NOUN - München

Maybe it was just us. But maybe it was not. Either way, it was not good at all.We had picked this particular restaurant for a special occasion. The reviews were overwhelmingly good, and the location easy to reach. So why not?Well, we now have some good reasons why not.First, the atmosphere felt very much like Berlin Mitte. Fifteen years ago. But that is probably a matter of taste. Second, the service was simply average. But in the light of the glowing reviews, we had expected more. Including, but not limited to, skill.To be fair, the wine (a Mallorquin rosé) was at the right temperature, the Gin tonic was very good, and the Ramazzotti Aperitivo Rosato was a nice touch. Third, the menu was, and we usually like that very much, rather small. A handful of starters, three main courses, and three desserts. More often than not, that is actually a sign of high-quality cooking. More is the pity, as the choices were obviously limited, none of the combinations felt especially appealing. But again, that might have been just us. Nonetheless, and based again on the reviews, we had expected a "small" but delicious, "not artsy-fartsy" (review in DelikatEssen 2017) cuisine. Well, we were in for an unpleasant surprise. And it went like this...The amuse-bouche was quite tasty, but came with a tell-tale hot microwave core whilst being tepid on the outside. Not something we would expect in a high-quality restaurant.For starters, we opted for the "Chef's Choice", which was advertised as mixed hors d'œuvre. In reality, it was an eclectic, rather artsy-fartsy, but neither appetising, nor visually appealing, mixture of, for lack of a better word, foodstuffs.To mention just two: a handful of mini mozzarella balls (most certainly not buffala) without a trace of seasoning - not even the tiniest spot of olive oil or even salt; and - directly beside it - another handful of overly salty, very sour and aggressively spicy, supermarket quality green olives. Alas, the grilled vegetables deserve special mentioning, because they were actually excellent, firm to the bite and deliciously seasoned. Obviously, the kitchen has got the required skills, so why did they not use them elsewhere...?Adding to this disappointment was the waiter's reaction: "So you were unhappy with the food? Okay." - and that was that. So we decided to skip the main course, call it a day, and go somewhere else. Because there actually are quite a few good restaurants in the area.But perhaps, it was just us.

Great tasy food, nice ambience and well worth a visit. One problem was the exceptionally long wait between the dishes. The actual menu was different from the website and the main course missed ingredients mentioned in the printed menu, but was still very good.

The Mages have been twice and both times we got the same impression: The service is very good (by Munich standards, excellent) and the ambience is good too, but the main courses are nothing spectacular. They're good, don't get me wrong, but missing the Wow factor. The appetisers are good, especially the mixed one, but the cheese platter, French, needs to be improved as it is extremely bland.

We had the three course meal last night. The soup was just divine. I've never had pomegranate in soup but it was truly mouthwatering. Entrecôte with vegetables bursting with freshness. The creme brûlée was a revelation. Served with mango.The whole 3 courses €36. The service was attentive not intrusive and the food had time to settle between courses.This is one of the best restaurants I've eaten in this year.The Malbec goes well btw.Cannot recommend this highly enough.

Great small restaurant in a nice area of Munich. Simple menu but well done with a good selection of wines all at a great price. Friendly service. In all a good dining experience from beginning to end. I can highly recommend this place and I will return.