Berlin was outstanding. For those of you who have been, I’m sure you’ll understand. Spacious but busy, cool but controlled, cultured but not cliquey- what a mixture!
Our aim was to eat- not as we have before by finding the best restaurants and visiting them all but in a more enjoyable manner; trying to hunt down some old-school (or should that be skool?!) classics and having loads of fun whilst eating them!
Upon arrival, there was only one thing for it… Schnitzel. And what a schnitzel it was! Dressler on Unter den Linden was surely the place; a classy brasserie with it’s roots in Paris but it’s menu definitely anchored as firmly in Berlin as the houseboats on the Spree… All to be enjoyed with some Berliner Pilsner of course, we hadn’t even checked into the hotel yet!
Jemma had booked a cracker of a hotel (Tryp) which was minimal, stylish and clean and situated on Chausseestrasse, which is a continuation of Freidrichstrasse (which dissects Berlin’s city centre)
It would be silly of me to drone on, listing what and where we ate so I’m going to stick some links to websites under this post- however, there were some great experiences that we really enjoyed.
On the first evening, we had some tremendous luck in stumbling across Bocca di Bacco. I’d read about this fine Italian in a few pieces before going across but there was little chance of getting a table at 9 on a Friday night. Walked in, overheard a table cancelling, told the maitre d’ we’d take that table, sat down and had, without doubt, the best Italian meal we’ve ever had… Caprese, Veal Carpaccio, Vongole Veraci, Gnocchi, Machiato, Espresso… Done. The service was bloody brilliant too.
Saturday was freezing but we braved it to visit the Hamburger Bahnhof, which houses some Europe’s finest contemporary art, including Warhol, Ikeda and McCall. It also houses ‘Sarah Wiener im Hamburger Bahnhof’, which provided us with the second schnitzel experience of our trip, mostly because the menu wasn’t overly appealing (sorry if that sounds terrible) The schnitzel was great though, served with a beautiful new potato salad and a beautiful fresh salad. Both the museum and the cafe are worth a trip if you go, also you can check out Ryoji Ikeda if you like- it really needs to be seen (and heard) to be believed.
Another great little find on our trip was Oranium, which we visited twice during our stay- once for dinner and once for brunch. The food on both occasions was flavoursome, no fuss and served by friendly and efficient staff. Although the brunch was a real misch masch of components, there was no doubt that everything was uber-tasty! Oranium is on Oranienburger Strasse which, by day, feels pretty genteel but, by night, acts as home to Berlin’s countless hookers, drug dealers and graffiti artists which, I have to admit, only added to the experience.
The street also houses the famous Tacheles, a massive old building that has been under the control of squatters since 1989. Over this time, it has become a shrine to street art and houses numerous cellars and tunnels which attract tourists during the day and techno-heads until dawn… What a place!
There was one moment that defined our trip, probably the food that has made us smile more than anywhere else has for a while; no tablecloths, no wine list, no cheese trolley, no website- just a tiny facade hidden under a bridge on Friedrichstrasse. The food? Amazing. The queue? Long. Our menu choice? Curry Wurst, chips and ketchup… Absolutely incredible!
The photo will never do it any justice but I assure you that I will never forget Jemma and I just laughing at how incredible it was!
I would urge you to track this place down if you visit Berlin in the future…
One disappointing experience was probably the most expensive- I’m sure that everyone will have experienced this at some point! We found out that, by making a booking at Kafer, you could skip the queue at the Reichstag. Bonus.
However, dinner at Kafer set us back well over £150 and didn’t really live up to the prices or the setting. The restaurant itself is beautiful, having been designed (together with the dome) by Lord Norman Foster and includes and incredible glass dome set beside a glass box which houses Kafer. Service was gentle but friendly and the menu was relatively appealing but we both felt that the food needed to be executed better to provide value for money… I guess there were some nice little ideas there though, just needed tightened up a little.
Incredible, huh?
This trip was a real dream come true for me, having wanted to visit Berlin for years. It really lived up to the hype and championed many of my loves, including food, design and culture. I’ve lived in Germany in the past and have always felt that it’s such a shame that it has the stigma that it seems to have attached to it, as it really is a wonderful place to visit… and if you’re visiting for the first time? Try Berlin.
Sleeping, eating and drinking (click to visit each website)
Oranium, Oranienburger Strasse
