Culinary Curiosities in the German Capital

B E R L I N
Bites
 BERLIN BITES!

E AT B E R L I N

Be Berlin! If you haven’t heard,

that’s the recently chosen slogan for
the German capital. The simplicity of
the message bears testimony to the
new self-confidence of the city on the
Spree. From New York to Tokyo, from
London to Cape Town, everyone is
talking about Berlin’s transformation
into a true European metropolis. As a
result, Berlin has seen record growth
in tourism year upon year. Regard-
less of whether you are interested in
European history at the Brandenburg
Gate, seek a clear view from the
television tower, or want to admire
world-class art in a bunker – the city’s
spectacular attractions can take your
breath away. In fact, they leave many
Finovo auf dem St. Matthäus-Kirchhof
a visitor gasping for the much-sung
Berlin air.
You can’t, however, fill your belly
only on air. “Eat Berlin!” is therefore
the motto of this present volume. In
Berlin, you can enjoy breakfast at
midnight and eat supper at twilight.
Not wanting to lose sight of the pleth-
ora of gastronomical delights the city
has to offer, this book presents both
a selection of classic dining locales
as well as quite a few hot tips. Where
can wine lovers savour a glass of Karl
Marx red wine? Where do celebrity
chefs shop for their food in the capi-
tal? Where can you get a serving of
grasshoppers, deer heart, and gnu?
The answers to many such questions
can be found in thes pages.
Berlin is the whole world in one
city – and all the different global com-
munities have brought their cuisine
along. Do you have a hunger for Ja-
panese kushiage, Norwegian lutefisk,
or Australian darkling beetle larvae?
No problem! The German capital is
not only home to exotic dishes from
the four corners of globe, but it is also
known for its contrasts and curious
5
dining establishments. What would
seem impossible elsewhere works just
fine in Berlin – like a romantic café in a
cemetery or a restaurant with Chinese
décor that serves Alpine cheese fon-
due accompanied by loud punk rock.
Not only tourists and visitors, but
even seasoned Berliners will find
something new in this guidebook. For
instance, there’s the delicious extract
won from a 27-kilogram pure silver
lobster press or the four-course meal
for those who love to try out some-
thing new – like eating in absolute
darkness. Experience these exciting
culinary discoveries and you will love
Berlin. After all, the way to your heart
is through your stomach.
Japanisches Kushiage
CONTENT | BERLIN BITES!

CHAPTER 1

8 Exotic Places and Ambiences

26 E N P A S S A N T : The Strangest Bar Names

CHAPTER 2

28 Glorious Drinks. Happiness in a Glass

48 E N P A S S A N T : Two in One

CHAPTER 3

52 A Year in Berlin.
Seasonal Locations and Events
68 E N P A S S A N T : Berlin Without Closing Hours.
Dining After Midnight

CHAPTER 4

72 Get Cooking. Ingredients and Equipment

90 E N P A S S A N T : Master Chefs and their Mysteries.
The Lobster Press at Fischers Fritz

CULINARY STREETS AND SQUARES

94 Oranienstrasse e 100 Savignyplatz

96 Kollwitzplatz 102 Güntzelstrasse
98 Akazienstrasse
 CONTENT | BERLIN BITES!

CHAPTER 5

104 Eat the World.

Culinary Journey across the Continents
126 E N P A S S A N T : Places for a Quick Fix and
Public Cafeterias

CHAPTER 6

128 Dining in Exile. Culinary Nostalgia for Expats

from Germany and the Rest of Europe
142 E N P A S S A N T : High-Tech Kitchen of the Future?
Molecular Magic

CHAPTER 7

144 Icke, dette, kiecke mal. Typical Berlin?

160 E N P A S S A N T : Berlin‘s Superlatives

164 G L O S S A RY: A D D R E S S D I R E C T O RY A N D R E C O M M E N DAT I O N S

178 S O U R C E O F I L L U S T R AT I O N S
179 AUTHORS
 Exotic

Berlin is a city full of surprises. Just wandering

the streets with an urge to discover, you will cer-

tainly come across many unique locations. Often,

however, there is nothing better than a good tip.

