After months of anticipation – and not much more than a restaurant name on social media – the latest culinary endeavour from the masters at Mural opened this summer. Located in a hip new hotel in the southwest of the city, I was invited to visit to find out more*.
As I pensively retrieved a head of romaine lettuce from a bowl of iced liquid – course one of fourteen – I realised this would be no ordinary dinner. A little later, leaves gone, the leftover mixture was topped-up with a generous glug of gin. The reason? “We don’t like to waste anything here.” The result? A balanced long drink which seamlessly moved us on to the next dishes.
What followed varied as much in flavour as it did in appearance. Melt-in-your-mouth sashimi sat alone in the centre of a large plate, while succulent leeks wrapped in a charred outer layer arrived on a bed of hay. It was a wild ride for the palate and a glorious insight into different ways to prepare, preserve and present food.
Created by top chef Rico Birndt and his team, the menu (a la carte or fine dining) is founded on the principles of the farm-to-table movement.
They use ingredients from local and regional producers committed to natural cultivation and animal welfare, and source most of their herbs and vegetables from the large urban garden on the roof.
The restaurant itself is found on the ground floor of WunderLocke, a new super stylish aparthotel in Obersendling. It adds to a collection of connected restaurants in Munich, which includes Michelin-starred Mural Restaurant in the Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art and Bar Mural in Maxvorstadt.
It is the second partnership with Locke, following the opening of BAMBULE! in Schwan Locke last year.
Joining me at the dinner table was Locke co-founder and co-creator Eric Jafari. After talking to him for just a few minutes, it became obvious why the collaboration with Mural makes sense. In all their properties, Locke aims to reflect the micro-locality and provide guests with an insight into a city’s sub-culture and culinary offerings. In Munich, this mean Mural in the kitchen, Julius Brantner bread at breakfast and emilo coffee in the rooms.
Visitors are also encouraged to stay longer than a traditional weekend break to get to know a place better. Thanks to design-led apartments, a café, attractive co-working areas and well-equipped wellness spaces, they certainly make it hard to leave.
Our dinner concludes with soothing sorrel ice cream served with fig oil followed by drinks in the Italian-disco inspired bar on the seventh floor. Also managed by the Mural team, the space has velvet upholstery, dark wood features and views of the Alps – the perfect setting to end a delicious evening.
* I was invited to try the fine-dining experience and spend a night in the hotel by Purple PR Group
Additional information
Address
Hofmannstraße 45, 81379 München
Restaurant opening times
A la carte: Tues – Sun I 18:00 to 22:00
Fine dining – Tues – Fri I from 18:30 or 19:30