Berlin Reified: Food, design and life in Berlin

Cake redux

No sooner posted than (re)visited: Cake was on my mind after writing about it yesterday, so when we were leaving the market and David suggested Albrecht's, I proposed Cake instead. Don't you just want to dive into these creamy berry-studded layers?

Note that they also do cakes to take away, and birthday parties too. I haven't had a birthday party since I was tiny and am daydreaming of one for my 30th; Cake is definitely on the short list. Readers, any other ideas of places (cafés or otherwise) that would shine on a May afternoon?

Kadó Lakritz (Liquorice in Berlin)

While coughing my way through the last phase of bronchitis I've found my little paper cone full of soft liquorice to be tremendously comforting. And certainly kadó's decor carries a whiff of the apothecary, what with its gorgeous shelves, glassed-in display cases, scales and incredible tins. Though I have a friend who swears by their salty liquorices, I've always cleaved to the safer, sugary varieties (which kadó's salespeople are happy to mix for you, tipping a few cones, a few buttons and a few cubes out of massive glass jars into the waiting metal tray).

Really, you should go to the shop itself to pore over the amazing packaging of liquorice from Norway, Belgium, Italy and further field, then tuck your paper cone into your pocket and munch away while wandering through the Graefekiez; but know that they also have stands at the weekly markets at Winterfeldplatz, Kollwitzplatz and Hackescher Markt.

kadó - Lakritzfachgeschäft, Graefestrasse 75 (map)

Tel. 030.69 04 16 38
Open Tues-Fri 9.30 am - 6.30 pm, Sat 9.30 am - 3.30 pm 

Salon sucré

Once Glatteisgefahr has been declared across the city, there's nothing for it but to hole up in your cozy neighbourhood French patisserie and ponder the many cakes, tartes and meringues lining the glass shelves. Sue was a bit skeptical about visiting Salon Sucré during the winter, but it was just the thing to peel off my damp pullover, climb onto a bar stool, lean on the radiator in the corner and sink my fork into two layers of chocolate genoise sandwiching a pale tranche of cheesecake, topped with the tenderest raspberries (perhaps scandalous in January, but there you are).

Our cakes disappeared in a thrice, but we lingered for hours, ordering the odd glass of Sylvaner, cup of tea, and duo of cassis meringues to justify our place. We caught up on everything, only pausing to listen to Eric explain the contents of the pastry case with unfailing enthusiasm to each new customer.

Cakes are a bit pricier than what I'm used to –– €4-5 each –– but portions are generous, and I'm always disarmed by a casual friendliness.

Salon Sucre, Görlitzer Straße 32A (map)
Tel: (030) 612 27 13
Open Thursday-Sunday 10am - 6pm in the winter, Wednesday-Saturday 10am - 6pm in the summer (in the liminal months, call ahead to check; I'll update if I discover the exact months; and note that last summer, at least, they were closed for more than a month around August/September)

Recalled to life/Baklava/This and that

After a nasty flu, a conference, a flurry of errands disguised as a holiday and the jerk of being back at work, I am finally back online as well. Oh, but the holiday wasn't all errands: there was a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with my favorite Grub hostess, a "Tribute to Wuppertal" evening (featuring Tom Twyker but not aspirin) and an afternoon gadding about Kreuzberg with Yvonne. (And let me tell you, if you'd like to meet some nice people, just give away some quince, and perhaps you too will meet two äußerst sympathische ladies.)

I feel a bit embarrassed about how seldom I am in Kreuzberg, and suspect that writing about the fabulous pastry shop on Oranienstraße will make some wince the way I wince when people exclaim that there's this really great bar called the Wohnzimmer in Prenzl'berg.

Oh, but those lovely shiny heavy trays inscribed with their weights, which look as if they'd kill a man if brought down once, sharply! And those perfect golden rectangles of baklava! What a relief, after too many doses of sickly glucose syrup plus faintly rancid nuts, to have pastry just sweet enough, just crisp enough, just faintly perfumed enough -- and with a ground-nut layer both meaty and clean-tasting.

Incidentally, a visit to Melek Pastanesi is the perfect finish to a movable feast that begins down the road in Cafe Bellona; their freshly made gözleme are just the subtle treat you would hope for. Next time I'm determined to follow Yvonne and try the mysterious garlicy sausage variant.

