It’s certainly not for nothing that the Gourmandpunk Supperclub is called that way: Punk is rebellion, and founder Sebastian finds that gastronomy could do well with a bit of punk. The supper club is part of a larger project he launched in early 2014 that furthermore includes the online Gourmandpunk Magazine and a growing collection of beautifully illustrated recipes that can be downloaded for free. All together, Gourmandpunk is there to stand up against the lack of moral, honesty and good taste when it comes to our food, in particular the living creatures in our food chain.

Hosts of the Gourmandpunk Supperclub are Sebastian and his wife Jana, a restaurant chef and a hotel manager, both together with 24 working years in gastronomy and a growing discontent with parts of the food culture they experience. Whilst their hands are pretty much tied in their job, the supper club allows them to put into practice their own ideas and beliefs. And to get in touch with likeminded people. Once a month they gather on average 12-14 people around one table to make them enjoy great food, enter into discussions and to create those little moments that make life worth living. Jana and Sebastian take care of the menu, water, soft drinks and coffee, the guests bring the wine, that’s the deal. The cost? No cost in that sense, at the end of the night the guests are asked to leave an amount they find fair and appropriate.

What about the food? The Gourmandpunk Supperclub stands for Oriental Mediterranean cuisine: Traditional Mediterranean recipes, above all Italian ones, get mixed with ingredients and spices from the Arabic world like green cardamom, Ras El Hanout or Zatar, to name just a few. This creates a unique style, best to be described by some dishes from Geschlossene Gesellschaft, the iBook with supper club recipe: Grilled rainbow trout for example, marinated with coriander, cumin and cardamom, served with a mango and papaya salad with mint leaves and caramelized macadamia nuts. Or green asparagus with stir-fried figs, dates and pine nuts, seasoned with onion, garlic, ginger and lemon, the perfect side dish for a rump steak. Or spinach ravioli Arabian style with an eggplant and Tahini filling and a fruity tomato sauce with onion, apple, garlic, chilli and orange juice…Are you getting the idea? Absolutely mouthwatering if you ask me, being a big fan of oriental cuisine anyway. I’m sure, over the next years we will see a lot more of such style crossovers where the Orient meets the Western world. Other than that, the Gourmandpunk Supperclub focuses on the produce. That means no frippery and decoration that has nothing to do with the dish as such. Seasonal is king, regional also, organic not a must: More important it is to know your merchants and producers and their way of working. To ask questions instead of just blindly trusting labels.

For Sebastian and Jana, the best part of the evening starts when the final course is served and they have time to talk with their guests and collect feedback. Usually the group is very mixed, a maximum of 4 people per reservation is supposed to be the limit. Most come from Munich and surroundings, but occasionally they also have guests from abroad what sometimes causes a funny mix of languages. According to Sebastian, their supper club round tables create an amazing level of energy, and more than anything else lively discussions are absolutely wanted.

For everyone who wants to join in, your next chance is on 20^th September, or after that on 25^th October. Details to be found on the Gourmandpunk Supperclub website and on Facebook.

Anyone said that Punk is dead?