Frankfurt – When Milica and Matthias Scheiber announced to open a second restaurant after their first venture Weinsinn turned out to be a tremendous success expectations were clearly high. Despite the fact that bistronomic concepts are still quite rare in German, the Scheibers did not just clone their Weinsinn but opted for a family concept, with the younger brother Gustav being more progressive in design and more down-to-earth in its clearly regional philosophy.

Hello Gustav

Hiring young Jochim Busch who had worked several years with Andreas Krolik (just awarded 2 stars at Lafleur) turns out to be a more than lucky shot. As André ‘Ritchi’ Rickert at Weinsinn, Busch has his very own personality being able to develop his own style in no time (clearly emancipated from the modern classics of Krolik): his cuisine is regional using the best products from local produces but much less ‘intellectual’ and avantgarde than Matthias Schmidt’s cooking back at Villa Merton. It’s more elaborated, less puristic and more focused to be close to the customer. In essence, with all the sometimes many elements on his plates Busch tries to impress with taste in a very suiting overall setting. This is clearly on of the first end-to-end thought-through concepts in German gastronomy (well, let’s not forget Nobelhart & Schmutzig in Berlin) – it all fits from the contemporary modern interior design assembled by Milica Scheiber (partly being inspired by Sans Cravate where some of the statues come from), a flawless and quite personal service and an unpretentious wine list curated curated by Sommelière Ulrike Schneider.

Restaurant Interior

The menu concept is simple (and quite similar in principle to the older brother’s) – there are two choices for starters, intermediate and main courses as well as dessert where guest can choose a 3-5 course menu at very reasonable prices (57, 68 and 79 Euro respectively). For lunch, there is smaller offering for 2 or 3 courses at 29 and 39 Euro whereas dishes are a bit simpler but not necessarily of lower quality.

Let the plates speak for itself – eating at Gustav is pure pleasure and dishes turn out to be hugely intuitive on the one hand and complex on the other. Busch manages to play with some culinary memories but always enriches the picture with new and unfamiliar notes. In the end, it’s just yummy…

In my latest menu especially the sturgeon and the Jerusalem artichoke dishes wowed me completely with the pumpkin dessert being one of the best sweet endings this year. So, go and enjoy yourself – and plan well in advance as tables, especially on weekends, are in high demand. Congrats to the Scheibers for being so brave to provide a stage for another young chef able to reach out for even higher laurels than the just earned first Michelin star.

Overall, a place where it is just fun to dine at an excellent level.

Apero: Cookies with Goat Cream Cheese and Rowan

Amuse: Leek, Celery and Stone Champignons

Sturgeon / Radish / Apple / Dill

Jerusalem Artichoke / Onion / Elderberry / Mustard Seeds

Dry-aged Beef / Parsley Root / Horseradish / Smoked Eel”

Venison / Beetroot / Moose Berry / Buttermilk

Handkäs / Musik / Schneiders Apple Wine / Sourdough Bread

Pumpkin / Blue-white Clover / Joghurt / Pollen

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