You get a first impression of a foreign restaurant when you try to reserve a table. A lot can be determined from the tone of voice of the other person on the phone, which could be expected. rush? Serenity? Bavarian cosiness? In any case, Iwan Lende, who, thanks to the grace of the early birth, is by no means one of the digital natives, likes the ritual. And is therefore a bit irritated when he is asked on the website of the fairly young gastronomy company Casa Nostra to organize his reservation via the digital service provider Open Table.
It’s pretty much the same as at the dentist’s, except that the fear of the visit is limited to not being more than ten minutes late for the agreed appointment, otherwise the open table is over. The fact that this digital reservation machine also points out that as a visitor you have a maximum of two hours for food and drink may be due to the corona-related 10 p.m. curfew. Nevertheless, this announcement does not promise cosiness.
The restaurant on the corner of Schleißheimer-/Gabelsbergerstraße has a rather eventful history, a long time ago people drank caipi there from large glasses or later fried their steaks at the table. So now Italy, as the people from Munich imagine the nobler version. The huge U-shaped bar at the entrance, in front of which there is hardly any space for 2-G and passport control, the dark ceiling with round mirrors and round blind areas dims the atmosphere towards the living room, the tables are so close together on the walls that that Lende had to pull in his stomach. There should be room for about a hundred people here. And the aerosols have little space to escape upwards. Well then …
Densely placed tables should offer space for around a hundred people.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
The small cloakroom in the direction of the toilet does not offer enough space, which is why anoraks, coats and the like often pile up between the tables and chairs. But the aperitifs reconcile you, with the Piana Daiquiri (two rums plus grapefruit, 11 euros) as a pars pro toto alongside the Bluesberry (12) of the day being particularly commendable. Lende, still a little too thirsty for such heavyweights from the march, orders a beer and finds that even Löwenbräu tastes drinkable here (0.4 liters 3.80).
But now to the appetizer, two hours go by faster than is often thought. They agree on a Carpaccio di Manzo (14.00) plus an extra truffle (7.00) and, for the less determined at the table, antipasti à la Casa Nostra, where San Daniele ham and salami clearly dominate, what yes is not defamatory. There would certainly be offers for non-carnivores. We tried the Insalata di Polpo another time, with the rather tender parts of the arms (little) draped on mashed potatoes (a lot), a passable mixture thanks to the vignaigrette included.
As far as pizza is concerned, you can also find unusual combinations here.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
Totally un-Italian, we agreed to forgo the madness with Primi and Secondi Piatti, even after checking the clock. So the main courses came to the table, served naturally and with elegant friendliness at the same time. First of all, they all made great eating pleasure. Lemon chicken (23): juicy, tender and with a fine flavor composition thanks to herbs, lemon and capers; the tagliatelle alla cozze (16.90) were probably cooked in the mussel juice, which skilfully rounded off the Mediterranean touch; the orecchiette with a beef fillet ragout (15) also tasted excellent, perhaps also because the fillet was not expected to cook too long.
Before Lende now names the chart winner, I would like to point out the fine pizza Campo di Fiori, i.e. with pumpkin cream, mushrooms and mozzarella (11.90), which showed that exquisite variants of Italy’s everyday dish are also known (“They have a stone oven” , the neighbor told us, who was able to follow our discussion thanks to the proximity of the tables). The simple, grilled fillet of Simmental beef was particularly popular thanks to the artfully composed, slightly spicy red jus with the cooked potatoes.
The restaurant review “Kostprobe” in the Süddeutsche Zeitung has a long tradition: it has been published weekly in the local section since 1975, and online for a few years now and with a rating scale. About a dozen editors with culinary expertise from all departments – from Munich, science to politics – take turns writing about the city’s gastronomy. The choice is endless, the Bavarian economy is just as important as the Greek fish restaurant, the American fast food chain, the special bratwurst stand or the gourmet restaurant decorated with stars. The special thing about the SZ taster: The authors write under pseudonyms, often with a culinary touch. They go into the restaurant to be tested unnoticed about two or three times, depending on how long the budget given by the editors lasts. Iron basic rules: a grace period of one hundred days for the kitchen of a new restaurant to familiarize itself. And: Never get caught working as a restaurant critic – to be able to describe food and drink, service and atmosphere impartially. SZ
However, the highest praise went to a fish, one whose preparation often looks so simple: “Tonno a Blue”, in German tuna steak in a pine crust. Fine seasoning thanks to the crust, but above all the equally short, intense heat on all sides fried the fine piece in the first half centimeter, but then left it almost raw up to the middle, a process that is not new, but has rarely succeeded so perfectly is. In any case, if the word explosion of taste should be appropriate, then here. Big compliment!
Casa Nostra is now trading online under the “Modern Italian Eatery” label. One might add “… and drinkery” without exaggerating, because there is a large selection of both hard and mixed drinks available. And the wine list is correspondingly extensive, with a decent selection of wines by the glass, which are also offered in 0.2 format, which is almost a surprise in Munich. But Lende and his family do not presume to expertly compare the 2020 CAL Riesling (29) with a Pecorino from Abruzzo (160), but only state that the recommendations of the extremely friendly waitress turned out to be very accurate.
However, as far as the testing of the desserts is concerned, this fell victim to the two-hour dictum. However, this was not seen as a deficit on all sides.
Casa Nostra, Address: Gabelsbergerstr. 97, 80333 Munich, telephone: 089/18944496, opening times: Sunday to Wednesday 5.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m., Thursday to Saturday 5.30 p.m. to 11 p.m.