Candlelight flickers behind pale sheets of hand-dyed linen, framing a sunken wood table that sits 12. You’re invited to take a seat, leave your day behind and allow chef Makoto Ishii and Head of Service, Shuai Wang, to guide you through an elegant culinary and sensory experience inspired by the spirit of a Japanese tea ceremony. Opened in March 2018, Arai is the second restaurant from Shiori Arai and Flora Choi of Shiori. Like its forbearer, Arai offers an omakase (Japanese for “entrust”) set menu. At Arai, however, the cuisine is Chūka Ryōri: Chinese fare, reinterpreted through a Japanese lens, and distinguished in its flavours, plating, and menu composition. Of the 10-course crescendo, it’s the seafood that shines: Jellyfish in yuzu sauce. Surf clam marinated in sake. Potato with caviar. Fresh rose fish with vinegar. Chilled shrimp. Fried oyster. A communal hotpot of mapo tofu was presented at the table before the finale of dessert: a silken blood orange and mango pudding. To accompany the courses, a sake pairing is offered, which comes highly recommended — Arai works with Born, a traditional sake producer founded in 1860, and based in Shiori’s hometown of Fukui. Should you take it up, you’ll be presented with a wooden tray of individual sake cups to choose your favourite for the evening. They’re sourced from traditional Japanese and Korean ceramists, as are the dishes; while the chopsticks are made in Kyoto from bamboo cane. Every detail is chosen with great care and impeccable taste. Make a reservation the next time an occasion to impress presents itself — here, your evening is in the best of hands; the only thing you have to worry about is emerging again when the time comes. (Text: Anna Dorothea Ker / Photos: Sasha Kharchenko)

Arai, Straßburger Str.60, 10405 Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg; map

Tue-Sun, meal begins at 19.30. Reservations here.

Please note the omakase menu does not cater for vegetarians.

Since March 2018, we’ve had a mouthwatering new reason to spend more time at Neukölln’s Weichselplatz: W Pizza. Opened by design dealer Darius Suski and chef Łukasz Sołowiej (formerly of Zola), this hip Neapolitan pizza joint doubles as a bakery — with a Kees van der Westen “Spirit” espresso machine, for the record. The two Ws in its logo stand for wheat and weed — yes, you heard that right. The pizza dough here is expertly made with equal parts wheat and hemp flour before being wood-fired in a traditional Stefano Ferrara pizza oven, imported direct from Naples. The menu is short and sweet: Starters a tasting plate featuring fluffy focaccia and deliciously lemony olives to tide you over until your sumptuous pizza is served. It’s a tough choice between the classics, like the Bufala, and the more inventive options such as the “Eggplant”: eggplant cream, salsiccia, provola and basil, or the “Radicchio” pizza bianca: radicchio, gorgonzola, walnut and honey. Don’t hold back. P.S. From mid-spring, breakfast will be served on weekends, too. Word on the street is that Darius is developing a croissant with a pistachio filling. If the quality of the pizza is anything to go by, we can’t wait for our first bite. (Text: Lisa Strube / Photos: Anna Dorothea Ker)

W Pizza, Fuldastr.31, 12045 Berlin-Neukölln, map
Tue-Fri 18-22h, Sat 13-22h, Sun 13-21h

Though it may look unimpressive from the outside, the fantastic pizzas and great music dished up by Salami Social Club will convince you otherwise. In July 2016, the club was founded by the three friends Vinh, Jacob, and Ben. The latter has been perfecting his pizza dough recipe and coming up with creative toppings ever since he bought a pizza oven in his early 20s. This has resulted in delicious and sometimes unexpected pizza variations made with high-quality ingredients. “Spicy Salami” sells the best — and for good reason: It surprises your tastebuds with a fresh, spicy kick before ending on a sweet note. Honey is the secret ingredient! Everyone’s favorite vegetarian pizza is no less tempting: beetroot and pumpkin sprinkled with goat cheese, pine nuts, and hazelnuts. “Black Pudding” pizza topped with blood sausage is pure British nostalgia, and certainly an extraordinary concoction. Keen to experiment, the Salami Social Club regularly invites Berlin chefs to heat up the oven to create new and unusual dishes. When it comes to beer, the trio stay as local as possible, focusing on craft beers, such as those from the Neukölln brewery, Berliner Berg. Thursday is slice-night, a day when the club is especially crowded because a large slice of pizza only cost 1 Euro! It is the perfect opportunity to eat your way through the various pizzas on the menu. (Text: Jennifer Prietzel / Photos: Pamina Aichhorn)

Salami Social Club, Frankfurter Allee 43, 10247 Berlin-Friedrichshain; map

Open Sun-Wed 12-0h, Thu-Sat 12-1.30h; Event information on facebook