FOOD

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MARY SCHERPE It may no longer be fashion-centric, but Scherpe’s 11-year-old blog Stil in Berlin hasn’t lost its sense of, well, style. If you’re looking for an Insta-gram-worthy brunch, a guide to the latest in third-wave coffee or a comprehensive taste-test of artisanal bread, this is where you’ll find it.

Best place to go......for a solo bite? It’s well-known, but worth the hype: Cocolo Ramen (Paul-Linke-Ufer 39-40, Kreuzberg). If you sit at the bar, you can pass your time watching the chefs preparing the bowls. ...for a terrific lunch deal? Anaveda (Ora-nienstr. 169, Kreuzberg), with their daily- changing healthy options that are filling, heartwarming and very affordable – I like the palak paneer....for Kaffee und Kuchen? ORA (Oranien-platz 14, Kreuzberg), hands-down the most delicious cake-and-coffee combo in a beauti-ful former pharmacy. ...for a romantic dinner? Lode & Stijn (Lausitzer Str. 25, Kreuzberg) because their affectionate way of adding brown butter to their dishes is probably the most romantic food gesture in Berlin. ...on a €10 budget? Akroum Snack (Sonnen-allee 45, Neukölln) for fatteh and musabaha.

Besides it being crazy good, you also won’t have to eat anything else all day....on an unlimited budget? A whole day, from lunch to dinner and finally drinks, at Pauly Saal (Auguststr. 11-13, Mitte). They have a beautiful interior and Michelin-style cooking that is quite creative without being super-ex-perimental, and at the bar they serve an entire

head of deep-fried cauliflower which is quite delicious. 

Favourite new discovery?I’m quite excited about some places that will open up soon – like Dalad Kambhu’s new Thai place in Tiergarten, or what

Ash Lee is going to do with her Chi Fan Sichuanese supper club.

Your ‘last supper’ in Berlin?Nobelhart & Schmutzig (Friedrichstr. 218, Kreuzberg), because their sourcing and cook-ing is so closely tied to Berlin that you won’t get their dishes anywhere else. Also I’d prob-ably be insanely sad, and I guess Billy Wagner is one of the few hosts who could deal with a crying guest. He’d have the right wine pairing and vinyl records to go with my desperation.  

PER MEURLINGA Swedish former techie turned full-time food writer with a discerning palate and deep pockets, Meurling re-views Michelin darlings,

old-school German joints and Thai holes-in-the wall on his five-year-old website Berlin Food Stories. The blog keeps things strictly positive, but you can check out Meurling’s envy-inducing Instagram feed to find out what isn’t worth the hype.

Best place to go......for a solo bite? A köfte sandwich at Konak Izmir (Reichenberger Str. 10, Kreuzberg). It’s basically always open, and you can get it to go or sit outside at Kotti... it’s just iconic. I have so much love for it. ...for a terrific lunch deal? Bone at Kantine Neun (Markthalle IX, Kreuzberg). Stefan Endres, one half of Mr. Susan, took it over and he’s cooking all kinds of stuff – sloppy Joes, Tunesian chickpea curry, Indonesian beef rendang, German dishes – using meat and produce from the Markthalle. Because it’s a canteen there are strict regulations on what he can charge, so you’re getting great quality for just €5-6....for Kaffee und Kuchen? Engelberg (Oder-berger Str. 21, Prenzlauer Berg) has a fantas-tic offering of German cakes. I don’t really do Kuchen personally, so I’d have a Brotzeit: bread, cheese and charcuterie. And a beer....for a romantic dinner? Lode & Stijn. The whole experience is so well-curated, and the

chefs come up to you during the meal... I guess some people wouldn’t find

that romantic, but my wife and I are strange like that....with the kids (or dog)? Duc Anh (Herzbergstr. 128), the Vietnamese food hall in Lichtenberg’s Dong Xuan Cen-

ter. If your kids want sausages and fries they’re not gonna get

that here, but they’re very welcom-ing. And you can go shopping afterwards

and get a weird Batman costume....on a €10 budget? Imren (Boppstr. 10, Neu-kölln), where that budget gets you a döner, a lahmajun, an ayran and a portion of kunefe....on an unlimited budget? Nobelhart & Schmutzig, and a deep dive into Billy Wag-ner’s wine cellar.

Favourite new discovery?Mrs. Robinson’s (Pappelallee 29, Prenzlauer

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Coffee and a cinnamon bun at ORA, a Kreuzberg cafe opened in a former pharmacy.

Bloggers’ choiceWe asked four of the city’s top food bloggers to share

their latest discoveries, top recs and last suppers.

A döner at Imren.

