On the Restaurant Rankings podcast, Maurizio Oster talks about the further development of his Hamburg restaurant, the new menu structure, more precise plate presentations, the cheese trolley – and why some of his own classic dishes now bore him.

Maurizio Oster makes no secret of where he wants to take ‘Zeik’. “The aim is definitely to secure a second star here,” says the chef in an interview with Restaurant-Ranglisten.de. For him, however, the path to achieving this does not lie in ever more visual spectacle on the plate, but rather in a clearer narrative, greater differentiation and an even more precise vision of what his cuisine should embody.

Oster describes this development not as a short-term adjustment, but as a process spanning eight years. From the original idea of working with simple ingredients, a distinctive style has emerged. This is now being further refined. For him, it is crucial that the menu works as a whole. In the past, the thinking tended to be: if a dish is good, then it will fit in. Today, they look more closely at the flow of the menu. “Let’s tone it down a bit,” says Oster, describing the new direction, particularly at the start.

Criticism had been a key catalyst: regarding vinegar-based stocks that were too overpowering, a recurring sweet-and-sour formula, and too much intensity in the menu. Oster says he listens carefully – to guests as well as to restaurant guides and critics. It’s not about simply seeking validation in the evening, but about identifying areas for improvement. For him, the best feedback these days is when guests say there isn’t a single dish that particularly stands out, “because everything was really of a very high standard”.

The ‘Zeik’ has also changed in terms of presentation and craftsmanship. The plates are more intricately arranged, more elaborate and more closely tailored to the specific dining experience. Oster explains that he has become more consistent. In the past, he would have discarded certain ideas if the team had shied away from putting them into practice. Following a major change in the kitchen, he adopted a new approach: he wanted the dishes to be exactly as he envisaged them – and together they would then have to find ways to make them practicable.

This is particularly evident in the salad course, which Oster calls ‘Schnitte’: lettuce, radicchio and radishes are layered, encircled by fermented celery, and complemented with tomato glaze, thyme mayonnaise, sauerkraut powder, herbs and feta granité. He spent a particularly long time thinking about this dish. At one point, he even considered scrapping it. But then he told himself: ‘I can’t let a salad get the better of me now.’ It is precisely these simple ingredients, from which something surprising is to emerge, that have become a defining feature of his cuisine.

When it comes to the asparagus course, on the other hand, Oster is particularly interested in moving away from the predictable. The guest does not see a classic asparagus spear. Instead, green and white asparagus are cooked differently, sliced paper-thin, folded into a pouch and filled with tarragon and chervil jelly, raw asparagus ragout and hemp cream. The presentation is designed so that every spoonful offers a similar balance of ragout, cream, herbs and asparagus. Oster confidently describes this as ‘super cleverly done’ – not as a gimmick, but as a means of guiding the guests’ perception.

At the same time, the work on individual dishes forms part of a larger menu narrative. A good menu needs moments of intensity and moments of calm, Oster quotes Sven Elverfeld as saying. Constant intensity becomes tiresome. From earlier ‘Celebration’ elements centred on nose-to-tail produce, they have learnt that not every little detail should be pushed to the limits of salt, strength and umami. Otherwise, the guest will be aromatically satiated even before the main course.

At the same time, ‘Zeik’ should retain its own distinct flavour. Oster speaks of a ‘DNA’, for instance in sauces and stocks, which are not prepared in the traditional way with shallots or similar bases, but are conceived more strongly around the respective ingredient. With fish and meat, whilst good produce must be given centre stage, the dishes must not become mundane. In the eel and zander course, for instance, the intense eel flavour is therefore balanced by zander, yellow beetroot and foam; with the lamb, lime zest, herbs and allium vegetables lend a sense of lightness.

Oster now also takes a more modular approach to the restaurant’s business model. The affordable set menu price, surcharges for signature dishes such as the chicken, and the new cheese trolley offer various ways to structure an evening. The cheese trolley had been in the planning stages for a long time, and sommelier Tobias had been a driving force behind it. It’s now working very well. For Oster, cheese isn’t just a source of additional revenue, but part of a convivial evening: “It’s also about guests coming here, enjoying their food, enjoying their drinks and simply letting the whole evening flow naturally.”

His new cookbook offers another glimpse into Oster’s world. It is neither a traditional restaurant cookbook nor a showcase for the ‘Zeik’. Rather, it focuses on his home cooking. The recipes weren’t created in the restaurant, but at home, sometimes spontaneously using whatever was in the fridge. His wife Johanna played a big part in this, for example with the Bolognese. The message is straightforward: use good ingredients at the right time – then you’ll enjoy great food at home too.

Ultimately, the picture that emerges is of a chef who is developing his restaurant with a blend of ambition and self-criticism. Oster wants to move forward, but not at the cost of becoming more high-profile. Rather, he seeks the tension between simplicity and complexity, between his own distinctive style and a guest-focused experience. Even the famous chicken, his signature dish, has now begun to bore him when it comes to plating it up. Nevertheless, it remains on the menu because the guests love it. This, too, demonstrates the maturity of ‘Zeik’: here, progress does not mean doing away with everything old, but rather deciding more carefully what may stay – and what needs to become more understated, more precise or more nuanced. (Supported by AI)