Even though it is summer, we have some rainy days here in Berlin. And that makes me even more hungry. I needed to go out for a bite! So I called my twinster Sophia (from INSEARCHOF) to have breakfast. I have been following the Instagram Account from Keyser Soze since I moved to Berlin, and even though it is in Mitte, (not far away from my office) I never made it there. I Found this place when I clicked on a hashtag about of one my favorite movies: The Usual Suspects. Keyser Söze was the main character and antagonist on that film. Who doesn't love Kevin Spacey on that roll? If you haven't seen that 1995 film, take the night off and watch it! Lately, all breakfast places I have been going are gluten and lactose free, organic, vegan, blah blah. That is what it's trendy in Berlin at the moment. But as 90s the name Keyser Soze is, so it's their menu. Delicious traditional bread, fresh squeezed orange juice and huge platters of everything, from Brie to Nutella. We were hungry, or at least our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. We order the 3-eggs scrambled eggs with bacon, orange juice and the MAXI breakfast: Emmental Cheese, Brie, Quark, Salami, Serrano Ham, Turkey Ham, Nutella, Marmelade, Vanilla Joghurt, Butter, Bread and Fruits.
It was a huge amount of food. What started as a breakfast, had to turn into brunch and into lunch. Outside was raining cats an dogs while we were watching the people walk in the rain listening to a very soothing playlist trying to finish all this food. This place was exactly what I expected after seeing their instagram for months. And with awesome company and a great talk, was even more enjoyable. This 90s flair Café is definitely a place to give a try while you are in Mitte. And by checking other people's orders, the lunch menu looks very yummy as well.
0 Comments
Sometimes you wake up a little bit later than your friends only to find your timeline and a group chat talking about a new hype. Last Monday, Sophia, Maria & Kai (from IN SEARCH OF) & My Bestie, Foodie and awesome photographer Ailine were thrilled talking about Poke and how we should do a "cookalong" on saturday. I jumped to my mac and started the research. Poke has nothing to do with Pokemon Go, but is hyping almost as much. Poke (pronounced Poukai) is not Japanese but Hawaiian and is a fish salad! Though the seasonings are very influenced by japanese cuisine. Traditionally, it was just raw fish dipped in Soy Sauce and wasabi, but nowadays it has evolved (get the poke joke?) And how do we poke? it is easy! You start with a BASE of rice or salad then comes the FISH of choice with or without marinade, followed by TOPPINGS of your choice. It almost feel like making Fro-Yo. Once we set the date, we started to plan our Poke Evening. Deutsche See send us an amazing sortiment of fish and caviar: Rose Artic Smoked Salmon, Coho Wild Salmon, SAKU Tuna and Char Caviar... what a selection and what a great quality. Tvino sent us some great wines to pair with our Poke Bonanza: 2015 PFLÜGER Blanc de Noir (remember the Ylajali dinner when I met Mr. Pflüger himself?), 2014 GYSLER KAMMERTON RIESLING, 2014 FLORA RIESLING, SCHEUREBE, and more Now Let´s start Poking! BASE: 500 gr Sushi Rice 4 tbsp Rice vinegar 2 tbsp Sugar 1 tbsp Salt 2 tbsp roasted seeds (optional) Cook the rice after the package instructions, once it's done, add vinegar, sugar, seeds and salt and let it cool. It is always better to take the rice to a non-metallic bowl and add the vinegars and Co. using a wooden spoon... it is something about chemistry and oxidation. FISH: 700 gr Artic Rose Smoked Salmon from Deutsche See 1 part Sesame Oil 1 part Soya Sauce 2 parts Lime juice Cut the salmon in 1x1 cm dices and cover with the Lime, Soya and Sesam oil. The lime will cook abit the fish, so dont let it soak for too long. SAUCES: Sriracha or Wasabi Sauce 1 part Crème Fraîche 1 part Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise Mix both and add as much Sriracha or wasabi paste as u want. They will taste better if you make them one day in advance. Salsa: 7-10 Cherry tomatoes, diced 5 scallion stems, in rings 1 red chilli, diced 2 limes, juiced 2-3 tbsp soy Sauce 1 tbsp Mirin (optional) pepper Mix all in a bowl and let ist rest for at least an hour. TOPPINGS:
CEVICHE SALMON POKE RECIPE BASE: Salad & Rice FISH: Artic Rose with Lime Sesam Marinade TOPPINGS: Avocado, Mango, Edamame, Pimentos, Salsa, Sriracha Sauce, Nori Leaves, Char Caviar, scallions, Sesam Seeds and Wonton Chips. Maria & Sofia made poke bowls with the other 2 kinds of fish - Check their story and recipes here We had a blast!!!! The Food and wine was on spot... Company and Conversation as well.. what a Night! So what I think about this trend? love it and it should stay for a while! I cant wait to poke again! Thanks Ailine for the beautiful pictures, Deutsche See for the delicious Fish and Tvino for the wine! Food is always best with people you love...But better than words, the awesome pictures made by Ailine will show you what a great night we had: And dont forget to check the Poke bowls from my twin sisters from another mister at INSEARCH OF.. check out how they prepared the Tuna and the Coho Wild salmon!