In this chapter, we will introduce you to unusual

cafés, bars, and restaurants that in their own

special way possess a peculiar aura.

 9

PLACES
AND AMBIENCES
 EXOTIC PLACES AND AMBIENCES | CHAPTER 1
10
The New East
It is night in Mitte. Even the smal-
lest ray of light has been swallowed up
into the pitch-black darkness so that
you can’t even see your own hand in
front of you. All around, lively dis-
cussions can be heard. Hands tightly
grasp the shoulder of the blind waiter
leading patrons to their seats in an
evening slalom. After carefully feeling
around for their chairs and the table,
the guests slowly sit down and stare off
into the darkness. The waiter departs
to serve the first course, leaving them
to wait in the Unsicht-Bar restaurant
in the company of around 160 other
guests. No one can see anyone else,
but then they are all the more clearly
heard.
After a few minutes, the waiter re-
turns. His unseen movements are not
even noticed. With a turn of the hand,
the first course and the drinks neatly
land on the table. Carefully, the search
for culinary delights begins. Every bite
remains a surprise. Eating at a restau-
rant in the dark is as much a taste test
as a guessing game.
About an hour later, the fourth and
last course is served. In the meantime,
the guests have become accustomed to
the darkness, can judge distances, are
familiar with the table setting, and can
eat without difficulty. If necessary, you
can even eat with your hands – nobo-
dy is going to see!
Leaving the darkened room on-
ce again requires grasping on to the
shoulder of the waiter, who leads the
patrons back into a lighted reception
room. The lounge, which is equipped
with comfortable seating, is where
one begins the evening adventure by
ordering drinks and choosing from
the enigmatic menu. One meal is de-
scribed as “the fish, whose triumphant
travel through the seven seas is both
sweet and salty, goes excellently with
alligator pears.” After the meal comes
the solution to the riddle in the form
of a special menu – “Mediterranean
tuna fish salad on a lightly truffled
avocado crème with various sorts of
salad.” Perhaps the guests won’t re-
cognize everything on the menu that
they ate. This unique sensory experi-

ence costs around 50 euros per menu.
The quality of the food, however, lags
somewhat behind the tremendous ex-
perience.
Only a few streets away, the won-
derful Bandol sur Mer offers a varie-
ty of exquisite cuisine. At this juncture,
we should put aside the hype that the
Mitte in-crowd has created surround-
ing this French restaurant. Since Brad
Pitt and Angelina Jolie began eating
here whenever they are in Berlin, the
city’s social butterflies have been excite-
dly hovering around this tiny locale.
Let us consider the Bandol sur Mer for
what it is – an unpretentious restau-
rant with a first-rate menu and excel-
lent wines, where everyone gets their
money’s worth, whether celebrated
film star or simple family man.
The restaurant, a former kebab
house, is the size of a living room. Its
six small tables offer room for no more
than about fifteen guests. The minima-
list furnishings, which are so popular
in Berlin, consist of simple benches
covered in black leather and dark
11
wooden chairs. Two large windows
facing the street provide guests with a
clear view of the busy Torstrasse. Two
walls are completely covered with lar-
ge blackboards upon which the daily
menu is written. The open kitchen
counter stretches along the wall left of
the entrance. Where the kebab skewer
once rotated now stands the nimble
chef, who, at the same time, ornately
prepares roast pigeon on a chanterel-
le ragout and crème brulée flambéed
over a Bunsen burner. All this activity
gives rise to anticipation, and, in fact,
the meals do melt in your mouth. The
Irish entrecôte is roasted perfectly, too.
Even Berlin’s celebrity chefs are
among the clientele, as they know that
here the food isn’t only filling, but one
leaves the table content. Don’t forget
to end your meal with one of the de-
serts and delicate sweet wines. Howe-
ver, in order to enjoy these culinary de-
lights, a reservation is mandatory. The
first “shift” in Bandol lasts from 6 to 9
pm. Afterwards comes the next cliente-
le and the evening begins anew.
 EXOTIC PLACES AND AMBIENCES | CHAPTER 1
12
Nine in the evening is just the
right time to visit White Trash Fast
Food , one of the hottest places in
the city. Soon after the turn of the
millennium, the proprietor, Wally,
a resourceful American, opened the
establishment, called White Trash for
short, in a former Chinese restaurant.
The ambience remained Chinese, but
he added cool doormen, thick burgers,
and loud indie music. The in-crowd
was impressed, and White Trash soon
acquired cult status. Some time later,
the restaurant moved into a large Irish
pub on Schönhauser Allee. Wally
and his crew took along much of the
Chinese furnishings and established
an excessive crossover style in the new
premises. The restaurant is now an
amalgam of Irish pub and Chinese
restaurant, a trash, kitsch, knick-knack
gallery and a garage club, the ugly and
the beautiful, the vulgar and the sub-
lime, piety and vice, Elvis worship and
crisp “Fuck You Fries.” Here, things go
well together that don’t really belong
together. Even the menu offers variety
– from Alpine cheese fondue to “King
Supreme Burger” with a sauerkraut-
cheddar topping. Customers get a very
decent meal to the accompaniment
of canned punk music or the way-out
sounds of a live country-indie-rock
band.
This haven of madness, quite typi-
cal for Berlin, is frequented by tour-
ists from around the world, who mix
right in with the local hip crowd. All
types are represented here - from the
roaming big city cowboy to the curi-
ous ordinary Joe. On any particular
night, you might see a fellow with a
beer belly in a polo shirt, a bald man
 13

