Rutz - Berlin
Entrance to Rutz, note the impressive wall of (empty) bottles on the right
Rating: 19/20
Where: Berlin, Germany
When: Dinner for 7 on 4 December 2021
Cost per Person: Tasting menu 198-245 Euro, Wine pairing 120-200 Euro
Accolades: 3 Michelin Stars
Why: Excellent tasting menu with German influences, casual atmosphere
Rutz started out as a wine bar, evidenced by the impressive wall of (empty) bottles that one sees on the right when entering. When we visited, the wine bar was currently closed due to the pandemic, but up a flight of stairs is Berlin's first and only three star Michelin restaurant. The restaurant is pretty small, and the layout of the upstairs landing pretty irregular.
The first time I went to Rutz was in February 2008, when the food was okay, but didn't stand out among other good restaurants in Berlin. But moving from one Michelin star back then to now three stars in the 2021 guide seemed like a great reason for a return visit.
The restaurant is tasting menu only, with a choice of a six or eight course tasting menu, with the option of adding a truffle course. We went for the longest menu with the truffle supplement, nine courses in all. The kitchen made a pescatarian tasting menu after prior notice, and even valiantly coped when the number of pescatarians jumped from one to three at ordering time. There were also two levels of wine pairings available, at 120 and 200 Euros for the eight course menu.
Dinner started with three amuse bouches ("aller Guten Dinge sind drei", according to our server), all delightful. A citrusy, piney broth (I don't recall the exact composition), lamb tartare with avocado on a cracker, and a chawan mushi-like egg custard with peas and crouton-like carrots. There was a lot going on in each of these - in general the menu gives only the smallest hint as to what each dish is about, and in fact the main ingredient might not even be listed first. But the flavors came together very nicely, and we got a story about each supplier (the hens laying the eggs apparently get fed leftovers from the restaurant - some lucky birds indeed). A perfect start 20.
The first official course was langoustine covered with thin slices of cucumber. Wonderfully light, yet tasty, the recommendation was to eat the dish from the "cucumber end" diagonally towards the herbs, going from lighter to bolder flavors. And it worked very nice indeed 19.
Bread was sourdough from a 7-year old starter, served warm, as well as a blood sausage roll, both very good.
Hamachi topped with potato and caviar was next. A rich dish - buttery hamachi and a surprisingly buttery caviar, the flavors again came together very nicely 20.
The third course, trout topped with frozen balls of buttermilk and shoyu, was magnificent. Light, lots of flavor, maybe the best dish of the evening; my wife thought it was even the best dish of the year 20.
A heartier dish came next, roasted maitake mushrooms with ox garum. Good, but maybe a slight letdown after the previous courses. I felt this was a bit heavy and not as delicate as what came before 18.
The additional truffle course came next. The description "veal stew over mashed potatoes" makes it sound pedestrian, but the execution was delightful. The mashed potatoes supposedly one-upped Joel Robuchon in containing more butter than potatoes. This was tasty, if again pretty heavy, and unfortunately I felt that the truffles got lost in the dish - wonderful fragrance, but little taste 17.
Next up: sweetbreads with roasted onions, fried slices of veal ears (sic!). I'm not a big fan of sweetbreads, but this was pretty well done, and the other components great as well 17.
The next course ("kohlrabi") came in two parts: first, (almost) raw, shaved kohlrabi with poached oysters, miso balls and a mussel sauce. Second, cooked kohlrabi with a bread cracker in a sauce whose contents I sadly forgot. I love having the same ingredient done multiple ways, and these were very different but both amazing in their own way 20.
Preceded by a preview (a cracker with pork tartare), the final savory course was inspired by Mom's (or Grandma's) ham and bean soup. My mother never added ham to her bean soup, but otherwise this hit the nostalgia spot 19.
A granita whose contents I forget (rhubarb juice was poured over it) precedes dessert. The main dessert was a variation of quince (ice cream and poached), together with some savory elements. Very good 19.
Dinner ended with an “inverted” amuse bouche (a last vs a first bite, I sadly forgot the details), and a birthday cake, the latter using grapes harvested from the restaurants roof-top garden, made into a jam 17.
Overall: This was a fantastic dinner, every single dish was masterfully executed, and I loved hearing the stories behind each dish and supplier. So while this wasn't strictly farm-to-table, most of the suppliers were local to the Berlin area or northern Germany, and there seemed to be a personal connection in most cases. I also liked that the dishes had clear inspirations from German cooking, often the at-home kind. And not to forget, everything was very tasty, and not overly filling even with the longer menu. I'd gladly return to see what they serve during a different time of the year 19.