America has the Olsen Twins, and Berlin Food scene has the Power Twins Sophia & Maria. From collaborating with Mit Vergnuegen to This is Jane Wayne and much more! But we were all wondering: When are they going to start something on their own? And after months of planning and thinking, together with Kai, IN SEARCH OF was born. But IN SEARCH OF is more than a food blog, but lifestyle, travel, Fashion, Fitness, you name it! When my partner in crime Ailine, told me about the event, I was like woooohhhooo! Death by Burrito with the twins.. best thing to do on a sunny saturday afternoon in Berlin. We went for some shopping first and walked our way to the PopUp Restaurant. We got way too early, but that meant: more dränks! We were very excited about This Mexican Asian Streetfood fusion. The menu this day was brought to us by Berlin's streetfood legend Truong Phuong aka Monsieur Dope (District Mot),Diana Quach (DQ, UrbanHunger) and Roberto Delucio (Kantine Kohlmann) And I have to say, from now on I will make only wonton nachos! they were delicious! As the hunger was huge after shopping, we ordered everything on the menu, besides the corn. And it was indeed enough food for us 2. Our favorites were The Sriracha Wings and The Peking Duck Carnitas, though all the food was very good! Check out their Facebook Page for further events. But as you see in this poster, the next event is this weekend with Gourment Vegan followed by Caribbean Food the 16th of April, Oyster Bar (yummieeee!) the 23rd-24th April and ending with an Open Air on May 1st!
Dont miss it and add them to your Calendar! Ahoi! I have been to many Michelin-starred restaurants, But I noticed they were all in the nordics. 3 star Maaemo, Ylajali and Kontrast in Oslo, Noma in Copenhagen (sadly no blogpost), Ask and Chef and Sommelier in Helsinki, Kadeau in Bornholm in between others, but somehow I totally missed German Michelin-starred restaurants, So I decided to start with VAU here in Berlin. This small pink fassade camouflages in a narrow street next to Gendarmenmarkt and Berlin's Concert Hall, and entering through a courtyard, you can find Vau. A beautiful place with place for about 60 people. Nicely adorned with cooper plates and wooden accessories. The light is dim and gives the place a golden look. In 1997, they were granted with their precious Michelin star... 17 years and still they are still holding it. The head Chef, Kolja Kleeberg, is one of a kind. He is an actor, singer, storyteller, entertainer, and cook. A very rare combination, but shows how creative he is, inside and outside the kitchen. Sadly he was on vacation the day I was there, but you can find him in the kitchen and around the restaurant when he is there. I didnt see any wine pairing menu, but well, I can't drink more than a glass a week at the moment, so I was recommended a Tobias Knewitz Sauvignon blanc instead of the Riesling I was going for...10 extra points for sommelier as it was delicious!! I went for the "Composition Menu". It is a more traditional menu than the "Improvisation Menu"... But I was excited about the truffles and the Valrhona chocolate and mango dessert. In every Nordic Michelin-starred restaurant I have been, the food is brought by one of the chefs or sommelier, there was no difference with this restaurant. The first dish was an explosion of seafood and spices served with a "salad" on the side (the combination of the tomato sauce and lentils and the fresh foams was a perfect match) Loved the detail of serving it on a Weck Glass. The second dish was the béchamel potatoes with truffles I was waiting for and they were perfect. And slowly I started noticing the difference between German kitchen and Nordic kitchen: The dishes here are heavier and less airy but that doesn't mean the aren't delicious as hell. The Turbot with eel, was once again a very strong dish, though the chervil root purée made a perfect contrast to it. This was a huge portion and I was