Cozy, isn't it?

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What can you expect at Brasserie Colette Tim Raue?

Opened in December 2015 on Klenzestrasse in Munich, Brasserie Colette Tim Raue offers high-quality cuisine in a relaxed yet chic atmosphere. The menu features French-Mediterranean dishes with international and subtle Asian influences, including recipes developed by professional chef Tim Raue and his team. The hallmarks of Raue's culinary style are skillfully combined: refinement, creativity, and a masterful interplay of sweetness, spice, and acidity, paired with quality and freshness in the selection of ingredients. Simply put, the brasserie aims to demonstrate that good food doesn't have to be flashy, and that top-level cuisine is possible even with dishes that are sometimes innovative, sometimes classic, and sometimes simply interpreted. Thus, dishes such as tomato salad, baked Camembert, and onion soup are also on the menu. The clear difference lies in the interplay of flavors and the combination of various ingredients, creating new taste experiences – even in seemingly simple dishes. "Classics, reinterpreted" only partially describes it. It's an exciting culinary journey that I'd love to take you on.

Tomato salad and tuna tartare

Food offerings and menus

The menu at Brasserie Colette Tim Raue is divided into lunch and dinner menus. In addition to the standard menu, which changes seasonally twice a year, there is a lunch menu that changes every Friday (featuring four new appetizers/main courses and two desserts), as well as special menus in the evening (currently, and until the end of summer, for example, a light "summer menu"). You can order à la carte or from the set menu at any time. Brasserie Colette Tim Raue is characterized by its absolute flexibility towards its guests. The team aims to give every guest a fresh perspective and a deeper understanding of "What am I actually eating?" and "How does this taste combined with that?" – all in a straightforward manner. The menu, printed on sturdy A3 cardstock, is clearly laid out and offers appetizers and starters, as well as very satisfying, yet never "too heavy," main courses and delicious desserts. Menu and Lunch menu (2 courses for €20, 3 courses for €26) can be viewed here.

Of course, there is also a wide selection of different wines. Besides the official map With white wines, red wines, sweet wines, "luxury" wines (between €104 and €229 per bottle), and wines by the glass (from €6), there are also various special wines available upon request. In total, Brasserie Colette offers approximately 150 different wines, 11 of which are available by the glass. And again, flexibility is key! This means that if a wine you'd like to taste is only available by the bottle, the team will do their best to accommodate your request. The selection is limited to French and some German wines. The focus is on supporting small wineries and their producers, so you'll also find some special and rare wines on the list.

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Bread, butter, cucumbers – delicious!

Selection and evaluation of the dishes

I arrived for lunch at 12:00 PM. I didn't leave the brasserie until around 3:00 PM, because a) I didn't have an immediate appointment and b) I felt very welcome as a guest. (In high-end restaurants, as a less frequent diner, you often get the feeling that you're no longer welcome after eating and paying, or that it would be inappropriate to linger after finishing your meal. Fortunately, this wasn't the case here, thanks to the relaxed atmosphere created by the staff.) I took a seat on the sunny terrace and made my selection.

Water, bread & cucumbers – First, I had a bottle of water (evian / 0.75l for €7) and a Riesling juice (0.25l for €4) from "Van Nahmen." I hadn't tried it before and ordered a small bottle to sample. A very sweet, but delicious alternative to a typical juice – served in a wine glass. Before we could choose our food, each guest was served fresh French bread with butter (complete with the Colette logo) in a small bowl, along with a jar of pickled gherkins in a sweet and sour brine (made from water, white wine vinegar, sugar, herbs, spices, mustard seeds, and salt). Delicious! Something different, even though I only had a little to keep my appetite up for the rest. (The gherkins can also be bought in a jar as a nice souvenir.)

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Tuna »Niçois«
with artichoke and olive oil

As appetizer I chose the aforementioned tomato salad with passion fruit and basil (€7) and the tuna tartare with cucumber and cucumber ice cream (€16). I particularly enjoyed the presentation in the small preserving jar and the surprise of tasting the fruity-sweet tomato salad. A fantastic combination – a touch of acidity and sweetness from the passion fruit pulp. My favorite – if I had to choose between the two – was definitely the tuna tartare. A dish like this is a good indicator of whether a restaurant or kitchen knows its stuff. And Colette certainly does! The slightly spicy seasoning of the high-quality tartare, paired with the freshness of the juicy cucumbers and the slightly sweet, ice-cold cucumber ice cream, is a perfect match. Add a crusty slice of bread to each, and you have the ideal starter or a light snack.

