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KREPLACH, KUGEL, KUBANEH AND LOTS OF GOOD CHEER — BERTA RESTAURANT

KREPLACH, KUGEL, KUBANEH AND LOTS OF GOOD CHEER — BERTA RESTAURANT

An evening at Berta, the new restaurant from Israeli star chef Assaf Granit, is one you won’t soon forget. A stone’s throw from the Martin Gropius Bau, stepping into this extraordinary eatery makes you feel like you’ve stumbled into a boisterous family gathering. The heady atmosphere that hits you upon arrival is complemented by loud Israeli pop music and playful shouts from the open kitchen. The interior skillfully fuses modern chic with home cooking. Elegant marble surfaces and mid-century modern design meet lacy ceilings and antique family portraits. It isn’t just design preference, there is reason for the familiar decoration: this restaurant stands as a loving tribute to Assaf Granit’s Berlin grandmother Berta. So, along with kugel, kreplach and kubaneh, you’ll find traditional family recipes with influences from Germany, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Berta serves modern Jewish fusion cuisine at its best, from a challah unlike any other, to octopus that melts in your mouth, to mascarpone with Persian lemon and chocolate mousse with olive oil, salt and cardamom coffee crumble. For an evening at Berta’s, it’s worth bringing a decent appetite and plenty of good cheer.

Text: Natascha Hamel / Photos: Joerg Lehmann

Berta, Stresemannstr.99, 10963 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Mon–Sat 18h30–23h. The bar is open until 02h.

@berta.restaurant

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IT’S NICEST IN THE HEART OF IT: THE NEW BERLINER KANTINE OF THE BERLINER ENSEMBLE

IT’S NICEST IN THE HEART OF IT: THE NEW BERLINER KANTINE OF THE BERLINER ENSEMBLE

Every good – and every so-so – evening at the theater ends with a glass of wine. Or two. I especially like having mine in the theater’s own canteen. There, you can have a bite to eat after the show, discuss the play, meet the performers and other theatergoers. The mood is jovial, and in a way the play lives on. Now, as of January 2022, the Berliner Ensemble, located at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm, also has such a space – the Berliner Kantine. None other than Alireza Farahmand (creator of Themroc) and his partners Maxi Ebel and Raffaela Zerilli have dusted off the old canteen – breathing new life into it, so to speak. It has certainly paid off! The new rooms are radiant, the walls are hung with artworks by artist friends, and the kitchen smells wonderful. The three hosts welcome guests for lunch and dinner in their canteen with daily changing main dishes: pasta, cheese spaetzle or “Senfeier” (eggs in mustard sauce), beloved classics like the “Berlin Duet” (boulette with potato salad), a bouillabaisse and “Sabzi Polo Ba Morgh” (herbed rice & braised saffron chicken). All Persian dishes are from Ali’s family cookbooks, which have their roots in Iran.

The dining hall is buzzing: Cast and crew, neighbors and visitors alike all come to enjoy the food. We have dessert and a coffee in the newly designed courtyard and admire the new building of the venue (since 2019) – the New House. We stay because it is wonderful to sit beneath the awnings and trees. In the evening, we snag tickets for Lena Brasch’s sold-out play, “It’s Britney Bitch!” After an hour of intense solo performance by Sina Martens, we end the evening at the Berliner Ensemble’s own champagne bar, the Surabaya Bar. The concept seems to work: a meeting point that creates a place of connection for everyone in and beyond the theater world.

Text: Milena Kalojanov / Photos: Savannah van der Niet

Berliner Kantine, Bertolt-Brecht-Platz 1, Berlin–Mitte; map
Mon–Fri 10–00h, Sat & Sun 14-00h

@bk_berlinerkantine

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FRENCH BISTRO CULTURE ON POTSDAMER STRASSE — IRMA LA DOUCE

FRENCH BISTRO CULTURE ON POTSDAMER STRASSE — IRMA LA DOUCE

Bistro culture was born in France. Uncomplicated food in a casual atmosphere with a certain je ne sais quoi – a touch of glamor. You’ll find it in Paris, but also on Potsdamer Strasse at a stylish place called Irma la Douce. Owner Jonathan Kartenberg is a big name on the Berlin restaurant scene, running hinterhof eatery eins44 and delivery service The Good Taste. His French venture is housed in a white-ceilinged space that’s extensively mirrored and stuccoed, with a station clock hovering above diners. Named after the 1956 French musical, the restaurant opened in summer 2020 and soon earned its first Michelin star. No wonder, given Michael Schulz’s kitchen craftsmanship, which pays homage to the art of French sauces. This is particularly evident with the bouillabaisse fish stew. You won’t find a better example of it anywhere else in Berlin. Its individual parts, including shrimp, halibut, sea bass, red mullet, pulpo and mussels, are not cooked in the same pot but prepared individually and infused with the broth at the table. You’ll want to drink it up and dip it with the homemade sourdough bread.