Burlesque im White Trash Fast Food

 EXOTIC PLACES AND AMBIENCES | CHAPTER 1
14
with a necktie, some guy with a rocka-
billy quiff, a backcombed new waver
dressed in black, a tattooed punk lady,
and a would-be freak, who spends
two hours in front of the mirror so
that he looks as if he just woke up two
minutes ago. At this Vanity Fair, such
understatement is admittedly ironic,
but it is an irony that runs through the
whole establishment. Behind the Chi-
nese entrance portal stands a cashier as
well as a stylish receptionist who shows
the guests to their seats. Beside them
is an infernal machine spewing out a
constant stream of fresh popcorn. Red
Chinese lanterns hang from the ceil-
ing and gilded demon-like dragons
with jagged tongues wind themselves
around supporting pillars. Attractive
personnel hurry from table to table to
appease the crowd of hungry stom-
achs. Behind the bar, steps lead up to
a long extended gallery. Decorating
the walls are pictures of Alpine sub-
jects seemingly taken from sentimental
film melodramas. Another set of stairs
plunges to the lowest lever – a room
shaped like a galley furnished with
large tables and long benches. Aquari-
Ein Stück Chinatown im White Trash
ums embellish one wall, while dusty
glass showcases with old ship models
grace the other. In short, the chaos in
White Trash is well thought out. Once
extremely popular in Mitte and Pren-
zlauer Berg, the living room style of
decor, which only requires some chairs
bought from the flea market and some
cheap tables or ripping down the wall-
paper before opening up to sell beer
and caipirinha, is finally out. Although
today Trash might look cheap, the real-
ity is that a great deal of money, organ-
ization and quality stand behind the
image. Perhaps this is the most promi-
nent change in Berlin from the 1990s
to the 2000 decade. Berlin Mitte still
boasts unusual, flipped out locations
and its share of urban freaks. But they
are no longer so poor. Instead, they are
professional.
To try something at the other
extreme, there is Café Sibylle on
Karl-Marx-Allee. This is not the East
Berlin where the new is celebrated, but
a relic from the past. Already back in
1953, it was a popular “Milchtrinkhal-
le” or milk bar, before being trans-

