The life of a restaurant tester is usually quite enjoyable: professionally indulging in the beautiful things in the kitchen is a privilege that Rosa Marín always appreciates. A pleasant part of this job under the incognito flag is that you can travel in amazement in our city and the surrounding area and don’t have to pretend if your mouth stays open for too long – nobody knows you. And so Rosa Marín finally ended up in a parallel universe, a place that she didn’t even know existed on this scale. Without the menu mission, she might never have gone there with her culinary colleagues. Incidentally, they were all male, and if you believe the stupid saying that some men have petrol in their blood, there was a wealth of expertise on board.
We were approaching the Motorworld in the north of Munich, in Freimann. And headed in amazement towards a brightly lit, very own universe. In May of last year, a company that calls itself an “automotive world of experience” opened here in a beautifully renovated industrial monument. In the vicinity of the Zenith and Kesselhaus event halls, fine sheet metal is collected in the former Deutsche Bahn repair shop. From Bugatti, McLaren, Lotus, Mercedes, Rolls-Royce or Porsche you can find pretty much everything that is expensive, polished to a high gloss in antique and new. Gastronomy and a hotel have of course also found space in this impressive old locomotive hall with gigantic dimensions – 185 meters long, 90 meters wide and up to 18 meters high.
A spacious corner at the east end of the hall is occupied by Restaurant Waca, which offers Nikkei cuisine with high-priced meats and fine drinks. At the opening in the summer of last year, a clientele had gathered that some call the chic crowd, others as a gathering of actors from early evening series. Be that as it may, on a Saturday evening in March, no conspicuous figures could be identified in the elegantly designed restaurant, the red velvet armchairs, the noble gray benches at dark marble-wood tables were only half occupied. Anyone who drives out here must also have a goal – in addition to a pronounced interest in beautiful vintage cars, this can certainly be the desire to feel comfortable in Las Vegas style in international flair under Waca neon signs and to enjoy good and expensive food.
Nikkei means a fusion of Peruvian and Japanese cuisine. This is where South American preferences, for example for beef steaks as thick as a tire, merge with the subtleties of Asian art. The Nikkei style is very trendy, it is based on the fact that many Japanese emigrated to Peru in the last century and then wanted to make the best of it in culinary terms. Rosa Marín finds this fundamentally interesting, as it opens up the possibility of being able to dine with people with different tastes in one place.
The view outside is of a lot of horsepower and expensive bodies.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
In the Waca, four chefs work spectacularly in the open kitchen, flambéing at will, flames everywhere. The group decided in advance for honey and sesame chicken (12 euros). These were crispy pieces of chicken with lemongrass in a fine chifa marinade, beautifully presented on pretty ceramics, a good portion. Because they stayed away from the Australian Wagyu-Chateaubriand, marbling grade 7-8, 600 grams for 169 euros for cost reasons, the group tried the modest variant.
Mini Wagy burger in brioche with truffle sauce (11 euros). The extremely friendly restaurant staff brought them in half on small plates so that you could share. Very attentive. The maguro tuna tartare (22) was a dream for the eyes and palate, arranged in a circle like a work of art, you hardly wanted to destroy the structure with cucumbers, marinated radishes and wasabi ice cream. But it was worth it, as one became aware of the harmonious seasoning.
It’s dark in the Waca, the bar lights up from afar in the gigantic hall with the Motorworld.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
While the group was staring pensively at the artificial fireplace in the wall, the waiter brought the cleaver-shaped steak knives with the Waca engraving and off we went: the Australian Wagyu fillet (220 grams, 59 euros) was rare, just the way you wanted it, served with veal jus with a full, smoky note. The noble piece with a degree of marbling of 4 to 5 literally melted on the tongue. However, the extra side order, in this case baby spinach (6) was average, almost bland and unsalted. The entrecote from the USA, Black Angus, prime selection (330 grams, 52 euros), kept what it promised, it came very tender and perfectly from the grill. But there were also complaints about the side dish: the fries with truffles and parmesan (9) were crispy, but they looked like fries from McDonald’s.
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 marinated Black Cod, black cod after rocotto miso with sweet and sour vegetables, on the other hand, turned out perfectly (44). Fusion cuisine at its finest, a sizeable portion. Average and well-done the salmon teriyaki, at 26 euros among the cheaper main courses; the extra sauce is served in a pretty jug, which in turn makes up for it. The same goes for the side dish: artistically layered asparagus with sweet soy sauce (8) with a great consistency.
Any room (and money) left for a side dish? Yes. For Tres Leches: Peruvian Milk Cake with Marinated Berries (12). A successful, sweet conclusion before heading out again – onto the slopes with the polished cars.
Waca restaurantAm Ausbesserungswerk 8, 80939 Munich, telephone: 089/90407722, opening hours: Monday 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Tuesday to Thursday 5.30 p.m. to 11 p.m., Friday to Sunday 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.