If you don’t want to eat fish, there’s a selection of classics like beef tartare as well as vegetarian dishes, including a pumpkin salad with fig and Belper Knolle raw milk cheese, ricotta cannelloni and Eggs Sardou (a poached egg served on artichoke). Be sure to try the crème brûlée prepared with double cream and cheese by Erlangen affineur Volker Waltmann. Restaurant manager and sommelier Sascha Hammer is one of the best in his field, and the wine list is correspondingly expansive, with the focus on Burgundy and Bordeaux. Champagne is also available, of course, with 50 different varieties, accompanied by the Gillardeau oysters served up front. If you have a craving for Paris, you will be very happy here. 

Text: Eva Biringer / Photos: Florian Kottlewski & White Kitchen

Irma la Douce, Potsdamer Str.102, 10785 Berlin–Tiergarten; map
Tue–Sat 18–23h

@irmaladouceberlin

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JORD — TRADITIONAL GERMAN ABENDBROT GIVEN A MICHELIN STAR MAKEOVER BY BJÖRN SWANSON

JORD — TRADITIONAL GERMAN ABENDBROT GIVEN A MICHELIN STAR MAKEOVER BY BJÖRN SWANSON

Do you know the German word “Abendbrot”? Those light meals with bread, sausage, cheese and pickles from a jar? Familiar foods that give you the feeling of being at grandma’s house. At Jord, the restaurant run by Michelin star chef Björn Swanson, there’s no trace of grandma’s dated furnishings. Instead, you’re surrounded by a minimalist, cozy space that brings a touch of “old” Berlin. A gray cement floor meets white walls, with delicate wood and iron tables arranged under gold-gilded beams. The welcome is warm as you’re led past a well-equipped wine fridge to your table. As for the menu, it carries the word “Tischvoll” (“full table”) and is as streamlined as the interior. Instead of being served one dish after another, all the food is presented at the same time, leaving the order in which you eat up to you.

You’ll find fresh interpretations of Leberwurst, Berlin mustard egg with char fish caviar, pickled vegetables and lettuce á la Oma Irmgard – Swanson’s grandmother. For those less hungry, there’s a pared-down option with bread, butter, radish and cheese. Wine consultant Berdanette Wullich and sommelier Maximilian Kraft keep the glasses full with the finest wines throughout the evening. Simple and sensational, this Abendbrot is one you won’t easily forget.

Text: Ines Spicker / Photos: Lukas Kirchgasser & Ines Spicker

Jord, Brunnenstr.172, 10119 Berlin–Mitte; map
Mon–Sat 18–0h

@jord_berlin

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SWORD MASTER — CHIC EATERY SERVING HAND CUT KOREAN NOODLES

SWORD MASTER — CHIC EATERY SERVING HAND CUT KOREAN NOODLES

While the pen is usually mightier than the sword, there are some exceptions – like Sword Master Noodle. This Korean restaurant opened up shop in Prenzlauer Berg in September 2022 and serves traditional Korean wheat noodles which are hand cut with the blade of a knife. The resulting dish is called Kalguksu – a traditional Korean noodle soup whose name roughly translates as “knife noodles”. It’s a concept you won’t find elsewhere in town – all the more reason to pay a visit to this small, minimalist restaurant. If you’re quick, you can secure a seat right next to the glassed-walled kitchen and watch the steaming dishes being prepared. As far as the menu is concerned, less is more: you can choose between four generously portioned soups, served by one of the attentive owners. Whether you go for beef, chicken, grilled mushrooms or mussels, it’s worth ordering an extra portion of the fantastic homemade kimchi as a little treat. Just what you want to stick your fork – and knife – into.

Text & Photos: Natascha Hamel

Sword Master Noodle, Dunckerstr.30, 10439 Berlin–Prenzlauer Berg; map
Wed–Sun 17–22h

@swordmaster_noodle

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