In the Weinstraße opposite the town hall there is now a kitsch castle of oppressive ugliness, with larger than life heroes of FC Bayern bursting out of the windows. Close to the Frauenkirche, in the Bayern rear building, so to speak, are two locations of the large culinary group Do & Co, which already has close ties to FC Bayern via the Fröttmaninger Arena, which caters to airlines and world championships. Doesn’t the real Munich heart beat for TSV 1860, i.e. for the lions? Do they immediately recognize the white-blue soul of the guest when the lion friend ventures into the realm of the red competitor?
The ground floor is more folksy. It’s different in the Beletage, which behaves in a highly noble manner. Dare to arrive at the Do & Co restaurant two minutes before the official opening! He is shown from the threshold like the petitioner at the Berlin authorities. And even before the aperitif (no amuse-gueule) the note that you have to leave within two hours. Profit wants to be sharply timed. Complaints are circulating that guests have been ushered out despite empty glasses and full dessert bowls. The commands are issued, albeit friendly, sometimes only in English, because – oh, how international we are! – a part of the generally very friendly staff does not speak German.
Exposed concrete, Japanese-style latticework, a counter in front of the open kitchen. If not accompanied by women with at least targeted model dimensions, if not unmistakably prominent – or exposed as lions? -, couples like to land here. Or in the bottleneck of the entrance area, emotionally on the donkey bench. But the waitresses cover it up by getting on their knees: they explain the menu, about which there is a lot to explain, while squatting down, i.e. at the guest’s eye level.
At the bar you can get in the mood for the evening – or let it end after two hours.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
Attila Doğudan, the Turkish-born Austrian founder of Do & Co, has already started a small revolution. Do & Co once proved to the very self-centered Vienna, where people have always eaten tastefully and on a broad scale, that fine dining is also possible without the traditions of the Habsburg crown lands. The empire moves in many culinary spheres today, in Munich it is said to be the so-called newer Japanese cuisine.
A Soho Sushi Mix costs 49 euros here
The Soho Sushi Mix for 49 euros (yes, 49!) presented itself as a lesson in taste, from the delicate flavoring of the rice, the rolls with shrimp, those with avocado and green asparagus, the diverse scents of the limey spices, salmon and tuna and amberjack. Sashimi and Moriawase sushi (where fish fillet is served on finely grated radish) proved to be the ultimate. Delighting in this requires a special fondness for raw fish and the tongue to grasp the delicacy of the completely untouched yellowfin mackerel, wild salmon, tuna. And the tenderness of the salmon tartare. Those who are satisfied with the usual categories will not be able to access the subtleties here, and certainly not the price of 85 euros, which, however, requires some bravery even from the passionate lover. Warning: soy sauce and wasabi drown out the delightful, very subtle nuances of the gorgeous fish, which was admittedly cut a tad too thick. Pickled ginger complemented it stimulatingly. For friends of very fine differences, very fine fish, who don’t care about money, this is the right meal in the right place.
It doesn’t always have to be fish: here’s the crispy pork belly in miso sauce.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
À la carte you should start with the delicately sour carpaccio of yellowfin mackerel (16.00), which fully lived up to the reputation as the noblest fish of its kind, the black truffle leaves on the citrus cream are beguilingly accurate. The dumplings with king crabs (18.00) tasted us without enthusiasm. The already praised, very tender salmon tartare is also available as a solo (18.00). Carolus, who likes things green, enjoyed the visually powerful green salad (12.00), a layered cuboid like a brick, caressed by avocado and wasabi cream. With other vegetable side dishes, such as the nutty cauliflower skewer (12.00), the roasted sweet corn on the cob, the glazed aubergines (10.00) this salad could result in a fine – but almost 50 euro expensive – vegetarian menu.
Not that meat lovers miss out. The slightly spicy beef fillet (28.00) seemed respectable to us. We were blown away by the pork belly (18.00): buttery and at the same time crispy pralines in a slightly spiced miso sauce.
The dishes are seasoned here with increasing sound
The few pleasantly sorted wines by the glass range between 7 and 12 euros for 0.1 liters (!). If so, then the bottle list, which is both qualitative and pricey, should be consulted. And since we were already overdoing it, it was allowed to end with a sloe from the famous Rochelt. At 34 euros for a 2-cl jar, it was a bit too much bitter almonds for us, overpowering the scent of this delicate wild fruit. The beer is already treated with contempt on the menu.
The restaurant review “Kostprobe” in the Süddeutsche Zeitung has a long tradition: it has been published weekly in the local section since 1975, and online for a few years now and 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. SZ
The dishes are seasoned here with increasing sound. The restaurant secretly becomes a club. However, the DJ only blocks the hearing of the early guests with the skinny skeleton of the hip-hop basses. But more than two hours are not granted here anyway.
Do & Co restaurantFilserbräugasse 1, 80333 Munich, telephone: 089/6931378-30, opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 6 p.m. to midnight.