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Rutz: Saving (one of) the Absolute Best for Last

January 11, 2021

Before leaving Berlin, I had a series of dining experiences that are just too good not to share. After much struggle with moving a server to a different wifi network, I finally regained access to photos from those unforgettable evenings. So here are! Yes, I am the absolute queen of awful timing with this post falling within the extended lockdown in Berlin. However, I’m hoping this will keep people inspired and look forward to the reopening of restaurants in the city once things are much better. So let’s kick things off with Rutz – Marco Müller‘s three-Michelin star restaurant.

The announcement of the restaurant’s third star came right before the first Berlin lockdown. Such a shame, one might think. And it was, mostly for us who love amazing food. For Chef Müller, however, it only made the well-deserved hype bigger. Once lockdown was lifted, the seats were once again full all the way up to the second lockdown towards the end of 2020. I was there when it was announced. Quite heartbreaking for the dining scene which was starting to pick up at that point but the people understood its necessity. Frankly, the feeling of luck that I had while being there that night doubled. Especially since I was days away from leaving Berlin.

“Isn’t it fitting that Rutz gets to be the last restaurant you’ll visit during your posting in Berlin?” my friend Ute asked over our dinner. She did, after all, had to endure my constant chatter of wanting to go to Rutz and writing about it afterward. Variations of ‘Yes, finally!’ and ‘Saving the best for last’ were exchanged with a goofy smile plastered on my face the whole evening. It was probably the wine but I digress.

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flamed salmon at bricole
in Berlin, Berlin Food, Expat Life

Gastronomical Escape at Bricole in Prenzlauer Berg

August 12, 2020

Hello everyone. I haven’t been here for a hot minute due to so many reasons – from the pandemic to anxiety, focusing on Youtube and Instagram, a death in the family, and so many other reasons that will bore you. But hey – I’m back and in a way, I think I should have gone back sooner as writing has always helped me cope with so many things. Especially when I’m writing about something that puts a smile on my face. Case in point, I have a pretty big one on right now as I type about the dining experience I recently had in Bricole.

This restaurant which has been around for over three years now – an eternity in Berlin terms – was able to survive the city’s highly competitive gastronomy scene due to its innovative fine dining menus that offer quite the foodie experience without breaking the bank.

Tucked away in Prenzlauer Berg, Bricole is nestled in a leafy, family-friendly area of the city. Small shops thrive in this area, still on a roll in resisting rampant gentrification. “You don’t need a fancy address to attract those who are really interested with good food,” Bricole’s Fabian Fischer shared over dinner.  “We started with a very relaxed atmosphere where people can laugh. If you don’t have this too formal attitude then people won’t be that intimidated.”

With over 200 different types of wine and menus that range between four to six courses, Bricole can seem pretty intimidating on paper but definitely warm and cosy once you step into the restaurant. Friendly faces paired with the patience to explain what goes into each dish, Bricole’s team is a group of 5 that has gotten closer during the pandemic. A challenge they were able and still surviving from.

Now that the city has allowed people to dine in restaurants again, Bricole has opened up 22 seats plus two more at their bar. Keeping the appropriate distance is – of course – observed. But don’t worry – the dining experience can actually make you forget that the world is really going crazy, even just for a little while.

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in Berlin, Berlin Food, Expat Life

Tolerance and Hummus Dreams Come True at Kanaan Berlin

February 10, 2020

Better late than never, they say. After a couple of months of searching for my missing food review photos, I finally found the little bugger of a memory card that decided to play hide and seek. Now, I can tell you about a place in Berlin where all my hummus dreams have been realised. Kanaan Berlin – a vegetarian restaurant in Prenzlauer Berg serving Israeli and Palestinian food.

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’re probably tired of all my hummus posts on stories by now. I’d eat it every day if I could. So, when my friend in the foodie industry, Mathaios, asked me to join him on a visit to Kanaan, he got an immediate and – admittedly overly eager – yes.

Israeli marketing expert and entrepreneur Oz Ben David and Jalil Dabit, a Palestinian-Arab of the famous “Humos Samir“ family, founded the restaurant. For most Berliners and expats who frequent P-Berg, the place is practically an institution. For people who haven’t gone, let me give you a couple of reasons why you should make your way to this side of the city.

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in Berlin, Berlin Food, Expat Life

Moksa: Your New Reason to go to Oranienstraße

December 20, 2019

Canadian-born Zed Marke has been living in Berlin long enough to be considered a local. Utterly caucasian, what might surprise people is how this man has actually been feeding Berliners with great Indian food these past years. From a stall in a markthalle and now in his own joint in Kreuzberg called Moksa.

