Cooking on the bright side of life

This year, my husband and I had a rare opportunity: it was Valentine’s Day, it was a Saturday, and neither of us had any commitments that weekend. So I took a look at my restaurant wish list and decided on Mary Jane Space in Heidelberg. Luckily, there’s a hotel right next door in the same building, which meant we could enjoy the evening — including the wine pairing — in a completely relaxed way.

After checking in, we made the short walk to the restaurant. When we stood in front of the door, my husband said, “Are you sure? Is this the right place?” At first glance, you wouldn’t recognize it as a restaurant. There’s only a doorbell with the restaurant’s logo. For a brief moment, you wonder whether you’ve accidentally ended up at the delivery entrance.

I really love these kinds of “hidden spaces.” They’re not designed for walk-in guests. You have to be part of the “in-the-know” crowd and make a reservation in advance. After I rang the bell and we were let in, I was finally able to convince my husband that we were indeed in the right place.

After a short elevator ride, you’re warmly welcomed on the top floor. The entire dining area is decorated in dark tones, which immediately creates a cozy, dimly lit atmosphere.

Once we were seated, we were warmly welcomed and served water and an aperitif. Shortly afterwards, head chef Jonas Jenz personally came to our table to greet us and brought along a trio of amuse-bouches.

The culinary evening began with a macaron filled with pumpkin, curry, and bergamot. This was accompanied by a taco with parsley root and mirabelle plum, and a tapioca chip topped with sweet-and-sour pickled fennel — a wonderfully varied and successful start to the night. Alongside the trio, there was excellent bread served with a honey–garlic–chili butter.

Before the first official course began, we got started with the wine pairing. Mary Jane Space takes a particularly exciting approach here: each wine arrives at the table concealed and marked only with a question mark. Apart from a brief explanation of why the pairing was chosen, the actual reveal only comes with the next course. A fantastic idea that invites you to engage more deeply with the wine and to guess the grape variety and region yourself.

Once we had our first glass of wine, the opening course was served. Chef Jonas Jenz explained that he enjoys working with contrasts. For this dish, beetroot was paired with fermented blackberry, rounded out with tarragon and a dashi made from roasted beet peels, fermented berry juice, and kombu. A beautiful combination in which the different flavors complemented each other perfectly.

Next came Arctic char with roasted broccoli, brown butter, miso, and apple smoked over cherry wood. From this point on, a theme slowly became apparent: fruit featured in every savory course, creating exciting and unexpected flavor combinations.

The following dish is easy to describe: prawn, grapefruit, and leek — the latter two presented in two different preparations on the plate. Once again, a very successful pairing.

After that, we took a small detour from fine dining into comfort-food territory: truffle mac ’n’ cheese. A seemingly simple course, carried by perfectly cooked pasta and the unmistakable aroma of truffle.

Then came my favorite combination of the evening: salsify, pineapple, and cashew. The flavors worked so naturally together that you find yourself wondering why this pairing isn’t seen more often.

Then we got to the main course: Black Angus beef loin with Jerusalem artichoke, hazelnut, and quince. At this point, the wine pairing had apparently done its job — and I completely messed up the photo. Thanks to a little AI assistance, however, I was still able to create a presentable image to give you an impression of the dish.

To finish the menu, we were served two different combinations of radicchio and white chocolate. After fruit had appeared in all the savory courses, it felt only logical and fitting to incorporate a vegetable element into the dessert. The bitterness of the radicchio provided a wonderful and well-balanced contrast to the sweetness of the white chocolate.

At the very end of the evening, we were given a final overview of the wine pairing. Overall, the wines were very well matched to the courses. Personally, though, I once again realized that a full wine pairing is simply too much for me. Perhaps I just don’t have the necessary height for the alcohol to distribute sufficiently. Next time, I’ll opt for a reduced pairing instead.

After a truly lovely evening, we took a short walk around the block before happily falling into bed at the hotel next door. Many thanks to Mary Jane Space for a beautiful and wonderfully relaxed night!