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ALTE TURNHALLE — WEEKEND BRUNCH AND APERITIVO BETWEEN CHANDELIERS, TREES AND LISTED FACADES

ALTE TURNHALLE — WEEKEND BRUNCH AND APERITIVO BETWEEN CHANDELIERS, TREES AND LISTED FACADES

How happy I am that you’re finally over, dear April — your visit this year felt like an eternity again. It’s time to put winter clothes in the back of the wardrobe for good and spend as much time as possible outside. Since last week (26.04.2024), you can do this particularly well in the summer garden of the Alte Turnhalle. Between trees and fruit bushes, you can enjoy a green oasis for a relaxed afternoon every day from 3 pm. And, from 4 pm, you can try out their summer menu: Classic brat- and currywurst, fish & chips, small starters such as bruschetta or mixed platters to share with seasonal grilled vegetables, salads and baked potatoes — accompanied by a Lillet Berry, Spritz or a beer on tap. The garden is particularly suitable for evenings when you want to meet up with a large group of friends, and we all know it’s not easy to get a large table in a hurry in Berlin. On the weekend, it’s worth taking a look inside, because brunch in an old gymnasium between ladder rungs, original parquet flooring from the 1950s, and listed facades is a unique experience.

The Alte Turnhalle has been run as a restaurant and event location since 2017. In the 500 square meter hall with seven-meter-high barrel vaults and chandeliers, there is a large buffet every weekend from 10 am with a varied, seasonal selection of hot and cold dishes — vegetarians and vegans will also get their money’s worth. In addition to coffee and Prosecco, there are the in-house “Botanical Latte”s, such as the “Blue Balance” with lavender, cashews and frankincense; or the “Purple Chai” with lucuma, sweet potato and chai. You should leave room for dessert despite the large selection because if you miss out on a waffle (or two) from the in-house waffle station, you only have yourself to blame!

Text & Photos: Robyn Steffen

Alte Turnhalle, Holteistr.6–9, 10245 Berlin–Friedrichshain; map

@alteturnhalle

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TAPAS & PINTXOS FOR EVERYONE: EL COLMADO AT KU’DAMM — MEDITERRANEAN HOSPITALITY & SPANISH CLASSICS
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TAPAS & PINTXOS FOR EVERYONE: EL COLMADO AT KU’DAMM — MEDITERRANEAN HOSPITALITY & SPANISH CLASSICS

Tempranillo — we’ve all heard of it but my knowledge of the grape’s origin was limited. I now know it’s at home in the heart of Spain — just like Queso Castellano and Leche Frita — the region of cities Valladolid and Salamanca. If you want a taste of local Spanish specialities, head to El Colmado at Ku’damm. “El Colmado” means something like “grocery store”, but that’s an understatement because you can eat in and take specialities home for gifts or your pantry. In the bar, snack on tapas and Pintxos! Pintxos are the little brothers of tapas: small snacks, usually served on bread or a skewer. They’re a speciality from the Basque Country. If you love small bites, you’ll be happy in the tapas bar. But also if you like to sit together with lots of friends and share dishes, because paella is of course a must at a real Spanish restaurant (here colored with sepia); also available as a veggie version. Here you certainly get served authentic Spanish food, because it’s even approved with a seal of quality awarded by the Spanish Department of Economy and Trade.

You could almost call the pleasure of eating here a royal one because if the Spanish king ever visits Berlin, he will most likely be served the delicacies from El Colmado. That’s because the embassy is one of El Colmado’s catering customers. Until the end of May (31.05.2024), the restaurant — opened in 2017 by Ubaldo Valverde González and Maria del Mar Reines — is collaborating with the Spanish region of Castilla y León. Try traditional dishes like Croquetas rellenas de Cecina de León (croquettes stuffed with meat), Chuletón de Ávila con pimientos del Bierzo (T-bone steak with peppers from Bierzo) and Carrillada de cerdo ibérico en vino tinto de Ribera del Duero (pork cheeks in red wine sauce from Ribera del Duero). For every visit to El Colmado, a meal goes to four children each in collaboration with the NGO Mary’s Meals. The NGO provides 2,429,182 children in some of the world’s poorest countries with nutritious school meals. Admittedly, it won’t be easy for vegans, but vegetarians will get their money’s worth with dishes such as pimientos de padrón, tortilla and Spanish cheeses. And, to get you in the mood for summer, a glass of tempranillo with Basque cheesecake to top it all off!

Text: Maria Mayer / Photos: Robyn Steffen

El Colmado, Joachimsthaler Str.10–12, 10719 Berlin–Charlottenburg; map

@el_colmado_berlin

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CASUAL, ELEGANT DINING AT PARS — NOW ALSO À LA CARTE 

CASUAL, ELEGANT DINING AT PARS — NOW ALSO À LA CARTE 

If you’re a diligent reader of our newsletter, it will hardly surprise you when we say we are big fans of Pars. We’ll almost need a second hand to count the number of times we’ve reported on Kristiane Kegelmann’s restaurant and pralines. Behind Pars are three women who have created a unique place for casual fine dining. Owner and host Kristiane Kegelmann, chef Alina Jakobsmeier, and sommelier Julia Giese combine sophisticated craftsmanship with a flair — creating complex, multi-layered dishes using seasonal ingredients from small producers. In addition to the seasonal set menu, Pars has been offering à la carte dishes since yesterday (01.05.2024). So you can decide exactly what is brought to your table. Some dishes from the set menu are on offer but without the menu constraints. In addition, other larger dishes have been specially designed for the à la carte menu — changing, of course, depending on the season and best ingredients. With the additional concept, Kristiane wants one thing above all: to give more people access to her cuisine, regardless of their appetite or budget. Between stucco reliefs on the walls, cube parquet flooring, and works of art by Berlin artists, you can linger here with a glass of wine and a dish or two in a particularly casual, yet refined and elegant atmosphere.

