Matthias

Barely a year open, already a Michelin star, casual setting, dedicated vegetarian menu — Matthias combines everything one could hope for in a restaurant, at least on paper.

As soon as I’ve made it inside, escaping the frigid Berlin winter, I’m served a consomme of roasted vegetables. This is hot, delicious, slightly sweet, very umami, and the perfect antidote to the weather outside. (7+/10)

Unusually, Matthias offers an a la carte option in addition to omnivore and vegetarian tasting menus. The dishes are the same as on the tasting menus, but the pricing structure is a little curious: the omnivore and vegetarian menu cost the same, but the vegetarian dishes are significantly cheaper a la carte. As a result, I see little reason to give up the flexibility of the a la carte menu and choose two “snacks” and three courses to begin with.

First, two snacks: a pumpkin tuile with mango (6 Eur) is a little too sweet and the pumpkin adds little except an unwelcome mealiness. (6/10) A tartlet with kohlrabi and tonburi (6 Eur) is slightly better, but somewhat indistinct in taste. (6+/10)

The bread (8 Eur) arrives (very) warm and with an herb oil butter. The butter is very good, but the bread itself is a disappointment: it is too hot, weirdly wet, and, worst of all, has a strange off-flavour of stale flour that only large amounts of butter can mask. In a city like Berlin with many excellent bakeries, I don’t see a reason why a relatively small restaurant like Matthias would make their own bread, and while I appreciate the ambition, I’m much less appreciative of the result. (5/10)

After this rather modest start, I’m relieved to find that the first course, a pate of cauliflower and hazelnuts (16 Eur), is much better: full of umami, with a delightful elderflower note, this is easy to like. (7+/10)

Unfortunately, the next dish, consisting of potato, kale, tonburi, and Perigord truffle (22 Eur + optional 12 Eur for the truffle) is more confusing: tonburi, an ingredient with a pretty mild taste but a delightful texture, has been mixed with the kale into a sort of stew, losing all its textural properties in the process. The potato (as foam and in pieces) is fine, the truffle doesn’t add all that much. The result is a tasty but unremarkable rendition of the very German “kale with potato” template. (6/10)

Going by the menu description, the main course features salsify, chervil root, parsley, and cashew (28 Eur). In reality, it mostly features an excellent but overpowering reduced jus of roasted vegetables that tastes like a concentrated version of the broth served as an amuse bouche. The salsify itself is underseasoned and fairly tasteless. This “vegetable jus with toppings” is still very tasty though, albeit a little one-dimensional. (7-/10)

I still try a dessert, a chocolate mousse with dried soaked cherries and meadowsweet ice cream. The chocolate mousse is very nice, the cherries are good too, the meadowsweet (which seems to have its hopefully short-lived culinary moment these days) doesn’t quite fit in. Not terribly exciting, but a solid dessert to end the meal. (6/10)

There’s a lot to like about Matthias: a beautiful setting, relaxed service, a young and motivated team, reasonable pricing, good vegetarian options. Unfortunately the food on my visit fell a little short of (Michelin-induced) expectations — perhaps this was simply bad luck. Regardless, I had an enjoyable evening and am curious to see how this very new restaurant develops over time.