Foodie Berlin: Bamboo Asian Restaurant in Zehlendorf

Out of all Berlin's neighbourhoods, besides Dahlem, Zehlendorf is one of my favourite destinations where I like to go as often as possible. Its classical architecture and slow life in the middle of the many green areas were one of the top reasons I chosed to relocate to Berlin. There are many restaurants in the area, but many of them Italian style, so when I discovered, at the ground level of a white classical house, Bamboo, on a side street close to the Zehlendorf S-Bahn, I just followed my love for Asian food and took a seat.

It serves Vietnamese-Japanese food, with a smile, although I found the service a bit too slow. But the friendliness can help excusing this downside. The interior is again not their strong point, with so much kitsch for the educated eye and very cheap furniture. It also has a lot of bamboo and many flowers which bring more warm to the ambiance. But this is maybe the disadvatage of the slow service, it gives you too much time to notice inconveniences. 
My first part of the order was simple, but relatively new for my usual menu in an Asian restaurant: An energizing matcha shake and yasai tempura, veggie tempura. The matcha shake was the star of the menu. Made from an apparently easy combination of milk and matcha tea, and some ice, it has the right portioning of matcha with that specific taste that I always love. It is energizing enough to not need to order any coffee or tea. Not even the Vietnamese coffee that I otherwise love so much.

The tempura was tasty, with a lot of Chinese cabbage include, but also cauliflower and other autumn vegetables like tomatoes or eggplant. Moderately fried, without too much oil and accompanied by a good soy sauce it makes you feel full and happy for new discovery tour of Zehlendorf. The seeds of black and white sesame bring even more taste to the plate. The other veggie choice I wanted was yaki veggie, tofu veggie skews with teryaki sauce, but my love for tempura won over.

The second part of the order was the unusual for me Philadelphia rolls: salmon sushi with Philladelphia cheese. As in the case of the tempura, all the ingredients were fresh and good looking, maybe the sushi was too stuffed with so many things and was looking a bit like blown up, but it was tasty and if you ignore the weirdness of the combination, it was really good. Plus, the slices of orange were a good add to the salmon taste so, besides a good meal and additional free wi-fi, I was also offered inspiration for my foodie wanderings.

The prices are moderate, with various lunch offers during the week. It is a great choice for families, as it have enough big tables and spaces as well as an aquarium that can keep children entertained for a couple of minutes. 

Schlosshotel Grunewald, the hidden luxury oasis of Berlin

When the summer is about to go in Berlin, I always check either a new travel destination in a warm country or new places in the city where I can go away of the winter. In the last case, the choice varies from museum to restaurants or architectural wonders that must keep me awake and with an alert mind during the boring cold. With a lot of time to spend in Berlin during this long hot summer, I finally decided to spend more time in the Grunewald area, a favourite place for walking, both for the natural wonders and the architectural works. On one lonely quiet street I discovered the well kept secret of the West Berlin: the design boutique hotel Schlosshotel Grunewald. 

It is around 11 o'clock and it seems that no one is around. I go through the stone gates and dare for more. Some fancy limousines are waiting at the entrance, ready to go. 

The rest is silence. The few personnel people I met are moving graciously, the few guests are discretely having their conversations in one of the corners.The massive furniture and the big windows seem to absorb all the undeserved noise. 

The same silence in the park garden, where comfortable white modern sofas are spread between classical fountains. A lady guest with an Afghan dog is taking her seat and orders something while checking the smart phone. The wi-fi in the garden goes pretty fast.  

lThe sunny weather is tempting but I am decided to explore more the stylish interior. Many details of the 1914-built villa, when the hotel was called Stadtpalais, were kept as such. 

The big space of the lobby with its huge chandelier and the claire obscure interior amplifies the mystery of the place. No wonder that this hotel is usually preferred by VIPs coming to Berlin for enjoying their privacy, as for instance the former US state secretary Henry Kissinger who was here again recently. 

The old wooden door were matched with modern designs, such as the golden leaves motifs on the white walls. 

