Berlin. On March 8, 2026, Culinary Director Marco Müller and the Rutz team will welcome Viki Geunes and his team from the equally three-Michelin-starred restaurant Zilte in Antwerp, Belgium, to the three-star restaurant Rutz in Berlin-Mitte. Beginning at 7:00 pm, the two teams will present a collaborative four-hands dinner featuring inspirations from both kitchens at a total price of €590.
On the festive occasion of its 25th anniversary, Rutz is setting a special highlight: Berlin Calling – Rutz feat. Zilte brings together two distinct culinary signatures in a unique collaboration. Like a feature track on an album, experience, precision, and personal expression come together. With Viki Geunes, Berlin welcomes one of Europe’s most distinguished chefs – a self-taught exceptional talent and a defining figure of contemporary Belgian cuisine.
Viki Geunes is known for a cuisine of great precision and emotional depth. His dishes are born from memory, close observation, and a refined sensitivity to contrasts in temperature, texture, and aroma. Shaped by his connection to the sea and an uncompromising respect for product and origin, he has developed at Zilte a culinary signature that remains deliberately understated – and precisely for that reason leaves a lasting impression. Since 2021, Zilte has been awarded three Michelin stars and is considered one of Europe’s leading culinary destinations.
At Rutz Restaurant, the cuisine of Viki Geunes meets the regional and sustainable cuisine of Marco Müller, whose signature style has been firmly anchored in Germany’s fine-dining landscape for many years. Despite their different geographical and cultural starting points, both kitchens share a common philosophy: a focus on the essential, precise craftsmanship with a few clear flavors, and the ambition to understand taste as an expression of origin and time.
“We are united by the belief that great cuisine arises from reduction, depth, and conviction”
— explains Marco Müller.
“Viki Geunes’ cuisine is highly precise, emotional, and remarkably consistent – this dialogue promises tremendous excitement.”
When the Rutz classic “Spring Trout & Kohlrabi, Charcoal” meets Geunes’ “Langoustine – Smoked Eel – Radicchio – Blood Orange,” or “Red Mullet – Sea Cucumber – Lardo – Piment” is followed by “Nasturtium & Rabbit, Radish,” anticipation is guaranteed.
The joint menu comprises 16 small and large inspirations, prepared alternately by both kitchen teams. The evening will be hosted by the Rutz service team under the direction of Falco Mühlichen, with the corresponding wine pairing curated by Head Sommelier Sebastian Höpfner.
The price for the event is €590 per person and includes an aperitif, 16 small and large inspirations, wine pairing, water, and coffee or tea.
This four-hands dinner is a rare opportunity to experience two three-star kitchens in one evening – in direct exchange, on equal footing, and without the long journey between Berlin and Antwerp.
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- Rutz
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- Marco Müller © Steffen Sinzinger
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- Viki Geunes © Tom Corremans
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- Zilte © Kris Vlegels
About Rutz
What began in 2001 as a concept combining wine bar, restaurant, and wine retail, opened by Lars Rutz († 2003), has evolved into today’s Rutz – a family-run fine-dining restaurant led by owners Anja and Carsten Schmidt. Since 2004, Executive Chef Marco Müller has been responsible for the kitchen. After receiving its first Michelin star in 2007 and its second in 2016, Rutz was awarded three Michelin stars in 2020 – the first and only restaurant in Berlin to achieve this distinction – along with the Green Star for outstanding commitment to sustainable gastronomy. Nearly all other restaurant guides have likewise awarded top ratings. Rutz is not only Berlin’s finest restaurant but also ranks among the top three restaurants in Germany according to Restaurant-Ranglisten. Since 2022, Rutz has also presented itself visually in a new, timelessly purist-elegant design following a major redesign led by Berlin architect Prof. Gesine Weinmiller. As part of this transformation, the beloved wine bar relocated to Rutz Zollhaus, a gem situated along the Landwehr Canal in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Throughout its quarter-century success story – Rutz celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2026 – the Rutz cosmos has established itself as a gastronomic epicenter, shaping an entire generation of leading figures in haute cuisine. This talent forge has served as an incubator for many chefs and sommeliers now active in Berlin, across Germany, and internationally.
About Zilte
Restaurant Zilte is located in the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS) in the port of Antwerp and is led by Chef Viki Geunes. The self-taught chef opened his restaurant in 1996 and, through several stages of development, transformed it into one of Belgium’s leading culinary addresses. Zilte received its first Michelin star in 2004 and its second in 2008; since 2021, it has held three Michelin stars.
Viki Geunes’ cuisine is defined by a clear and precise language of flavor, a nuanced interplay of textures and temperatures, and a strong product orientation with a particular affinity for the sea. Zilte has been part of Relais & Châteaux since 2023 and joined Les Grandes Tables du Monde in 2024.
If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Press contact photo requests
Anja Schmidt anja.schmidt@rutz-restaurant.de