Next, I chose two appetizers The first course was baked Camembert with truffle, apple, and cranberry (€16). The truffle was incorporated into the Camembert in the form of small pieces, the apples were nestled as wafer-thin slices beneath the baked cheese, while the cranberries were arranged as colorful dots scattered across the plate. Delicious and, despite the cheese, not heavy. What really blew me away was the second starter ("Lobster Cocktail" with melon, orange, and mushrooms for €20). It was so good that with every bite I had to say, "Wow, this is amazing!" and I would have happily devoured plate after plate of it. Both starters again showcased Raue's signature interplay of spice, sweetness, and acidity. None of the four portions so far were too much, and the words "appetizer" and "starter" were certainly well-deserved. So if you would like to try something before the main course, I recommend the lobster cocktail and the tuna tartare.

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Lamb shank »Moroccan«

Both Main courses I can't give you a specific recommendation, as all three I tried were very good, yet ultimately a matter of personal taste. However, I have chosen a personal favorite. If you share my love of tuna, I recommend the tuna "Niçois" with artichoke and olive oil (€27). It was cooked to perfection, and once again, the different flavor nuances were a masterful interplay. Olives aren't usually my thing, but in combination with the fish, the salad, and the skillfully used artichoke, it worked perfectly. (By the way, the tuna was topped with poached and grated egg white – very creative!) I was also served the octopus with Béarnaise sauce, calf's head jus, lettuce, and pear (€22), in the form of a single cooked tentacle. This dish perfectly encapsulated what the restaurant manager had told me during our conversation: not every dish has to appeal to every guest equally; the key is to serve each guest exactly what ultimately best suits their individual taste. The octopus dish was certainly exquisite in its composition, and the layering of pear and salad, along with the intensely flavorful jus, was more than superb. Nevertheless, next time I would probably order the tuna or the lamb shank "Marocain" (Moroccan style) with chickpeas, pomegranate seeds, and dates (for €22). That was my third main course, thus completing the circle of appetizer, starter, fish, and meat. The tender lamb fell easily off the bone, was incredibly soft, and combined with the intensely flavorful lentils (spicy!) and the pomegranate seeds (sweet!), it was a truly new flavor combination for me. I would order it again in a heartbeat.

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The dessert

Last but not least – you know me by now – that dessert. I opted for "Amour Chaud"—a vanilla parfait with raspberries and white chocolate (€10). Excellent, though definitely the richest of my set menu. The parfait itself, however, is actually quite light—I even tasted it separately without the white chocolate and with the raspberry sauce poured over it by hand at the table. A good dessert can certainly be a little extravagant and cost €10 in such an elegant presentation!

Overall, I can say that the lunch menu gave me a good impression of how Tim Raue cooks at Brasserie Colette and how his great concept is implemented. In fact, as I ate, I increasingly felt that I had a new recommendation for you readers – a restaurant that's suitable for everyone and is sure to be enjoyable.

You are invited to the table |© Nils Hasenau

Service, surroundings and more.

I haven't mentioned it in a while, but the fact remains: if the service isn't up to par, or if I'm treated rudely, I'll only ever return to any restaurant once, no matter how delicious the food is. That's why it's so gratifying that everything at Brasserie Colette Tim Raue is just right. The service is relaxed and informal, yet competent and helpful. This, in turn, makes it easier to ask questions about the food, its preparation, or the wine – questions you might be too embarrassed to ask in a more formal setting. During my visit, empty glasses were quickly refilled, empty plates were promptly cleared, and my comfort was always – never excessively – ensured. (A prime example: a knife fell on the floor – less than two seconds later, the lady at the next table had a new one.)

Hard facts and personal opinion

Brasserie Colette Tim Raue has 14 points in the Gault Millau guide – deservedly so, as I now know. "We try to improve every day!" I was told when I asked about the ambitions of the team both on-site and in the kitchen. The philosophy of making Colette a place where young couples, businesspeople, or those enjoying a formal dinner with wine pairings feel comfortable is perfectly realized. This is reflected in the diverse clientele and the growing number of regular customers.

Brasserie Colette Tim Raue regularly offers special menus. For example, in September there's a cheese menu, in October a game or truffle menu, from November to December a goose menu, and of course a Christmas and New Year's Eve menu in December. In my opinion, a visit to the brasserie is well worth it. Je suis ravi!

Contact for inquiries

Brasserie Colette Tim Raue – Klenzestraße 72, 80469 Munich
Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM
(Lunch menu from 12:00 to 15:00, dinner menu from 18:00 to 23:00)
Website
contact via email
Contact via telephone: 089 230 02-555

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