The hotel has now 43 rooms and 10 suites. Most rooms have a view over the garden, but sharing the wooden stairs to the lobby. The stylish interior design bears the trademark of Karl Lagerfeld. 

 Oil paintings in the corners and in the room are adding a personal note to the hotel ambiance.

The small wooden doors are opening to glamorous worlds but as usual in Germany, abundance and luxury are private matters not shared with the rest of the world. 

Back in the lobby, back to the same unbroken majestic silence. Quiet enough to imagine how it was at the time when Josephine Baker was coming here regularly or how Romy Schneider celebrated her wedding.

The restaurant is ready to offer the gourmet meals, the cigar bar for some private conversations. In one neighbouring space someone is having a business presentation. 

 The mixture between modern lines and classical background is spotless.

 But also very inviting, to a glass of wine or some rest. I make a mental note to come back soon for a special gourmet tasting one of the next months. 

For now,  it is time to leave. I go out discretely as I entered. It is a bit more than a hotel and a bit more than a castle. Hope to find the right definition of this place during my next visit.

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.

After-work fish&chips at Arminius Markthalle

The best thing about starting to work in a place completely different than your own is that there are a lot of new places you add on your to do and to taste list. Alt Moabit is a place I visited the last summer intensively too, but this time, I can observe it early in the morning when the streets are waking up - my favourite moment of the day to check places - and late in the afternoon when everyone is coming back home. The foodie offer around seems to be richer than expected to stay tunned for a lot of tasty reviews in the next days and weeks. As for the beginning, I decided to start with Arminius Markthalle, situated very close to the Tiergarten City Hall. An old red bricked construction opened officially in 1891, it was destroyed during the WWII bombings and completely reintroduced in the local circuit only after 2010. It was named after a Germanic hero from old tales.

What I see first here is not an exposure of German traditional food, but a mix of various styles and influences. As a way to celebrate the Royal visit of Queen Elisabeth in Berlin, I order a small portion of fish&chips. The best is to come on the plate with coffee mugs filled with various sauces. The Chinese sour sweet is the best for me, but cooking-wise the ketchup and mayo are also well done and suit better the content of my plate. Did not try the season's malt vinegar as I did not feel it is really what my digestive system needs to. Talking about the food as such, the French fries were good, well done, fresh and not very oily. The fish, although much better than anything I tried in Germany till now, were a bit too crumby and too hot, maybe the result of being too frozen before preparation. The menu  includes various fish-based sandwiches and burgers, at moderate prices - but high for a market - so maybe will be back to try something else one of the next days.

Moving on the next counter, I find myself in the middle of various Italian wines, with colourful etiquettes.

If you buy a comics book from the rich second hand counter, you can finish quietly a good bottle of wine for the day. The doctors say themselves that drunk in moderation, wine is good for your health.

From a British-looking - and talking - counter, last autumn pickles are starring from the jar.

The place is not that busy, almost empty in some areas, but blame it the cold weather and the cheap competition of the many cheap Turkish shops nearby. Every weekend there are many events organised here, many on foodie-related topics. 

Besides the impressive wine choices that are calling my expert name from the four corners of the hall, there are also a couple of beer options, just in the middle of the hall. 

Many are brought from all over the world, inviting the expert Berliner tasters to experience the multi-kulti in their glasses. 

Unexpecteldy for a food hall, there is a fancy designed corner where you can rest in a vintage glamour ambiance. There is also a theatre inside the hall, and a couple of stands away, a local politician is waiting for its supporters to ask him questions. As long as I was around, there were not too many offers. 

This big table, with a candelabra is the best way to get people together. If you are now in the area, you can easily make new friends.

Besides these fancy options, one can find at the market some usual offers too, especially for Berlin: fruits and vegetables, some fresh smoothies and various Turkish delights, various sorts of cheeses - did not see any difference compared to the usual offer in a Kaiser's shop - many meat and a supermarket-like offer of fish. There are also nice flowers and some fast food - imbiss - with take away Asian foods. The restaurants are usually open only after 12 o'clock during the week. 

