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The starter: „Fish on a stick with a twist“

HIGHLIGHT Restaurant Munich It was time for another visit to a hotel restaurant. I was really looking forward to trying it, especially since I was already familiar with the associated 4-star hotel, "INNSIDE by Meliã Munich," in Parkstadt Schwabing, from a previous overnight stay. However, I had never eaten in the hotel's HIGHLIGHT Restaurant, which is entirely enclosed in glass – just like the hotel, which opened in 2005. I already knew that à la carte dishes and set menus were offered, but I was open to discovering the rest and the details as I entered the restaurant, which is open to everyone, not just hotel guests. Soft music played in the background, the lighting was pleasant, there was plenty of natural light, and the design was clean and stylish. I was eager to see what it was like.

Elegantly set tables

What awaits you at the HIGHLIGHT Restaurant Munich

The restaurant offers breakfast, (business) lunch, and dinner à la carte and set menus. Three courses (without wine pairing) start at €39, with each additional course costing €10, allowing for a five-course meal at a reasonable €59. For both set menus and all à la carte dishes, only the finest and freshest ingredients are used. This is ensured by head chef Kai Große, who has been with the restaurant since May 2016, with great passion and expertise. He also creates the menu, which changes approximately every four weeks, and the varied business lunch menu, featuring starters from €5 and main courses from €7. In the evening (from 6:00 pm), the well-curated dinner menu, featuring international dishes, is offered, including appetizers, main courses, and desserts. The cuisine is creative, always with a focus on regional ingredients and, whenever possible, using local and seasonal produce. Both the lunch and dinner menus focus on light dishes. No one wants to feel heavy or overstuffed after dining out, and everyone wants to go home feeling pleasantly satisfied. That's exactly how I felt after my meal at the HIGHLIGHT Restaurant, and I didn't feel uncomfortable afterward. Time for a more detailed look at the menu.

My favorite: Marinated eggplant

The menu

First, let's look at the dinner menu. As mentioned, it's divided into appetizers, intermediate courses, main courses, and desserts. To give you an idea of the prices: the most expensive main course is €28 for beef fillet with Bavarian baked asparagus and asparagus ragout. Prices start at €16 for fried free-range chicken breast with potato and watercress salad. Other options include sea bream with tortilla, peperonata, and cuttlefish foam (€19), Caesar salad (small €9 / large €14), and curried lemongrass soup (€7). The menu is a diverse mix, yet not arbitrarily compiled. On the contrary, there's something for everyone, including vegans, vegetarians, and those with allergies. Even if you can't find anything to your liking, the kitchen and team will always find a solution. The flexibility shown on the menu is reflected in the team's approach as well.

Daily business lunch is served from 12:00 PM to 2:30 PM. Here too, the focus is on seasonal and regional ingredients, with regular menu changes featuring lighter fare rather than heavy, overly rich dishes that can make it difficult to concentrate on work and get through the rest of the day. External guests are welcome, and there's no need to feel self-conscious about entering a hotel (you know the German hotel-restaurant dilemma... ;-)). Business lunch dishes start at €8, and set menus for conference groups are also available.

Fresh flowers on the tables, the bar in the background

Selection and evaluation of the dishes

I took the easy way out and asked Kai Große to put together a nice menu for me. He did, and the first dish that arrived was "Steckerlfisch mal anders" (a different take on fish on a stick), complete with cucumber, yuzu, and pretzel cream (available separately for €14). Even at this early stage, the creativity and presentation on the plate were unexpected, something you wouldn't expect from the name "Steckerlfisch." The quenelle of pretzel cream was also a culinary surprise. It was fantastic and, combined with the salmon, a perfect start. The second course was a rather spicy curry and lemongrass soup with shiitake mushrooms and coriander (available separately for €7). I took advantage of the opportunity and also had some of the two different types of organic bread (from the Mauerer organic bakery), which were served with homemade basil dip at the beginning. Despite the (deliberate, of course, because it was curry), the soup was delicious. The lemongrass component was just as pronounced as the freshness of the abundant shiitake mushrooms. Course 3, my clear favorite: Asian-marinated eggplant with microgreens and green rice (separately for €12). The sauce in which the eggplant was marinated was incredible, and I couldn't resist asking for more details. Marinated for several hours, beautifully infused with intense Asian flavor – I could have just dived right in. It was accompanied by a glass of Pinot Gris. (I wasn't given any further information about the wine when it was served at the table, so I looked it up myself: A dry Pinot Gris Kabinett from the Salwey winery in Baden, with a straw-yellow color and citrus notes, slightly nutty and mineral aromas, and a touch of acidity (0.75l / €40). Ideal with the course.

