Franz-Josef Unterlechner is the new head chef at Schwarzreiter in Munich. Creative, with a passion for the product and wonderfully unagitated, he presents his refined cuisine on the fashionable Maximilianstrasse – in the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski Munich, where he is responsible for the Schwarzreiter Tagesbar and Schwarzreiter Fine Dining.
Franz-Josef Unterlechner
Seasonal, regional, “from nose to tail”…? That’s not what matters to the Munich native. His dishes should taste good. They should be hot on the table, they should give pleasure and you should feel well nourished at the end.
It goes without saying for Franz-Josef Unterlechner that he only uses products that are good right now. In addition to quality, he focuses on honest craftsmanship to perfection. Even the seemingly small things are important to him. That’s why he simply bakes his own bread. And it really tastes better with the frothy butter than in many other comparable restaurants. This is one of the reasons why his cuisine comes across as so honest and authentic.
Before joining Schwarzreiter, he most recently cooked at Atlantik Fisch in Munich and at Christian Jürgens on Lake Tegernsee. So he knows his way around fine dining and fish in particular and is therefore predestined for the head chef position at Schwarzreiter, which is named after the indigenous fish of the same name in Königssee.
Amuse Bouche
Here we go. Greetings from the kitchen: a fine venison praline, fresh artichoke salad, pickled sea bream and a fresh tuna tataki. Followed by a wonderfully fresh Gillardeau oyster with apple and mustard vinaigrette and yoghurt pearls. Not only beautiful to look at, but also simply really good.
The menu
To start, a piece of raw marinated zander with seaweed and a lemongrass and whey emulsion. The Bavarian fish could make good use of the acidity and citrus flavors, and the coconut sorbet was a sophisticated addition. We continued with a pan-fried scallop in a carrot and ginger foam and decorated with an elaborate pine nut waffle.
Both were really very good, before the poached turbot on beluga lentils with water radish and cabbage sprouts made our taste buds dance. Definitely the highlight of the evening.
This was followed by a crispy fried piece of sea bass with caviar, for those who prefer not to eat meat, or, as in the menu, the boiled leg of venison with black salsify, before the butter-tender oxtail with Périgord truffles, Jerusalem artichokes and Trevisano brought cozy winter flavors to the plates for the main course. Soulfood alarm!
Finally, the dessert was wonderfully fresh, light and not too sweet: braised pineapple with brioche, rice pudding and burnt milk. Nevertheless, there was still some room left for lukewarm madeleines, homemade macarons and pralines. Who could have said no to that?
Wine accompaniment & bar
Franz-Josef Unterlechner’s cuisine is charmingly complemented by sommelier Nina Geschka, who recommends the perfect wine to accompany all his dishes. Gladly from Germany and Austria, on request by the glass with the respective course or over several courses. We loved it! And afterwards we went for an after-drink at the charming Vier Jahreszeiten Bar.
SCHWARZREITER
by Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski Munich
Maximilianstraße 17 | D-80539 Munich
+49 80 2125 2125 |
www.schwarzreiter-muenchen.de
Four courses – EUR 145
(zander, scallop, oxtail, pineapple)
Six courses – EUR 185
Opening hours
Day bar: Sunday to Thursday 12 noon to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday 12 noon to midnight
Fine Dining: 18:30 to 21:30
