Foodie Berlin: ZUKA Dessert Manufaktur

Very often when I expected a lot of time enthusiastically to go checking some cakes place everyone was talking about and left it with a big disappointment. I discovered ZUKA around one year ago during a walk with a friend, entered to see what it is all about and waited and waited till paying a visit. Somehow, I wanted to be sure that this place is for real and will stay open for longer. 

I went there during the week, around the middle of the day and it was almost empty. Some guests were enjoying the last summer days and were enjoying the outside places. However, I remember to see the place almost full in the evening. The overall design of the curvaceous location with a window wall was a bit disappointed as I expected more elegance after looking at the tempting pieces of cake. Another disappointment was the absence of wifi, something almost normal for many German places. 

After a bit of hesitation, I ordered a peach green tea tart and an eclair. After the disappointing KaDeWe eclair experience where I paid a lot for being offered a very sugary pastry, this time the sweetness was moderate, but the pastry a bit tasteless. The cold cream of the filling and the sweetness of the dots of chocolate changed the impression and till I was done I was having my sugar shoot. Before going further with the tasting, I allowed the very normal cappuccino to clean my mouth.

The fine green tea wall with a strong macha taste hide a white mascarpone cream, the only sweet part of the cake, with peaches on the top. Every single bit of it revealed new pleasures and alll the three elements of the cake balanced and completed each other. At the end of it, my eclair impression was just modest. 

The cakes can be also ordered for home. The prices are acceptable and the service is moderately friendly. Every single sweet temptation is offered on a small golden paper, and looks tempting enough to feed even the most sophisticated sweet teeth. This time, my sweet adventure was not disappointing. 

Korean Food Stories at Gong Gan

I am an admirer of the fine selection of Asian restaurants from the Western side of the city, especially Kantstrasse, but when it comes to genuine Korean restaurant I was told to rather go on the other side of the Berlin. And, as usual, I take the recommendations of my friends very seriously, but for various reasons, I delayed with putting it into pratice. Only the rain and hunger brought me a couple of days ago at one of the outdoor wooden lego-like tables of the Gong Gan restaurant on Schwedter Str. 2. 

The menu choices are relatively limited with medium prices. It has a breakfast option for around 6 EUR. which includes various European toasts. 

Too late for a toast, I wanted to seriously start the investigation of the state of the art of the Korean food in Berlin with something original. Like the famous Bibimbap, that was brought to me relatively fast, but with metal chopsticks which is not necessarily my choice no.1 in hygienic terms. Warned to 'mix up' the content, I had a look at the ingredients: rice, tofu, shreds of carrots, finely sliced onions, salad, hot sauce, some crest, ruccola (ingredient which I bet is not part of the original recipe). It went out good, with the green leaves balancing the hotness of the sauce. The original bibimbap also has an egg on the top, and various sorts of bean pasta too, and used to be served on the eve of the lunar new year as a mixture of all the leftover found in the house. It is mostly known in the meaty variant. The overall impression was good and healty, but not unforgettable.

What left unforgettable memories to my palate was the gree hot macha tea. Original green tea, served moderatelly hot, sugarless and with that original taste that I only remember from my genuine foodie Japanese adventures. Most probably, from now on I will look for a long time for this taste. 

Design-wise, the place looks from inside as a crowded antiquities shop, but looking for my outdoor bench seems like an interesting place to explore. There is also a lego corner, where I assume is enjoyable for everyone's inner child. The ambiance was pleasant, with nice service and jazz musical background from the 1920s. 

Gong Gan is open daily between 9 and 19 from Monday to Thursday and between 9 and 22 from Friday to Saturday. Although not sure if I will be back soon, at least this restaurant opened the series of what I hope to be many other tasty reviews of Korean food in Berlin.

Foodie Berlin: Lemon Leaf Indochine cuisine in Friedrichshain

If I want a genuine Indochinese menu, it is very easy to find a good restaurant in France, but till now never was desperate enough to have a look at the German offer. I did not see too many restaurants with such an offer either. When one week ago I finished some meetings in Friedrichshain and was left with a bit more time for myself and seen the Lemon Leef inviting menu, I decided - after another tour of the streets around and some deep thinking about what I really want to eat - to give it a try. 