formed into a café in the 1960s. It is
located in one of the most imposing
of the workers’ palaces built after the
war that stretch between Strausberger
Platz and the two domed towers on
Frankfurter Tor. A full-length window
provides a clear view of the multi-lane
boulevard, where the workers’ uprising
of June 1953 broke out, before being
quashed with tanks. The old-fashioned
Café Sibylle isn’t particularly cosy, but
it does exude a very special and calm
East German charm. Many of the cus-
tomers were locals when the monu-
mental boulevard was called Stalinal-
lee. They are now between seventy and
ninety years old and lived through the
transformations from National Social-
ism to communism and then, later, to
capitalism. What remains is the daily
or weekly visit to Café Sibylle, where
they mingle with the much younger
architecture students and artists who
have moved in to the massive apart-
ment blocks on Karl-Marx-Allee since
the fall of communism. They are fre-
quently entertained by live Jazz and
Klezmer groups, and only then are the
furnishings rearranged. Yet, the mu-
Der Wein im Café
Sibylle ist extra-rot
15
seum at the rear of the café remains
unchanged. It documents the stirring
history of the construction of Karl-
Marx-Strasse, Europe’s longest archi-
tectural monument.
On regular weekdays, there are usu-
ally only a few guests sitting in Café
Sibylle. It is then that time seems to
stand still. In comparison to White
Trash Fast Food, the staff seem to
move in slow motion. In terms of cui-
sine, the café offers what was histori-
cally on the menu – coffee with cake
or Swedish ice cream sundae. This East
German national dessert consists of
a mountain of vanilla ice cream with
applesauce, whipped cream, advocaat,
and chocolate sprinkles on top. In ad-
dition, there is Karl Marx wine from
Ruwertal. This is where the philoso-
pher once owned his own vineyard. To
this day, his descendants in Trier are
winegrowers and produce the Pinot
Noir, which bears a large likeness of
the bearded thinker on its label. The
wine can be savoured at the café or, if
you choose, take a bottle home. Karl
Marx to go! What would he have said
 53

BERLI N
S E A S O N A L L O C AT I O N S

AND EVENTS
 A YEAR IN BERLIN | CHAPTER 3
Kurze Pause hinter den Kulissen bei Aldemir
54
It’s springtime in Berlin. The city
yearns for the first warm rays of sun-
shine. And as soon as the faintest signs
of spring have appeared, all at once
a whole host of pale urban dwellers
emerge from their appartments to fill
Berlin’s street cafés, beer gardens, and
parks. Enjoy the first ice cream of the
year at Aldemir. Kreuzbergers pa-
tiently line up at this prettily decorated
ice cream shop to sample unusual va-
rieties such as ginger and ‘Grandma’s
apple pie’.
At the same time of year, the scent
of grilled meat begins to rise above
Tiergarten Park. Mainly Turkish
families and groups of students set up
their camping equipment and picnic
blankets on the sparkling green field
in front of Bellevue Palace. For those
without a grill at hand, an alternative
is the Café am Neuen See, a beer
garden idyllically set on the water that
offers an assortment of large pizzas.
The Biergarten Zenner, located
in Treptow Park on the Spree, is a des-
tination steeped in tradition. Nestled
between maple and lime trees, couples
have long come here for the legendary
Tea Dance held every Sunday from 2
pm in the spring to late summer. For
the most part, elderly ladies and gen-
tlemen assemble on the dance floor,
shuffling under the open sky to the
rhythms of their favourite hits from
the past. And the event wouldn’t be
complete without a serving of coffee
and cake or perhaps a Berliner wheat
beer with a currywurst sausage.
On the grounds of the beer gar-
den stands a neo-classical villa, which
has been popular as an inn since the
1820s. Its spacious summer terrace
provides a magnificent view of the
Spree as well as an excellent vantage
point to observe the dancing couples.
The upper floor of the villa houses the
Eierschale Zenner. The inn’s vener-
able rooms are subdivided into niches
and the walls and ceilings are covered
in dark wood panelling. Starting at
10 am on Sundays, the inn offers an
affordable brunch accompanied by a
small orchestra playing traditional jazz.
The fine aroma of freshly baked rolls
and plain filter coffee bring back mem-
ories of breakfast in the former East
 55

