We went for the six-course menu at Berlin’s only completely vegan restaurant with a Michelin star. Since I hadn’t seen any reviews of it, I thought I’d share my experience.
Amuse bouche – beetroot soup, fermented beetroot shot, and a tartlet with beetroot tartare: We loved it. The tartare had an amazing texture.
1st course – radish with juniper, Spreewald cucumber sorbet: Fascinating. It felt like a mix of smørrebrød with the flavors of Brandenburg, but as a fine dining dish.
2nd course – burned celeriac with wheatgrass and wild herbs: The best celery root I’ve ever had. Thanks to the herbs and charcoal, it really evoked a “campfire in the woods” feeling.
Bread course – They used to serve sourdough, a flaxseed cracker, and a small deep-fried bread (lángos). Now they offer Austrian bread with fermented white asparagus butter and a walnut tapenade. The bread was fluffy and flavorful. The walnut spread was by far better than the butter. We’re not big fans of white asparagus in general.
3rd course – fermented and grilled kohlrabi: The Kohlrabi felt like a big warm hug (Umami bomb) I’ve never had kohlrabi cooked like this before. Great dish.
4th course – grilled mushroom with mustard sauce and brioche: On its own, very nice. The mushroom was perfectly grilled and the brioche for dipping into the sauce was perfect. The Truffle on the brioche was also a great addition. My only issue was the dominant mustard flavor, which had already appeared in the first course. I would have preferred more variety and a different flavor profile.
Added signature dish – Erdäpfelkas (Austrian mashed potatoes) with broccoli and yeast: The dish was good, but the weakest so far. I wouldn’t recommend this addition.
5th course – Douglas fir sorbet with pear gel/sauce and caramelized ginger foam: This was my favorite dish of the evening. The sorbet had a beautiful flavor that paired perfectly with the pear, and the ginger gave it a lively punch.
6th course – locust flower with strawberry sauce and rooibos tea: A very good final course. Lots of textures and divers flavor combinations in every bite.
Petit fours – vegan meringue (with apricot?) and chocolate with whiskey: The simplest offerings of the evening. The meringue was the only item that felt “veganized,” and the flavors were more on the basic side. I don’t like whiskey, so the chocolate wasn’t my favorite either, but one of my friends really enjoyed it.
The restaurant considers itself a “cocktail bistro” first, so the background music was a bit louder than in most fine dining restaurants, though I still found it fine. My friend ordered the non-alcoholic pairing and loved it. The staff was very friendly. One detail I really appreciated: they leave the remaining sauce on the table.
I didn’t miss meat or seafood once. Every course was well-thought-out, and the main vegetables really shone. Overall, this is one of the better one-star restaurants in the city.
by Huyloaded
Dining and Cooking