There are outside tables the type you will find in any beergarden, the best place to observe the coming and going in Friedrichshain, but the indoors is decorated pleasantly, with many colours and colourful umbrellas. Everything looks clean, with the toilets modestely clean. If you are on your own, you can find some newspapers and reviews to fill your time while waiting. As each of the dishes is prepared in the wok, the guests are warned to be ready to wait a bit longer. 

However, take this mention as a sample of good Asian politeness, as I did not feel that I had to wait more than 15 minutes, and the drinks are usually brought within minutes. My drinking choice for a hot day was Mekong River, home made ice tea with fresh limes and brown sugar and as requested, many ice cubes: slightly aromated and refreshing enough to make me forget about my usual choice of Vietnamese coffee with sweetened condensed milk.  

Not a bit soup fan, but this time, really wanted something completely different and ordered Canh Khoai Mon: taro coconut milk with chilli, celery, zucchini, leak, coriander and roasted peanuts. Served and preferably eaten hot, it is unexpectedly sweet, with some spicey balances brought by the chilli and beautified by the coriander smell and aromas. After more spoons, you will discover how spicey it can be. Indochinese cuisine summarizes the Laos and Cambodian food, which usually keeps up with the rich vegetable menu of the Vietnamese, to which many spices are added. 

I got to know the real strength of spices in my next meal: Phad Indochne. A rice noodles dish, with eggs, curry, Cambodian green onions, tofu, chillies, pak choi, soy bean sprouts, paprika, carrots and cashew nuts. It loooks as an innocent combination but it hot, hot hot. That hot that you may really lose any sense of other specific taste. The solution is just give your full attention to the sprouts and eat them in bunches as a balance to the sauce and chilli. 

The meals do have meat as well, but can be prepared with tofu as well. The prices are moderate and the menu rich enough to give a second try.

Foodie review: Ishin Udon Kobo Restaurant

Out of many Japanese restaurants in Berlin, Ishin sounds and tastes for me the most genuine, not only because the food is affordable and the service is always smiling, but because it looks and offers the same kind of menu that I was used with in Japan. This was available in the case of sushi that I intensively tested and tasted in the last years. But a couple of months ago, a new restaurant was open, serving the famous udon, that is so hard to find in Berlin restaurants in the classical delicious form. 

It Thursday, middle of the day and the business lunch offers is running, but the place is relatively empty. For the weekend, there are other special offers, with children offers included. Compared to the other Ishin restaurants, it is not only open on Sunday but also accepts credit cards. If you are living in America or other big European countries this detail may sound irrelevant, but if you are living in Berlin it matters a lot. 

Design-wise, it seems that this restaurant allowed more interest for creating a special ambiance, with typical Japanese drawings on the wall and half-wooden walls. In addition, the natural green decorations are creating a friendly space complimenting the always smiling and ready to help service. I also liked the pastel mild colours of the Japanese looking dishware I was served in.

Shortly after taking my order, the Japanese lady brought me a mug of cold mugicha tea, a coffeine free roasted grain based infusion. Popular not only in Japan, China and Korea, but also in the UK it seems to change the taste depending of the accompanying bits of food I had before. They do not use the green tea refill system from the other restaurants, but this cup is refreshing enough for not wanting another one. 

Shortly after ordering, my meals are coming. First, the pumpkin croquettes of Korokke, oil-free and with the fresh sweet taste of pumpkin, with a good freshness added by the salad leaves. The plum based sauce makes the pumpkin taste, with a bread consistency, more fruity. I savored it bit by bit, as every time I was expecting to find something new or extraordinary. Nothing happened by far but the gourmet experience was good. 

Then, the star of the meal arrived: the udon soup, with Japanese scallions, shiitake mushrooms, radiches and fish. To be eaten by using the chopsticks - for the udon noodles and the other ingredients and with the big spoon for the liquid. If you want to do it native way, don't forget to sip the noodles as noisous as possible. 'People don't do it like this here' noticed the Japanese lady serving me and I acquiesce, but to be honest I am reluctant to do it myself. Ok, I did it once, but shortly thereafter I was looking around embarassed. No social risks, everyone was looking either in their smart phone or in their bowl of udon so no danger of being disqualified. 

