February 2004
Nouvelle Cuisine
The first of a two-part feature on new restaurants in the city
Vinorant Alter Hof
Alter Hof 3
Tel. (089) 24 24 37 33
Open Mon.–Sat. 11 am–1 am;
Sun. and holidays 11 am–4 pm;
reservations recommended
Vinorant Alter Hof is both a restaurant and a wine cellar. The Hof Saal restaurant on the ground floor serves traditional Franconian cuisine with a twist, while the Hof Keller wine cellar in the basement offers finger food (€ 1–2), zestful Franconian wines and an assortment of beers. Peter Kinner, once Germany’s youngest star chef, says it is his aim to hone traditional Franconian cuisine and add modern accents. Appetizers that come highly recommended include the duck liver terrine with cranberries and winter salad (€ 6.80) or the pumpkin-apple cream soup with pumpkin seed oil (€ 4). Slightly lighter fare like the wild mushrooms in a herbed cream sauce with baked bread dumpling (€ 11) or the traditional half-meter
Bratwurst with Riesling sauerkraut and potato bread (€ 9) will enliven even those palates tired of standard Bavarian meat and
Kraut iterations. Main-course selections are ample and include filet of trout in a herb-breadcrumb coating with warm potatoes and radish salad (€ 12) or braised beef in a green sauce of apple and horseradish with potatoes and other vegetables (€ 13). Desserts like the almond-semolina pudding with warm berry ragout on walnut ice cream (€ 6) or a simple selection of cheese (€ 6) close a meal nicely. All in all Vinorant Alter Hof has the right blend of quality, atmosphere and price to please newcomers and regulars alike.
Food **** Service *** Atmosphere ****
Cocoon
Café/bar/restaurant
Christophstrasse 3
Tel. (089) 25 54 19 66
Open Tues.–Fri. 12 pm–2 pm and
6:45 pm–10:15 pm; Sat. 6:45 pm–10:15 pm;
bar open to 1 am; closed Sun. and Mon;
reservations recommended
If ingredients like ginger, cardamom, coriander, safran, sezchuan pepper and wasabi get you fired up, Cocoon has what you’re looking for. The menu, like the modern atmosphere, is always in flux, going from piquant and spicy one moment to cool and creamy the next. Uncluttered yet colorful illumination sets the mood as Cocoon’s head chef Andreas Schweiger creates a rainbow of flavors. Start off with a glass of sparkling wine mixed with freshly made quince juice or an appetizer of tuna tartar on a bed of grapefruit wedges with avocado-chili ice cream (€ 12.90). Sample the caramelized goat’s cheese with pineapple chutney and thyme-honey vinaigrette (€ 10.90) if tuna’s not your fin. For a main course, Andreas recommends the slow-cooked veal filet served on a cucumber-vanilla-polenta with shiitake mushrooms and Gewürztraminer grape au jus (€ 19.50). You might like the passion fruit soup with tandoori ice cream for dessert or the Emmentaler with balsamic ice cream to close the meal, though the latter is not always on the menu. The portions are sized so as not to stuff and splitting a main course is not a problem.
Food **** Service *** Atmosphere ***
Emporio Armani Caffé
Theatinerstrasse 10
Tel. (089) 20 80 22 07
Open Mon.–Sat. 12 pm–11 pm;
bar open 11am–2 am;
reservations recommended
Located in the Fünf Höfe with entrances on Theatinerstrasse and from the Salvator Passage, the Armani Caffé is a place for Munich’s upper crust, social climbers and well-to-do visitors. Owing to the establishment’s rather steep prices, it may be difficult for some to decide whether simply to enjoy a drink at the illuminated bar or to sit down at one of the perfectly arranged tables and partake in the complete experience. Bar specialties include the ginger vodka martini (€ 9) and the Emporio champagne cocktail with raspberries, fresh-squeezed orange juice and a splash of chambord and cognac (€ 10). You could start your meal with the Armani beef carpaccio from Piedmont with mustard sauce (€ 19), and then move on to either the Tagliata di Tonno—a pan-seared tuna fillet served on Sicilian ratatouille (€ 28.50)—or the poached veal fillet served on sun-dried vegetables and sweet peperoncini with potato-basil puree (€ 29). Or simply enjoy a fine bottle of red wine. The 1998 Barbaresco “Il Bricco” (€ 235) is a decidedly structured red wine with complexity and elegance with aromas of root, vanilla and tobacco—at least that’s what it says on the wine list.
Food *** Service *** Atmosphere ****