The markets in Berlin, and the one in Arminius Markthalle is no different, are very quiet, lacking the human touch and sound of the similar places in France or Italy. Don't expect to see fish alive in the plastic pond or vendors that will call your name to buy their products. Visiting a market in Berlin is a different experience and as for now, I take it as such. 

Hard core experiences at the Berlin Dungeon

The last Sunday was finally a very sunny one, with a lot of outdoor opportunities, plus the yearly open air free concert by Barenboim, but trying to be original, and curious to try something new, I decided to go to the Berlin Dungeon. Blame maybe the recent interest for documenting some historical posts about Berlin - coming up soon on this blog around you - or just the need to do something completely different...Anyway, maybe I should not excuse myself at all...

Conceived as a live show, with real actors and a lot of happenings, the journey is aimed to introduce the visitor to various scary moments in the history of the city - small kids, pregnant women and weak heart visitors better stay at home. The hosts are mean or better said very rude by purpose, like the jolly joker from the entrance that kept insisting to separate men and women on the way to the first adventure of the journey. At the first stop, you get to know Pater Roderich and his scary tales that are later continued by some in depth inside bloody stories from the time of the pest. Expect to feel worms moving on the benches where you rest listening to the story...

At the Torturer episode, you learn about tricks about using various torture instruments, and I had my modest moment of glory as I refused to enter a cage - at every stop, the guests are invited to be part of the happening, either as indicted victims of trials or like experimental patient in the time of the pest. My refusal to take a place in the cage adorned with a skeleton was reprimanded as an example of boredom, but better boring than ridiculous...

In a small hall, the secret court is judging various indictement, in the Inquisition style with some hysterical noes. The ambiance is more relaxed and everyone is laughing a lot. A blonde lady is accused of being a witch and a Mister originally from Bayern - the tours are available both in English and German, but for linguistic improvement reasons I preferred to go with the German speaking group - is accused of being a fashion killer.

The most interesting experience for me is going through the labyrinth of mirrors, trying to find the way through the catacombes. More blinded by the darkness - the entire experience takes place in the dark- we follow each other or we spend some seconds trying to recognize ourselves in the mirror. We end up in the catacombes of Hohenzollern where we meet a white ghost appearing and disappearing out of the darkness. It is the local famous white lady whose presence is told to bring a lot of bad luck.

My favourite scenery is also the newest introduced to the show, from March this year, presenting the 1848 Revolution, with sounds of canons and the cracking of the falling barricades. 

One more scenery and we are done. We are descending the wooden stairs in the front of an improvised shop.

Inside, it is supposed to have a variety of sausages and meat-based products, but there is a pint of scarry story here too. It has to do with the famous criminal Carl Grossmann who turned his victims into the products sold in the shop. As I said before, weak hearts are not welcomed to this show anyway. 

The show is over now, and I am just fine with it. Although not exactly my kind of historical setting, I must recognize that it is well made and the actors are playing good. Anyone looking to fill out a relatively uneventful Sunday can chose some entertainment at the Dungeon. And I did it too!

Tina Heuter exhibition on Knesebeckstrasse

 The surprising part of walking the streets of the Western part of Berlin is that you never know when you will discover something completely new. From interesting shops to newly opened restaurants, I can hardly have enough of this part of the city. When it comes to art galleries, the pleasure is even greater, as it often gives me inspiration and creative strength after a full day spent at work. This was the effect that Tina Heuter exhibition had on my afternoon, after entering the space on Knesebeckstrasse 20/21. 

Delicate bronze, concrete and paper silhouettes are balancing their delicate weights against the silent whitness of the walls.

Unexpected combinations of materials, like colourful thread on white silk paper, or the pop-art light installation attached to a bronze heads are pushing the limits of creativity farther. 

Most works - all on sale - requested an impressive amount of time and painful unsuccessful attempts to perfection. 

 The strength of the perfect attempts to beauty invites to silence.

Irony is present, in the red lips of the concrete statues or the Chanel bag hanging on the hands of the elongated bronze women profiles. 

This exhibition is open till the end of August, but Heuter is often presenting her works all over Germany.