Rocco Riviera (Munich, GERMANY) ★☆☆☆☆

Our dinner venue was right next to quiet Wittelsbacherplatz, just a few steps from bustling Hofgarten. We thought it would be a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of Old Town but this meal turned out to be much busier than we all expected (more on that later).

Rocco Riviera is a hugely popular Italian restaurant and bar. Judging by the crowd there even before 6pm, you could tell it was a crowd favorite. We decided to join the atmosphere by grabbing a table just outside the restaurant, but that choice turned into a nightmare. 

Constant disturbances from flies, wasps, and bees made it impossible to enjoy the meal. We had no choice but to move inside before our dishes arrived, and the restaurant staff was kind enough to accommodate our request.

Vitello tonnato (€19) — The veal fillet was a little on the rough side, but the tuna sauce was a decent touch. There was plenty of rocket leaves, which added a good freshness and mouthfeel.

As newcomers to Munich’s dining scene, we’re definitely not experts, but this first dish reminded me how truly blessed we are as Hongkongers — we have so many great vitello tonnato options in Hong Kong. This one simply didn’t measure up.

Primavera Riviera salad (€16) — This was a sharing-style salad with garden greens, pickled artichokes, carrots, and olives — basically everything you’d expect in a classic primavera. For me, though, the dressing had a little too much acidity.

By this point, the flies and bees had clearly noticed our move inside and decided to follow. It made dinner really uncomfortable. With constant effort to fend off our “enemies”, we found it hard to relax and enjoy the meal.

Seafood spaghetti (€31) — There was an abundance of seafood — at least one piece each of prawn, scallop, octopus, clams, and mussels.

The al dente spaghetti itself wasn't bad but again, there are plenty of excellent Italian restaurants in Hong Kong that can do a much better seafood spaghetti than this.

Whole charcoal grilled seabass (€42) — The sea bass was served with gremolata sauce on the side.

The texture of the seabass was a little dry and rough, and for someone who isn’t a big fish lover, the number of small bones was also a problem.

In the end, it was a pretty forgettable experience. We were constantly attacked by flies, wasps and bees throughout the night. Little nugget was obviously upset, and while Jelloman and I tried to enjoy the meal, our attention kept being pulled away by the constant need to rebuff our new friends. The food was also somewhat disappointing — aside from the spaghetti dish (which was decent), the rest of the dishes just didn’t work.

So yes, “forgettable” is an understatement.

Food Rating: 5.2/10

Price: €€€

Address: Wittelsbacher Platz 2, 80333 Munich, Germany

Closest Metro Station: Odeonsplatz

Tel: +49 89 2872-4421

Website: http://www.roccariviera.com/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm (Tue - Fri), 6:00pm - 12:00am (Mon - Sat)

Stay Kooook Munich City (Munich, GERMANY)

I had a hard time trying to figure out where to stay in Munich. We needed a place close to München Hauptbahnhof (Main Station) to pick up our rental car in a couple of days, and at the same time, its ideal location should be within walking distance to the Old Town. And oh yes, we needed more than two single beds as little nugget has grown a little more than we expected. Not easy.

Stay Kooook Munich City came onto my radar thanks to its convenient location between the Main Station and Karlsplatz. Walking to either station takes no more than three minutes. The best of all, it’s an apartment-style hotel so for some of the more premier rooms, we get three beds for maximum comfort.

As we have drawn it out, we arrived at the front of the hotel at 10am after taking the train from the airport. As expected, our room wasn’t ready yet (check-in time is 3pm) so we dropped off our luggage at the 1/F public area (there’s a room for storage of luggage) and off we go to explore Munich’s Old Town.

We didn’t get to check out the public area personally, but judging from my first glance, it features a kitchen area and lounge for guests to chill out.

One thing worth noting is that, like many hotels in Munich, Stay Kooook Munich City uses an app or website for guests to control the access to both the front door and the room door. When our room is ready, there’s an alert notifying us that we could come back to complete our check-in. That was pretty efficient.

Our room was a family suite and one of the biggest suites of its kind in the hotel. 

It features a queen bed with two bunker beds on the side, easily accommodating up to four guests.

There’s a small kitchen area with a stove, sink and cabinet full of cutlery, pots and more. Also available was a washing machine for guests staying a bit longer.

The bathroom was a decent size. 

Toilet 

All in all, we really loved the bright and sleek interior. It feels comfortable and surprisingly homey.

Our room was directly facing the pedestrian street so there’s no noise throughout the night.

The real question is, would I stay here again if I ever decide to visit Munich in the future? Let me sleep on this one a little… 

Rating: ❤❤❤❤

Price: €€€

Address: Schützenstr 9, 80335 Munich, Germany

Closest Metro Station: Karlsplatz / Hauptbahnhof

Tel: +49 89 5419-0310

Website: https://www.staykooook.com/munich-city/

Wintergarten at Rosewood Munich (Munich, GERMANY) ★★★★☆

We tried our best to explore Munich while most of the city was closed for the day. From the city’s most popular shopping streets to trendy FÜNF HÖFE München, everything seemed to be shut leaving us with very few options for an early afternoon tea. But I knew there had to be places that would be open for business — hotel restaurants and cafés.

After finishing window-shopping at FÜNF HÖFE München, checking out the afternoon tea options at Rosewood Munich felt like the perfect fit, since it was just a stone’s throw away.

Housed in the former headquarters of the State Bank of Bavaria (Bayerische Staatsbank), dating back to 1893–1894, the building is a historic landmark featuring striking 19th-century architecture from the baroque and rococo periods.

Located one floor below the lobby of Rosewood Munich, Wintergarten is an elegant, light-flooded indoor courtyard lounge offering premium all-day dining with a sophisticated Bavarian flair. 

During afternoon hours, it offers a small but refined selection of drinks and desserts curated by Executive Pastry Chef Shinas Shahida.

The outdoor seats would have been a popular choice if not for the nasty heat this afternoon.

We wasted no time grabbing a sofa seat in the middle of the lounge to chill out and rest up a bit.

Our refreshments finally arrived just in the nick of time.

Citrus Dream (€12) — Inside a citrusy flavored white-chocolate “bowl,” there’s a mix of lemon confit, yuzu ganache, and candied Buddha’s hand. I thought there might also be something sticky there like glutinous rice in play. 

Either way, it’s a refreshing summer dessert, but if you’re looking for a nice, cohesive mix of flavors with exciting textures, this may not be your cup of tea.

Black Forest Twist (€12) — A modern spin on the traditional Black Forest cake. It features hazelnut and chocolate sponge, mascarpone mousse, and sour cherry compote, but the star here is the hazelnut crunch, which adds an extra layer of crunchiness to the dessert. 

I thought the only thing missing here was that signature kiss from the kirsch wine — but since the lounge is a haven for younger guests, it came with little surprise that the dessert came alcohol-free.

At this point, I finally had some free time to check the hotel app and that’s when I realized our room was already cleaned up and ready. Time to head back to the hotel for a quick nap! That’s usually what we do after a 12-hour flight to Europe…

Food Rating: 7.3/10

Price: €€€

Address: Kardinal-Faulhaber-Straße 1, 80333 Munich, Germany

Closest Metro Station: Odeonsplatz

Tel: +49 89 8000190

Website: https://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/munich/dining/wintergarten

Opening Hours: 8:00am - 9:00pm daily