I admit – I was sceptical at first. Who is this non-Indian guy and why is he feeding me tandoori? Can he make really good Indian food? Won’t all the pseudo-woke people have a problem with this? But if there’s anything living in a truly globalised world and spending time in a city as diverse as Berlin taught me – it is never one’s skin colour that determines what you can or can’t do. As long as you learn and know how to do it right and you don’t undermine others.

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in Beauty, Berlin, Berlin What to Do, Berlin Where to Go, Expat Life, Skincare

Getting a Facial at Club Olympus, Grand Hyatt Berlin

November 29, 2019

The past couple of months have been quite hectic, to say the least. I went back to Youtube, I took on new roles, and I accepted more freelance work. It’s been rewarding but I’m not gonna lie – it really did a number on my stress levels. So, despite my skin getting better over the summer, I experienced breakouts and hives anew. At some points, I was rather dehydrated and was running on little sleep that it started showing on my skin. So an invitation to the Grand Hyatt Berlin‘s Club Olympus was much more than welcome.

It’s hardly my first time coming to the Grand Hyatt here in Berlin. Having covered the Berlinale before for Forbes and Rappler, I’ve spent some time in the hotel doing press registrations and attending press conferences. So the hotel really does have a special place in my heart.  I met Wes Anderson and Tilda Swinton in their premises for the first time and those instances definitely make it to my list of memorable times in Berlin.

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in Berlin, Berlin Food, Expat Life

Berlin’s Bonvivant: Indulgence with a Little Less Guilt

October 28, 2019

“Living in Berlin has turned me into a veggie eater and that’s great,” I found myself telling a friend in Asia over Facetime. Her face had an expression of what can only be described as ‘utter disbelief’ but also, a little proud of me. I was, after all, a strictly-meat-and-all-the-other-yummy-things type of woman. Greens and anything connected to a plant hardly made the cut while I was growing up. Thankfully, almost three years of living here have now changed that. An invitation to cocktail bistro and vegetarian restaurant Bonvivant was something I said yes to right away. And I swear, it wasn’t just because of the cocktails.

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in Berlin, Berlin What to Do, Expat Life

Berlin’s The First Reel Filipino Film Festival is Back for 2019

October 24, 2019

This November, Filipino films are coming back to Berlin thanks to The First Reel Filipino film festival. This year’s lineup is definitely something to look forward to as it’s a well-rounded mix of genres. Stepping away from what people usually think Filipino films are all about and have already seen before, the films showcase stories on Filipino the youth, individual talent, growing pains, and issues – both timely and timeless.

Happening from 6-10 November at Berlin’s oldest cinema – the Kino Moviemento in Kottbusser Damm, here’s the rundown of the films you can catch as published by the festival’s team:

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in Berlin, Berlin Food, Expat Life

Ella: Steigenberger’s New Homage to Berlin

October 14, 2019

There truly is a movement to go back to the basics and the nostalgic here in Berlin. Ella, the Steigenberger’s new restaurant, is putting sustainability and tradition at the heart of a modern menu. Manuel Eich is at the helm of the hotel’s new gastronomical venture. At the recent press dinner to celebrate the opening, it was made evident that the right man was chosen for the job.

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in Berlin, Berlin Food, Expat Life

Lausebengel: Berlin Food Done Even Better

October 1, 2019

There’s nothing like familiar flavours to bring back sweet memories of one’s childhood. Soups that our grandmas make, the stew your mom cooks whenever you’re sick, those snacks you devour the moment you get home from school. They’re flavours that you would recognise at almost any instance and would usually crave in the most random of moments. Luckily, Berliners living in Kreuzberg will have easy access to nostalgia whenever they want – thanks to newly-opened neighbourhood joint Lausebengel.

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in Berlin, Berlin Shopping, Berlin What to Do, Expat Life

VIDEO: The Making of KPM Berlin Porcelain

August 2, 2019

Germany is known for many things. It is, after all, the home of high-quality products and big industries. People visiting the country or even living here as expats/diplomats often find themselves shopping and bringing home locally-made items that could last them for generations. Functional souvenirs, if you will. I was never one for keychains or magnets as they usually become clutter and accumulate dust. Beautiful, functional, and timeless pieces are a much better choice for some serious return of investment (ROI). For this, I often recommend pieces from Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin (KPM Berlin).

It’s true that porcelain costs way more than your average ‘I Love Berlin’ shirt. However, it’s a true work of art that you can actually use and can last lifetimes.

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