Text: Robyn Steffen / Photos: Caroline Prange, Franz Grunewald, Pujan Shakupa

Pars, Grolmanstr.53–54, 10623 Berlin–Charlottenburg; map

@pars.berlin

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SMALL PLATES TO SHARE AT THE RESTAURANT GLASEREI — RECOMMENDED BY FRIEDERIKE SCHILBACH
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SMALL PLATES TO SHARE AT THE RESTAURANT GLASEREI — RECOMMENDED BY FRIEDERIKE SCHILBACH

With the sun setting on our faces, we stroll along Mehringdamm, the wide connecting axis between the city center and Tempelhof Airport. The large windows of Glaserei reflect the last glimpses of sunlight. When you walk into a new restaurant and it immediately feels like it’s always been there, you know it’s going to be a wonderful evening. Markus Schädel, from Schädels in Oderbergerstraße, and Albrecht Sprenger have opened their new restaurant with a bar and grill concept in the former glazier’s store. In the middle of the room stands a large zinc counter, bar stools and a few tables. They serve a variety of grilled dishes such as merguez with Provençal ketchup, sea bream fillet with lemon butter, grilled vegetables with pecorino, grilled pulpo, green asparagus, or rillette of smoked trout, fish soup with saffron, cannellini beans with baked garlic. We ordered lots of small plates to share, the table so full there was only room left for drinks. Simple dishes, accompanied by a glass of crémant, Chardonnay and potato chips — all served as though we had landed in a bar in Marseille rather than Mehringdamm. Next to us were a few locals and a table of teenagers: All generations coming together. “Just come in for a small plate or two. We cook what we like to eat ourselves,” says Markus Schädel and laughs. The naturalness with which his restaurant comes across is undeniable — unpretentious, delicious, to the point. We’ll be back here soon.

Friederike Schilbach is Editorial Director at Aufbau & Blumenbar. She works with authors such as Cemile Sahin, Rita Bullwinkel and Hengameh Yaghoobifarah. She likes peonies, and her favorite dish at Glaserei is the Sea Bream fillet with lemon butter. She lives with her family in Mitte.

Text: Friederike Schilbach, Milena Kalojanov / Photos: Robyn Steffen

Glaserei, Mehringdamm 49, 10961 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map

@glaserei_bar_grill

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KAKIGŌRI TO COOL OFF AT LUNCHTIME, RAMEN TO SIP IN THE EVENING — FUKAGAWA RAMEN AT TENZAN LAB

KAKIGŌRI TO COOL OFF AT LUNCHTIME, RAMEN TO SIP IN THE EVENING — FUKAGAWA RAMEN AT TENZAN LAB

It was abundantly clear when I traveled to Japan last year: there were to be no limits on my spending or appetite when it came to Kakigōri ice cream and ramen. Since then, I can’t imagine a summer without shaved ice. This is probably why Tenzan Lab has become a firm fixture in Berlin. Nothing soothes and cools a person down more than a Kakigōri ice cream at the bar on a late summer evening, and it serves the added benefit of instantly transporting me back to Japan. For ramen lovers, there’s even more reason to visit Tenzan Lab now that Leonardo Tsubasa has taken over the kitchen since March 2024 from 18h. with his Fukagawa Ramen pop-up. Masataka Namba, the founder of Tenzan Lab, discovered Leonardo’s ramen at the Gendarmenmarkt Christmas market and was so impressed he immediately gave him the chance to share his creations with a wider audience. “Fukagawa” is named after Leonardo’s father’s birthplace, who worked in the catering industry and ran several renowned restaurants in Berlin. With his untimely death, he passed on his passion for cooking to Leonardo — the pop-up’s name is a tribute to him. What makes it so special? He combines both of his parents’ countries of origin in his soups. His mother is Italian, and this is how the truffle ramen (shoyu ramen base) was born, straying from the classic version with a hint of truffle foam and finely chopped truffles. Alongside the “Shoyu Truffle,” the ramen dishes are made with a homemade broth, which he leaves to simmer and infuse for more than ten hours.

Some other options that jumped out at me were “Asari” with clams and garlic butter, and “Tsukemen,” where the noodles are served separately from the broth for dipping. Pair your meal with homemade yuzu lemonade or cold tea, and enjoy gyoza or Leonardo’s edamame special with chili, garlic and parmesan as appetizers. Dessert options may leave you spoilt for choice… Will you drop by in the afternoon and try the menu backward? First, the ice-cold cool-down with Masataka’s Kakigōri ice cream, followed by warm ramen to warm you up in the late evening. Or would you prefer to stick to the classic “first main course, then dessert” option? If the latter, you’re also in good hands at Fukagawa. A matcha or yuzu tiramisu is as perfect a way to round off a warm summer evening as a Kakigōri ice cream from Masataka.

Text & Photos: Robyn Steffen

Fukagawa Ramen, Wörther Str.22, 10405 Berlin–Prenzlauer Berg; map

@fukagawaramen

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