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_
