BERLIN
by Rich Rubin
If you haven’t been to Berlin in
a while, you might be surprised by its transformation
into a foodie destination. With eleven Michelin-starred
restaurants, and a host of spots offering cuisine from
Japanese to Turkish to French (and everything in between),
this city relishes its food. Cosmopolitan, international
in scope, and constantly surprising, Berlin offers one
of Europe’s very best culinary scenes. If you’re
a bit daunted by the riches, sign up for a culinary tour
offered by Urban Insider (www.berlinagenten.com),
which gives you a “dine around” experience at
some of the best spots. In the meantime, here are some
of our favorite restaurants that you may want to visit
during your next trip to Berlin. Guten Appetit!
WEINBAR RUTZ
At Berlin’s latest entry into the starry Michelin
firmament, you enter into a wine shop/bar with floor-to-ceiling
glass shelves full of wine bottles, dark floors, and
soaring ceiling. Enjoy a creative bar menu here, or
head up the illuminated, translucent steps to the restaurant,
which features pink marble and deep wood tables with
white cloth runners. The food, served with amiable flair,
is among Berlin’s best, and includes such offerings
as a silky, cold red pepper soup with two perfectly-grilled,
charry scallops and a small dish of tandoori ice cream
that tastes about like you’d expect tandoori ice
cream to taste, but a million times better. Check out
such menu delights as pheasant with champagne and cabbage,
or cod with prawns, fennel, and balsamic. Indulge in
desserts whose creativity ranges from frozen plum soup
topped with white wine ice cream resting on a cylinder
of walnut crème caramel, to a half-liquid chocolate
soufflé with banana, passionfruit, and guava
ice cream. Can’t face all these choices? Try the
“surprise menu,” where chef Marco Müller
and his crew cook up four courses for you, so you can
sit back and relax as the delights appear before your
eyes. Chausseestrasse 8. Tel: 011-49-30-2462-8760. www.rutz-weinbar.de
SHIRO I SHIRO
The first thing you notice in Shiro I Shiro is
white: the walls, the long table in the front room,
colorless but for the glittery leaves and flowers embossed
into it, and a hint of blue in the chair cushions. The
back room has more traditional tables for two or four,
with a series of booths where you can pull the white
curtains and be alone with your partner and your amazing
food—and amazing it is, from the relatively straightforward
Japanese menu to the creatively European-with-a-hint-of-Asian
selections. The Caprese, for instance, is deconstructed
into a wonder of design and taste, the mozzarella alternating
with lettuce leaves in a little tower topped by a scoop
of basil ice cream, drizzled with balsamic reduction,
and the plate dotted with red and green tomato “hearts,”
seaweed, and a round balsamic crisp encircling tomato
marmalade. Lamb comes with pumpkin ravioli, a pumpkin-yuzu
chutney, and a jaunty pumpkin flower finishing off the
creation. Jellied quince soup boasts hazelnut/semolina
balls and a rich hazelnut sherbet, while kumquats are
served with gingerbread, a chocolate waffle, and hot
chocolate espuma. You’re unlikely to find food
like this anywhere else on earth. Best of all: contrary
to what you might expect from the formal look, the service
is the friendliest in town. Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse 11.
Tel: 011-49-30-9700-4790. www.shiroishiro.com
VAU
The cuisine at Michelin-starred Vau isn’t
wild or overly-designed, just perfectly-prepared and
delicious, not a flavor or texture out of place. Choose
smoked mackerel with pear purée, carrots, and
bacon, or tagliatelle with lobster and basil, followed,
perhaps, by braised shoulder of veal with broad beans
and chanterelles. Desserts are the most adventurous,
such as pineapple in sesame brittle with coconut mousse,
macadamia crème brûlée, and lemongrass/chile
ice cream, or pistachio mousse with hints of champagne
and mint. The setting is lovely, with modern, deep blue
oil paintings along the wall and a courtyard section
for nice weather. Service here is a bit formal, and
very attentive. As with most Berlin haute cuisine palaces,
the menu items are limited to a dozen or so wonderful
selections. Jägerstrasse 54/55. Tel: 011-49-30-202-9730.
