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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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ENJOY MEDITERRANEAN FUSION CUISINE ON LAYLA’S SUMMER TERRACE

ENJOY MEDITERRANEAN FUSION CUISINE ON LAYLA’S SUMMER TERRACE

We’ve revisited one of our tips – because there’s news at Layla: not only can you eat at this elegant restaurant vis-à-vis Tempodrom, but now you can also take a little taste of summer with you on the new terrace. Here you’ll find everything Berlin’s summer has to offer: balmy temperatures, a gentle breeze and, of course, the best of the Mediterranean cuisine that Layla stands for – in its very own “Meir” style. By “the best” we mean the incomparable mix of spices, flavors and ingredients from the Mediterranean region, with which the renowned Israeli chef Meir Adoni impresses his visitors time and again. In addition to signature dishes such as lamb chops cooked on the grill and seasoned with a “secret” pepper (that’s all we were told!) and the distinctive kubana (a traditional Shabbat bread) Layla is now a nice destination for sophisticated sunset drinks. At the beginning of May 2023, the new terrace opened with over 50 seats where you can enjoy summery drink creations by bar manager Valery Lela Shargorodsky.

One such drink is the Gamba: a fancy cocktail with a tequila bell pepper infusion, apricot and guava. It’s accompanied by sharing plates. Additional items on the menu include Middle Eastern Tacos and the Lima Beans Masabacha. Our tip: secure seats outside by the window, where you can enjoy the open air and take a peek through the window at the open kitchen, which can be seen from all sides and is one of our personal highlights. So, if you’re in the mood for summer and fancy a relaxed, discovery-filled evening, come on over. The terrace offers enough space to end the evening in a large group – something the sharing plates are ideal for. P.S. Meir himself will be in town for a few days (13-17.06.2023) cooking in the open kitchen – adding an extra portion of good vibes to the evening.

Text & Photos: Robyn Steffen

Layla, Hallesche Str.10, 10963 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Tue–Sat from 18h, bar open daily from 18h. You can make reservation  here.

@layla_berlin

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YAKITORI AND ROOFTOP VIEWS OVER KREUZBERG — TORIKABIN FROM STOKE

YAKITORI AND ROOFTOP VIEWS OVER KREUZBERG — TORIKABIN FROM STOKE

Traditional practices, refined aesthetics and a deep respect for quality ingredients – nothing fascinates me more than the food culture of Japan. It’s so much more than just sushi and ramen, but the principle is always the same: craft takes the most important role, along with the right ingredients. With Torikabin, you can literally experience this firsthand in the summer above the rooftops of Kreuzberg. The dinner project is part of Stoke, a concept by Jeffrey Claudio, Jessica Tan and Niklas Harmsen. Jeffrey worked among others at Burnt Ends in Singapore, and Jessica Tan spent a long time at Ralae Group in Copenhagen. With Torikabin, they have created a temporary installation where they can realize their vision of wood fired cooking and warm hospitality. Throughout summer 2023, a small wooden cabin stands on the roof of Aufbau Haus on Moritzplatz, with a traditional noren waving along to the rhythm of the wind at the entrance. You sit close together on wooden stools, and in the middle is the open kitchen, where Jeffrey prepares the yakitori skewers before your eyes. Yakitori traditionally consists of chicken meat barbecued over an open fire. The meat is seasoned with salt and pepper or dipped in a “tare” sauce, mixed together from soy sauce, mirin and sake. Sounds simple? Maybe – but the simpler the ingredients, the less room there is to cover up mistakes. The meat is served accompanied by seasonal pickled vegetables, rice and a potato salad I’ll probably rave about forever.

There’s also a vegetarian menu: the skewer concept remains, with tofu, grilled cheese and various vegetables prepared for you on the wood fire. In the evening Jessica pours the wine, mixes whisky and soda drinks and serves Berliner Fuerst Wiacek beer. To top it off are grilled strawberries – really memorable strawberries. For Jeffrey, Jessica and Niklas, Torikabin is an art installation, for me the evening was so much more. This is where craftsmanship, hospitality, the most tender chicken, Japanese highballs and flames meet amidst sunset views over Berlin. FOMO? Absolutely justified at Torikabin!

Text & Photos: Robyn Steffen

Torikabin at Aufbau Haus, Prinzenstr.84.1, 10969 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map

Thu–Sat 18–23h, until the end of August 2023. First sitting 18–20h, second sitting 20h30–22h30. You can make reservations here.

@stoke.berlin

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HOMEMADE KIMCHI MEETS SPANISH CHEESE: SEOUL AND ANDALUSIA EATS AT KOCHU KARU DELI

HOMEMADE KIMCHI MEETS SPANISH CHEESE: SEOUL AND ANDALUSIA EATS AT KOCHU KARU DELI

It all started eleven years ago when Bini Lee and José Morillo opened the charming restaurant Kochu Karu on Eberswalder Straße. Within a short time, Kochu Karu had become a well-known and popular address for innovative cuisine in Berlin. The two incorporate much from their respective homelands into their cooking: Bini comes from South Korea and used to perform on stage as an opera singer, and Kochu Karu’s eye-catching interior was also inspired by her past. Her friends from the theater collaborated on the design and interior décor and the striking mural was created by Berlin-based illustrator Ulrich Scheel. Hailing from Andalusia, José was the chef during Bini’s internship that got her started in the restaurant business. Their roots are very important to both of them. They feel strongly that their cuisine is neither Korean nor Spanish, but a fusion of memories, family recipes and traditional methods of production.

As restaurant owners, Bini and José had to figure things out during the pandemic, and after their successful “Nimm Mahl! – To Go Service,” the two discovered that many of Kochu Karu’s delicious products could also be packaged very well by the jar. So when a small storefront directly across from their restaurant became available last year, the two didn’t hesitate for long: the Kochu Karu Deli was born! Here, gourmets can find homemade kimchi, apple-wasabi dressing or their own soy sauce, a lovingly curated selection of natural wines, Spanish cheese and ham, as well as rotating hot dishes such as hearty Tempel Bibimbap and what are surely the most delicious roast beef sandwiches in Prenzlauer Berg. All dishes can be enjoyed on the spot or packed to go. And since Bini and José can never sit still, they are now sharing their knowledge and appreciation for good food with interested participants as part of their new Tasty Sunday series. For example: What is kimchi, what makes it so good, and what else can I do with it? Here you can broaden your culinary horizons in a relaxed atmosphere, talk shop, philosophize, feast – and toast to a delicious evening.

Text & Photos: Natascha Hamel

Kochu Karu Deli, Eberswalder Str.16, 10437 Berlin–Prenzlauer Berg; map
Wed–Sat 12–19h & Sun 12–16h

Kochu Karu Restaurant, Eberswalder Str.35, 10437 Berlin–Prenzlauer Berg; map
Wed–Sat 18–23h30

@kochukaruberlin

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