Meanwhile, while I've been away, Bowleserised and Bleistift und Notiz have sent my stats soaring in recent days, so many thanks to both lovely ladies. The latter snapped up the second berth in the grand pay it forward caravan. Really, does no-one want the third?

Melek Pastanesi, Oranienstraße 28 (map)
Cafe Bellona, Adalbertstraße (map)

Fresh pasta at pastaroom

Oh, fresh pasta is a bit old hat, but I couldn't resist the stairs leading down to Pastaroom's little den on Goltzstraße. I had just begun to survey their edited selection of pastas (eg ravioli stuffed with Steinpilze) when the shopman followed me down and began to explain how everything was made fresh daily, how they had to expand because customers wanted to eat the hot dishes on the spot, not cart them away, how it's been busier and busier now that they've been featured in Zitty, in the newspapers, on TV, even. So I suppose I'm coming late to that little parade (though mysteriously I can't hardly find anything on them on the internet, not even their own website) but still, these curiously chewy, curiously dense wedges of chili pasta were just the thing on Thursday night -- and it seems time for me to move beyond Prenzlauer Berg again...

Pastaroom, Goltzstraße 52 (map)
Tel. (030) 47981066
I didn't bother to copy down the opening hours, figuring I'd just check on their website, but as that's not working, I suppose you'd do well to phone; I imagine they'd be open for lunch every day except Sunday, perhaps.

Albrecht's revisited

There are some Sundays when nothing else will do, and then we make the walk down Stargarderstraße and Schliemannstraße and Rykestraße until we arrive at Albrechts Pâtisserie's cheery red awning. Through the plate-glass windows I try to identify the tarts on offer: a meringue dome elicits a special beat of excitement.

In an email, a French reader of Berlin Reified sniffed at the jewel-like display of the tarte au citron, the millefeuille and the chocolate globes, preferring, I suppose, the luxurious plentitude of Paris pastry shops; still, the neatness keeps things übersichtlich. And note that alongside the classic French sweets one finds a generous selection of Stephanie Albrecht's own creations, such as rhubarb or blackcurrants crowned with crisp meringue.

Indecisive types might opt, as I often do for the gemischte Petits fours: three tiny tarts of your choosing, to be consumed in four careful bites. The tangy rich lemon curd made the Zitronen-Tarte my favourite (and the sprinkling of pistachio nuts lent the tart a pleasing bite).

Now that the weather's turned colder, the glossy white sidewalk tables are gone and one needs to cram into the small shop itself. Be warned that 1) there's no toilet and 2) there's a bit of a Ralph Lauren photo shoot vibe at the weekend (so many children in neat coats of navy or forest green, so many noble fathers with trim gray flannel trousers and manes of dark blonde hair).

But they can also pack your treats into cunning paper boxes to tote away; or, for those in that corner of Berlin, the Albrecht's in Winterfeldstraße has neither of these issues and the same lavish selection. For me, the cramming is a small price to pay for a beloved Sunday ritual.

Albrechts Pâtisserie
in Prenzlauer Berg: Rykestraße 39 (map)
in Schöneberg: Winterfeldtstraße 45 (map)
in Charlottenburg: Fasanenstraße 29 (map)
Open daily 10 am - 6 pm (from 11 am in Charlottenburg)

Curry leaves, or Finding Asian ingredients in Berlin

Oh, the Asian market in Kopenhagener Straße is such a gem! The latest thrilling developments are 1) packets of khadhi limba, or fresh curry leaves and 2) spiffy aluminum Vietnamese coffee makers for 1.99 alongside packets of Trung Nguyen coffee for 99 cents and cans of the beloved Longevity-brand sweetened condensed milk.

Kopenhagener Str. 2, Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg (map)

Tastings chez Goldhahn & Sampson

Photo taken from the Goldhahn & Sampson Flickr photostream

I can't really say I'm missing all the fun: Some desultory googling on Paris upcomings has turned up a very promising open studio festival in Belleville plus the famously fabulous Salon Saveurs for this weekend alone. Still, after looking forward to the debut of events at Goldhahn & Sampson I was rather crushed to receive a newsletter this afternoon describing not one or two but three exciting food events, all of which I'll be missing. For those in Berlin, I can only recommend you go. Here are the details from their newsletter:

We would like to take this opportunity to invite you to three seperate events, where you can try wine, sake and olive oil:

We are delighted to meet the winemakers Diana and Theo Gehring from Nierstein/Rheinhessen on Saturday the 12th of May. At 4 pm they will offer us their freshly bottled white wines.