Marlen Stahlhuth

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FOOD

FEBRUARY 2017

Berg), the new place by the chef from Yafo and his British girlfriend. It’s fine dining with Asian influences. Not everything is perfect yet, but there’s a lot of potential, because he knows what he’s doing.

Your ‘last supper’ in Berlin?Ernst, Dylan Watson’s supper club and upcoming restaurant. It’s usually like a 30-course menu, focusing on the best in-gredients Berlin and Brandenburg have to offer, using precise Japanese cooking tech-niques. What he does extremely well is poultry – insanely crispy, succulent chicken.

SOPHIA GIESECKE With their chatty “40 Days of Eating” series on Mitvergnuegen, Sophia and her twin sister Maria perfected the art of res-taurant reviewing for the German millennial set; last year, they and a friend spun it off into food-and-life-style blog In Search Of, which posts reviews, recipes and all the foodie event listings you can handle.

Best place to go... ...for a solo bite? If it’s summer, just go to the Turkish market on Maybachufer, get some good spreads, bread, cheese or whatever, go to a Späti and get a beer. Then go to the canal and prepare yourself a nice Abendbrot. The best....for a terrific lunch deal? Azzam (Son-nenallee 54, Neukölln)– a huge bowl of hummus is only €3.50 and it will keep you full for three whole days! ...for Kaffee und Kuchen? This is no secret, but like everybody else, we are just crazy about their cheesecake: Five Elephant (Reichenberger Str. 101, Kreuzberg) it is! ...for a romantic dinner? Zenkichi (Johan-nisstr. 20, Mitte), for its private booths. It’s not the place to take a random Tinder date, because it’s quite expensive – €45 and up for a set menu of sashimi and Japanese dishes. But choose this one for your an-niversary dinner, or if you want to impress that one person that has stolen your heart. ...on a €10 budget? Lon Men’s noodle house (Kantstr. 33, Charlottenburg) will fill your belly with awesome Taiwanese soups and snacks. Even if you are not based in the old West, it’s definitely worth the travel. ...on an unlimited budget? Pauly Saal for the awesome cocktails, impressive interior and food that’s nothing less than amazing.

Favourite new discovery?Japan in Broschek (Weichsel-

str. 6, Neukölln). Every weekend, a cosy bar transforms itself into the

most awesome Japanese restaurant ever. The vegan soba noodle salad is to die for!

Your ‘last supper’ in Berlin?I would forget my vegetarianism and pay Imren a visit for one last döner. I know you can get it in other cities, but not this good!

LUISA WEISS The Berlin-born American-Italian writer started her cooking blog The Wednesday Chef in New York in 2005 and continued it when she moved to Berlin five years later, par-leying its success into the memoir My Berlin Kitchen and the cookbook Clas-sic German Baking. Now a full-time author and a columnist for Harper’s Bazaar Germany, she still posts the occasional recipe and has amassed an archive of Berlin restaurant writeups at Berlinonaplatter.com.

Best place to go .....for a solo bite? Aroma (Kantstr. 35), for a bowl of their soy sauce chicken noodle soup with ginger-scallion sauce. I like the grumpy waiters, the round tables, thick carpet and Cantonese menu. It reminds me of the Chi-nese restaurants of my childhood in Boston....for a terrific lunch deal? Hanok (Kurfürsten-damm 134, Charlottenburg), for a bowl of fiery kimchi stew with rice and banchan for €8.50....for Kaffee und Kuchen? Konditorei Bu-chwald (Bartningallee 29, Charlottenburg;

see page 18), for its old-fashioned tea room and unbeatable Torten and Baumkuchen that they’ve been making since the 19th century....for a romantic dinner? What’s more ro-mantic than pizza? Malefemmena (Hauptstr. 85, Friedenau) makes incredible Neapolitan pizza, and reminds my husband and me of our

recent solo trip to the Amalfi coast....on a €10 budget? Handoyo

(Ludwigkirchplatz 2, Wilmers-dorf) for the tightly edited menu, wonderful Indonesian food and serene atmosphere....on an unlimited budget? Pauly Saal, for the beauti-

ful and serene dining room and the inventive, modern and

delicious food.

Favourite new discovery?Koshary Lux (Grolmanstr. 27, Wilmersdorf) serves street food from North Africa and the Middle East. Their food is great, espe-cially the Egyptian macaroni, rice and lentil dish that inspired the name.

Your ‘last supper’ in Berlin?A currywurst with Pommes for old times’ sake at Bier’s (Kurfürstendamm 195, Charlotten-burg) with my husband, along with a bottle of champagne to toast our beloved city. n

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A mini rice bowl with salmon roe at Zenkichi.

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Chicken noodle soup at Aroma in Charlottenburg.

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