When Frau A left her last job, her kind colleagues gave her a gift certificate to a local restaurant, as well as some great spices, serving items, and a cool cookbook on small bites. (They knew she enjoys experimenting in the kitchen!)
The restaurant was a perfect choice for someone who enjoys kitchen adventures, as it's a place that experiments on its diners and offers cooking courses. It's called Shane's Kitchen and is located in the Glockenbachviertl.
When you arrive (after an aperitif, of course), you select the number of courses and discuss with the waitstaff any food allergies or dislikes you may have. Then you sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
The options range from 3 to 8 courses. Of course we chose 8!
Always on table: homemade bread with mint pesto (for sauce clean-up, and mint as palate cleanser?)
1st course: roasted pepper terrine with tuna tartare and wild greens
2nd course: pan seared fish filet over root vegetables
3rd course: "dim sum" scallop dumpling with asparagus
4th course: fish dumpling with blood sausage atop curried lentils
5th course: ravioli
6th course: roasted ox filet with mashed potatoes
7th course: veal filet
[we took a break and went for some air in the courtyard, then forgot to photograph the main course. It was a lovely and melt-in-your-mouth tender]
8th course (dessert): sorbert and poached plums
At the end of a very hectic week, it was a treat to just sit, relax, and be taken care of with no decisions to make. The food was excellent - all meats perfectly cooked and all sauces delicately balanced. For me, sauces are one of the hardest things to cook well, so are a real measure of a chef's cooking prowess. We're sure there must be a dedicate saucier, as each dish had some kind of sauce or dressing that was flavorful, yet subtle. We tasted hints of so many different flavors (many with Asian influence), but they all blended well together. The service also was top notch, as it needs to be for a place featuring tasting menus, but the venue relatively casual for a higher-end restaurant.
We'd definitely recommend it for a special night out (though 8 courses might be too much!) and we plan to go back to their bar sometime. Frau A spotted the roast beef focaccia coming out from the kitchen (it's on the reasonably priced bar menu) and wants to try it.