Nach der Bootspartie eine Erfrischung im

Biergarten: das Café am Neuen See
 A YEAR IN BERLIN | CHAPTER 3

Wenn der Rheingauer Wein fließt: Moment-

aufnahmen am Rüdesheimer Platz

56

Germany. Many of the regulars simply
skip brunch and begin their days with
a Guinness.The Burger King on the
ground floor of the villa doesn’t exactly
fit in with the quaint surroundings
and bestows the location with an even
greater air of obscurity. The glamour of
the capital city has yet to arrive here.
The same might be said of the
Rheingauer Weinbrunnen on
Rüdesheimer Platz. For over 40 years,
three wine-growing families have been
selling their Rheingau wine in a shady
garden full of old lime trees. The selec-
tion includes dry and semi-dry Ries-
ling. Guests are encouraged to bring
their own food and the response is
generally enthusiastic. On weekends,
families and friends meet here with
picnic baskets full to the brim and ta-
bles are opulently laid out with food.
The mood is vibrant and cheerful –
thanks to the wine. The beer garden is
flanked by the massive Siegfried Foun-
tain and on one side runs a well-tend-
ed garden with colourful flowerbeds.
Local residents relax on the benches to
read a book and enjoy the subtle com-
57
fort radiating from the square. It only
ever gets really loud during the last
weekend of August when the Rheingau
Weekend is celebrated.
It is no secret the Kreuzbergers
know how to party. The district is re-
nowned for its especially long nights,
celebrated in song in an old German
hit by the Blattschuss Brothers. In
June, a three-day jazz festival takes
place on Bergmanstrasse. The excite-
ment, however, isn’t only limited to
the music. During the day, a culinary
happening called Kreuzberg kocht!
is held in parallel on the nearby Cham-
issoplatz Square. In a large tent, seven
Kreuzberg master chefs prepare deli-
cious meals for the price of a take-out
dinner. This is quintessential Berlin, a
city that is “poor, but sexy,” as its May-
or Klaus Wowereit proudly explains.
Also sexy are the many beach bars
that can be found in the summer in ev-
er-increasing numbers along the Spree.
They fit the image of the modern beer
garden – cocktails instead of beer,
a sandy beach in place of a garden,
 A YEAR IN BERLIN | CHAPTER 3
58
and deck chairs replacing traditional
benches. Artificial palm trees embel-
lish many beach bars and others make
quite an impression with their terraces
and fancy wooden bars.
The most unspoiled beach bar is
Kiki Blofeld , named after the imagi-
nary daughter of Ernst Stavro Blofeld,
the arch-villain of James Bond films.
Kiki now wants to make good for the
sins of her father by being the charm-
ing hostess of this Berlin establish-
ment.
It is not an easy place to find the
first time around. A narrow path
branches off Köpenicker Strasse and
then passes by two second-hand car
lots. The visitor must then traverse an
overgrown field in the shadow of the
ruins of an old brick factory building
with a crumbling chimney. Off to the
side, a riverside plot of land about a
hectare in size awaits the curious. An
enchanting little patch of wood leads
to an invulnerable cement bunker,
once a boathouse of the East German
People’s Army. The roof of the bunker
serves as a terrace, while the interior of
the edifice is open to the Spree, pro-
viding a venue for club concerts and
parties.
Beside the bunker lies the peace-
ful thin patch of beach. Here is where
sun-lovers mix with curious tourists to
enjoy the view of the television tower
across the Spree. In the evening hours,
a large bonfire keeps the guests warm.
Blofeld also offers the culinary basics
– grill, beer, and cocktails. Without a
doubt, Kiki Blofeld shares many of the
characteristics of Berlin – makeshift
and resourceful, not exactly perfect or
squeaky clean, yet spacious and off-
beat.
These attributes also aptly describe
the so-called Thai Meet in Preus-
senpark , an authentic cultural and
culinary event guaranteed to aston-
ish onlookers from spring to autumn.
Right in the centre of respectable
Wilmersdorf, Berlin takes on the guise
of a Far Eastern market place, reveal-
ing an exotic world full of unfamiliar
sounds and smells to be found no-
where else in the city.
On nice days, especially on week-
ends, up to 400 members of Berlin’s
Mal laut, mal leise. Relaxen oder Party im
Kiki Blofeld

