Restaurant Sparkling Bistro — Restaurant in Munich

Why they earnt a Michelin star is still questionnable. Let me summarize some aspects of a Saturday night at Sparkling Bistro in Munich:

(1) Six (6) adults paid 1600 EUR for the menue incl. wine pairing

(2) It was louder than in an average beer hall; okay. this might have been because of a large group of heavily drinking Americans, but the staff didn't do anything against it. We had elderly guests with hearing aids at our table - this was simply not acceptable.

(3) Service was arrogant and not attentive; the way wine was poured into our glasses can be compared to a franchise-type-of-restaurant; food was not really explained by the servers and, when it was, hlaf the group couldn't understand bc of the high noise level and bc of the low voice of the servers; kitchen staff not even once served food and explained their creations, unlike other fine dining places do.

(4) Back to arrogant service: Their sommelier had recently changed to SB from another Munich restaurant. His explanation "they simply didn't pay me enough for how good I am". Come on - even if that's the case in a general war for talent, don't tell your guests that expect to be tretead as they deserve at a fine dining retaurant. Also, you weren't that good. The wine selection was, not surprisingly, way too Austrian. Complaints about wine were ignored, no feedback at all, no alternatives were presented. Red wine was poured into used white wine glasses that still had a sip in them. When we acted surpised, the response was "better blend white with red wine than dish washing detergent". Well, again: Come on.

(5) Food was good, but not more. We even had to return the Wagyu since it was chewy/ stringy. No apology.

(6). Drinks: see above for wine. Intersting: I had to ask for a digestif, it wasn't offered. So I asked for a Sherry, which they didn't carry. The sommelier's response: "I also don't understand why we don't serve Sherry or Port" and then he left. No alternative offered.

Overall this was very disappointing. The chef only came out once to apologize for the meat we returned, but spent notably much time with guests he seemed to know better. This doesn't make us want to come back, nor recommend...

The Sparkling Bistro hides in an unassuming courtyard inside some 70s residential buildings, literally a hidden gem. The lunch menu at 85€ is very good value for their offerings. Our appetizer was some small finger food with a biscuit and bacon taste, which reminded us of the barbecue-flavored potato chips. The cream one had a bitter note. Both appetizers were quite strongly seasoned. The lobster starter was very good: perfectly cooked lobster in a herbal flavor soup. It had some celery notes to it and also has a bitter hint. The soup was a clear color tomato soup, interesting visual, refreshing subtle acidity. The bitter salad that follows was not my favorite, but it's definitely creative from the ingredients, the plating as well as the flavors. For instance, the main vegetable was puntarelle, the "volcano asparagus". The most conventional part was the Hollandaise sauce. The main dish was Blonde d'Aquitaine, a kind of French beef. I think it's very well cooked to medium with a relatively strong sauce that complements it. The dessert is chocolate cream with some ginger flavored sauce, topped by cardamom ice cream. It's again interesting and creative, but probably not to everyone's taste. For people into Chinese food, the combination of ginger and cardamom reminds of a common braised meat dish (Chinese Goulash). These amplified the bitterness of the dark chocolate, and didn't complement the coffee like a normal sweet dessert. It's probably better to enjoy the dessert on its own or with tea instead. Out of the 5 dishes, the consistent flavor was a slight bitter note, that is quite unexpected and interesting, but in a good way. The lunch menu also came with a 55€ wine pairing that we didn't take. We got two glasses of non-alcoholic drinks, which costs about 15€ a bottle. We had about 100 ml per glass for 30€. Considering that restaurants usually charge triple the cost for drinks, this seems rather steep (5-6x the cost) compared to the reasonably...

I have had the pleasure of dining at Sparkling Bistro a few times over the past couple of years. Each time, the service has been fantastic - friendly and approachable, while also being professional und unobtrusive. For me the pacing has always been perfect and I definitely leave full but not overstuffed, which is what I want. The menu changes frequently based on which ingredients are fresh at the moment, which also means I get to have a different experience at each visit. I like how local produce is showcased, and the use of alpine flavors like juniper as well as seasonal touches like pumpkin oil. Always fantastic are the fish courses and meat - especially duck or venison. Cooked to perfection, and often coming from the Chef/Owner's family hunts in Austria. Dessert has also always been impressive; the sorbets are out of this world and somehow made without milk or added sugar - I wish they would have a separate shop just for those! There are all kinds of wine available, from funky natural wines to the classics, and the pairing provides a nice mix. I also tried the non-alcoholic pairing once and really enjoyed it, especially the pineapple beer. Also highly recommend trying the schnapps - they are really incredible. Lastly, I really appreciate that the restaurant takes the local covid restrictions seriously so I feel safe dining there. There is plenty of space between tables and even though the restaurant was full, I never noticed the other guests and got to completely enjoy the evening with my friends. Thank you to the team for another...