Borchardt

April 29, 2016April 28, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Berlin can amaze you with the best Vietnamese cuisine – but it can also make you fall in love with German’s national pride. Wiener Schitzel, hello! I’ve never been a fan of this specialty, however the one I ate at Borchardt changed my view on this usually unattractive way of meat serving. The Borchardt looks back on a 150 year long history, being one of the oldest restaurants of the German capital. In the past, it supplied the Kaiser in the Wilhelmine era, went on to survive the Second World War and the city’s division by the Berlin Wall – so there is no possible way that this place could have dissapointed. Although you might think that Bochardt smells with antique, it surprisingly looks quite modern thanks to perfect restoration, while the marble pillars and an original Byzantine-style enthrone give this one-of-a-kind spot a spirit which you won’t find anywhere else in Berlin.

Franzosische Straße 47 / Berlin

The Store Berlin

April 28, 2016April 28, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

The Store is an ever-changing space created to inspire, create, work and enjoy – and most of all, to shake-up the stereotype of how a fashion retail place should look like. Located in the über-cool Soho Haus Berlin hotel, The Store makes you feel like at home, with its beautifully curated furniture (from chic Pierre Jeanneret seats to Mathieu Matégot heart shaped-patio set) and a connoisseur-level book selection, coming straight from London’s cult Idea Books. Moreover, The Store is Berlin‘s hottest fashion destination right now, with heaving hangers of Vetements, The Row and Loewe. The shelf with classic vinyls and a lovely corner with freshly-cut flowers is at the entrance, while the bar, which serves organic salads and other seasonal goods, will keep you here for a longer time… so just sit on one of the velvet armchairs, take a sip of your coffee and try on these Vetements boots with a cigarette-lighter heel!

Torstraße 1 / Berlin

There is a Comme des Garçons display of autumn-winter 2016 collection right now, too!

Zenkichi Berlin

April 25, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

There is a widespread affiliation that if a restaurant serves Japanese cuisine, then it should have sushi in its menu. However, Zenkichi restaurant in Berlin is an exception, as they call themselves a Japanese brasserie – so, there is a focus on variety of Japanese dishes, which is often missed in other “Japanese” restaurants. Zenkichi experience starts at the very entrance to the place – it’s literally a bamboo maze, and every table is hidden in traditional, slightly lighted mini-rooms, with blinds which are put down by the waitress. In other words, I was quite sure that this is what you feel in this type of place in Japan – intimacy, tranquility, peace. This foreshadowed only the good, and indeed, my intuition was right.

The food, served like art, was unbelievably… I don’t how to describe this level of deliciousness. Their seasonal small plates, which are popular among Tokyoites, are recommended to share, while emphasis is put on Omakase (chef’s tasting menu) – it changes every season to showcase the best fish and vegetables available in the market. During my last visit to Zenkichi, I ordered three dishes – sashimi of fish of the day (salmon, scallop and yellow tail tuna), thinly sliced organic beef tataki served with soy sauce and the one and only hiyashi tsukimi udon – my favourite. This one is quite sophisticated, though – udon noodles in bonito dashi broth, with wakawe seaweed, a soft organic egg (!) and wasabi. Served chilled. Heaven, noting that I’m a number one fan of Japanese pasta!

Drinks are as important as food at Zenkichi, with its rich assortment of rice wine and Japanese whisky. The menu of sake is long, and Zenkichi specializes in junmai, so the pure-rice ones. The free-of-additives sake is initially served cold, however Zenkichi believes that the warmth of the drinker’s hands makes the taste “blossom”, like a cherry tree. Myth? Nope. I totally agree with them, after trying myself.

If you’re in Berlin, and you are obsessed with Japanese cuisine just like me (but want to try something more than sushi, though) – Zenkichi is the place for you. A must, if you ask me!

Johannisstraße 20 / Berlin

Berlin. Givenchy Pre-Fall’16

January 7, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Who would have thought that Berlin is suddenly becoming fashion’s favourite city? After Gucci presented its spring-summer 2016 campaign photographed by Glen Luchford (club WCs, peacocks and rooftops – see it here), the creative director of Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci, took the edgy streets of Kreuzberg by storm. The pre-fall 2016 collection is not only great because of the location, which I deeply adore – Riccardo comes back to his roots, which are all about fashion, and not the celebrity circus. Masculine pyjama layered with a lace skirt; sharp apparel channelled by Irina Shayk; “cheesy”, pink ankle-boots styled with romantic shoulder-exposing tops. Although there are no literal references of the city, the collection is very close to Berlin’s youthful attitude – the girls in here twist vintage looking suits with rock’n’roll biker jackets and simple, yet soigné spaghetti-strap tops. In other words, Berlin’s urban chic is getting a refined revamp by a French maison. Good try, Riccardo. I’m into it.

November in Berlin

November 12, 2015November 12, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Berlin always charges me up with creativity. That’s why, I can honestly recommend a trip to this diverse and extraordinary city to anyone who wants to spend his or her time in a, as they say, hype way. Here is my November mini-guide to the city’s most interesting shops and restaurants.

ORA – Kreuzberg – A former pharmacy is situated on the peaceful Oranienplatz, which one day became the most beautiful restaurant of the German capital – ORA. With the original cabinets de curiosities, wooden shelves and marble counters from the past, the restaurant serves lovely carrotscakes and casual, yet nutritious lunches. The romantic interior makes this restaurant not only a place to “EAT AT”, but also to “BE IN”.

Oranienplatz 14

Voo Store – Kreuzberg – Voo is a concept store hidden in a former locksmith shop patio with perfectly selected clothes (Marques Almeida, A.P.C., Our Legacy, Gosha Rubchinskiy pack), awesome shoes (Raf Simons X Adidas rules) and lovely stationery (the notebooks! the pottery!). Here, you can relax and read niche magazines while drinking drip coffee from their Companion Coffee place.

Oranienstraße 24

Kreuzberg wouldn’t be such a bold and colourful district without its well supplied flower-shops.

Fête De La Boutique – Mitte – Owners Feli and Teresa have created a cozy atmosphere in their place. Self-designed contemporary furniture accompanies niche French, German and Scandinavian brands like Bruuns Bazaar, American Retro or Minimum. From fashion to home decor to jewelry and books, Fete De La Boutique makes you feel nearly like at home.

Mulackstraße 11

Unico – Mitte – Unico selects its jewellery straight from the studios of the most talented and contemporary designers from Buneos Aires. Their small, eclectic space located in the heart of Mitte is a place where a perfect Christmas gift can be found.

Alte Schönhauser Straße 50

Qua Phe – Mitte – Qua Phe is leading the Asian cuisine game in Berlin, and specifically the Vietnamese one. Great selection of finger food from Vietnam like banh bao or bahn gio is here, and you can eat it in a off-duty atmosphere of wooden tables, Asian stools and raw, metallic elements. Qua Phe is also known as a Vietnamese coffee shop – if you are visiting this place, don’t forget to taste their coffee drips with one of their signature desserts, ginger moshi! This gluey, sweet treat reminds me of toffee, but not quite…

Max-Beer Straße 37