A posting of the wonderful foodblog troisetoiles brought Geisels Werneckhof right on top of my to-eat-list. The connection of bavarian and japanese cooking just sounded too good to be true.
The restaurant is located in Schwabing, inside a traditional building. After finding the entrance you open the door … and stumble right into the dining room. No wardrobe, no reception desk – just two rooms with tables. The inside of the restaurant is very traditional with a lot of wood, dimmed light and red pillows.
There are two tasting menus with 5 oder 7 courses (150/180 €). After a terrible sweet yuzu prosecco and consulting with the nice sommelière I went for the wine pairing (75/95 €).
The first two amuse showcased wonderful products: A great beef tatar and a piece of perfect scottish salmon. Both were perfectly tempered and underlined with subtle aromas.
One of my favorite courses of the whole meal: Two very humble dishes, showcasing great craftmanship. A fluffy and silky chawanmushi with waxy shrimps and a small cup of great dashi.
The silken tofu here was so great, that we actually had two of them – a perfectly elegant spread.
The scallop showed perfect product quality: Sliced, as tatar and a soufflé of the corail. The razor clam gave a wonderful, chewy texture contrast. The sprouts together with the calamansi connected the dots and gave depth to the whole dish. Wonderful.
Again, perfection: The lake trout was perfectly fresh and juicy. The vegetables gave a green crunch and the light, aetheric sauce gave depth and length.
A dish with excellent product quality, although having a slight insecurity about the doneness (my piece was a bit overdone (tail) but the other one (middle) was great and juicy). The sauce was very light and perfectly connected the fish with the vegetables.
The meat was of excellent quality and perfectly cooked (rosé but not raw any more). It was covered with a layer of melted cheese and crumbs, giving a bit of a strange, sandy sensation. The berries and the celery made the whole dish vivid – countering the heavy and simply wonderful sauce riche.
A perfectly, incredible meaty piece of beef, paired with a heavy and sticky barbecue-like whiskey sauce. Personally I would have preferred a fattier cut (actually this dish was done with wagyu short rib before…) but it still was amazing and endlessly tasty. Well there were vegetables too 🙂
A really impressing dish connecting the idea of cheese and dessert: Different carrots in different preparations, together with an ice cream of Brillat-Savarin (WON-DER-FUL), connected by cardamon. And look how beautiful – a piece of art.
Another piece of art: The looks alone are impressive. The „white“ notes of the components are perfectly illustrated in the setting. Classic western cooking on it’s highest level with an exotic, asian inspired world of taste. The connection of jasmine, cocos and galagant in the background is a match made in heaven.
The end: A german twist on classic dim sum, a rich and satisfying dumpling full of taste. Just great. And of course the homemade fortune cookies…
The wine pairing was not very exciting after all, in the end I even sent back (me, sending back!) an average glass of Asti that the sommelier recommended with the jasmine dessert. Next time I would go for a bottle or the sake pairing. I also had a rum afterwards that was extremely overprized (4cl of Pusser’s for 25€ – the price of the whole bottle).
But back to the food: This evening was one of those experiences that change your perspective on food. Tohru Nakamura’s cooking is creative, very refined and – most important – REALLY tasty. And it makes you completely forget the interior design 🙂 The connection of traditional cooking, german influences and ingredients and asian elements is impressive and pleasing in the best sense of the word. Go there!
Visit: March 2018
Michelin stars at time of visit: **
Budget: 250€/person (including drinks)
Location: 6/10
Service: 6.5/10
Food: 9/10