59
 A YEAR IN BERLIN | CHAPTER 3

60

Teezeremonie im Berghaus zum

Osmanthussaft

Thai community meet on the large
open field in the park to play cards,
cook, and eat. The spectacle begins
at around two in the afternoon and
lasts until nightfall. Vendors sitting on
low cushions offer innumerable dishes
ranging from fried bananas and sesame
seeds to fish and meat grilled on a spit.
This activity, more tolerated than legal,
attracts both local residents and those
simply out for a casual walk, drawn by
the delicious aromas and the knowl-
edge of a good meal. Hungry Berliners
can be seen kneeling patiently under
one of the many colourful umbrel-
las, keenly watching as a Thai woman
prepares a bamboo noodle dish in two
steaming aluminium pots. Prices are a
matter of negotiation.
For a glimpse into the advanced
civilizations of the Far East, one only
has to visit the Gardens of the World
in the Marzahn Recreational Park.
Many a West Berliner may feel that the
city district of Marzahn is already in
the Far East, yet what we are referring
to here are the Japanese, Korean, Ba-
linese, and Chinese gardens that have
been integrated into the park land-
Emsige Vorbereitungen für die große
Zusammenkunft der Thai-Community
61
scape. Marzahn’s austere concrete slab
high-rises encircle the park and create
a richly contrasting picture. In this
depressing lunar landscape of boring
tower blocks and wide thoroughfares,
such as the Allee der Kosmonauten,
the delicate and harmonious Asiatic
gardens seem like they come from an-
other planet.
The Chinese “Garden of the Re-
claimed Moon” is a jewel of classical
Chinese architecture and garden de-
sign. The valuable wood, stones, and
sculptures that make up the garden
were specially shipped from China to
Berlin. The garden also includes a tea-
house called the Mountain House of
Osmanthus Juice, set on a tranquil
lake. While here, visitors should make
a point of attending a traditional tea
ceremony. You can choose from among
over 30 selected green tea varieties,
such as the precious High Mountain
Tea, which comes for one of China’s
mountainous regions. Sitting on the
teahouse terrace on a late summer day,
one can feel a measure of peace and
harmony even in Marzahn.
 A YEAR IN BERLIN | CHAPTER 3
62
The sun’s strength slowly fades and
a cold wind blows the autumn leaves
from the trees. The nights become
longer and cooler. It is autumn in Ber-
lin, and this means that it is harvest
time at the Domäne Dahlem. The
18-hectare large estate includes fields,
vegetable gardens, animal stables,
manor houses, and a village common
from the 16th century, which serves as
a marketplace. Germany’s only farm
with a subway connection holds a
potato festival every autumn, where
Berliners can harvest their own pota-
toes for a price of one euro a kilogram.
The fields are quickly picked clean by
the eager urban visitors. There is also
a bonfire to roast the potatoes, which
is great fun for the children and tastes
good besides. For those who don’t care
to roll up their sleeves, there are plenty
of quality regional produce at the po-
pular marketplace, such as solid horse
meat sausages, moist organic cakes,
fine sallow thorn marzipan, truffle brie,
and Roquefort-pear paste. A Dixieland
band plays on stage, while basket wea-
vers and blacksmiths display their tra-
ditional crafts. From March to Decem-
ber, Domäne Dahlem regularly hosts
special market days and events, such as
the summer Berlin Bratwurst Cham-
pionship. The estate store is open year-
round and sells seasonal produce and
organic foods from regional farms.
Whisky fans are sure to get their
money’s worth at Cöpenicker Whis-
ky-Herbst . Not far from Köpenick
Town Hall is Freiheit 15, where the
restaurant ship Ars Vivendi is anchored.
The canal vessel, built in 1878, is the
venue for a whisky fair at which pro-
ducers of the high percentage beverage
give the public an opportunity to sam-
ple their wares. Exhibitors set up their
stands in a tent village outside on the
square by the waters of the Müggel-
spree, as if it were a Roman military
camp. Many of the visitors can be
seen wearing Scottish kilts. Most of
the goods on display come from the
motherland of whisky. The community
of connoisseurs become spellbound
and inspired as up to fifty-year-old rare
whiskies trickle down their throats.
Liquid gold.
Neben Speisen und kulinarischen Produkten
gibt es in der Domäne Dahlem auch traditio-
nelles Handwerk zu sehen

63