As for the content of my soup, I was delighted to rediscover the original taste of udon, with the fresh pasta and delicate composure of the noodles that finely goes together with the other ingredients. Not too spicey and not too tasteless, that balance that helps us to go successfully through days and life. 

When it was about time to leave, I realized how much I missed the good old udon and how keen I am to return there as soon as I will be again in this part of Mitte.

Israeli lunch and unforgettable Pavlova at NENI

The 25 hours hotel bikini Berlin opened more than one year ago, and pleasant gossips about good food and interesting interior design reached my foodie ears, but although I am visiting the vicinity at least once the week, I did not dare to go further on from the hipsterish entrance. Till one day, when too tired after an early spring trip through Tierpark I went straight away, passed the Trabant in the lobby and went up to the 10th floor to NENI restaurant and its Monkey Bar. As usual, my spontaneous plans bring always the best results.

The elevator stopped directly to the 10th floor and for the beginning, made a tour of the Monkey Bar, with comfy sofas covered by colourful pillows outlined by mysterious lights in the corners. It is mid-day and the ambiance in the lounge is chilling, with some people eating from the plates resting on their knees, everything under the playful eyes of the monkeys on the metal plattered walls that reminds some old temples in Thailand.

Similarly with the design of the neighbouring Bikini concept stores, the ceiling is an intricated plumbing labyrinth, but the flower decorations, and the bric-a-brac of vintage objects exposed on the massive counter brings a note of irony and home feeling to the huge space. 

Colours and the natural light are dotting the massive wooden blocks. Cocktails parties are often held here, under the motto of Balagan, the Yiddish word for overwhelming chaos - a leaflet at the bar describes it as a 'sympathetic chaos'. As the hunger won over my interest for design and etymology, I promise to think more about it when I will for some cocktails. 

It is one sunny day, so I stay a couple of more minutes on the terrace, admiring the view over Ku'damm and the KaDeWe. As everywhere around, there is a lot of green which makes the stay even more enjoyable. In a way, it reminds me of the nice green rooftops of Tel Aviv, always ready to welcome unknown guests for the long summer parties. 

But it is time for real food now, otherwise the brain cannot think. Not as fast as I wish, because there is a long cue and I have to wait in line to be seated. As usual, since living in Europe I forgot how important a reservation can be for a successful lunch, but luckily, there are some places left for the spontaneous type of humans. 

After being seated, my order is taken even faster, by one of the many people running around as organized bees. Despite the full tables and the Babel of languages, everything goes rapidly and you feel like home. You can even have a look at the kitchen, where home-made recipes are prepared. It seems that the idea of the founder of NENI, the successful Haya Molcho that moved from Vienna to Berlin, to make the restaurant more than an eating place, but a place you feel like home, was successful. NENI stands as the acronyme of the names of her four sons: Nuriel, Elior, Nadiv and Ilan. 

The menu is not that long, but has so many dear recipe names to me that I don't hesitate a second before ordering: a lemonade, prepared according to the highest standards of the Tel Aviv restaurants (the kind that I am longing for for centuries in this city), cold, with mint leaves and balanced portions of sugar and lemon; sabich; and...some special sweet non-existent in Berlin till now whose name I will disclose later on. While waiting, some fresh olives covered in spices and olive oil make me dream about sea and the summer.

The place looks like a huge eatery, with a podium in the middle with more tables, under a coverage of green plants hanging from the ceiling. Tables are also set outside, where one can admire some fancy parts of West Berlin while eating. 

The pita is so fresh and moderately warm that I can spend hours eating only it. The sabich is prepared according to secret directions known only to those who are familiar with the Frishman beach restaurant. It combines a finely fried eggplant, roasted carefully in order to let the flesh fresh, plus some special hummus, spiced, and slow poached egg. Using the traditional recipe, it brings a new fresh taste, brought by the art of combining skillfully the spices. The local cuisine of NENI combines the family knowledge that has Israeli, Romanian and Spanish influences. Temping meals as chraime - a special recipe of Moroccan fish - babaganoush, 3-colour hummus (curry and red beet, besides the classical one) or the well-known shakshuka are encouraging me to make my foodie wish list for my next visits. There are also meat-based dishes and a variant of the popular Ruben sandwich.

