Not every restaurant can afford to be consistently closed on Saturday, which is often the busiest day of the week. But if you’re the owner of one of the most famous bars in the world, that’s fine. And so Charles Schumann only opens his high wooden doors on Odeonsplatz on this day in exceptional cases. Sometimes for readings, sometimes for concerts – it’s usually a pretty exclusive, closed society.
This Saturday, the cooking trio Healthy Boy Band and Public Possession had the honor of celebrating there. How did that happen? Among other things, through close family relationships. Because behind Public Possession there is a record store, a DJ duo, a hip label founded by Valentino Betz and Marvin Schuhmann. The latter, to be precise, is the 37-year-old son of the house and he wears Schumann’s dark hairstyle.
Marvin(from left) and Charles Schumann with Valentino Betz at the happening in Schumann’s bar.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
The two had invited the Healthy Boy Band, a kind of cooking collective from Austria, who served a seven-course menu, vegetarian or game. The three chefs are pretty weird and funny, they even have a manifesto in which they advocate “a new gastronomic mindset” and obviously already have a larger fan base in Germany. The guests had to pay at least 160 euros for the evening, with drinks and music from Fazer from Munich and Sophie Royer from Vienna. “It was sold out within two hours,” said Valentino Beetz from Public Possession, happy about the around 150 people who came from the south of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
“This is our first time in Munich, we could have sold four times as many tickets, possibly twice as expensive,” joked Lukas Mraz before the first course, finely smoked hare and grist tarts, were served in wooden baskets. And added: “Charles is something like a Jedi Master for us!” Mraz runs “Mraz & Sohn” in Vienna with his father, which has been awarded two Michelin stars. His colleague Philip Rachinger is head chef at the “Mühltalhof” in Neufelden in Upper Austria and Felix Schellhorn cooks at the “Seehof” in Salzburg’s Goldegg.
What was there now? Mostigen Saravá Skin Contact wine, Red Love cider, Schumann’s craft beer with hops from Japan – and an equally unusual menu: starting with Mühlviertler teriyaki, fine salsify with yuzu, a sizable pheasant club sandwich, delicious Styrian fallow deer ceviche, mapo porcini mushroom Tofu and pumpkin ceviche. By the way, the name Brodo in Tortellini on the menu was really meant seriously. Anyone can put pasta in soup, but only the chef boys from Austria can put broth in tortellini.