starting to get worried about how much food I would be able to eat. All the different roots in the dish were delicious. Thanks Norway to make me love roots! A palate cleanser of the day was the Oyster with just pearls, a smooth and yet appetizing dish. It cleared my taste buds for what was coming: A dish made of different ways of making black feather chicken: Celery puree with crispy chicken breast, a roll with slow cooked and caramelized chicken, coq au vin, a traditional french christmas sausage with chicken liver, truffle & onion and a juicy chicken wing. This was a very french dish, exquisite and rich in flavor. The second palate cleanser was amazing and mouthwatering. The sorbet was perfect and the cheesecake cream was a dream! I should try this at home, definitely! And then The Valrhona bonanza started: White Valrhona chocolate ice cream over a mousse Au Valrhona chocolate with Valrhona chocolate cake with mango and passion fruit sauce. Salty Caramel sauce with a twig of Valrhona chocolate and Valrhona chocolate sprinkles. Lots of "Valrhona" on this dish :) Dinner was divine, and I totally recommend people to try this out. Be prepared to have a German-French fusion with loads of flavor.
I realized I need to explore more the haute cuisine in Germany, because it is a world difference between it and the nordics. Maaaan now I need a Valrhona Chocolate!! In Peru, Chicha is a kind of music or a purple corn lemonade. In Berlin, is one of the best peruvian restaurants in Europe. The newly open Chicha restaurant in Kreuzköln is already in my "faves list", not only because I can eat my favorite snack in the world, but the food and cocktails are amazing and well done. The menu starts with different kinds of ceviche, oysters and causa, though ceviche doesn't take over it. I ordered "Yuquitas" and Ailine got the "Chicha Ceviche" than in my opinion is the most traditional ceviche I had outside of Peru. The Yuquitas are mashed Cassava filled with cheese and deep-fried served with Hauncaina sauce. The portions are huge in this place. So be prepared to eat a lot. Dare and try the Beef Heart or instead of wine get a pisco cocktail. The service was great and the people working there are very friendly.
Be sure to make a reservation. They were pretty full even for a Wednesday. Otherwise, you can do like we did: Sit in the bar and try some cocktails until you get a table. When I think about turkish food in germany, the first thing that pops up in my mind is: Kebab, Döner or lahmacun. But when I heard there was a new place in town with turkish BBQ I had no idea what it expected us. Last Friday I drove for Dinner to Kreuzberg with one of my dearest friends, Food Blogger and Photographer, Ailine. We decided to try out this new place we heard about. FES was beautiful decorated: Brick walls, chalkboards and loads of "Fez" hanging on the walls. The guys working there were so warm and friendly, we felt almost at home. Each table had its own grill. We checked the menu and went for the Humus, Pimentos and aubergines for the side orders. And for the meat? well we got 500 grs of mixed meat: Chicken tighs, chicken breast, leg of lamb, lamb saddle, black angus beef and lamb chop. The idea is: BBQ your own meat! I was super hungry and has so much to talk (as always) that Ailine took care of the grilling. We couldn't finish the whole meal, way too much for two girls. We enjoyed an Ayran (turkish buttermilk) and some rose wine, and we had a blast. It was glutenfree, with seating options - With grill - outside, good prices and friendly service. What else can you ask? We totally recommend it, and will go back very soon! Rarely I travel to NeuKöln. It is quite bike ride from work and even on a taxi it takes me about 35 minutes. But my friend and foodie fellow René (one of the responsibles for Berlin Cooking Club) told me that there is a great place in that district called: Industry Standard and that we should pay it a visit.