The queen of my menu is called Pavlova. This is a fantastic sweet, whose memories are hunting me for years. In Berlin, every time I asked, I was received with suspicion, silence or surprise. Here, it is part of the menu and no one looked at me with big eyes when I ordered it. Wish I was able to have more and more portions. Made following a recipe of Haya Molcho, it combines the softness, sweetness, and freshness of the meringue with whipped cream but also some sour taste brought by the red sauce, and a very special note brough by the mint. Perfection for me!

Happy with my choices, I decided to leave in time, generous enough for letting other people too the chance to taste so many delicious foods. The prices are moderate to high, but in the case of my orders, it deserved every single Euro. 

With so many Israeli visiting and even moving to Berlin, it is about time to bring some changes to the local cuisine. NENI is a very good example that will feed my foodie dreams for a long time now.

Foodie Berlin: Chao Pure Vietnam

After my glorius foodie experience at Good Morning, Vietnam, on the Eastern side of the city, I did not find any similar high-appreciation, although I did my best to find. Things changed completely a couple of days ago, when not too hungry, but exhausted after too much walking around Ku'damm and Savigny Platz hunting for subjects, I stumbled upon the newly rebranded and renovated Chao, situated on the already famous fodie avenue of Charlottenburg, at the no. 33 of Kantstrasse. It was around the lunch time, shortly after the opening, at 12 o'clock, in the middle of the week and for more than one hour I was the only guest. The ambiance was relaxing, with some soothing house music in the background, with fast and friendly service and menus written in both English and German.The toilets are not extremely stylish, but very clean. 

 Besides the service, I really apreciated the interior design, with big beautiful pictures from Vietnam, bushes of natural bamboo and small natural flowers and romantic candles on the table. I repeated 'natural' on purpose, to make the difference  with many Asian restaurants where the dusty and kitchy plastic flowers are the queens of the table. The furniture looks a bit unmatched and not that modern, but the glassware looks authentic, with some beige variations and bamboo chopsticks. The prices are moderated and regularly there are special lunch offers.

I started my lavish lunch with a Mekong Mystery drink - a delicate smooth combination of mango, coconut milk and mint. Naturally sweet, creamy and brought cold, made on the spot. The mint brings some sparkling accents, while the mango fits perfectly with the coconut to whom it brings discrete sweetness.

 My favourite choice were the summer rolls, with tofu, coriander and many vermicelli, accompanied by soy sauce. The tasted are coming along together very well, and the light fried tofu makes a difference among the many fresh vegetables and the neutral vermicelli.

Curious to taste as many meals as possible - although there are at least two more choices, plus some tempting desserts that I would love to try a next time - I continued with dau phu sot lac: a mountain of veggies soaked in peanut sauce accompanied by a pyramid of rice. The rice was very good, but somehow found that some of the veggies were not well cooked - the carrots - or not necessarily at their place there - the tomatoes, for instance. The slices of tofu were welcomed, but did not always complement the abundant cooked and fresh vegetables.

At the end of the meal, the traditional cold Vietnamese coffee. The long spoon is for mixing hard the milk and sugar.

The overall impression was good - except the last minutes spent there when I felt some cigarettes smoke coming from the direction of the kitchen and did not enjoy it - with good prices and enough interesting meals on the menu that may bring me back very soon.

Foodie Berlin: Nea Knosso

I am rarely eating Greek food, but given my love for cheese, once in a while I feel the need to have the delicious experience of the special milk-based products from this country. Greece's culinary diversity made it for a long food story in itself with each area sharing a specific menu. Thus, the curious foodie can taste more regions at once, just on one big plate. A couple of days ago, I set for a Cretan cuisine meal, at the Nea Knosso restaurant in the Western part of Berlin, on Güntzelstraße 48. It is very close from Spichernstrasse U-Bahn or around 15 minutes of walking from Fehrbelliner Platz U-Bahn. 

I arrived at the lunch time, and the tables covered by the Greek classical squared-black and white- patterned table covers were ready for customers. The menu was brought fast and so was the meal. Only taking a decision was not easy, with so many offers of souvlakis, halvas, honey Greek yoghurt or gyros. I decided a classical plate Feta Fournou, with goat cheese, tomatoes, olives, pepperoni, with some healthy drops of classical Cretan olive oil. A heavy combination, maybe a bit salty too, but the vegetables and the olive oil succeeded to cut shortly the over-saturation of the cheese. 