www.vau-berlin.de
MORE
Enter More, and you won’t have much doubt
this is a gay restaurant. The walls are bright scarlet,
while illuminated columns of tiny white beads hang from
ceiling to countertops and are reflected in the large
wall mirrors. Cylindrical red lights hang from the ceiling
and a video screen shows a tumbling waterfall. If this
didn’t clue you in, check out the crowd: two men
in leather holding hands, two women leaning in over
the table to engage in intimate dialogue. Food choices
here range from an herbed crème soup with chorizo
chips to lamb in honey-spice sauce, or rumpsteak with
either Gorgonzola or pepper sauce. It’s a perfect
place to have a good meal before exploring the nightlife
of Schöneberg, or to treat the after-effects of
a night at the clubs with a hearty breakfast (served
till 5 P.M. for overindulgers). Motzstrasse 28, Schöneberg.
Tel: 011-49-30-2363-5702. www.more-berlin.de
MARGAUX
In Margaux, another of the city’s Michelin-starred
restaurants, there’s a restrained and very modern
elegance. Walls are marble-paneled, floors are marble,
armchairs sit at round or square tables while large
windows look onto a lovely courtyard. Choose a multi-course
menu of three, five, or seven courses and you can see
just how creative chef Michael Hoffmann is. Recommendations
include the octopus with fennel and scampi to such mains
as lobster glazed with melon vinegar and served with
glazed Jerusalem artichokes, avocado, dried peperoncini,
and a salad of cress and candied papaya. This is a splurge
spot, with a romantic ambience as well as high-design
food, the quintessential modern, urban, culinary palace.
Unter den Linden 78. Tel: 011-49-30-2265-2611. www.margaux-berlin.de
HASIR
With Berlin’s large Turkish population, it’s
not surprising to find one of its most interesting restaurants
reflecting the cuisine of Turkey, and Hasir has a welcoming
air as well as some of the city’s best examples
of this time-honored cuisine. Turkish tiles and paintings
of that country’s famous sights create an exotic
ambience. The menu dishes up all the best of Turkish
cookery, from börek (cheese-filled, rolled filo)
and köfte (spicy meatballs) to a variety of kebabs
and desserts like Turkish rice pudding or künefe,
a shredded wheat concoction that’s pretty incredible.
There are now several branches of this beloved restaurant,
but the Kreuzberg original is still tops for atmosphere
and a warm welcome. Adalbertstrasse 10. Tel: 011-49-30-614-2373.
www.hasir.de
 FISCHERS
FRITZ
Fischers Fritz wears its two Michelin stars gracefully
(it’s the only Berlin restaurant with two). The
service is flawless and sweet, and the room soothing
and graceful under glowing chandeliers and curtains
framing windows that look onto the famous boulevard
Unter den Linden. The food here is creative without
being pretentious. Cabbage salad, a traditional German
favorite, gets a modern spin, with a heady ginger sauce
and small pieces of pan-fried quail sitting atop. Carpaccio
of sturgeon comes with a cucumber salad and char caviar,
while cod is formed into “leaves” and served
with bacon and shrimp. Every dish is a perfect little
work of art, so beautifully presented that you have
to take a deep breath before destroying the creation.
When dessert arrives, it’s like a Jackson Pollock
painting, such as a chestnut ice with mandarin sour
cream and Chai latte foam. You won’t admire the
visuals for too long, as the depth and variety of flavor
is too tempting to sit there and look at. Charlottenstrasse
49. Tel: 011-49-30-2033-6363. www.fischersfritzberlin.de
HEAT
Not your typical hotel restaurant, this eatery
in the Radisson SAS delivers its eponymously fiery quality
in such dishes as Dal or South Indian curry. You can
go more traditional with a Berlin-style calve’s
liver with onions, apples, and potatoes, or indulge
in Tandoori lamb, chicken, or prawns (or a combination
of all three), with house-baked Naan bread as accompaniment.
In nice weather, take a seat in the lovely courtyard,
where tables scatter across a shady patio. Versalitity
is key here, and you can enjoy the spicy wonders of
Indian cuisine while your less-adventurous lover sticks
with fried scallops or gratinated goat cheese. It’s
all about the choice, and Heat gives you that in spades.
Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 3. Tel: 011-49-30-238-280. www.heat-berlin.de
[Published:
August, 2008]
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