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ITA — LATIN AMERICAN FUSION WITH BISTRO FLAIR

ITA — LATIN AMERICAN FUSION WITH BISTRO FLAIR

Once in a while, you eat a dish that you can’t get out of your head. For a few weeks now, we’ve been entranced by one of the starters at Ita: the tlayuda. This pizza-like dish from the Mexican state of Oaxaca is a large, crispy corn tortilla topped with coriander cream, peas and summer vegetables. It’s a perfect snack to share on an August evening, and you’ll find yourself ordering a second one because it’s just so good. That said, at this cool, charming restaurant run by Micaela and Javier (of Remi and Bar Normal fame) every dish is good. The pair opened the Helmholtzplatz bistro in June 2023 and it became an instant classic. The décor is tasteful, the atmosphere warm and the dishes among the best in Berlin. The menu is Latin American-inspired, but blended with influences from other countries. There’s chicken in black mole and aguachile but also wonderful, freshly baked bread with miso butter. Dishes are cooked in a stone oven and employ regional, seasonal ingredients.

Then there’s the natural wine, a topic on which Micaela is happy to advise. The drinks menu includes favorites from her private collection as well as bottles from wine importers like Material. The name Ita is short for “itacate”, the Spanish word for food or provisions. It makes sense, since these are dishes you’ll want to eat today and tomorrow. This idea of being provided for reflects not just the food, but the atmosphere of the restaurant. You feel like you are in good hands, looked after by staff who seem at home. In a way, Ita is a bit like being in a living room. One which you share with your best friends and where there’s only one task: enjoying yourself.

Text: Laura Storfner & Robyn Steffen / Photos: Robyn Steffen

Ita, Lettestr.9, 10437 Berlin–Prenzlauer Berg; map
Thu–Mon 18–23h30

@ita.bistro

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WELCOME TO BOSTICH: EAT LIKE GODS IN FRANCE

WELCOME TO BOSTICH: EAT LIKE GODS IN FRANCE

It feels a little like we’ve landed in a bistro in the 11th arrondissement: But Bostich, with its white tablecloths and woven chairs close together as they line the sidewalk, is not found in Paris, but in the middle of Wilmersdorf. Yllnora Semsedini and Simon Bühler, who also run Torbar in Mitte, have created a place that is unparalleled in Berlin: The terrace is perfect for watching the hustle and bustle of West Berlin, while in the dining room you have the space to yourself. It almost seems as if Bostich has always been there – even though it only opened a few weeks ago. This may be due to the regulars who flock to the restaurant. The stylish interior provides a tasteful flair from another era, without drifting into clutter. The result is a mix of an elegant, free-spirited zeitgeist and a love of detail. For the interior design Semsedini and Bühler worked together with young craftsmen who know their art. You can make yourself comfortable in front of the pistachio-green walls; on the ceilings you can discover artfully modeled stucco between elegant chandeliers, which are modeled after lobsters and oysters.

In addition to fines de claire oysters and caviar, Bostich offers a terrific seafood platter and a lobster roll. Vegetarians can enjoy their excellent ratatouille, eggplant tartare and risotto with fresh truffles. We can’t decide and order so much that the charming waiter has to set up another table for us on the sidewalk – and it’s worth it, because the fine asparagus carpaccio with Parmesan convinces us just as much as the wonderful beef tartare. In addition to classics of French bistro cuisine, the menu also includes Swiss specialties such as freshly prepared Zürcher Geschnetzeltes. This is thanks to one of the restaurant’s creators: the Swiss Dieter Meier, artist and singer with the band Yello, who has made a name for himself as a restaurateur in recent years. He also gave the restaurant its name: “Bostich” is the name of one of the songs that made Yello famous in the early eighties. And, as is the case with artists’ restaurants, the owners do not specify how the restaurant should be pronounced. The more creative the pronunciation the better!

Text: Milena Kalojanov & Laura Storfner / Photos: Valentin Cheli

Bostich, Ludwigkirchstr.10A, 10719 Berlin–Wilmersdorf, map
Mon–Sat 16–24h

@bostichberlin

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FRENCH-MEDITERRANEAN LUXURY AT BISTRO PRICES — Á LA CARTE AT RICHARD BISTRO

FRENCH-MEDITERRANEAN LUXURY AT BISTRO PRICES — Á LA CARTE AT RICHARD BISTRO

The antique leaded glass windows are open, a breeze wafts through the room, the daylight shades of cool blue, intermingled with touches of pastel glass under the richly decorated ceiling that feels a thousand feet high: for years, Richard has been undisputedly one of the city’s most tasteful restaurants. In the hall-like space on Köpenicker Strasse, Hans Richard has been serving up Michelin-starred cuisine that could probably best be described as classic French with a constant international dialogue and eclectic vegetables. The walls have been covered with works by many artists, from Rose Wylie, Bernhard Martin and Araki to their current display of Klossowski, Kiesewetter, Alec Soth and Nikolaus List. The selection of works is full of taste, dialogue and eclecticism, as can also be seen throughout the interior. But wait a minute. Let’s start again from the beginning: The historic leaded glass windows are open, a breeze blows through the room – and it’s Monday? And where are the white tablecloths? Everything is looser. More open. Permeable. For two weeks now, Richard has also been one of the most beautiful bistros in the city from Sunday to Wednesday. What does that mean? Food à la carte. French bistro classics (oysters, tartare, fries) with Mediterranean touches (anchovies, taboulé, baba ganoush).

