Fine dining on a porcelain stage

Executive chef Marco Müller has paired the dish with one of his most sought-after pre-desserts: a tart wheat beer known as a ‘Berliner Weisse’ with Cape gooseberry. Rutz's interpretation of Berlin's cult drink features malt ice cream made from reduced wheat beer with cape gooseberry in two consistencies: clear with a fresh-sour taste and as a jelly made from berries macerated for three days.

Rutz has a preference for hollowed plates. That’s because it is renowned for adding a special finishing touch to dishes at the table, notably sauces. Plates with hollows are the perfect foil for this final element.

Stylish gift tip for aesthetes

Those who are not able to have the pleasure of enjoying Rutz’s outstanding cuisine served on Stefanie Hering's equally impressive tableware have not been forgotten: to mark the restaurant's 25th anniversary, a coveted cup bearing the Rutz insignia is also available as a limited edition in the Rutz shop.

Classically turned and glazed on the inside, the cup is a real treat for the hands (and the eyes), created from finely ground bisque porcelain and finished with a dot of 24-carat gold. “This acts as a small, precisely placed mark – a subtle, elegant detail that lends the pure form a special tension,” the master ceramist explains.

This elegant cup, available in limited quantities, comes in two versions.

Not white, not smooth, but full of character

Marco Müller and his team at Rutz also worked with the Berlin-based designer to test and experiment with colours, shapes and glazes. The three-star restaurant has a clear policy here: white is a no-go for Rutz. “Too clinical”, is the verdict of co-owner Anja Schmidt and Müller. The fine dining restaurant also avoids white for its tablecloths and kitchen tiles.

‘What belongs together has found each other’

Anja Schmidt has long been a private admirer of Stefanie Hering's work. And the elegant Rutz restaurant, one of Germany's finest dining establishments, and the award-winning designer also share a long-standing friendship. A collaboration was therefore only a matter of time.

What distinguishes fine dining tableware

According to Herings' philosophy, a plate should not only be functional, but also enhance the dish: “as a stage, a frame or a sculptural element on the table. That's exactly what I mean by ‘art pieces for the table’,” she explains.

Executive chef Marco Müller appreciates this approach. What he likes about Hering’s timeless, purist design language are the typical wide edges, which also impress for their tactile quality, be that through grooves, rough surfaces, the absence of glaze or even holes.

Design & functionality go hand-in-hand

Müller believes Stefanie Hering was the first designer to consciously break away from the classic conventions of fine dining tableware. At the beginning of the creative process, the master ceramist always asks herself the question: How should the guest experience this course?