gastronomy
The chef of the year according to «Gault&Millau» comes from Berlin
Dylan Watson-Brawn, Canadian chef, was named Chef of the Year by the Gault&Millau restaurant guide. Watson-Brawn runs the Ernst restaurant in Berlin-Wedding. Photo: Carsten Koall/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
It started with a “supper club” in private apartments – today Dylan Watson-Brawn cooks in his restaurant “Ernst” in Berlin. If you want to eat there, you have to pay the standard price of 400 euros in advance.
According to the Gault&Millau restaurant guide, Dylan Watson-Brawn from the Ernst restaurant in Berlin is Chef of the Year.
The “Ernst” is one of the most interesting restaurants in the republic, wrote the restaurant testers in their justification for the award in the new edition of the gastronomy guide for 2022, which was published on Monday. In the fifth year of its existence, it has found a degree of technical and conceptual maturity and individuality “which is extremely rare, not only in this country”.
The kitchen of the Canadian Watson-Brawn (born 1993), who learned to cook in Japan, has “what is still a rarity in top cuisine: a clear, unmistakable vision,” emphasized the “Gault&Millau”. The focus is on Japanese techniques such as taste images and uncompromising attention to the quality of the products, which are often locally sourced and selected according to the season.
Behind curtained windows
The “Ernst” in Berlin’s former working-class district of Wedding was opened in 2017 by Watson-Brawn and has since caused a stir in Germany and internationally. At first glance “without any external sign of inviting hospitality” behind linen-covered windows and a forbidding steel door. Only eight guests are received per meal, they sit next to each other “at the Japanese wooden counter in front of the open kitchen”.
Each guest receives the same menu, often with more than 20 small courses, for a standard price of around 400 euros including drinks – payable in advance. The guests observe the preparation of the food and are supposed to “interact with the team throughout the process”.
According to its own statement, the «Gault&Millau» recommends the 1000 best restaurants in Germany. Around 100 restaurants were newly added. Alongside the Michelin Guide, the Gault&Millau is Germany’s most important gourmet guide.
Previously, up to 20 points were awarded to restaurants, but this is no longer the case. The rating is based on the number of chef’s toques awarded plus the additional rating of outstanding in the category – and only for the kitchen, not for the equipment and service of a restaurant, as is emphasized. Despite the corona pandemic, the gastronomic landscape in Germany continues to develop, “variety and quality are increasing despite all crises”.
Three with five hoods
The three best restaurants with five toques and a distinction are the “Vendôme” in Bergisch Gladbach (North Rhine-Westphalia), “Victor’s Fine Dining” in Perl (Saarland) and the “Waldhotel Sonnora” in Dreis (Rhineland-Palatinate).
“Aqua” in Wolfsburg (Lower Saxony), “Schwarzwaldstube” in Baiersbronn (Baden-Württemberg), “Tim Raue” in Berlin and, as new climbers in this category, “Restaurant Haerlin” in Hamburg and “Restaurant Schanz” follow with five normal chef’s hats. in Piesport on the Moselle (Rhineland-Palatinate).
Restaurateur of the year 2022 was Hermann Bareiss (“Restaurant Bareiss”, Baiersbronn). Eric Huber («Erno’s Bistro», Frankfurt/Main) was honored as host of the year. Discovery of the year is Adrian Kuhlemann (“Restaurant Kuhlemann”, Neustadt an der Waldnaab). Viktor Gerhardinger (“Tian”, Munich) is the newcomer of the year. Christophe Meyer («Le Pavillon», Bad Peterstal-Griesbach) was named Sommelier of the Year. And the testers voted Larissa Metz (“Favorite Restaurant”, Mainz) Patissière of the Year.