Restaurant JAN, opening in 2022, was the creation of Chef Jan Hartwig.  This is Hartwig’s first own restaurant, previously having been a chef at the 3 Star Restaurant Atelier (where we ate in 2018)  as well as the author of a cookbook.  The well-lit dining room can seat up to 40 guests and there is a private dining room in addition.  The open kitchen is at one end of the main room with some of the tables set to the side where there is no view of the kitchen.  Windows to the street were shuttered and modern art is on the light walls.  Natural woods make up the doorways, ceiling and floor with the dark un-clothed wood tables varying in size.  Rock music was in the background and Chef Hartwig was in the house and came out to speak with his guests.   He has already received a Michelin 3 star rating at this new place – just 6 months after it opened.  His “7” (there are lots of extras) course tasting menu is only offered 4 days a week.  There are several supplemental dishes offered as well as wine pairings.  The attractive room is sparse but the food is lovely.  Get a reservation if you can.

Set-up

Food

The tasting started with some small one-bite options that were wonderful.  Foie gras a la chantilly with rum raisin, pecans, and 30-year-aged balsamic vinegar was smooth and custard-like in the center, with a very thin tart shell. The nuts were an interesting addition to this lovely bite.

A buckwheat crustade contained char tartare, pistachio, wasabi, and tapioca pearls marinated in soy and myoga.  There was lots of flavor and more fun textures in this one.

Chicken salad was a “back to the 80s” dish with a papadam shell filled with chicken salad.  Delicate and bursting with textures it was another delightful bite.

 

“Gaisburger Marsch” was a take on beef “Topfenspätzle with potato and Markknodelchen (marrow dumplings) – a beef soup with root vegetables, ground onion, bone marrow dumplings and duck liver.  The well-flavored broth was packed with ingredients, which were all good.  It was the first warm course of the meal.

 

KYS oyster No. 2 was with Combava (Kaffir lime), broccoli and galangal (root in the ginger family).   The French oyster  was topped with a bit of Hollandaise, oyster leaf, cucumber and a cucumber vinaigrette.  There were tons of enhancements combined with this fine oyster for a delicious end result.

 

Trout from Lake Schliersee was on “Semmelkren”(an Austrian horseradish sauce made with bread and beef broth) and a melt of brown bread, dill and fermented kohlrabi Beurre blanc.  The trout was lightly cooked and topped with pickled kohlrabi sitting on two sauces.  Both blended great with each other and the fish.  An excellent dish.

 

Pike dumpling 3.0 was Vendace (white fish) with currant bush oil, nori jam, celery and smoked mussel fumet.  Some chive oil was below and crispy angel hair pasta and celery shreds were on top.  The mussel sauce was well flavored and this dish had tons of textures for an overall good blending.

 

Bread was homemade and served with organic sour cream butter from Allgau and a turnip and bacon butter. The good dense bread, made with rye, spelt and wheat, had a nice crisp crust and came to the table still warm from the oven.  It was good alone or with either spread.

 

Scallop from Norway was plated with grilled teardrop peas, grapes, guanciale, mussel XO and dashi butter.  The scallop was first grilled then roasted and topped with some cress and rhubarb.  The scallop was hot enough to melt the thin slice of guanciale onto it and into the very tasty sauce.  Then those wonderful peas added their fine pop to the texture.

 

Pork belly from Rhon was plated with black radish, cucumber salad, lovage and “Braunschweiger Mumme” (dark, spicy German ale).  The cucumber salad was on top and the sauce below was thickened with honey.  The meaty piece of belly was meant to create a very German dish and with all its additions and sauces, it was moist and flavorful

 

Pigeon breast was topped with black truffle on a Vin Jaune, parsley and parmesan sauce.  The bird was grilled and glazed with honey and served over pigeon ragu with a side of creamed Jerusalem artichokes over foie gras custard.  The bird was cooked nicely rare with a good sauce.  The truffles I’d call okay, with more smell than taste but not too much cardboard texture.  The side dish you were advised to dig all the way down with each bite to get all the layers.  It was a good course but the pork belly was better.

 

Fourme D’Ambert was on top of Roscoff onion, winter salads, and dried cherries.  This was a semi-hard French blue cheese that easily cracked and allowed access to the thin flatbread, confit of winter greens, onion and pine nuts.  This was a nice strong cheese that blends well with the other flavors.

 

The bridge to the menu’s sweet section was a Rhubarb with raspberry, ginger, vanilla and champagne tartlet.  The crisp, thin crust made it a lovely bite.  The combination continued with a rhubarb sorbet on top of a buttery cookie and a cranberry and rhubarb sauce.  The rhubarb was well sweetened  but the buttery cookie was the star here.

 

“Petit Dejeuner” was a bowl with yogurt sorbet, Oolong tea, carrot and caramelized cereals.  Not too sweet but loaded with textures it was a fun mix.

 

Petit Fours included Pate de fruit with yuzu whisky sour jellies that were not my favorite.   Madeleines with brown butter, blood orange and Grand Marnier that were tender and delicious, but much puffier than usual.   Cheesecake, pistachio and Mandarin was a creamy filling with a good crust.   Milk chocolate bonbons with “Madagaskar 50% were dusted with cocoa and were smooth goodness.