Munich: The fish restaurant “Mas-Tava” opens in the Asamhof – Munich

Sebastian Wolf is hard to stop when he’s allowed to talk about fish. And on this Thursday evening he actually has to, because he can finally open his new fish and steak restaurant “Mas Tava” in the middle of Munich. He already has a fish restaurant, just outside the city gates, as the saying goes. It is the restaurant “Wolfsbarsch” in Vaterstetten, which is an addition to Wolf’s specialist fish and seafood shop of the same name, which he opened almost ten years ago. “I’ve been passionate about fish ever since I did an internship at the Viktualienmarkt,” he says. “I left high school in the twelfth grade and did an apprenticeship in the commercial sector.”

His shop called Wolfsbassch soon became very popular among the people of Vaterstetten, as did the restaurant of the same name, which Wolf opened in 2020, six weeks before the start of the pandemic. “If we run out of oysters,” says Sebastian Wolf, “then something is on offer.” You never imagined Fatherstetten would be so flamboyant and sophisticated. But in any case, Wolf, 32, and his business partner Artem Khvostov, 42, want to know whether a restaurant like this would also work in Munich’s old town. In the Asamhof, at Sendlinger Straße 28, he found what he was looking for.

A pizzeria had moved out in the passage that leads over to Kreuzstrasse. And where the large pizza oven used to be, there are now a few wine cabinets. Of course, a better restaurant also needs a large wine list. “It has 500 positions,” says Wolf, “our wines come from Germany, Austria and France, but also from the rest of Europe.” Like any self-respecting eatery, Mas-Tava also has a bar where you can have a glass of wine while waiting for a table to become available or just have a drink.

The rooms are quite spacious and have been converted and expanded with understated elegance by an Austrian specialist company. There is now space for 85 guests at the tables inside, plus another 70 seats outside in the courtyard in the summer. And there is also a small separate room for family celebrations or parties with twelve to 14 guests.

The fish specialist Wolf has hired a few top professionals for the kitchen and cellar. Chef Thomas Rockstroh has previously worked in this position at Wolfsbass, restaurant manager and sommelier Max Haußmann comes from Tohru Nakamura’s “Schreiberei” and previously worked at “Mural”. The sous chef also comes from the writing department. And our own patissière, Vicky Siozou, takes care of the sweet dishes. A total of 23 permanent and temporary employees work at Mas-Tava.

The culinary concept is based on that of the mother ship in Vaterstetten. Which means: Of course there are oysters, namely Fines de Claire and Gillardeau (4.50 to 5.50 euros each), and of course you shouldn’t go out of them at Asamhof. The focus is on fish, which Wolf sources largely from its own suppliers, from sustainably farmed sea bass from Greece to wild-caught Icelandic cod, but also char from Schliersee.

Open detailed view

There is lobster from Canada, grilled octopus and pickled scallops at quite high prices between 28 and 44 euros per plate, starters are a little cheaper. And the lunch menu also includes salmon fillet from the Faroe Islands for 21 euros. The steaks mostly come from cattle that are a cross between Black Angus and Wagyu breeds. There are different cuts, the entrecôte with 300 grams costs 48 euros, you pay extra for the side dishes in the evening. A four-course menu is also offered and costs 78 euros.

The question still remains about the name: “Mastava” actually means a soup with lamb, a specialty from Uzbekistan. “It doesn’t really suit us,” admits Sebastian Wolf, “but M, A and S are the first letters of the first names of the three partners in our operating company.” Apparently not every restaurant name comes to mind as easily as “Sea Bass”.