From the Viktualienmarkt to Unterföhring, that is the next step for Engin Sali and “Sallis Kitchen”. Sali opens his restaurant in the Unterföhringer Bürgerhaus on Sunday, October 31st. The opening originally planned for the beginning of September had to be postponed a bit, but Engin Sali is still happy with the result. According to his own statement, he had kept an eye on the restaurant in Unterföhring for a long time before he applied for the municipality’s tender.
The restaurateur’s career reads impressive: Sali was a dishwasher, waiter and bartender before he became a “passionate chocolatier”. His path led him from the family-owned pizzeria to the star kitchen, where he initially worked in reception and gradually worked his way up to the head waiter. Most recently, the bustling entrepreneur ran a shop in downtown Munich, where he sold pralines, motif cakes and chocolates.
A “crossover kitchen” with dishes from all over the world should now pamper the palates of the guests in the community center. “We are very flexible in terms of culinary delights and value fresh and regional products,” says Sali. You don’t prepare the food for mass, but for class. To start with, the landlord wants to score points with the lunch menu, which contains two menus from a total of nine different dishes of various culinary origins. In the evening, meat dishes such as steaks or beef tartare and pasta are on the menu. Traditional Bavarian cuisine is in the foreground on Sundays and public holidays. A breakfast offer could follow in the future.
The restaurant has been completely modernized in the past few months. Real moss walls, for example, ensure low air and noise pollution. A lounge area, a small bar menu and a modern ambience should attract young people to Sallis Kitchen, while the classic Bavarian cuisine is more likely to appeal to older generations. The lounge can also be used for celebrations by companies or associations, says Sali. The afternoon will be dominated by desserts. The pralines with which the chocolatier ventured into self-employment in 2017 will also play a role in the new restaurant, for example in the form of a praline counter. “You must never forget where you come from,” says Sali.