In Munich, great chefs get around
Rue des Halles
Steinstrasse 18
Tel. (089) 48 56 75
Hours: daily 18.30-01:00
Prior to the 1970s, the area of Les Halles in Paris was graced with great market halls in which wholesalers sold fresh meat and vegetables to chefs and retailers around the French capital. After these vestiges of old Paris were torn down, the Centre Pompidou, a center of the arts, replaced them. With its arty, understated interior — black-and-white photographs and a tiled floor of the same color — and traditionally French menu, Bernard Le Port’s Rue des Halles subtly combines the two connotations of Les Halles.
Hors d’oeuvres include typical dishes such as avocado with shrimp. The brick of chavignol cheese (DM 18.50) is baked in puff pastry with rosemary and coriander seeds. It is served warm on a bed of arugula with sautéed pine nuts and walnuts. The caramelized bottom of the pastry, with its light sweetness, softens the sharp goat cheese taste. White asparagus (DM 19.50) is served with a mustard-based hollandaise sauce and the delightful addition of smoked salmon.
If you prefer French dining hours to German ones and arrive after 9 pm, you might find that some dishes on the menu have been substituted with equally tempting ones. For us, this meant that the calf’s liver (DM 34) had been replaced with fillet of veal (DM 42). Surprisingly, the tender beef cubes are coupled with scallops. The delicate flavor of these two ingredients is subtly enhanced by a sweet and creamy sauce à l’orange. The entrecôte with Roquefort cheese (DM 36) could be perfect. Unfortunately, it suffers from a mistake typically encountered in restaurants trying to be particularly stylish: it is served on a plate that is so hot that the meat continues to cook until it turns from medium to well done.
The dessert menu includes such favorites as a silky crème brûlée (DM 10) and a selection of fruit sorbets (DM 14). They are indeed the appropriate ending to a classic French dinner.
FOOD 9, SERVICE 8, ATMOSPHERE 8
Le Faubourg
Kirchenstrasse 5
(089) 47 55 33 Hours: daily 18-1:00
As Munich is home to only about a dozen French restaurants, everybody in this select cuisine scene seems to know one another. Accordingly, Pascal Tournadre worked at the Rue des Halles before opening Le Faubourg some three and a half years ago. Located in Haidhausen, just a stone’s throw away from Tournadre’s former place of employment, the restaurant, with its large arched window front, was his favorite after-hour haunt in its previous incarnation as a café. Superficial similarities between the two restaurants are undeniable: here, too, the closely set small tables and matching bistro chairs provide a typically French atmosphere.
Appetizers include asparagus with vinaigrette (DM 18.50) and roast quail on a bed of salad (DM 19.50). On our visit, it was not surprising that the early-season asparagus tasted a tad bitter, which could have been disastrous if served with the more usual melted butter or hollandaise sauce. However, the acidic taste of the thick vinaigrette married well with the pungent vegetable and positively saved the dish. The quail, with its boneless chest stuffed with plums, is flawless. Perhaps not the lightest of starters, it has a delightful texture and rich sweet flavor.
Calf’s kidneys with thyme and loin of lamb with herbs, as well as numerous fish delicacies highlight main-course offerings. The orange roughy, a deep-sea bass with very white and firm flesh, is served with salmon on a bed of lentils (DM 32.50). Tournadre admits that this unusual combination is the result of the fact that orange roughy is too expensive to provide portions that would satisfy German stomachs. Happily, the crisp and meaty quality of the salmon, just slightly undercooked to keep its juicy flavor, is a fine accompaniment to the flaky bass. The lentils are simmered in savory broth made of cream and garlic with a touch of rosemary, a spice often used in Provence. Loin of rabbit with truffle oil (DM 29.50) is served with ratatouille, a stew of eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes, as well as garlicky pommes dauphine, sliced potatoes baked in cream. Stuffed with liver and kidneys and wrapped in bacon, the rabbit is exceptionally moist.
A tempting list of desserts features strawberry gratin (DM 12.50), crème brûlée (DM 10) and espresso. Evidently not even French nationalists can resist the unbeatable quality of Italian coffee.
FOOD 10, SERVICE 9, ATMOSPHERE 9.
