Today, we are off to a city of innovation, culture and artistic expression. This is Berlin. We’re here in the trendy neighborhood of
Oranienburger Vorstadt. It’s in the heart of the city, known for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, where you’ll find galleries, nightclubs,
lots of currywurst stalls, and our restaurant for today Rutz. It opened in 2001. Running the ship was sommelier Lars Rutz and
his partner, Anja Schröder. Rutz was the new place to go for creative
food and excellent wine. One year later, a chef arrived and really put Rutz on the map. His name is Marco Muller. His mother was a passionate cook, but Marco
had a different dream. To become a sculptor. There was only one problem. He lived in the GDR. The German Democratic Republic was formed following World War II. It was a socialist state in the Eastern part
of Germany. The people were tightly controlled by the
Soviet Union and could not leave. The western half of the country was free and
aligned with the US, UK and France. Dividing the two, was the Berlin Wall. In the planned economy of the GDR, choice of profession was limited to a worker
or a farmer. Muller’s dreams of becoming an artist were
crushed by his duty to learn a skill certified by
the state. Ultimately, he chose to become a Chef. He apprenticed in Potsdam, later that year, the wall came down. Did Muller give up cooking to become a artist? Not quite. He found a way to do both at the same time. He moved to Berlin and landed a job at the
Castle Hotel where he learned to cook classic French cuisine. From then, he specialized in fine dining. In 1999 he earned a Michelin star as head chef of The Harlekin working for none other than restaurant manager Lars Rutz. He proposed a fresh concept. To create a restaurant together. Where Muller could do what ever he wanted. Less formal, but still first-class quality. Sustainable and authentic with a regional philosophy and German wine. Muller was in.
But sadly in 2003, Lars lost the fight with cancer. Leaving Muller to continue in his spirit. He does exactly that in 2007 Muller gets the first Michelin star. In 2016, the second. And in 2020 he completes the trifecta. It’s an achievement with no equal. Muller is the first and only 3 Michelin star
chef in the capital. But there’s more. He also has the Michelin
Green star for sustainability. Muller has been here for almost 20 years, and works closely with a handful of suppliers. They are like family, and nearly everything
is grown or raised nearby. Of all his ingredients, none is closer than
honey. Muller keeps bees on the roof of the restaurant. We arrive at Rutz. The sophistication of the building really
stands out. As we enter we notice the jars of fermented
vegetables lining the walls. Like a museum of modern art. Clean and simple. I like it. The dining area is nicely laid out and beautifully
lit. The wood and stone gives you a warm, calm
feeling. It’s German design and quality with Japanese vibes The tables are simple with no tablecloth. Easy but elegant. The staff are casual in both their approach
and how they dress. Their was no uniform.. I understand the concept but I didn’t like
it so much. It was hard to tell who was a guest and who was working. For welcome drinks we have a Chartogne-Taillet
champagne and a sparkling wine called Rutz Rebel. I like that name. It’s a German bubbly developed with the
Rutz winebar. It’s quite good and really refreshing. The menu at Rutz has a tasting-only option It’s a 7 or 8 course inspiration menu called Nature and Aroma and ranges from 300 to 320 euro. You can also add caviar. For the wine pairing you can choose 7, 8 or
9 glasses from 145 to one hundred and eighty nine euro. We go for a wine pairing and I also order a bottle of Chevalier Montracher
Grand Cru from 2016 for a very reasonable price. Suddenly, the general manager and host named
Falco comes to our table. I’m surprised when he takes the seat next
to me. Like an old friend. He describes the concept of the restaurant, the philosophy and the menu. earns my respect at the same time. Very friendly and down to earth. Our first pre-course is a broth made from
robinia blossom sweetened with honey from the roof. It’s delicate and enjoyable. A nice first appetiser. Next is salted herring and sour cream foam with apple and dill granita. I like how the acidity of the apple plays with the fish. Nice textures too. Then we have leeks charred on the grill with
mousse of fermented blueberries and goat cheese. I like the creamy texture with the smoky flavor, and I also like the originality. Our server told us the black beans were edible, but not recommended to eat. I took her advice. This dish is paired with the Rutz Rebel sparkling
wine. Nice combination. Our final precourse is mackerel and smoked
eel with horseradish jelly and powder. It’s finished with rose oil. The flavors were great and the horseradish
was there but not overpowering. Really good. It’s paired with a white blend
from Spain called Sortevera Blanco. and made from grapes harvested
along the cliffs of Tenerife. This wine is fresh with tropical notes and
a slightly mineral taste due to the volcanic soil of the vineyard. Fresh sourdough bread comes out next. It’s served on hot stones to keep it warm. It’s as soft and delicious as it looks. Now it’s time for our first official course. It’s SPRING WATER TROUT & CARROTS with MARIGOLD The trout is glazed and topped
with a crumble made from the skin. It’s surrounded by carrots in a sauce
