided to go with fish, as it was something that I can't easily find in Thuringia, being smack dab in the middle of Germany. 

My fish dish was fried forelle fish fillet with minced spinach and boiled potatoes. A very simple presentation of food, which surprised me a little since it was, after all, a hotel restaurant. But it is in a little township, almost off the grid, even for Thuringia, so maybe understatement was its attraction. Given the many people on both mountains today AND at all the restaurants, understatement seems to be working very well. 

I cut into my fillet and my first emotion was one of happy satisfaction. My fillet was tender and juicy. Unlike many fried fish dishes which tend to be dry, this was not. I also liked the fact that it was brown but not crispy, so it wasn't like I was eating chips. And by the way, I am one who loves fish skin, if they're cooked correctly. I have no problems eating fish meat and skin together, unlike most locals who prefer their fish skinless. The skin on the forelle was soft enough to be meshed with the potatoes and eaten together, and wasn't scaly at all. That's the thing - fish skin is delicious, as long as it doesn't taste like, well, fish scales. In this case, the skin was as tender as the fish meat itself, which meant it was a joy to eat. 

My only peeve is that I personally found the fillets a little too salty. Again, I have to impress that me and salt have a very fragile relationship. So, you should really take my opinions on salt with a pinch of, errrr, salt. Pun intended. 

Now, the spinach under the fillets. In German, the description is Rahmspinat, or pressed (or minced) spinach. This means the spinach leaves are pressed together in clumps, as compared to just being cooked together. If you love spinach, like me, Rahmspinat is heaven. I try to eat better as I get older so this half-plate of nutritious spinach is an absolute bonus. I love that it was cooked in its natural state, with very little salt too, which doubles its bonus points even more 👍👍 

The boiled potatoes were just that. A side to the mains of forelle fillets and spinach. For me, this was perfect because, as I said earlier, the fillets being a little salty made a good buffer for bland potatoes. Balance of flavours in a meal is important to me and yes, there was a balance here I appreciate very much. 

The restaurant also offered another variety of forelle, which the husband ordered (yes, we both decided to have fish at the same time. Is that love, or what? 😄)

His was local forelle cooked in melted butter, and served with boiled potatoes, salad and a slice of lemon. There was also a dash of walnuts on top of the fish. 

Taste-wise, both fish dishes had the same seasoning; only difference between the two that I could see was that his was a whole fish while mine were fillets. So, in case you're wondering, yes, the fish dishes were good. 

His salad came on a separate plate. There were the usual suspects of Roman leaves, zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, green paprika and the little surprise of bits of egg. 

That was a surprise but not an unpleasant one. The little bits of cooked egg provided some difference of flavours in an otherwise typical salad. And I, for one, appreciate any effort to be different. After all, if everyone and everything was like everyone and everything else, then what's the fun in existence? 

So, the salad has a thumbs up from me. It was fresh and some leaves actually felt like they were just picked when we ordered, it was that crisp. It must be that mountain air that keeps everything so fresh and new. If that were also true of humans, I'd move there in a flash. 

Our teenager had her Schnitzel, which is pork cutlet served with fries and green peas, and tomato ketchup. I have no complaints for any  - the Schnitzel was done well, the fries were fresh and the peas were soft. Unfortunately, I also can't find anything outstanding about this dish, so while it is satisfying enough, that would probably be the only thing I can say about it - it was a typical Schnitzel and sufficiently satisfying. And that's it. 

I had a hot chocolate after my meal. The wind was blowing and we were already on a mountain top, so it was a little chilly eating outdoors. 

I love a chocolate drink when it's all about the chocolate and not sugar. Mine came with whipped cream, and mixed into the cream was chocolate powder. 

Verdict? Delicious. 

The chocolate drink was rich and all chocolate. The whipped cream was all cream and not too sweet, and mixed with the chocolate powder, and then mixed into the chocolate drink, became this wonderfully warm and rich beverage that gave off warm and rich feelings. 

You know those feelings. That sip that goes down your throat and makes you smile for no apparent reason. 

Yes, this hot chocolate made me smile. 

Whatever it was, it cost around €60++ for everything (including a glass of beer). It was a little pricey but then again, it is a tourist attraction (like, when else are we able to eat outdoors on a mountain peak?). So for a little family treat or a once-in-a-while experience, yes, it could be worth your time and money to enjoy a lovely fresh moment here. 

With all the processed foods we're surrounded with, fresh shouldn't have a price tag. 

Really.