Do your wurst
The Germans call the Bavarian capital Muenchen, but for Sarina Lewis Munich is all about munchin’ … oh, and beer.
Subterfuge by sausage: defined as the act of encouraging vast quantities of offal consumption in the guise of a harmless hot dog. Though the weisswurst (white sausage) vendor at Kleiner Ochs’nbrater (stand 4/27, Viktualienmarkt, Munich, 00 49 89 298 282) does seem cheerily upfront about the realities of this Bavarian breakfast specialty, a blend of calf’s head, veal and seasoning. “It is the traditional München breakfast,” he informs. “We make it from the cow’s head and drink it with beer.”
Bottom’s up.
One of 140 stalls at the 200-year old Viktualienmarkt, Kleiner Ochs’nbrater stands side-by-side in the cobble-stoned courtyard with traditional butchers displaying skinned rabbits, pig heads and trotters, gourmet French cheese stalls, Turkish spice merchants, Italian traitors and the golden, honeyed wine of Honighäusl (stand 1/2, Viktualienmarkt, Munich, 00 49 89 266 147) – the ideal post-weisswurst digestif. For Hans Haas, head chef at Munich’s Michelin two-starred restaurant, Tantris (Johann-Fichte-Strasse 7, Munich, 00 49 89 361 9590), the lively scene is something of a metaphor for modern Bavarian cuisine. And in the chill half-light of a winter morning, there is no better place to get a taste.
“Munich is more educated now,” Hans explains later that morning, taking a break from pre-lunch service in his mod-look restaurant. “There are now good little Italian restaurants, great Thai, and chefs doing more modern things with Bavarian food. But this is not to forget the traditional things.”
It’s with this last ringing commandment that Hans sends me back by way of the Marienplatz’s famous gothic town hall with its near-five-centuries-old Glockenspiel to Weisses Brauhaus (Tal 7, Munich, 00 49 89 290 1380), formerly home to the Schneider Weisse brewery. One of Gerhard Schroder’s haunts, the food is everything a modern-day Maria could ask for – though the menu, surprisingly short on schnitzel, contains an awful lot of offal. Schweinsleber (butter roasted pig liver), schweinsnieren “sauer” (sour pig kidney) and kalbsherz (calf heart) aside, I settle on succulent haxe (pork knuckle) in Weisse beer sauce over mounds of salty sauerkraut. It’s heartland cuisine, the kind of solid, uncomplicated and richly meaty dishes for which the region is known.
Of course in Munich food is only half of the equation. Beer momentarily aside, wine, too, has an established Bavarian berth. Between the Rhine’s better-known grapes – the unctuous rieslings and distinctively spicy gewürztraminers – there is a world of lesser known varietals to be unearthed. Like the fresh and fruity dornfelder, one of Germany’s ‘new’ reds. Or the easy drinking portugieser, a late afternoon tipple tasted with soft and smoky Italian speck at Dallmayr (Dienerstrasse, 14-15, Munich, 00 49 180 500 65 22), the 300-year old lux deli of choice among the Münchener foodie elite.
It is these same well-dressed gastronomes we will encounter later that evening at Tantris, but not before taking Hans’ advice and indulging in a pre-dinner apfelstrudel martini at Mark’s Corner bar (Neuturmstrasse 1, Munich, 00 49 89 29098 862). All the taste and none of the fat – a way to whet the appetite before the ensuing haute cuisine extravaganza.
A ten minute taxi ride later and we are tucked-up in Tantris’ Asian-meets-Mod dining room facing a delicious onslaught from the €115 dégustation menu: rich oxtail broth with semolina dumplings, crispy tête de veau with mushrooms and arrugola, succulent roasted lobster and moist mascarpone soufflé. It is a masterful international display from a kitchen universally acknowledged as the birthplace of German nouvelle cuisine. Home via the late-night Islay bar (Thierschstrasse 14, Munich, 00 49 89 2916 3700) for a whisky digestif – there are some 200 on offer – we retire replete.
Our last day, a brilliantly sunny Sunday, proceeds in a lazy haze of sipping, strolling and snacking. From early morning schmalznudels (doughnuts) alongside local market traders at Café Frischhut (Prälat-Zeistl-Strasse 8, Viktualienmarkt, Munich, 00 499 89 268 237), to exotic, chocolate-coated fruits at Spanisches Fruchthaus (Rindermarkt 10, Munich, 00 49 89 264 570), Munich’s tradition of day and night nibbling is entrenched. For us, sharp coffee, a cool vibe and bite-sized jambon ciabattas at Bar Centrale (Ledererstrabe 23, Munich, 00 49 89 223 762) fire up the furnace – like the Milan-style Garibaldi (Schellingstrafe 60, Munich, 00 49 89 2867 3670) in the hip university district, the casually funky café is one of the city’s great little Italian locales.
Beer halls, of course, abound and as midday passes it’s the perfect time to explore our as-yet untapped Bavarian beer experience. Hans has less to offer on this front, but there’s plenty of other free advice to go around. A German friend recommends Altes Hackerhaus (Sendlinger Strasse 14, Munich, 00 49 89 260 5026), for its authentic vibe and great hackbraten (meatloaf) five minutes from Marienplatz. But we take the advice of Bar Centrale’s shaggy-haired barman and head to Hofbräuhaus (An Platzl 9, Munich, 00 49 89 290 1360). The failing afternoon light and traditionally somber beer hall-style interior gets us in the mood, but the gigantic steins almost stop us before we start – Germany may boast some 700 varieties of beer, but that night, between the two of us, we manage to taste just six.
And while Hofbräuhaus is conveniently located next door to Hans’ pick for modern Bavarian, Schuhbecks (An Platzl 6-8, Munich, 00 49 89 216 6900), we never do make our reservation. Maybe Munich’s founding fathers had it right – there really are some times when only bretzel, bratwurst and beer will do.