The following Friday, the 18th of May we join forces with Susanne Rost from the Sake-Kontor who will introduce us to the premium sake varieties of the Akashi-tai brewery. Everybody is invited to try this new taste sensation from 5pm onward.

Again, one week later we will dedicate our time to an olive oil tasting, Saturday the 26th of May from 12 noon.

SchokoBar & SchokoLaden

On spotting the 'SchokoBar' sign flapping in the wind, I immediately crossed the street. The area around Linienstrasse is the land of the little shop, and I do love exploring it. I noted the extensive range of Erich Hamann chocolates (made in Wilmersdorf) and the bevy of hot chocolates to order at the little bar, and cheerfully tried a couple of samples sitting out in white ramekins. I don't really need any chocolate, I thought, and left, smiling at the friendly salesman as I did, but the smoothness of the last truffle stayed with me, and after walking almost to Alte Schönhauser I skipped back across the street again to buy a cellophane cone. 2.90 EUR for about twenty truffles: 'Guyaux' the man spelled out for me.

SchokoLaden, Linienstr. 45 (map)
Open Mon-Fri noon to 7 pm, Sat 1 pm to 6 pm
Tel. 49 30 818 599 77

Goldhahn & Sampson

I knew Prenzlauer Berg was rapidly gentrifying but Goldhahn & Sampson seems to mark a turning point, bringing an urban-country style of posh food shop I associate with London to a Berlin neighbourhood that usually continues to insist on a certain scruff.

I'm not complaining. I like decor as much as the next girl, and was pleased by their wooden lingerie-counter-converted-to-bread-display case, by their comfy reading room with cookbooks in various languages fanned across a table, by their tongue-in-cheek instructional diagrams pinned to the walls. David, in turn, liked the Belgian beers I bought him (Orval and Hoegaarden for 2.50 EUR apiece). A certain scruffiness is retained in the secondhand coffee and spice grinders for sale, and the place, while swish, is not snotty.

On display is a nicely edited medley of items from Hawaii, England, Spain and even Saxony: I was impressed by the restrained packaging of Stadtgut Görlitz's various goulashes and fricassees. Along with great browsing potential, there's also a small counter serving up drinks. Barely open for a month now, the shop's already doing a brisk trade, and I'm looking forward to the cooking courses slated to begin in the next month or two!

Goldhahn & Sampson, Dunckerstr. 9 (map)
Tel. 411 983 66
Open Mon-Sat 10 am to 8 pm, Sun noon to 4 pm

Duckwitz

Rushing to in't Veld, knowing we should get lunch soon so David could head off for work, unsure of what Kakao offered in the way of savoury options, we passed Duckwitz, and all our problems evaporated. The white script on the windows promised organic local Mediterranean food, pushing (as David put it) all my buttons, and the bright interior managed to look inviting even on a gray windy day in Helmholzplatz.

We examined the chalkboard menu - venison terrine, potato and goat's cheese gratin, baguettes in the usual variations - before settling on the fennel quiche with a small salad and the baguette filled with chèvre, pear, and hazelnuts. (Baguettes are 3.40, the other dishes around 4.80.) I'm always a sucker for the well-packaged beverage and I homed in immediately on this French lemon soda (who can resist a label that trumpets "Pure sugar"?).

Their slogan is "Discover how delicious it is when Brandenburg meets the South of France." To be honest, I don't know enough about French cooking to know where the items - Gallic to my eyes - diverted to embrance the Brandenburgian, but after trying my tasty if unexceptional quiche I decided the food, though perfectly fine, wasn't really the thing to come for.

Instead I admired the furnishings: secondhand garden chairs and tray tables unified by gleaming coats of white eggshell paint, tiled floor in a cheery blue and white pattern, rough concrete walls painted pale lilac and lime. The shelves were laden with the usual French treats and some German ones (I was most tempted by a neat aluminum jar of dried blossoms to sprinkle on salads or heat in oil). And I felt very content, ensconced in my white deck chair, leafing through the magazines and watching the wind whip the trees outside. For a place to laze, it's perfect, and the range of quirky French drinks is amply complemented by local specialities such as elderberry, elderflower or Jerusalem artichoke sodas.