The ambiance was pleasant, a classical Greek quietness and relaxation, and very low sound Greek disco music.

In order to keep the visitor's brain entertained, napkins with basic Greek words translated into German were brought. As a did some Modern Greek classes back in my university years, it was nice to remember some words and think that maybe when will have more time will try to start learning the language again. 

The interior design is of a classical Greek taverna, with lots of classical landscape paintings on the wall, not all of them the perfect classical taste, but colourful enough to make you feel the easy going life. The prices are acceptable, with regular lunch offers.

The rich menu and the many interesting local Cretan meals are definitely call me back soon, and who knows, maybe I will finally be able to come back soon to Greece for a serious country exploration. 

Foodie Berlin: Persepolis, probably the best Persian food in town

There is no secret that I love very much the Persian food, and although I took some cooking classes trying to learn its secrets, I am still (very) far away from preparing completely on my own a full delicious successful menu. For people like me, there are restaurants that could offer me not only inspiration, but also a traditional good meal. Recently, I had a long evening stop at Persepolis, situated mid-way to U-Bahn stations Nollendorfplatz and Kurfurstenstrasse. The place has many big tables, and also a separate place for smokers so theoretically you don't need a reservation in advance. The menu, extended on a couple of pages, is traditional, with an addition of Shiraz wines - but from California. The service is very fast and welcoming, ready to help you with information in case you don't know what you can expect on your dish.

As a started, it was not difficult to make a choice: dolmah berg, stuffed grape leaves with rice and herbs, on a plate with cucumber pickles, fresh tomatoes and olives covered in spices. Tasted together, it was an aromated combination, with fresh taste brought by the tomatoes at the room temperature, but found the stuffed grape leaves a bit too sour. 

Luckily, I was able to cut the sourness with the help of the special yoghurt brought from the house. And it was not the usual plain yoghurt, but with added spices, pistachio and raisins. The flat bread was brought a bit warm, a very inspired choice. Dipping the dolmah into the yoghurt and tasting every bit with the force of all senses was a pleasant hobby for the following minutes.

As a drink, I decided for a very unusual saffron tea, which kept the perfume of my favourite spice, but with a very neutral taste, a good help for my next meal choice. The very quiet traditional music and the colourful walls, representing various historical episodes created a quiet ambiance for continuing the late dinner.

The traditional Persian cuisine uses a lot of meat, including lamb, but I was set for something exclusively vegetarian. One of my big disappointments in the kitchen by now is the failure to prepare a genuine Persian rice and thus, every time I am in a Persian restaurant, I know I should order it just hoping that by tasting it the knowledge of preparing it can be also transmitted. 

This time, my choice was very generous and complex: green peek, saffron, raisins, onions, dates, on a bed of spicy tomato sauce and fried slices of eggplant. The oil was there too, although in moderate proportions. The diversity of tasted and the switch between sweet - or very sweet in the case of dates - and salty - like for the eggplant was sometimes surprising. When everything was too sweet, I had the spiced tomatoes to cut it. When I wanted something more nutritious, I had the peek. 

But the portion was anyway huge - so no sweets this time for me - but was offered the possibility to take away the rests, for more enjoyment of the secrets of the Persian rice. Take-away is also possible for full menus at Persepolis. 

With so many delicious moments spent there, I left trying to figure out when I will be able to offer myself another pleasant Persian meal. Most probably, a new review will come up soon!

Foodie Berlin: Shaniu's House of Noodles

Although I was told several times that there is a delicious Asian/Chinese foodie life outside Wilmersdorf, I am stubborn enough to keep exploring all the local temptations in my area. When mentioning noodles, Shaniu's House of Noodles was often mentioned as a serious option to test and taste, so yesterday, trying to save a quite hectic day, I arrived there just in time to grab the lunch offer. The restaurant is situated on Pariser 38, a couple of minutes of walk away from the Spichernstrasse metro station. 

The offer changes every day of the week - the restaurant is open all round the week, a special event for the Berlin restaurants in the Western side - and includes a dish of noodles plus a salad or soup. The place was looking simple yet not precarious, with some nice white lamps and a Tiffany lamp in my corner, with changing light colours. The classical jazz background made me forget about all the things that did not work out during that first half of the day. 

