March 2008
Ocean Treasures
seafood restaurants in Munich
Ever since the accidental invention of
Weißwürste in 1857 by butcher Sepp Moser, Munich has been known as the “Weißwurst Equator.” Local menus are loaded with meats and sausages. For many years, though, numerous Italian restaurants have offered seafood dishes as a tasty alternative for Munich palates. Some might think it better to focus on pasta or pizza in
ristoranti and leave the preparation of fish to chefs closer to seashores. However, several excellent restaurants specializing in seafood have established themselves throughout our Alpine city.
The best
Bouillabaisse (€ 11), for example, awaits you at
Poseidon (Westenriederstr. 13). This fish specialty shop at Viktualienmarkt lures customers with a window display featuring freshly caught, iced sea fish, which can be purchased for home preparation or consumed on the spot at the affiliated bistro. Try the tuna carpaccio, the fried sardines or variations of salmon that are all prepared before your eyes. The selection of oysters (€ 1.60–3.20 per piece) is also worth a try. Those who don’t want to do without some Italian flavor will enjoy the seafood spaghetti (€ 10). Poseidon is often packed, so a relaxed visit is more likely outside of rush
hours. (Opening hours are: Mon.–Wed.,
8 am–6:30 pm; Thurs. and Fri., 8 am–7 pm; Sat., 8 am–4 pm). As soon as temperatures are a little milder, the bistro will erect an outdoor seating area with a perfect view of the Viktualienmarkt bustle.
Whereas Poseidon certainly offers excellent food, there are further options that combine culinary treasures of the sea with a causal dining atmosphere.
Sevenfish, conveniently located at Gärtnerplatz 6, offers an interior design distinguished by brown leather, dark wooden tables, sandstone walls—discreetly illuminated at night—and an ocean-blue ceiling. Though Sevenfish is run by Greek brothers Vasilis and Angelo Konstantinidis (also responsible for the Spanish tapas bars El Perro y el Griego in Haidhausen and Casa de Tapas in Schwabing), the menu at their Gärtnerplatz restaurant is international. The moderately priced lunch selections include swordfish with Chinese vegetables and rice noodles (€ 13.50),
fettuccine with mussels, fennel and tomatoes
(€ 8.50) or catfish with eggplant-caviar and chives (€ 12.50). At night—the kitchen is open daily until 11 pm—prices are somewhat higher and the menu’s offerings even more refined. Thai Tuna is an appetizer of marinated tuna with shiitake pineapple couscous, which can be ordered in three different plate sizes (€ 6.50–10.50). Codfish tandoori with ginger-humus and passion fruit (€ 19.80) or the barracuda filet with a mash of peas and menthol seasoned with grilled bacon, both promise to
be exceptional sea-
food experiences. If you feel the need
to follow your main course, with an equally exotic concoction, the Campari mousse with mango-raspberry chutney (€ 7) may be the treat you are looking for.
Just a stone’s throw away from Gärtnerplatz,
Jean de St. Malo at Holzstrasse 25 has earned high praise from culinary critics. The
petit eatery accommodates only about forty guests. The kitchen, ruled by owner and chef Jean-Yves Lethimonier, is equally tiny, but the creations that leave its doors are simply terrific. Fish soup with
Rouille (€ 6) and salmon tartar in a dill-cream dip (€ 10.50), are among the tasty starters. The mixed fish St. Malo platter (€ 21) is the only standard offer on the menu. All other dishes vary daily. On Fridays at lunch time (11:30 am–2:30 pm), Jean de St. Malo extends its invitation to a two-course menu (€ 14.50) featuring delicacies from Brittany. A variation of fish, oysters and clams is served together with an appetizer or dessert.
Two veterans of Munich’s seafood scene are the
Austernkeller (Stollberg-
str. 11) and
Italfisch (Zenettistr. 25). The former exudes an air of slightly faded glamor. Nonetheless, the swordfish medallion with fried scampi on a light herb vinaigrette (€ 23.50) and of course oysters of different sorts (€ 1.65–3.10 per piece) are evidence of today’s connoisseurs at work in the Austernkeller kitchen. Italfisch, on the other hand, has always featured a down-to-earth interior, in which the
Specialita Di Pesce plays the main role. The
Fischmenü (€ 34.50
per person) is intended for two diners or more, and celebrates the culture of Italian fish cuisine with tuna carpaccio, seafood
taglierini and a grilled sea bass coated with salt. Just a few houses away,
Atlantik Fisch (Zenettistr. 12) has begun to seriously compete with its long-established neighbor. The ambience is reminiscent of a fisherman’s tavern somewhere along the Atlantic Ocean and the small yet outstanding menu will make you forget for a few bites that it is the Bavarian Alps—and not an ocean—that hug our horizon. <<<