of marigold dotted with marigold oil. Wonderful flavor balance here and gorgeous presentation. This dish was outstanding. No surprise it’s also the Chef’s signature dish and has been fixture on the menu for years. With it comes a lovely 2014 cabernet sauvignon with grapes from the youngest
Bordeaux region in France. Excellent pairing for this course. Our next dish is called NORTH SEA FLAVORS It’s cod fish with kombu,
marinated and salted kohlrabi and a sauce of mussels and razor clams. The sauce was terrific and crunchy
kohlrabi gave it a nice texture. It was salty but with nice acidity and really interesting ingredients. It was paired with a 2020 Kolfok, an Austrian
wine made from furmint. This is a Hungarian grape we often see in
the dessert wines of Tokaji back home. This wine was dry with some spiciness. Interesting but a great choice. At one point the general manager came back and told us that probably We are the happiest guests of the night He made a mistake in the pricing. The Grand Cru 2016 was priced at 1000 euros. And we got it for 390 euros. But since made the mistake, he
would honor the original price. That’s what I call customer service! Coming up is caviar. It’s N25 caviar on a bed of cabbage with
hazelnut This isn’t part of the tasting menu but
we order it as an extra for 49 euros. Stunning presentation, but I didn’t enjoy
it as much as I thought I would. It was paired with a Spanish Albariño. It’s considered the New World wine of the
Old World. Great selection for caviar. Our next dish is Mangalitza pork. This is a famous breed of pig originating from Hungary noted for it’s flavor. The pork chin is lightly seared and served
with broccoli, pickled flowers and mustard seed. The sauce is a vinaigrette of yellow tomatoes
and cabbage blossom vinegar. No knife needed, it just falls apart. I’m shocked at how good this is. Best dish of the day so far. I prank the server by telling him it’s the best chicken I ever had. He gives it right back by telling me there are lots of doner kebab shops nearby and they found a good one! Love it! The mangalitza is paired with a 2014 German
riesling from Kühling-Gillot. It was a top rated year for this wine I love this one. Our next course is a lamb dish with salad
and buds. For the best quality lamb they had to go north. To the little town of Husum on the the Danish
border. It’s a very chill place with only 250 people. We are told that the lambs even have
a view of the sea. The meat is dry aged for five weeks and served
with a light jus. The flavors in this dish are top notch and with a great range of
textures including a nice crunch. It’s paired with a 2018 treixadura from Spain. This wine has earthy notes that
really compliment the lamb. Hats off to both the chef and the sommelier on this course. Next is a dish called ancient tomatoes. They only serve this one 2 or 3 weeks per year when the tomato is in its peak. It’s served with perch roe
and sheep’s milk yoghurt It’s creamy and delicious. It’s paired with a 2016 riesling from the Mosel region. This is one of Germany’s top winemaking regions. Riesling is dry and acidic
and known for its versatility. I think it’s a good match
for the creamy tomato dish. Our final savory course is German Wagyu The word wagyu literally
translates to Japanese beef. Here in Germany, breeders have been raising
Japanese black cattle since 2004 and use the same processes
as they do back in Japan. Here we have a sirloin cut, served with onion
sauce, bone marrow and a salad of greens. There are seven different onions in the sauce
with the red onion giving it color. On the side is beef tartare
in garlic cream and seaweed. The spray is linden blossom vinegar and honey. The beef was beautifully marbled
and was rich with flavor. I liked the tartare and onion sauce as well. A lot of thought went into creating this dish and is shows in the presentation and the taste. It was paired with an Austrian shiraz from 2009. It has aromas of crushed pepper and plum. Excellent pairing for the beef. Great way to finish the savory courses. Next we are on to the sweet courses. The pre-dessert looks like a marshmallow but it’s actually a sorbet of green apples, kefir granita and larch needle foam. It was super refreshing. It was paired with a 2006 riesling dessert
wine from the winemaker Haart. They are one of the oldest winemaking families
in the region dating back to the thirteen hundreds. The wine is delicious. Our main dessert is iced cherries with hay,
chamomile and spruce. There is carmelized white chocolate
and cherry sponge as well. Such a clever combination of ingredients. Our final dessert and last course of the day is iced carrots with buffalo milk ice cream, with sea buckthorn and cream
of blackcurrant wood oil. This was interesting in that it was not sweet. The sour sea buckthorn really took over. A little more than I’d usually like. But I still enjoyed it. And now my final thoughts on Rutz. The restaurant is a charming and welcoming place. The general manager Falco really stole the
show. He brings a wonderful energy wherever he goes. The staff’s work was okay, but honestly the general manager was the best. and it felt like they’re
not quite on his level yet. The wine pairing was unbelievably good. It is very rare to find such a strong
pairing from lesser-known wines. This is a real achievement. I'm sorry that I didn't get to meet the sommelier during my visit. I’m grateful she could introduce
me to some great new wine If I could sum up my time at Rutz in one word, it would be this. Wunderbar. and that does it for this episode thank you for joining me if you like this video, hit subscribe See you next time
