“Sometimes what belongs together comes together,” says Ben Pommer of the reopening of Kaschk. Known for its fine coffee, Scandinavian beers and shuffleboard, the bar now has “by Brlo” tacked onto its name after a takeover by the Berlin master brewers. Some things have remained the same, like the focus on beer: there are 12 varieties on tap, many of them now Brlo brews. My favorite is the Happy Pils, a delicately malty beer that retains a distinct bitterness. But the biggest change is to be found on the menu. As head of gastro at Brlo’s Brwhouse headquarters, Pommer has put vegetables at the forefront, whether fermented, pickled, smoked, or cooked in salt. Now he has “Brloized” Kaschk, meaning there are lots of nice things to accompany your beer with: nuts with Brlo’s BBQ rub, olives cooked with rosemary, thyme and and lemon-orange zest plus a delicious toasted flosame sandwich with mortadella and pistachio cream. The signature dish, however, is the vegan butcher’s plate. It includes beetroot baked in salt dough which is served in wafer-thin bresaola slices and tastes juicy, salty and sweet at the same time. Other highlights include a jackfruit rillette with sweet brandy and vegetarian stock, hay-smoked celery, and a pumpkin parfait that’s far more exciting than the typical vegan pastes. For the carnivores there’s also a non-vegan snack board with cheeses from Fritz Blomeyer and cooked meats from Biomanufaktur Havelland. The accompanying bread comes from the neighboring Zeit für Brot bakery. That said, I would make the trip for the jackfruit rillette alone – not to mention the beer. As for Pommer, he prefers to drink kombucha. To find out why, listen to the latest episode of the Teller Stories podcast where we also reveal how to pronounce the name Brlo correctly…

Text: Tina Hüttl / Photos: Kaschk

Kaschk by Brlo, Linienstr.40, 10119 Berlin–Mitte; map
Mon–Thu 8–2h, Fri 8–3h, Sat 10–3h, Sun 10–2h

@Kaschk