It’s hard to imagine that Korean cuisine was unchartered territory in Berlin only a few years ago. The now-burgeoning scene welcomed its latest addition in July 2018: NaNum. After her successful career as an alto singer, chef Jinok drew upon her love for cooking to create a homey café in a sleek, modern building, offering sophisticated, high-caliber South Korean cuisine. On the weekends, the authentic, seasonally-changing classics like cold buckwheat noodles, refined soups and traditional bibimbap are just as popular as the surprisingly experimental and beautifully-presented desserts “FlowerPop” and “Man Dzu.” Everything here is homemade — even the plateware, which are molded, baked and exhibited on site. The restaurant is worth visiting on a regular basis in order to absorb each element of Jinok’s passions: cooking, ceramics and singing. (Text: Serge Rompza / Photos: Pamina Aichhorn)
NaNum, Lindenstr.90, 10969 Berlin-Kreuzberg; map
Café and ceramics gallery: Mon-Fri 12h-19h, Sat 3-2
Restaurant: Fri 12-22.30h, Sat 15-22.30h
Serge Rompza has lived in Berlin since 2003. He is the co-founder of the design studio Node Berlin Oslo.
