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
