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Berlin Food

Almost Diplomatic - Layla - Berlin - Meir Adoni - Restaurants - Israeli Food - Mediterranean - Germany - Diplomat's Wife
in Berlin, Berlin Food, Berlin Where to Go, Expat Life

Layla: Meir Adoni’s Irresistible Lady in Berlin

May 31, 2019

Meir Adoni is a name almost any foodie will recognise – especially those who have a penchant for Middle Eastern food. The Israeli chef has quite the curriculum vitae, with successful restaurants in Israel and New York. His latest venture landed him in Berlin in late 2018. Barely half a year after its opening, Layla has taken up sizable and permanent-looking space in the city’s ever-fickle food scene. Another Berlin institution for the bon vivant that we could all be thankful for, if you ask me.

Almost Diplomatic - Layla - Berlin - Meir Adoni - Restaurants - Israeli Food - Mediterranean - Germany - Diplomat's Wife - 16

It was a Friday night and Layla was packed. Berliners of every shape, size, and race gathered to enjoy the food. The crowd was also peppered with tourists looking for a meal that can be one of the highlights of their trip. My friend Lesley and I ended up sitting beside a man from Israel who went to Layla for dinner after his hotel’s receptionist raved about it.

He was in Berlin to visit his son who decided to live here and pursue his DJing career. (Of course, he’s a DJ. This is Berlin.) He abandoned his father for the night as he was playing a show. But the father got the better part of the bargain. He found Meir Adoni himself was in town and was making his meal that night. This city never fails to surprise its guests.

Adoni is not in town all the time. He has several restaurants to tend to, after all. But when he’s around, he’s in the kitchen to bond and make food with his team who all trained under him. This doesn’t stop him from connecting with the people who come to try the food. He would smile and chat with practically everyone who would pass by the open kitchen.

Almost Diplomatic - Layla - Berlin - Meir Adoni - Restaurants - Israeli Food - Mediterranean - Germany - Diplomat's Wife

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in Berlin, Berlin Food, Expat Life

Spargelzeit at the Steigenberger Hotel Am Kanzleramt

May 21, 2019
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How much do Germans love white asparagus (spargel)? It can be quite difficult to comprehend for an Ausländer (foreigner). After all, aren’t they just the pale version of their green cousin that we only consume when it’s unavoidable or wrapped in bacon? I avoided it for the first year of living in Berlin and I now regret it.

There’s a reason why Germans eat 125 thousand tonnes of it per year and refer to it as white gold. It’s the type of vegetable people who don’t like veggies will eat. It also goes with absolutely anything. I  am now playing catch-up, trying to get as much spargel as I can before my husband’s posting here is up. We still have enough time – but I know I will miss it when it’s time to leave.

Recently, I found myself at the 5th birthday celebration of the Steigenberger Hotel Am Kanzleramt where we were treated to a spargel feast. Not gonna lie – I’ve never felt more of an almost-Berliner up until that lunch.

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Almost Diplomatic - Restaurant Louis Laurent - French Food - Berlin - Germany - Food - Diplomat's Wife -
in Berlin, Berlin Food, Expat Life

Classic French Flair & Fare at Berlin’s Restaurant Louis Laurent

May 17, 2019

I have passed by Restaurant Louis-Laurent one too many times while walking Juancho but never got around to coming in. I wanted to go there either for date night or for a long lunch. However, my schedule hasn’t been kind to me for a while. There’s just something so romantic about this restaurant that I always saw it as a place you would want to spend time in. Not a quick stop just to fill your tank in between the million things you need to do on a daily basis.

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in Berlin, Berlin Food, Berlin Where to Go, Expat Life

Golvet: Berlin’s Come-As-You-Are Michelin-Star Restaurant

April 16, 2019

As a walking contradiction myself, I felt pretty much at home the moment I stepped into Golvet. The restaurant, headed by Michelin-star chef Björn Swanson, is filled with it. From the name which means ‘ground’ in Swedish when the restaurant is actually on the top floor of a building, to the menu, and down to the chef who’s basically an American-Berliner with a Swedish name.

Rules, after all, are made to be tweaked to accommodate change and progress. (Don’t break them entirely, people. You don’t want anarchy.) I am, however, getting ahead of myself.

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Almost Diplomatic - Café Maître Münch - Berlin - Berlin Cafe - Maitre Muench - Germany - Brunch - Kaffee und Kuchen - Diplomat's Wife - Diplowife - 25-1
in Berlin, Berlin Food, Expat Life

Berlin Eats: Café Maître Münch

February 21, 2019
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On Valentine’s day, I found myself dateless. Work, my husband’s ever demanding mistress, got this year yet again. Almost every other year, my husband and I are apart for this Hallmark holiday. Some conferences he needs to attend are usually scheduled around it. Even when we were in Manila and Kuala Lumpur. This time around, it was the Munich Security Conference. Not one to pass up on an excuse have cake after a meal, I decided to take myself on a date with Juancho, our corgi who recently turned one. I then had a double celebration situation. So, we made our way to one of the cafés I’ve been dying to try in our neighbourhood but haven’t gotten around to doing so: Café Maître Münch.

Almost Diplomatic - Café Maître Münch - Berlin - Berlin Cafe - Maitre Muench - Germany - Brunch - Kaffee und Kuchen - Diplomat's Wife - Diplowife - 25-1

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in Berlin, Berlin Food

Japanese Green Tea 101 in Berlin

November 10, 2018

Tea tends to play a special part in my life. I drink it daily and it basically helped me cure my dependence on coffee to fully function. While I haven’t encountered a tea I couldn’t drink, I’d have to admit that my favourite has to be green tea – preferably sencha. Recently, I was lucky enough to be invited to a green tea tasting event here in Berlin. Naturally, I couldn’t say no.

My friend Yuka also helped organise the said event which gave a platform to three Japanese organic tea farmers. This, so that they can bring their premium tea to Germany. These three farms – Shizuoka’s Suruga Tengu, Ishikawa Seicha from Aichi, and Kyoto’s Azuma Tea Farm – produce some of the highest quality tea in Japan. They’re so good, not everyone can get their hands on them and they’re even pretty hard to get within their country.

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Berlin Brunch Series: Roca (Waldorf Astoria)
in Berlin, Berlin Food, Expat Life

Berlin Brunch: Restaurant ROCA (Waldorf Astoria)

January 9, 2018

Adding to my Berlin Brunch Series is a place my friends and I enjoyed over the weekend – Restaurant ROCA. Located inside the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Berlin, one might be intimidated to give this place a try but I hope this post will convince you otherwise.

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Berlin Brunches: Brunchette (Dînette), Friedrichshain
in Berlin, Berlin Food, Expat Life

Berlin Brunch: Brunchette (Dînette), Friedrichshain

November 23, 2017

One of the best things about Berlin is brunch. I love how it’s such a huge thing in this city – especially on weekends. It’s my favourite meal, after all. Breakfast food without having to wake up early plus mimosas? Why, count me in!

So, it’s only fitting that I do a series paying homage to my favourite Berlin weekend tradition. Our first stop? Brunchette by Dînette.

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