There are bars in your own neighborhood that have been written off. The tenant changes constantly, sometimes there is pizza, sometimes burgers, sometimes curry. Sometimes someone writes “Fusion” to the house, from now on a mixture of the kitchen styles will be offered so that as many guests as possible can find as much as possible on the menu, i.e. come in heaps. Rarely works. For a long time, much of this was also the case at the Alter Messeplatz in the West End, after a chicken roastery moved out, nothing went right. And then Jiro came along in the fall of 2021 and wrote “Fusion” under the names above the entrance.
Cheers meal, one thought – and was wrong. The store filled up quickly, first the guests came from other quarters, then the Westend discovered the place for itself – and stayed. Also, because not far away, the Italian wine bar L’Oca Bianca has been making the dead corner much more fun-loving for some time now, and the Champagne Characters is unusually hedonistic in the down-to-earth West End with pearl showers. And then there is the tenant Duc Nguyen, known for his Vietnamese restaurant Shami in Schwabing. Jiro is Japanese for “second child”. Because younger siblings do many things differently, the main note in the West End is Japan, fused with other Asian and European influences. If you’re looking for flawless Japanese cuisine, you might want to look elsewhere. If you are open to new things, this is the place for you.
Clearly separated from the street, you can also sit comfortably in front of the Jiro here.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
The Jiro turned the store inside out. Whereas there used to be a conceptless collection of seating groups on the large forecourt, the restaurant is separated from the outside with flower boxes and wooden elements, which as a solid unit allows the street to recede into the background. Inside, guests are greeted by a wonderland of brightly upholstered armchairs against matte black walls, indirect lighting (don’t forget your reading glasses!), neon signs, and a bar with flowers growing from the ceiling. The interior is inspired by Japanese izakayas, the upscale bars that serve sake but always food.
So the atmosphere is right, but how does it eat now? We needed a lot of time for the menu, even on the second visit. They’re listed: snacks, starters, dumplings, soups, salads, chef’s picks, noodle bowls, curries, stir-fries, meals for one, meals for sharing – and that’s not where the Japanese portion of the menu has even started. What to take, what to combine? The alert and extremely friendly service was called – and helped. At least with what was manageable for two of the crowd. Otherwise, the advice was: You can actually combine everything. Well. Fusion also as an ordering concept.
Flowers grow from the ceiling above the bar.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
On our first visit, we focused on the Japanese-inspired part of the map, which is what the Jiro is supposed to be all about. For starters we chose the scallops on a bed of wakame seaweed (13 euros). We would have liked the mussels to be a bit more tender and the dressing with yuzu and chili a little more restrained, the fine sweetish-nutty taste of the meat was almost drowned out by the spiciness of the dressing. An impression that we also had with the Crunchy Pulpo Mix Salad (14), the octopus was buttery-tender, but was brought to its knees by the chili and vinegar in the dressing.
That was quickly forgotten when the omakase came (60), a sushi mix for two people. At the omakase, the sushi master presents his best of, and in fact a cornucopia was brought, which has a proud price for the west end, as the prices in the Jiro are rather high. Absolutely fresh and tender tuna and salmon and shrimp dominated the classic layout of the platter with maki, sashimi, nigiri and fusion rolls. A highlight were the flavorful truffle and salmon rolls with wasabi sauce sprinkles and the delicious fried prawns in the California maki. There was only one of each nigiri and three of each sashimi, which makes sharing for two not that easy. But since the rest was just as delicious and the maki plentiful, this exercise was a success too. We chose an open Sauvignon Blanc Touraine from the Loire, an accessible organic wine that was measured at 11 euros for 0.2 liters crisp, the light rosé “Drink Pink” from the hip Frankfurt winemaker Christian Stahl came up with 10 euros. Brief irritation when the rosé was poured into the used white wine glass. Apparently things are more casual here.
Upholstered armchairs in front of matt black walls – you should only have reading glasses with you in this environment.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
On the second visit, we had a wonderfully intense Pho Bo Consommé (small portion: 8) that had been simmering for 24 hours beforehand, and afterwards we were delighted with bao buns with crispy duck (10) with plenty of hoisin sauce. Everything was deliciously seasoned and the duck in the steamed bread was really crispy. A little satiated, two main courses were then a challenge, but a rewarding one. There was beef with green asparagus and shiitake mushrooms from the wok (19), which was wonderfully tender and had a nice freshness with its notes of ginger and coriander. The dining partner chose Yaki Sake (19), grilled salmon on vegetables with yuzu miso and sweet potato chips. The fish was tender, the veggies and chips crisp, and the yuzu miso freshly rounded off the dish. We found a nice conclusion with the crème brûlée (8), which surprisingly had a slight hint of ginger, and three frosted mochis (8) in the strawberry, chocolate and yuzu directions.
are we coming back In any case. Also because the Jiro on the newly revitalized row of houses on the Alter Messeplatz is really different from the many other Asian restaurants in the district. The atmosphere was always good when we visited, someone was always celebrating their birthday, and it helps that there are many dishes to share – and the menu really does offer something for everyone.
Jiro, Alter Messeplatz 8, 80339 Munich, Phone: 089/59999602, www.jiro-munich.deOpening hours: daily 11.30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. and 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 selection 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.