Die Curry-Zitronengras-Suppe mit Brot und Aperitif

Curry lemongrass soup with bread and aperitif

Let's briefly discuss the wines. There's a separate wine list for this. It offers a variety of aperitifs, Prosecco and Champagne, nine white wines, one rosé, and seven red wines. The wines come from regions in Italy, Spain, and Germany, with the white wines primarily from Germany and Austria, but also from Chile, France, and Italy. 0.15l glasses or bottles are available from €4.50 to €7.50 and €19 to €45, respectively. The wine selection is quite diverse, and anyone wanting to enjoy a glass of wine with lunch, dinner, or simply on the terrace can request the separate wine list and ask the attentive and extremely friendly staff for advice.

Oh, my fourth course awaited…it was catfish with a colorful mix of young turnips and lovage as a fresh herb complement. Have you ever tried this fish? Delicious and, in this case, very "natural" in flavor. The fish tasted exactly as you'd imagine pure fish without any fuss, and I really liked that. Course 5, I stuck with the Pinot Gris throughout since I was planning to drive afterward, was a "surf & turf" combination of veal entrecôte and prawn croustillon wrapped in thin spring roll pastry. It was served with pea and carrot purée and colorful carrots. Not only a visual highlight ;-), but also a successful interplay of flavors on the tongue and palate. The meat was buttery soft, the prawn also very natural in flavor and not too heavy thanks to the breading. I personally love the meat and fish combination when it's well done. And at the HIGHLIGHT restaurant, it certainly is. Dessert was the fifth course and the crowning finale: a chocolate terrine with two kinds of blood orange. One was iced, the other preserved in vanilla and its own juice, decorated around the edge of the plate with chocolate-caramel dots and a chocolate curl. It sounds fussy, but it was perfectly defined, incredibly refined, and simply superb in its chocolate-orange combination.

Course 4: the veal entrecôte with a chic side dish

My favorite dish by far was the eggplant variation, followed by the fresh fish and the perfectly cooked veal. Of course, the side dishes are half the battle with each course, but in my opinion, they should primarily complement and enhance the main course. This was skillfully achieved at the HIGHLIGHT Restaurant. Overall, I was also impressed by the fact that each course was special and unique, yet presented without being overly elaborate. I simply don't like overly contrived food presentation.

Events, opportunities and information

Every Wednesday (starting May 3rd, 2017), a relaxed after-work get-together takes place from 5:30 pm. Enjoy complimentary snacks, great DJ music, and a variety of cocktails from the separate bar menu, which can be ordered until 10:30 pm as part of the after-work event. The bar itself is open from 6:00 pm to 1:00 am and offers a wide selection of drinks, cocktails, wines, long drinks, spirits, and more. If you're looking for a suitable event location or the perfect venue for your company functions, Restaurant HIGHLIGHT is the place to go.

Highlight Restaurant INNSIDE Munich Kai Große und Bianca Murthy

The master in the kitchen: Kai Große talks to me about his concept

Key facts and personal conclusion

The HIGHLIGHT Restaurant is located in the INNSIDE by Meliã Munich Hotel in Parkstadt Schwabing. The restaurant's interior seats between 150 and 180 people, with a maximum capacity of 200. The adjacent terrace, sunny at lunchtime, is furnished and offers seating for an additional 30 guests. Parking is relatively easy in Parkstadt Schwabing, and the restaurant is just a short walk from the parking area. There are also 63 parking spaces available at the hotel. Payment is accepted by card, and larger groups are advised to make a reservation. If you're short on time at lunchtime and happen to be in the area, you can expect to be served promptly within 30 minutes, ensuring you're satisfied and ready to leave on time. The HIGHLIGHT restaurant is open for breakfast from 6:30 am to 10:00 am, for business lunch from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm, for dinner from 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm (kitchen until 10:00 pm), and at the bar for a few fine cocktails until 1:00 am. A small, select menu of snacks, finger food, and fine drinks is also available at the bar.

I personally felt very comfortable. As in most restaurants, it was even more so in the evening with the cozy lighting, more guests, and a bit more "lively atmosphere" than at the beginning, but I will definitely be back. Primarily, of course, because the cuisine and Chef Große impressed me with his culinary skills and the delicious dishes he served. I also particularly enjoyed the fact that they consciously seek out and experiment with creations for their guests that not only taste good but are also fun and demonstrate how diverse and "clean" cooking with pure and healthy ingredients (sometimes from the Elisabethmarkt or the Viktualienmarkt) can be. I'll be back! But first, I'll be there for the breakfast buffet, which is offered in the mornings for hotel guests and external guests as a comprehensive buffet (for €22 per person) (with a breakfast DJ on Thursdays). I don't know much more yet, but I'm already looking forward to it and will – of course! – report back. In the meantime, I can highly recommend a visit with friends, family, dates, and business partners. Best regards from me!

Details:
Restaurant: HIGHLIGHT Restaurant
Hotel: INNSIDE by Meliã Munich Parkstadt Schwabing
Address: Mies-van-der-Rohe-Straße 10, 80807 Munich
Website

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