Seven Fish Wine and Fish Bar
Gärtnerplatz 6, Munich
There is absolutely no question that two affable Greek
brothers, Vasilis and Angelo Konstantinidis, have added immeasurably to Munich's
burgeoning international restaurant scene. Not only do they preside over Seven
Fish, but also El Perro y Griego and Casa de Tapas, two cozy
South American tapas bars located, respectively, in the Haidhausen and Schwabing
districts of the Bavarian capital.
Seven Fish, however, is particularly pleasing to both
the eye and the palate. The interior is modern but warm -- light and airy by
day, romantic and candlelit by night -- boasting two stone walls, banks of plate
glass windows, and semi-open kitchen.
But the comfortable bar area will surely be your first port
of call. Here you may peruse the extensive wine list and also avail yourself of
several first-rate selections offered by the glass. The Iama Vriniotis "Roditis"
(5,60€), a crisp, lively Greek white wine, is exceedingly pleasant... ditto Ilaros
Evhakis "Agiorgitiko" (5,90€), a supple, elegant Greek red.
When it comes to the cuisine, Seven Fish does what I
wish more restaurants would do: offer cold appetizers in "small," "medium," and
what it terms "normal" portions. Both my wife and I ordered small starters
and were rewarded with just the proper proportions to stimulate rather than
saturate our appetites, leaving sufficient room for the excellent entrées that
followed.
"Rosemary's Tuscan Veal" (7,50€), for example, consisted of tender
slices of roasted veal garnished with peppery arugula and surrounded by a provocative
sauce of unripe cheese infused with rosemary. Equally enjoyable was the "Pike'N Bocca" (7,50€), beautiful diminutive filets of cooked and chilled pike-perch
garnished with an incomparably delicious fresh mango chutney.
Other appetizer possibilities at the time of our visit included:
classic oysters on the half shell with a shallot vinaigrette (6,00€/12,00€/18,00€);
marinated Thai tuna with stir-fry vegetables (8,50€/11,50€/13,50€); and
coquilles St. Jacques (16,50€).
Entrées do include a nod to non seafooders -- risotto with
tomatoes, leeks, and feta cheese (16,50€), milk fed veal with cream spinach and
rosemary potatoes (26,50€), and rack of lamb (26,50€) -- but the treasures of
the sea, in my opinion, certainly offer diners the most satisfying gastronomic
rewards.
The restaurant's Royal Dorade (24,50€), is marvelously moist
& flaky and at the very peak of good health. It is served silver skin side
up, which makes a lovely contrast to its tender, colorful pillow of ratatouille
and accompaniment of utterly addictive sausage-shaped bread dumplings. The
finishing touch is a light sauce infused with a hint of tarragon.
The Saffron Trout (22,50€) is equally rewarding. Once
again, the filets are served skin side up and are impeccably moist and tender.
In this case, contrasting tastes and textures are provided by an extraordinary
watercress mousseline and segments of kohlrabi tinctured with saffron.
The evening's finishing touches were provided by a
superlative vanilla crème brûlée companioned by apple confit
(8,50€) and decadent liquid chocolate cake garnished with a dollop of vanilla
ice cream (8,50). Espressos (2,20€) were outstanding... ditto several glasses of Beerenauslese
(7,50€), a German dessert wine, that proved the perfect accompaniment to the
sweet denouements.
The Artful Diner
November 2007