The order was taken and brought relatively fast. The menu includes not only traditional Chinese dishes, but also some classical Asian fusion cuisine, plus an impressive offer of Italian and French wines, and other sorts of drinks too, many of them displayed in the bar area. My first choice was a kettle of green tea, a very simple sort. The noodles are traditionally Chinese, but by request - and for 2 extra Euro, one can also order the house made ones or the delicious udon (always my first choice of noodles).

The service is impressively polite. As I refused the meaty soup I was brought, it was replaced kindly with a salad, finely chopped and adorned with a very spicy sauce that gave a new life to the otherwise boring leaves of salad. Especially when are you fighting with a cold as I did

The main dish was made of noodles with vegetables, brought in plates of Asian inspiration. The noodles were delicious, not that oily as I experienced in similar restaurants, and with a good add of shiitaki mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, broccoli and delicate shreds of carrots. The natural tastes were kept. The veggies are bringing a light balance to the tasty nutritious udon noodles. 

The prices are relatively moderate, with a 2-course meal and a drink going around 9 Eur. The vegetarian offer is not that varied - get used with it when you are visiting a genuine Asian restaurant anyway - but the memory of the delicious udon can make my day any time, although I will keep ordering the same meal over and over again. 

Let me show you my Berlin!

Are you visiting Berlin and curious what you can see and where you can go? 

Are you curious to have a taste of the diverse cuisine offered by the many restaurants and bars of the city?

Have been told by your friends and relatives how cool and hip and unforgettable is the city, but you don't know how to plan your experience beyond the usual tourist to-do-list?

Are you Jewish observant and would love to find out where to spend a Shabbat evening or to buy kosher food?

Would you like to also go outside the city and would love to know how to plan your trip to Potsdam?

I modestly announce you that I might have some answers to those questions, plus some extra information that could help you have an unforgettable experience in the city.

In partnership with LocalYoo, you can easily book my services on my Expert page: http://www.localyoo.com/experts/ilana

Can't wait to be your guide in the city!

Keep in touch soon!

Foodie Berlin: Nusantara Indonesian restaurant

Berlin charmed me, among many other things, with the diversity of its restaurants. When not possible to travel, only a short trip around the corner will reveal some country whose cuisine I never tried before. Like, for instance, the Indonesian one. During some long explorations of Moabit - post coming up very soon - I spotted a green patch of colour on Turmstrasse and some pictures of big dishes and promise to come back as soon as possible for a luxurious lunch. Nusantara means archipelago in old Javanese and the name sends a lot of spicy waves in my imagination. Arrived around lunch time, the place was quite busy, but decided to take a seat outside, on some camping big chairs, too big to be comfy. Everything looked a bit unkept and a bit dirty, but the service, although slow, was friendly and welcoming and ready to bring without additional costs a new dish if the wrong one was brought by mistake. 

I started my Indonesian culinary trip with an Es teh, fresh Indonesian ice tea, with an aromatic smell and taste, sweetened with white sugar and brought with big ice cubes. 

Indonesian coffee is famous, and tried it several times. It's a bit sprinkling, sour stronger and goes very well with lemon cakes. While waiting for my meals, I was sipping my Kopi Jahe, a special ginger coffee that I instantly liked it, and which is very perfumed too. Although it can be drink with milk too, I preferred the raw strong version. 

Finally, it was about time to have my first impression of Indonesian food. Out of a long list of menu - in English and German - without too many hints about the ingredients, I went for two. The first was Tempe Mendoan. Tempe means fermented soybeans. It was accompanied by a very creamy peanut sauce. It looked and tasted very meaty, although not deeply fried. The peanut sauce was taking all the possible tastes around and thus, did not left anything for any other special flavours. 

The main star of my Indonesian lunch was Gado Gado: a combination of various veggies, eggs, cubes of peanuts with sesame seeds and broccoli. As in the previous case, the peanut taste took all the other special tastes. The balance was brought surprisingly by the soy sprouts. 

The prices are more than affordable.

I left the restaurant moving slowly as a penguin, and with some new hints about an unknown cuisine. Maybe I did not get the best samples of food, but at least if it will be a next time, I will make my homeworks better and will know for sure what specific meal would love to taste first and foremost.