Once I got there I was impressed of their scandinavian interior designed, decorated with great chalk drawings on the walls. The "artistic vibe" since you get there is just so Berlin! After a glance to their menu, you can see the french and mediterranean influence.. those duck hearts seemed to be delish, though as it was not possible to get them gluten free, I had to order some other stuff. But the highlight of the evening was "the crab". You can order a whole crab that will be served to be enjoyed and slurped until only the shell is left. It was just heavenly cooked! In this restaurant, you do not order one but several small dishes, 3 of them are enough to get you very satisfied and you can enjoy them with delicious natural and biodynamic wines or cocktails. You need to go to Neuköln because they will keep their promise: We will feed you. On my way to the hairdresser, I walked by this small rose color store. I saw a pork butcher chart on the window that looked just like my tattoo, and that caught my attention.
This tiny store is called Fleischhandlung, and it is one of the 3 stores of Baumgart und Braun. Even thoug it isnt a big store like FrischesParadis, you can find loads of things like Iberico pork, Dry Aged Beef, duck, chicken corn, quail, rabbit, Wagyu beef, lamb and more. But they dont just sell meat, they have mustards, barbecue sauces, mayonnaise, chutney, vinegar, oil, spices and fleur de Sel.Eine small selection of French and Italian delicacies such as ham, salami, various oils, vinegars, pâtés, mustard and spices. Check their Facebook Page and go pay them a visit! I got myself some Pata Negra Ham and Goose Foie Gras Scallops... Can wit to make those! First time I visited DUDU was on a trip to Berlin in 2012. My friend Anne took me there because there supposed to be the best maki roll ever. I love Japanese food. Point. I got super excited when I order the Crunchy DUDU Roll: a regular maki roll covered in tempura batter and deep fried. A roll out of this world! After that, every time I was in Berlin i HAD to visit DUDU for this roll. They have a lunch menu that changes everyday. You can sit outside in their private terrace and enjoy the warmth and their asian mood surrounded by big plants while sharing tables with very Berlinesque people. Evenings, it changes to a more dark and cozy mood, with great music and amazing atmosphere. Another highlight at DUDU is their Seafood Bowl, a huge platter full with raw fish, avocado cream, rice and peruvian tomato sauce. As I can't eat gluten, I didn't get the sauce, but I didn't miss it at all. The sauces and fresh fish were good enough to make me feel in vacation mood just by eating it. Torstrasse 134 is just 2 minutes on a bike from my work, and it is hard not to just go there on every lunch break. Now, DUDU has a second location in Charlottenburg called DUDU31 for the people living on the other side of Berlin.
The only sad thing is, that they didn't have gluten free soya sauce, though in DUDU31 they did had some. But it doesn't matter, the great food, ambiance and service makes it up for it. As well as eating with my Foodie Friends Ailine & Helena. I totally recommend to go there if u are in Berlin or just passing by! Berlin has a great amount of restaurants. I live now in Prenzlauer Berg and I have been in some restaurants already. But 2 weeks ago, I heard of Si An, a very traditional vietnamese restaurant at the Rykestrasse where mostly all dishes are vegetarian and glutenfree. I decided to go there with my old friends from Hamburg and was amazed by the incredible taste of their food. When my friend Helena decided to visit me from Oslo, I knew we should go to this place. The outside terrace is beautifully decorated with asian lamps and one feel suddenly like on vacation. I got a non-vegetarian Bun Cha Gio: Warm rice noodle salad with fresh spring rolls with pork, coriander, roasted peanuts mint honey dressing. Delicious and surprisingly huge for 7.80€. Not only was it all fresh but the don't use glutamate. This place is great for afterwork drinks and food or even a date on a saturday night. What makes this place even cooler? The service is extraordinary. The waiter saw me and knew already that last time I was there I needed a pillow as I wear shorts and the straw benches aren't so comfy for bare legs and he remembered I don't eat gluten. You wont need to chase a waiter to get their attention here, just a glance and they will be there to make your evening even more special. I totally recommend you guys to check out this place! I just got a Fuji xe1 to try as I am lacking a good camera at the moment (Thanks Ailine) But I have still no idea how to use it and this place is a bit dark as well ;) so I apologize for the semi blurry pictures...
|
Categories
All
Archives
June 2021
AuthorsI am Andrea, or as my friends call me, Jinx. I am a foodie living in Berlin, eating my way through life. Here are my recipes, cooking events, dining experiences and more... |