Gabriel Aldaz
Google
My wife and I recently visited Pietsch for my birthday. We knew going in that we were in for “an interesting modern gastro-concept” (Michelin guide) with 1 menu of 13 Asian-inspired-courses. I chose the wine accompaniment, my wife the non-alcoholic accompaniment (assorted creative fruit and vegetable juices).
Of the 13 courses, there were 4 that struck us as particularly exquisite or memorable:
* The Unagi, presented as the signature dish, was melt-in-your-mouth tender and perfectly complemented by the “umami” broth and chawanmushi (steamed egg custard).
* The Kolenfisch (black cod), marinated for hours, acquired a wonderful taste and texture. The presentation and flavor of the ginger was also noteworthy.
* The sous-vide Ei was an explosion of flavors, combining the softness of the egg with the crunch of the potato crumbs and the freshness of the chive-infused oil.
* The Pak Choi leaves with kumquat and vanilla for dessert was extremely creative, blending the crunchy bitterness of the vegetable with the sweetness of the green tea ice cream.
Several other courses were very good, but missed the mark in one way or another:
* A Brioche, admittedly delicious, served with whipped butter and made to appear Asian by the addition of anonymous akamiso and a dusting of edamame powder was unimaginative and did not fit in well with the concept.
* Maki made with kimchi. The sour, spicy flavor of the kimchi overwhelmed the maki roll.
* The Bao Bun. Not enough tasty filling meant that the plain flavor of the bun dominated this course.
Lastly, there were 2 courses that were unfortunately hardly edible (yes, really):
* Toro was the first course of the meal, and we anticipated a piece of fatty tuna belly meat, prized for its taste and texture. Instead, we got an unappetizing blob. The dashi-based sauce did nothing to improve it.
* Pulpo. Here the restaurant chose to use the Spanish word for octopus, rather than the Japanese (tako). The octopus was not fresh and unfortunately overcooked beyond chewy and rubbery; it was so hard that we had to send it back.
The wine and juice accompaniment only began with the seventh course, which we could not understand at first (see below). When it did get going, the staff served a small glass of wine and juice with every course, which felt very rushed because all guests were served a given course at the same time. The wines themselves were highly unusual and experimental, but in a similar way: natural, rustic, dry, white (or orange!). There were no red wines served, even though one might have been a good pairing for a course such as the Eringe (king oyster mushroom).
As for the non-alcoholic juices, my wife was disappointed by the small quantity served, appearing to be even less than the glasses of wine. The juices combined exotic flavors, such as kimchi with Sauerkirsche (sour cherry), generally giving weird results. Overall, 50€ seemed like a steep price for 6 x 1cl glasses of juice.
At the end of the evening, the staff presented me with a miso chocolate cake, a wonderful gesture to celebrate my birthday. The sommelier asked us if we would like to order a digestif and made no mention of additional costs. I chose a grappa while my wife chose a dessert wine. When the bill came, we were surprised to see that the grappa had cost 24€ and the dessert wine had cost 22€. Considering that a digestif is offered for free at many restaurants in Germany, seeing these charges on the already-considerable bill diminished our enthusiasm. Furthermore, we concluded that starting the wines only with the seventh course was an attempt to sell more drinks in the meantime.
In conclusion, Pietsch offers a stylish location, wonderful presentation with an intriguing assortment of glasses, plates, and bottles, friendly, above-average service, and a front-seat view of the staff giving detailed descriptions of the courses as they prepare them. Look beyond this spectacular performance, however, and you will notice that the food and drink quality is uneven, especially for a Michelin-starred restaurant.