Duckwitz opened in September and if today was any indication is doing a roaring trade; its wall of south-facing windows giving onto Helmholtzplatz guarantee it will be a hit come spring. We made a mental note of the generous long table against the western wall, perfect to reserve for a celebration with friends, and plan to try the cakes next time.

 Duckwitz, Lettestr. 3 (map)
Tel. 41 19 88 82
Open Mo noon to 10 pm, Tu - Sat 9 am to 10 pm, Sun 9 am to 8 pm

Food Destinations #4: The KaDeWe Food Hall

As I found myself mentally circling the food hall in the Kaufhaus des Westens, I recalled Adam Gopnik's piece on the new Paris stadium. After much deliberation, the name was announced – Le Stade de France (The French Stadium). "Banal and beautiful at the same time ... Obvious and seductive. Timeless and unalterable," is the response of the journalist Gopnik quotes.

There is really nothing more obvious than naming the KaDeWe as a must-visit destination for food lovers, but Berlin is not, I think, a city that lives particularly large in the food lover'™s mind, so even its institutions and pillars must be worth mentioning. And really, where else can I send you? No faithful reader needs me to rave on about the weekly Kollwitzplatz market once more, and the liquorice shop tucked away in Kreuzberg, delightful gem though it may be, won't be to everyone's taste. But the KaDeWe, central and open late, will make the jaded foodie go pale with excitement.

The thing is range. I do cherish the specialist shop with its carefully edited shelf of twelve exquisite vinegars, but entering the KaDeWe means setting every foodstuff you can think of on a pedestal in a hall of mirrors. You see the same item everywhere in a thousand varieties: three robust sets of shelves filled with 163 (Reader, I counted!) types of vinegar, dozens of salts from six continents, alien seafood out of Cousteau, vanilla in every form ever invented, more than a thousand cheeses (1,300 according to their website) – and I could go on.

Editing doesn't really come into play at the KaDeWe, and I think one of the more quixotic aspects of the place is that the fiercely fancy rubs shoulders with the utterly quotidian (Fauchon beside Heinz was one pairing I smiled at). As an American, I also can't help but be entertained by such items as the box of Duncan Hines Devil's Food cake mix for 7.48 EUR. On the whole, though, prices are quite reasonable, considering it's such a lavish temple of consumption: My 100 grams of 5-year-old Gouda, its surface cragged with crystallized minerals, was only 3.79 EUR, and my two Neuhaus gems 3.33 EUR.

A little planning doesn't hurt. Usually I do a quick case around a big store to draw up a mental short list of what I'd like to return to, but the scale of the sixth floor make such a blithe approach impossible. Lately I've made a brief list of items to focus on before entering, (eg spices, chocolates, fruit brandies), just to keep from being dizzied when faced with the sheer mass of food.

Shopping is one half of the experience of visiting the KaDeWe, and with such range, it would impossible not to fill a basket with items sure to delight friends. (Note that the fourth floor is very well-stocked with all manner of kitchen equipment, cutlery and china, for those looking for something more lasting than comestibles.)

Once you'™re done with your purchases, though, you might need to revive yourself with some immediate sustenance, and the other half of the KaDeWe experience is visting its eateries. There are more than three dozen counters serving everything from fresh oysters, lobster, champagne, sushi, and elaborate Tortes, to rotisserie chicken, Lenôtre pastries, cheese plates, and all the beers in the world.

Honestly, it's the sort of place one can hardly reconcile with a city famously/notoriously dubbed "poor but sexy"by its mayor. Nevertheless, it's not to be missed. Do let me know if you're coming to visit – I'd be more than happy to help you find the turkey eggs.

Kaufhaus des Westens,Tauentzienstr. 21-24 (map)
Open Mo-Wed 10 am to 8 pm, Thu-Fri 10 am to 10 pm, Sat 9.30 am to 10 pm
(Go on a weekday if you can, as the place can be almost impossibly full on Saturdays and even on weekday evenings.)

Many hearty thanks to Paula for organizing the Fourth Food Destinations event, and to Maki for starting it all! I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone has to recommend, and will post the round-up address as soon as it's out. (PS: Forgive the few images, but the KaDeWe is plastered with stern signs forbidding photography.)

