Admittedly, I try to avoid this area, and if I get lost there, it’s only to get to the nearest neighborhood as quickly as possible. But since February 2024, there’s now a reason to stop here: The Brasserie Dandelion. The bright, open restaurant is an oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Warschauer Straße. High ceilings, plenty of plants, and light-colored wood create the perfect ambiance for this. Qingqing Hu, owner of Dandelion, studied architecture and specialized in gastronomy design. Naturally, she played a significant role in the interior design. The simplicity of form, functionality, and particular attention to detail characterize the brasserie’s interior and the dishes she and Chef Troy Lopez put on the menu. The dishes at Dandelion are inspired by Japanese cuisine but incorporate new influences, including those of the chef. Troy was born in Jamaica and has lived in Berlin for 25 years. After studying literature in New York, he moved to Paris, where his cooking career officially began. Since then, he has been cooking “passionately, romantically, and with an extra dose of pragmatism”. You may have tasted his work at Rosa Caleta, a small restaurant with Jamaican-European fusion cuisine on Muskauer Straße, where he was the head chef and co-founder.

Qing and Troy started on Warschauer Straße with Sandos. They now offer an extensive menu ranging from starters and shared dishes to hot and cold main courses and desserts. The menu remains diverse: you can enjoy traditional dishes such as tantan ramen, vegetable tempura, or cold soba noodles (served with ice cubes, just like in Japan). There are also fusion dishes derived from traditional recipes and enhanced with experimental and diverse influences. One of the classics is the miso carbonara with udon noodles, coated in a creamy sauce of parmesan, egg yolk, and miso, served with crispy fried bacon and shimeji mushrooms. New dishes are already being planned — I’m particularly looking forward to Nikkei cuisine, which combines Peruvian and Japanese influences. Once you’ve visited Dandelion and met Qing and Troy, I’m confident that Warschauer Straße will no longer be an annoying stopover but a final destination.

Text & Photos: Robyn Steffen

Brasserie Dandelion, Warschauer Str.36, 10243 Berlin–Friedrichshain; map

@brasserie_dandelion

On the first evening of May, I found myself in Wedding, at UUU to be precise. Yuhang Wu and Jonas Borchers welcome a couple of regular guests and me at the door — a wall of tiles appears behind a long curtain, and another room with a U-shaped table opens up around the corner. The UUU is a special place: modern, elegant, understated and intimate. Eight guests at one table, a fixed eight-course menu accompanied by tea have been on offer since September 2020. But, as we know, May brings new arrivals — even at UUU. But only temporarily — only in May! “Those who live in the mountains eat the mountains; those who live by the sea eat the sea,” they say in China. With the new “Eat the Sea” menu, chef Yuhang introduces you to the culinary diversity of China’s 14,000-kilometer coastline for one month. The usual menu takes a break, but you can choose freely from the May menu — which changes depending on the available catch and is designed to share. Steamed oysters with Shenyang dip, scallops on glass noodles with fermented chili and garlic, wood mackerel dumplings, roasted potatoes with mint and green asparagus. As usual, the menu offers the perfect mix of reinterpreted classics and unique combinations, which seamlessly tie together in Yuhang’s dishes.

Comfort food such as dumplings and glass noodles are refined without being pretentious and, if you grew up with Asian cuisine, that’s exactly what you want: simple and honest dishes. Incidentally, the honesty and simplicity run through the entire experience. Despite the intimate atmosphere (which, let’s be honest, can sometimes be more off-putting than inviting), I feel comfortable all evening. The regulars laugh heartily at my endless enthusiasm and Jonas, who calmly explains the menu, makes recommendations while being anything but intrusive. During the pop-up, Jonas serves cold-brewed Chinese teas as always, but (only in May) long drinks with or without alcohol are on the menu. And then there are the Wowi desserts, which have dug their way very, very deep into my heart. The first time you bite into the sweet potato mille-feuille and the rhubarb tart with lemongrass cream and soft soy meringue, you’ll wonder why you didn’t try them sooner. 

Text: Robyn Steffen / Photos: Robyn Steffen & UUU

UUU, Sprengelstr.15, 13353 Berlin–Wedding; map

@uuuberlin