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Berlin Restaurants

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

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 Food, Expat Life

Two, New Berlin Restaurants I Love: Joseph & Pincho Nation

July 24, 2019

The past month and a couple of weeks were crazy when it came to my schedule. June is national day month and for diplomats and their wives, that’s the busiest month of the year. I’ve been a lot slower in writing about some of the interesting things happening in Berlin but I’m happy you’re still here. Thanks for sticking around. The next few months are bound to be a lot better in this space. Fingers crossed nothing comes up in between. 🙂 With the apologies out of the way, let me go ahead and tell you about two Berlin restaurants that recently opened. Restaurants that I ended up loving and coming back to for personal visits after I was invited to attend their openings – Joseph and Pincho Nation.

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in Berlin, Berlin Food, Expat Life

Selig: More than Just Brunch! Say Hello to Their Lunch & Dinner Menu

June 24, 2019

If – at any point – you’ve Googled the best brunch places in Berlin, chances are, you’ve read about Selig. After all, it’s on every single ‘best brunch’ listicle about the German capital. I’ve tried my luck with this restaurant and not gonna lie – I’ve failed.

One summer weekend, my husband and I decided to brave the brunch competition and found ourselves staring at Selig, filled to the brim. It also had a waitlist that ran beyond our patience. Alvin is a very patient man and I’m quite understanding about waiting when it comes to food. That day, however, we knew it was too popular for us to be able to get a seat within an hour.

About a year later, I found myself in the same restaurant being introduced to a menu they are not so known for – their lunch and dinner offerings.

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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.

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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.

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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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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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