Albrechts Pâtisserie

(photo taken from the Albrechts Pâtisserie website)

There are days - your last day off before returning to work, for instance - that seem, unquestionably, to merit a small cake. Usually, it's Kuchen and Torte that Berlin excels at, and I could fill pages with odes to the spread at the Opernpalais or the plum streusel cake we found at a little café near Peacock Island. But there is something special about a confection for one that makes me feel dressed up and special, like a little girl being taken out for a treat, shown a display case beyond her wildest dreams and told to choose what she likes. Choosing is the best part at Albrechts, because everything looks fantastic. Also pleasing is knowing that everything is made fresh daily on the premises, and that the woman who runs the place is only a few years older than me, a spunky entrepreneur in this somewhat stultified city.

Everything is available to take away, but can also be enjoyed in the small but cheery red and white interior. The magazines are plentiful, particularly fat glossy numbers like the German Architectural Digest and Vogue, and the atmosphere is always lively, with at least five small children nibbling away at their own nonce tea parties each of the times I was last there.

The first time I had a pear tart, barely glazed and with a crumbly, almond-rich crust. Today I settled on a citron tart, unexpectedly grounded with a thin bottom of dark chocolate, the lemony cream unctuous and just the right side of sour. Costing around 2.50 EUR, they're rather expensive by Berlin standards, but a steal as far as I'm concerned, and just the thing to round off a last long lazy day.

Albrechts Pâtisserie, Rykestr. 39 (map)
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm

Organic oils

The possibilities for fun at the Kollwitzplatz market are never-ending, with just the right balance between food and non-food items, and an endless array of samples. And where else could I watch linseed oil being made before my eyes?

Uwe Leue is a civil engineer by profession, but has been making oil for years. All his homemade oils are unfiltered, organic, and taste strongly of their source; at his stand, little dishes of sunflower, walnut, hazelnut, almond, poppyseed, black cumin, Bärlauch and sesame oils sit in a row waiting to be tried. (And Mr Leue is very patient if you try them all...) After much sampling I settled on the sunflower oil, which was flavourful but neutral enough, I thought, for the aioli I was planning to make that weekend.

If you look carefully at the mill above, you'll see a drop of oil just hitting the trough resting on the lip of the oil jar. The fibres left from the seeds – the brown rope curling out the front – are used as animal feed.

Mr Leue explained that in Berlin and Brandenburg, linseed oil was traditionally used to top a dish of boiled potatoes and quark – a meal of the poor, but made gourmet with the right ingredients.

Ölmühle Gatow at the Kollwitzplatz market, Saturdays 9 am - 4 pm
(To check if he's got a particular oil, call Mr Leue at 0173 871 3824.)

in't Veld & Kakao

It seems uncharitable to mention in't Veld only vis-a-vis a lack when it's one of my favourite places to linger. It's easily the most stylish chocolate shop in Berlin. Their logo is a jaunty ocean liner set against the Berlin skyline, their front entrance sports an antique chocolate vending machine, and the shop itself has a warm, intimate interior of dark woods and rich colours that combine to create a contemplative air, encouraging the visitor to dawdle and weigh the merits of the products on display: Has Zotter just gone too far again, or is the coffee/plum/bacon bar worth trying? Should I give Berlin's own Erich Hamann line a chance? Or how about a few boxes of in't Veld's niftily packaged dark chocolate slabs?

Selections from Amedi, Blanxart, Cowgirl Chocolates, Dolfin, Domori, Gerbaud, Rovira, Summerbird and Valrhona – just to name a few – also fill the shelves. And there's even a handy bench outside to sit and enjoy your purchases, or sip a cup of their rich, viscous hot chocolate ...

If you'd like to linger a little longer, or if, like now, the days are too brisk for al fresco sipping, visit their sister restaurant Kakao, conveniently located next door. On the menu are chocolate antipasti, more hot chocolate variations, a lovely revolving glass case full of homemade cakes, and another with organic ice creams. It's impossibly full on a Sunday afternoon as everyone crowds in for their Kaffee und Kuchen, but most evenings it's not too busy, and the lush cosy brown and maroon interior makes it perfect for winter nights.

in't Veld & Kakao, Dunckerstraße 10, 10437 Berlin
in't Veld open M-F 12 to 7 pm, Sat 11 am to 4 pm
Kakao open daily from 12 onwards