The Werksviertel behind the Ostbahnhof is an atypical, but all the more enjoyable part of Munich. Where otherwise investor construction prevails, which should above all pay off in view of the horrendous land prices, a wide variety of architects come into play in the Werksviertel, who are allowed to realize themselves creatively. The result sometimes pleases even those architecture critics who consider all Munich residents to be a bunch of hopelessly retarded idiots whose genetics alone can never fail them to build something beautiful. In any case, something metropolitan has emerged in the Werksviertel, which one often misses in the city.
Does that also apply to the culinary arts? Yes and no. It’s mostly very youthful and international, even in good to high quality. Classic restaurants, on the other hand, are not yet to be found, except as pop-ups. So it was exciting when an Australian restaurant called Fitzroy opened in the brand new Adina Hotel a few months ago. Fitzroy is a hip nightlife area in Melbourne.
The restaurant on the 14th floor has a spectacular and cosmopolitan ambience, making you think you are in Canberra, Sydney or Melbourne. The furnishings are elegant, the lighting is subtle, everything looks spacious, you feel comfortable here. The aperitifs were promising, such as the Sydney Margarita (12.00 euros), which the jalapeño syrup gave a refined spiciness, or the Pfeiffer (12.00), an amazingly mild mix of gin, sake, cranberries and verjuice. The greeting from the kitchen is also pretty, a small arancino, i.e. a fried rice ball, decorated with fermented black garlic. The latter is an addition that the Fitzroy likes to use.
Noble furnishings, subtle lighting – the furnishing of the restaurant is cosmopolitan.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf/Stephan Rumpf)
For starters, stick to the dumplings (all 11.00 per portion), either as Japanese Gyoza or traditional Chinese (Shao Mai) and Cantonese (Har Kao). They are exactly the right start for a successful meal. Neither the pickled salmon (16.00) – a much too cold piece of fish in bar form – could keep up, nor the beef tartare (17.00) in medallion form with some chichi made from enoki mushroom, miso ketchup and Thai basil on top. In general, the exotic ingredients mentioned on the menu turn out to be barely recognizable dabs on the plate, which add little to the taste experience.
There were no complaints about the Angus fillet steak (36.00) with the side dishes of okra and fermented garlic. The duck breast (26.00) with radicchio and orange teriyaki also tasted good, although we apparently carelessly brushed away the promised pomegranate dust without noticing it. But now to the fish. Unfortunately, the Hiramasa mackerel (28.00) was so dry as if it had spent the last days of its life in the Great Victoria Desert, where temperatures can reach 50 degrees. That’s amazing with this rather fatty fish species, which is found in Australia, especially in the more northerly coastal regions.
Fine work when serving: a look into the kitchen.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf/Stephan Rumpf)
Even those specimens that come off the charcoal grill in Munich beer gardens as stick fish usually turn out juicy. Unlike the Fitzroy. After all, the skin was nice and crispy, and the sea asparagus as a side dish crispy, as it should be. In general, the Poissonier at the Fitzroy obviously thinks a lot of cooking through. The steamed char (23.00) with green apple, fennel, smoked caviar and finger lime was also very dry during our visit. The grilled octopus (26.00) came out nice and crispy and tender at the same time, the other time quite chewy – the difference is how long you cook it before it goes on the grill.
Then to the sweet ending. The pavlova (9.00) is a legendary national dessert that Australians and New Zealanders have always fought over to invent: a meringue cake filled with lots of cream, passion fruit and berries, named after a Russian ballet dancer celebrated in both countries 100 years ago would. At the Fitzroy, the sweet homage came to the table in a slightly deconstructed form and was therefore, amusingly, reminiscent of a famous dessert by Italian top chef Massimo Bottura called: “Oops, I dropped the lemon cake!” There could have been a bit more berries – but hey, it’s winter and you want to eat seasonally.
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 selection 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
Speaking of lemon cake, the yuzu cheesecake with salted caramel (9.00) was impeccable, we wish we’d grabbed more of those. The same can be said of the small but fine selection of Australian wines, which is rarely found elsewhere in Munich. However, an average of 14.00 euros for 0.2 liters is not cheap. Incidentally, the service deserves praise – very friendly and helpful with the wine list, and we were also grateful for the tip: “You don’t necessarily need a side dish with this dish”.
To sum up: the prices have already reached the highest level, but there is still room for improvement in the Fitzroy kitchen.
Fitzroy RestaurantAddress: Atelierstraße 22, 81671 Munich, Telephone: 089/2555519660, Opening times: daily from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.