April 2006
Out With Kraut
Taste the future of Bavarian Cuisine
Hold on to your Schweinshaxen!—Bavarian cuisine is spruced up for the 21st century…
Think Bavarian, and most of us imagine a hearty, warming and rustic cuisine that’ll leave us feeling full for days—a slab of meat, a hefty Knödel and a soggy side order of sauerkraut. But times, they are a changin’. Yes, the kitsch and stomach-splitting stodge are finally on their way out, to be replaced by a new-look, lighter and altogether more sexy local cuisine. Our first stop on this voyage of discovery is Marktwirt, just behind the Viktualienmarkt, at Heiliggeiststrasse 2 (Tel. 23 24 11 33, www.marktwirt.com). On its pastel-colored, tasteful Website, this Augustiner bar claims to be “an oasis of relaxation and pleasure”—a far cry from the sort of raucous, smoky haunts promoted by the breweries in days of old. Indeed, step inside, and you are faced with a clean, chic-looking bar. The traditional gruff waiters are no more—in their place are people who appear genuinely interested in ensuring diners go home happy. But there’s more to this Neobavarian movement than a lick of paint and a few lessons in manners. The food, too, has been cleverly adapted, while still staying loyal to its roots. Take the “Leberkässticks”—tapas-style chunks of Leberkäs, coated with Brezen breadcrumbs, topped with a square of gherkin—available for € 3 a plate to nibble with your beer. Ok, so they’re still a touch on the large side and don’t necessarily fit in the average mouth in one go, but the idea’s brilliant. And don’t worry about not being able to face the rest of your meal—Neobavarian chefs seem to have finally realized that we’re not all built like farmers and have cut down portion sizes accordingly. Onto the mains, and there’s something similarly innovative going on in the kitchen, where traditional dishes have been given an ever-so-slightly modern twist. Not enough to offend traditionalists, I wouldn’t imagine. Although, having said that, when I ordered the Backhendl, I was warned that it was actually a breast and wouldn’t have any bones in it—they’d had complaints, apparently, from people who enjoy picking their way through a sticky carcass. Other creations include Steckerlfisch on a pepper risotto—again, the Steckerlfisch doesn’t come in its usual form, but as chunks of fish on a wooden skewer—and Semmelknödellasagne. It’s intriguing stuff—tasty, well-cooked and nicely presented. Definitely one to try when you’re in town and can’t face the usual tourist traps.
Speaking of which, the Hofbräuhaus (Platzl 9, Tel. 290 13 60, www.hofbraeuhaus.de) is another classic institution to have undergone a bit of a makeover. While they haven’t fiddled with the downstairs, the Bräustuberl on the first floor has been renovated and relaunched with a slightly lighter, more upmarket Bavarian menu. How about a German-bred steak, with glacéed princess beans and potato gratin? Or perch on sweet & sour pumpkin and potato? No matter what you think about Munich’s number one tourist attraction, you’ve got to give them credit for still serving up a decent beer and a good meal. It may not be gourmet cuisine, but at least it’s reliable. You know you’re in for decent, seasonal ingredients, many of which are sourced locally, prepared by people who know what they’re doing.
And from one tourist trap to the next—the Schrannenhalle. Or make that its adjoining restaurant, Der Pschorr (Viktualienmarkt 15, Tel. 518 18 18, www.der-pschorr.de). The original building used to be known as “Die Freibank”—a restaurant and the only part of the original Schrannenhalle to be left standing after fire destroyed the building in 1932. Now it’s a buzzing, stylish Bavarian restaurant, which seems to attract the sort of people who the Schranne was designed for yet who really just want a decent meal and beer without the show. When we went, they were struggling to cope with demand, but having forgotten to bring a side order, were hugely apologetic, offering free schnapps and coffee—the sort of gesture that is all too rare in Germany. The food that actually made it to the table was pretty good. Chef Peter Lamy, formerly of the Mövenpick restaurant, seems to have taken the Hacker-Pschorr motto of “making good, better” fairly literally and given his magic, lighter touch to classic Bavarian combinations. The Schmankerlteller, for example, is a gourmet version of your traditional Brotzeit, with duck terrine, guinea fowl pâté, duck gallantine and apple and fig chutney. There are duck sausages, cooked in various ways, and little apple fritters in beer batter. But tradition is viewed with esteem here, too—management have even brought back an age-old method of cooling beer in wooden barrels on ice blocks cut from the Isar in winter, which was first thought up by Joseph Pschorr himself.
Last, but definitely not least, is the new-look Wirtshaus in der Au (Lilienstrasse 51, Tel. 448 14 00, www.wirtshausinderau.de). Maybe “new-look” is the wrong way to describe it—although the place has undergone two months’ renovation, it looks, well, pretty much the same as it did before. The biggest change has been to the kitchen, which has been fitted with hi-tech induction cookers, among other things. The menu, which is described as being Bavarian “mit Pfiff,” has also been given a makeover. “We’ve gone right through the menu, reducing the number of dishes, and reworking the recipes of the ones we left on,” says manager Florian Oberndorfer. “It’s all about doing a few things, but better. Every dish we offer is now produced from fresh, on the premises. We’ve extended the wine list, and given the whole thing a southern Tyrolean influence.” Indeed, the roast duck with a red cabbage and apple muffin we sampled was truly surprising, yet very good. As was a blueberry mousse in a chocolate cup. Lovers of the Wirts-haus in der Au’s cult Knödel dishes are also in for a treat—the selection has been widened to include such trendy options as beetroot Knödel. What’s more, if you want to recreate the dumpling experience at home, they’ve also launched a Knödel cookery course—see “Bits ’n’ Bites” on the following page for details. And, if the food’s not enough to drag you there, the gimmicks may be. There’s a new non-smoking area, complete with covered non-smokers’ ashtrays, and in the men’s toilets, there’s a noticeable lack of pissoirs. Instead, guys will find a rugged slate wall, with a drain running along the floor, because, as Oberndorfer puts it: “It’s every man’s dream to pee on a rock face.”
