chocolatebuddha » Archives » Munich : Ristorante Vinaiolo

Being so near Italy, it is often claimed that Italian restaurants in Munich serve more delicious food than in Italy itself. Restaurants with pronunciation ending with an ‘o’ have became almost a theme during this visit.

Earlier the day I struggled to finish a Mass of Wies’n bier ie Oktoberfest beer. It was not possible as I managed only about 600ml although I enjoyed very much the wonderful atmosphere in the giant beer tents filled with German folk tunes, thousands of drunk men and many women with ample bosoms in their dirndl.

Some coffee seemed like a good idea to wake up from beer induced yawns. We were introduced to Cafiko, an artists’ café in Haidhausen close to where we were living. Pre-dinner snack for the day was chilli tuna, arugula and tomatoes, deliciously sandwiched between two toasted slices of thin bread. But that was not yet the day’s highlight.

Our hosts brought us to their favourite Italian restaurant called Vinaiolo, also situated in Haidhausen and we said yes immediately when they told us about their weekend 6 course tasting menu. The food was fabulous! Vinaiolo used to have a Michelin star until 2004 – our closest as yet to the revered culinary standards. The service was also top-notch as the waiters are chatty and warm, unlike the unobtrusive and invisible ones at some other restaurants of this standard.

Back at home, a meal in an Italian restaurant would usually be some pizza and pasta and at this restaurant it was pleasantly a different experience. Accompanied by Bellini (champagne mixed with very fresh pureed peach) and red wine, we would like to share our menu here :

Stuffed sardines with pickled pepper and sultanas
Deep fried zucchini flowers stuffed with truffles and ricotta cheese
Gnocchi (we can’t recall, but it was the best we have tasted to far!)
Ravioli with parmesan cheese and champignons
Smoked herb encrusted rack of lamb or grilled seabass filet served with sultanas
Berries layered cheesecake, crispy cannelloni filled with chocolate mousse and citron sorbet.

To end the Italian dinner completely, we were offered limoncello which is a liquer I had always wanted to try after watching a tv show on Discovery Travel & Living channel. By now, KH would have had 1.5L of beer at Oktoberfest, a glass of champagne and several glasses of red wine. And let me tell you, he slept very well.

We cannot thank our hosts enough, who not only provided us with the great hospitality and delightful company but also this memorable meal together.