Preview Guest Chefs 2024
Top chefs at Restaurant Ikarus
Guest Chef September 2024: Matthias Diether
In Tallinn’s trendy Noblessner waterfront district, gourmets in search of new perspectives will find 180° by Matthias Diether – a restaurant that demonstrates vision in both its culinary compositions and its premises. Tables offer 180-degree views of the harbour and the sea, while Matthias Diether and his team work in the open kitchen to create culinary delights of the highest degree.
Born in Berlin and raised in southern Germany, Matthias Diether discovered his passion for cooking at an early age. He got his first taste of gastronomy at his uncle’s restaurant during weekends and holidays before deciding to train as a chef. He spent his travelling years with top chefs such as Lothar Eiermann, Harald Wohlfahrt and Sven Elverfeld. At the age of 35, Matthias Diether took on the role of Head Chef at First Floor in Berlin. In 2016, he turned his back on the hustle and bustle of the big city and found his new home in Estonia. He spent two years living and working on a small island in the Baltic Sea before opening 180° in the capital, Tallinn, in 2018. In his role as Head Chef, he also acts as a mentor to his staff, passing on his knowledge and experience and encouraging their development.
180° was one of only two restaurants to be awarded a star in the first edition of the Michelin Guide for Estonia in 2022. The following year, Matthias Diether and his team cooked their way to the second coveted star, making them the first two-star restaurant in the entire Baltic region. The first edition of the Falstaff Nordic Guide also placed the restaurant at the top of the Estonian culinary scene with 97 points.
Matthias Diether makes the product the star of the plate. He meticulously searches for the best available ingredients for his dishes, sourcing them both regionally and globally. Quality, authenticity and absolute freshness are his top priorities. His refined tasting menus are strongly rooted in classic French cuisine, but interpreted in a contemporary way and combined with international influences. Matthias Diether harmoniously unites the many components of his recipes, creating intense taste experiences for his guests. His double-Michelin-starred cuisine is underpinned by precise craftsmanship and a commitment to perfection.
A balanced interplay of subtlety and opulence makes Matthias Diether’s compositions an inspiring experience with delightful moments of surprise. In September 2024, let yourself be seduced by the elegant and artistic style of the star chef, whose cuisine is setting new standards in the Estonian gourmet scene.
Each month at Salzburg’s two Michelin-starred Restaurant Ikarus, a different top international chef creates the menu. For this globally unique concept, Hangar-7 executive chef Martin Klein visits the cream of the crop, takes a look behind the scenes of haute cuisine, and is let in on some exciting culinary secrets. “Culinary Heights at Ikarus” offers a unique glimpse into the world of high-end cuisine and provides an interesting portrait of each guest chef, their culinary philosophy, and the food culture of their country.