We were looking for a nice restaurant to take my parents while they were here visiting us, but many of the top restaurants either take a holiday break this time of year or were already fully booked. so upon looking at other michelin recommended restaurants, this upscale VEGETARIAN restaurant caught our eye.
the restaurant is located right next to the viktualienmarkt in the center of münchen, so having a vegetarian and vegan restaurant is an unique contrast to all the meat butchers and FISHMONGERS located nearby. we had learned that the name derives from the owner whose name is christian and tian is short for christian, the restaurant has been opened for several years but only for the last half year has it been a fine dining restaurant. they also have two restaurants in vienna.
you can choose between a four or six course meal with or without wine pairing. for the four course menu the main course everyone gets the same dish however the other dishes you can choose which every one you like.
scarlet runner bean with rose hip and parsley. i have never had these käferbohnen before, they look very interesting as they are very dark but with white and pinkish spots. the beans were very meaty and pretty filling, it was a nice contrast between the crunchy parsley chips and rose hip sauce.
ORGANIC egg with parsley, potato, and white. this had to be one of my favorites of the night, so creamy and rich with the egg, potatoes and truffles and it was completely vegetarian. it was a good balance and perfect combination of flavors, sometimes truffle can be a so overpowering but this was just enough. we could have had another one of these.
pre-dessert of quinoa with quince and bread pudding. a bit sour and sweet to refresh before dessert.
amuse bouche of cabbage root with sesame seeds. a nice little bite to start of the meal, crunchy and savory.
consomme of mushrooms and brioche (instead of brioche, the gluten free version had truffles instead).
agnolotti with cauliflower and perigord truffle. the agnolittis were delicious, soft on the inside from the MASCARPONE cheese but al dente on the outside. the sauce was DELICIOUS but a little bit too salty. if there was slightly less sauce and more vegetables then the dish would have been perfect. but it was still a very delicious dish.
nougat with plum and candied almonds (gluten free option)
almond panna cotta (gluten free option)
amuse bouche of beetroot with yogurt. there version of borscht soup, very simple but very tasty.
rutabaga with pineapple and SZECHUAN PEPPER. this was not my favorite as the rutabaga was still a bit bitter and slightly salty so it needed the sweetness from the pineapple to balance the bitterness.
tonight’s full Menu
speculoos with yogurt and mirabelle. this was so good and actually SURPRISINGLY quite light, inside the red ball there was a very light cream and in the middle the speculoos sauce. a lot of work and PREPARATION needed for this dessert but all the different flavors and textures worked so well together.
we did not know what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised. vegetarian or vegan food can sometimes be quite boring as tits only vegetables. most restaurants were the meat or fish are the main event and the vegetables are the side dishes, here the vegetables are the main focus. each dish had a nice balance of flavors and enough protein to actually make us quite full at the end of the night. the service was also exceptionally, the staff was very friendly and it seemed like they enjoyed the work and were proud of the food they were serving. ‘‘tian experience taste’’ as the sign outside of the restaurant states, it is definitely an experience of different tastes. at fine dining restaurants you expect to have the highest quality and exclusive cuts of meat, fish, and ingredients, so it was very eye opening to experience a fine dining experience with just vegetables. to have just vegetables would be boring for many but the PREPARATION and thought that went into every dish made you forget that there was no meat or fish on the plate. each plate was full of flavor and very SUBSTANTIAL. i would definitely recommend tian for those who are vegetarian or vegan as there are probably not so many upscale options to go to, but i would also recommend it to anyone else looking to try something different.