Rutz (*), Berlin, DE, May 2024

Our visit to Berlin kicked off with a strong start. Our very first meal since arriving was dinner at Rutz. The only three-starred establishment in Berlin, also proudly carrying a Michelin green star. And you can definitely tell that, as soon as you walk in and see the huge wall of fermented fruit and vegetables, and fish carcasses.

We had their newly introduced “Berlin Size” menu, which offers amuse bouche, 6 courses, paired with 4 wines and 2 non-alcoholic juices, as well as petit fours, all for 300 euro. It’s a really great value offering, especially for a three-starred restaurant, as it encompasses more than enough food, and drink for a single person. For reference, two-starred restaurants in Berlin hover around the 250-300 euro mark, just for the food.

Not long after our arrival, we are presented with the amuse bouche.

1st picture – exterior of Rutz

2nd picture – the wall of fermented fruit and vegetables, and fish carcasses

3rd picture – our first amuse bouche : new potatoes and marjoram, they explained that you should mix in the marjoram flowers into the soup, and then drink it. The potato flavours were at the forefront, and it was a nice opener to what is to be an amazing experience.

4th picture – second amuse bouche: roebuck and knotweed, the little boats contained roebuck tartare, topped by the knotweed. It was a one-bite type of bite, but definitely full of flavour.

5th picture – our final amuse bouche: backed smelt and dill, there was dill sauce on the inside of the bite, again a wonderful flavour combination, that worked really well.

6th picture – our first wine pairing for the evening, 2022 Rutz Rebell pinot blanc by Odinstal, paired with the course that follows, it was a very light and refreshing, quite minerally wine, paired quite nicely

7th picture – springwater trout and kohlrabi, charcoal – the trout was layered under the kohlrabi; I don’t exactly remember what the crunchy bits were on top, but the balance of textures and temperatures – soft, crunchy, cold and room temperature, worked so well, especially with the wine

8th picture – one of our two breads served: blood sausage bread

9th picture – sourdough bread with two types of butter, the Rutz branded one was made with anise, and the other one is normal butter. They mentioned that the sourdough is made from mother dough that is over two years old. I loved both of the breads, and both of the butters. The blood sausage bread + the anise butter was pure heaven.

10th picture – our second course: bitter salads and yellow beet, with stockfish; also paired with an elder blossom and yellow beetroot juice. The granita on top is also beetroot, we loved the salad, as well as the juice that paired with it. Taking a bite and then a sip enabled a pure harmony of flavours to occur in your mouth. It’s how I would imagine a three-starred experience to be in every way.

11th picture – our third course: quail and quince, with broccoli stems. The quail breast was served at room temperature, alongside the pictured “salad” of sorts, and a bite of minced quail breast and legs. It was paired with a 2014 Pinot Gris by Schlossgut Diel. We like the emphasis on German wines, it was a very interesting wine, a bit smoky, but very pleasant on the palate.

12th picture – the wine pairing for our fourth course: 2022 Saint Laurent trocken by Wagner-Stempel. Another German wine, quite an interesting one at that. It had intense aroma (a bit animalic) and flavours, not quite up to my taste, but it was interesting, so we decided to follow through with the pairing. I guess now would be a good time to explain that they poured out a little of each wine, and offered to replace it we didn’t quite like it. Amazing care for the diners, even though we had pre-booked a menu, they were very flexible with our needs.

13th picture – our fourth course: onion and leeks, beef and potato. Another well executed dish, although it must not have been too memorable, as I struggle to remember what the crunchy bits were (again). Or it might have been the wine catching up with us. Who knows. Good dish nonetheless.

14th picture – our pairing for the fifth course, and our last wine pairing for the night: a 2014 Ampeleia Toskana IGT. A very nice and fresh red, red berries on the nose, cherries, plum. A very light wine, and one that I really enjoyed.

15th picture – our fifth course: lamb and rock oyster, green beans. A well cooked lamb, topped with bean sauce, green beans and served with a lovely wine. What’s not to like!

16th picture – a little lamb “taco” served alongside the lamb course. Quite tasty, but I am starting to get drunk at this point.

17th picture – our pre-dessert, salad and green strawberries. A bit tart, very light and refreshing, and I always like a bit of edible flowers in my dish.

18th picture – Rhubarb and Roasted Barley, Koji. The presentation alone is wowing. And it definitely delivers. Another wonderful combination of textures, flavours, temperatures. Just wow.

19th picture – out post-dessert, robinia and egg white/yolk, topped with their in-house elderflower vinaigrette. The meal ended just as nicely as it started.

20th picture – forest aromas, their in-house soap, was our parting gift.

Rutz is definitely at the very top of their game, a proper three-star calibre meal, very innovative and stimulating. I loved every second of it, and would place it among some of our best experiences to date. It worked out to 680 euro for two, including a 12 euro flat charge pp for water, and a 56 euro tip. If you’re ever in a doubt on whether you should go to Rutz while in Berlin, the answer is yes. The restaurant embodies Berlin’s youthful, innovative and modern spirit very well, and I would recommend it to experienced diners, just as much as I would to novices in the fine-dining world.