This is clear, for example, in the sweet bell pepper roasted with Spanish pimentón de la vera, dipped in Italian bagna cauda and served with Levantine labneh. Many dishes are small and cold, which is great because you can try them all (or share them, of course). Warm main dishes, which come to the tables in steaming copper pots, are specifically designed for sharing. There’s a bouillabaisse  (which is so good you could manage it on your own), and a whole braised shoulder of lamb from Müritz. Enough for four to six people, it comes with dried apricots, onions and almonds. The perfect Sunday roast (they’re open on Sunday from noon on). Afterwards, you have to have a Meringue Suisse. The pavlova-like concoction tastes like a cloud on which plump little angels float. The historic leaded glass windows are open, a breeze wafts through the room, and you’re lazy, happy, slightly tipsy, and full. The warm-hearted hostess Bernadette brings the bill with a chuckling laugh – and in the end it’s not that high. Oh Richard, how good that you now also have a bistro. We really needed it.

Text: Hilka Dirks / Photos: Robyn Steffen

Richard Bistro, Köpenicker Str.174, 10997 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Mon–Wed 18–23h & Sun 12h30–20h30

@richard_bistro_berlin

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NOMA, NEWSLETTERS AND ALL THINGS LOCAL — CÚÁN GREENE X ORA

NOMA, NEWSLETTERS AND ALL THINGS LOCAL — CÚÁN GREENE X ORA

When Nadine and Tom Michelberger took over Ora at the beginning of 2020 with Alan Micks – the long-standing chef de cuisine at the Michelberger Restaurant – the old pharmacy came to life again. Head chef Sam Kindillon (previously of Restaurant Relæ) and the team have created a regularly changing menu with an emphasis on classics done not so classic. Chef Cúán Greene will join the Ora kitchen for one night this Saturday (01.07.2023), cooking a 7-course tasting menu of thoughtful recipes made with local seasonal produce. Cúán has worked at the likes of Noma, Geranium, and Quique Dacosta and publishes a monthly newsletter, Ómós Digest, which is a kind of traveling caravan of ideas, collaborations, innovations and investigations surrounding what we eat. The word Ómós comes from the Irish language, and means homage, duty, and respect. It is an idea that has developed since Cúán returned from a four-year stint of cooking in Copenhagen. Drawing on his experience at Noma, the chef’s ambition is to create new ways of dining that include place, space, and community in equal measure.

The menu will be cooked by Cúán and his old friend and classmate Sam, whom he met while studying culinary arts in Dublin. An experimental familiarity is expected with dishes ranging from grilled mussel skewer, pasilla, garlic scapes and black lime to “Chicken and stuffing” with nasturtium plants. If you cannot make it Saturday, on Sunday (02.07.) the same team will cook their own version of kebabs with a DJ in the courtyard of the Michelberger Hotel. A smoked lamb shoulder on fermented potato flatbread or aubergine yogurt and parsley sumac salad will be offered, along with a Sicilian peach sorbet if you can still manage dessert. If you are feeling particularly peckish this weekend, why not throw caution to the wind and go to both?

Text: Kate Foran / Photos: Ora

Ora Restaurant & Wine Bar, Oranienplatz 14, 10999 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Tickets for 01.07.2023 can be bought here.

Michelberger Hotel, Warschauer Str.39-40, 10243 Berlin–Friedrichshain; map
02.07.2023 Walk-ins from 14h

@michelbergerhotel
@ora.berlin

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PARG: GARDEN-TO-TABLE DINING IN THE UCKERMARK ALL SUMMER LONG

PARG: GARDEN-TO-TABLE DINING IN THE UCKERMARK ALL SUMMER LONG

There are no sweeter memories than those of hours spent at a table under a summer sun, surrounded by good company, eating delicious food. For this I cannot think of a better place than Parg – Hannes Broecker and Claude Schötz’s new garden-to-table bistro in the Uckermark. No strangers to the restaurant scene, this duo are the talented two behind the much-loved wine bar, JaJa, in Neukölln. Now they split their time between the two locations, with Hannes in the kitchen, providing unexpected, complex, yet down-to-earth sharing dishes, using only produce picked fresh from their garden (tended to by the talented gardener, Paulina Brachvogel) or in the case of the fish and meat, sourced from local suppliers. On sunny days guests are invited to dine in the garden under the dappled shade of the trees, and when cooler or wetter, tables are arranged in the charming Palm House, built in 1900 to grow California stone fruit. On the sunday we visited, we sat out and enjoyed “Parg Brotzeit” – a platter of homemade breads, accompanied by quark, pickles, meats, and a new personal favorite “Solei” (think pickled eggs, the British pub-classic, but preserved in brine as opposed to vinegar). Other highlights included “Parg Sourdough Pizza”, one of the best pizza doughs I’ve eaten in a long time, topped with black garlic and mustard leaf (straight from the garden of course), as well as grilled char, topped with carrots, horseradish and dill. A summer day isn’t complete without ice cream and Parg have created a playful take on the popular dish Spaghetti Ice – made with rhubarb, condensed milk and rhubarb root oil. The wine is also not to be overlooked – it’s no surprise with their background at JaJa that Claude is able to recommend a wonderful selection of accompanying natural wines.

Once satisfied, stay a while and wander the gardens, read a book on the grass, or do like we did and squeeze in a second ice cream handmade by the charismatic Götz Bargende at Illegal Gelato; then cross the road over to On Studio, where you will find the ceramics your Parg meal was served upon. Finally stop by one of the many local lakes for a clarifying dip, before you start the journey home. This weekend (24. & 25.06) there is even an extra attraction – with Anna Falck–Ytter hosting her Cyanotypie Workshop. Sign up here.

Text: Chloë Galea / Photos: Savannah van der Niet

Parg at Grosser Garten, Dorfmitte 11, 17268 Gerswalde; map
Sat & Sun from 13h. You can book a table here.

@_parggg_

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