Ciao Chang Glockenbachviertel: A parlor Japan – Munich

For reasons that are not clear, the puristic cuisine of Japan, clear as a mountain lake, is repeatedly mixed up with other national cuisines and, if things go badly, even watered down. It’s called fusion or crossover on the menus and Insta tiles, and in really a lot of these places the dishes are a mean misfortune. But sometimes the equation works. In the Nomiya, for example, the restaurant in Haidhausen that served its very own Bavarian-Japanese cuisine for more than twenty years before it had to close in spring 2020.

The Ciao Chang has been in Munich for six months now, and has marked out its field in a very similar way. The Bavarian and Japanese dishes are dismantled, remodeled and reassembled, making sure that the ingredients are not carted halfway around the world, but that the tofu comes from Walpertskirchen, the Wagyu from Lake Tegernsee, and the potatoes from Moosinning. The two operators, Viet-Dúc Nguyen and Daniel Wäcker, are no strangers to this. One, Nguyen, comes from a Vietnamese gastro family that runs the Koriander and the Jaadin Grillhouse in Munich, among other things; the other, Wäcker, previously co-founded the “Junge Römer” coffee bar. So now the Ciao Chang, on Holzstraße in the Glockenbach district. The premises used to be home to the legendary “Beim Franz” restaurant, and Freddie Mercury and Rainer Werner Fassbinder used to come here even earlier. A wood-panelled snuggery, colorful lanterns, lovingly collected vases and decorative gimmicks – it doesn’t take long to feel good, twice not on the terrace outside.

A quick look at the menu, everything is subtitled with the slogan “kind of izakaya”, which on the one hand refers to the Japanese sake bars, on the other hand, of course, leaves everything open. High time to see how “kind of izakaya” looks on the plate. The starters are listed under “Ois Umami” on the menu, just in case someone hasn’t noticed that this is about Bavaria and Japan. For example, there is the cucumber kimchi with watermelon, ginger, chili and sesame (6 euros), which tastes just like it sounds: refreshing and good, only the melon could be a little more ripe and tasty next time. Very nice is the Wammerl Bao (7 euros), where the belly of the straw pig goes well with the sweet yeast dough, the teriyaki sauce replaces the classic roast jus and a few peanuts add a little crunch. Even better is the cauliflower karaage (8 euros), which they rightly recommend at every second table. The cabbage retains its bite and doesn’t get greasy despite being fried, the batter is thick enough to stay moist, and the truffle mayonnaise does the rest. It would be nice to continue like this.

The service is pleasantly uncomplicated and friendly, the dishes are intended for sharing and are distributed all over the table. Next, the yakitori skewers. The mushrooms (6 euros), in this case Egerling and king oyster mushrooms, are grilled over an open fire, but the roasted garlic reminds you of the words of the Bavarian great thinker Gerhard Polt: Is that necessary? The slices aren’t really crispy, instead they stick to the molars and, together with the mushrooms, look a bit musty. Then the Wagyu-plants (9 euros), which the fire has given nice roasted notes, plus a kind of table mayo to mix yourself: a raw egg yolk with soy sauce.

Which brings us to the main courses, which are called “Geiles Stuff” here. It’s just a pity that the duck shreds (17 euros) are rather cheap. Although one is pleased that the red cabbage is quite un-Christmas, rather cabbage, there is nothing wrong with the ramen noodles with nut butter. However, the meat should be much juicier, and the edamame and the nori sheet also lie rather incoherently on the plate.

Open detailed view

With the char sashimi (15 euros), the fish from the Isar valley has a tender melt, the apple slices flank it appropriately, as do the radishes and the ponzu sauce. The only question is why it needs a sauce of sweet mustard and honey? The mustard spreads so much that the tender fish doesn’t really have room anymore. More harmonious is the brook trout with chard and apricots (18 euros), another time we try the roast beef from Almrind from the Chiemgau (18 euros), with which the roasted garlic works much better because it is crisper than with the mushrooms, and because it goes well with truffle mayonnaise.

The yuzu cheesecake (8 euros) at the end is wonderfully creamy, and the poor samurai (8 euros) – a modification of the poor knight, what else – is also fun on the second visit, which is not least due to the connection between miso caramel and sour cream. The kitchen at Ciao Chang already shows that the equation between Bavaria and Japan can work out. But it also shows that there is still room for improvement with one or the other plate.

Ciao ChangHolzstraße 41, 80469 Munich, phone: 089/926 556 84, opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 5:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m

The SZ taster

The restaurant review “Tasting” of Süddeutsche Zeitung has a long tradition: it has been published weekly in the local section since 1975, and has also been online for several years, 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.