#001: Spicy food high, punk bar in Neukölln, Vegan SPAM, and mixed feelings on Michelin star.
Hi foodies,
I won't lie I felt discouraged to come back. There's a voice in the back of my head that is very judgmental even when I know there's no one watching. I have this weird feeling of being observed all the time that annoys me so much and makes me feel weak, and incapable, even with things that are not exactly a task. Aiming to avoid that I keep reading a very inspiring - to me at least - newsletter by this young guy called Abraham Diop (yes, the page design looks horrible and for those working in the creative industry like me it’s hard not to comment on that BUT this is not the point of his content so don’t judge it by the cover). I don’t agree with all the things he says but who even has that with anyone in life, right? If you, like me, are looking for some piece of mind and finding your way through this wild journey that is life, finding inspiration to get your shit together, maybe you should check it out. From his newsletter earlier this week I got this: In this age of instant gratification, consistency is your greatest weapon. So here I am. 🙂
Here are the three places I've recently been to and wanted to share with you.
Larb Koi (After three months of wait… we made it)!
My coworkers and I have been trying to go to this one for a while but due to our insanely busy schedules, it took us three months to get here. Expectations were high for a month or so but then we decided they had to be low to avoid frustration. In the end, here’s what we had.
Oysters with spicy sauce: so good it’s now competing with the ones I had at La Côte with that yuzu granita. I might have to try both again to share the final verdict. Stay tuned.
Papaya salad: nothing to report, to be honest. Fresh and spicy but nothing special.
Larb Kai: I’m a pescatarian but in situations like this - waiting so long for the opportunity - I try meat dishes. This is the one with minced chicken and though chicken was never my thing I have to admit it was good. But yeah it’s chicken.
Octopus curry: perfect crispy skin with tender inside and umami curry sauce. But. OH. MY. GOD. I’m glad I still had a pint full of fresh cold pilsner to help me. I’m from Brazil, and I love spicy food, I never say no to that, and this wouldn’t be the case. It wasn’t. The plate was finished with success. But my dear friends, Berliners should easily be able to switch from K to this dish ‘cause I was tripping, high on the spice, geez. Many tissue papers after, we survived. Happy with this delicious experience which I can proudly call: the spiciest, hottest food I’ve ever tried.
Dessert: mango coconut sticky rice. I’m not a dessert person so my references are not the best here. Nothing to report just that it was the only non-spicy dish. 🥵 Yes, all the above, including the salad, are spicy. So it’s a whole trip to Thailand and back. Phew!
And sticky rice as a side, ofc, which also helped with the spiciness.
Do I recommend the place? Yes, otherwise it wouldn’t be here but I’d say go for the oysters and the octopus and maybe order one of their coconut/yogurt-like smoothie drinks. It’s not my thing but I bet it is the main part of the drinks menu for a reason as it helps with the spicy dishes. 🆘 Or yeah stick to that pint and you will make it. I’m a survivor. Good luck!
19:77
I’m 34 (actually still 33 but turning 34 in less than two weeks) but my musical taste is one of a 50yo NOFX fan from Maryland. If there’s a punk rock bar, cafe, or restaurant (like Il Ritrovo) I’ll be there. So I was quite sad when the Ramones Museum slash cafe/bar closed down after the pandemic. But then the happiest person to find out that the same people just opened 19:77 bar in Neukölln. Like Paul said, ‘calling a punk rocker a grown-up is an oxymoron’ but this is how I felt leeeeute! Finally a nice non-smoking bar with plenty of space, nice cocktails & cold beer, tasty veggie & vegan food, with a super friendly team & service, where you can also enjoy the good old punk rock. Though punk rock is not really about being civilised like this I have to admit I love the vibe.
Drinks menu: it’s huuuuge! Beer, coffee, cocktails, wine, shots (MEXICANERS included! ❤️), non-alcoholic stuff, you name it.
Food menu: it seems short and easy, changing slightly from time to time. I had a vegan burrito with nachos which was quite nice.
They do vegan brunch on Sundays and I cannot wait to try it.
Have you been? Hey ho, let’s go, etc... (and there you go: that 50-year-old inner child. Sorry, not sorry). Classic me has no photos of the inside of the bar but just Google it.
Son Kitchen
My dear friend Ioná is now working 10 minutes away from my work so we’ve decided to go on a ‘'friends date’' every Tuesday after work starting last week. Our first stop was Son Kitchen in Potsdamer St. A “fresh and authentic cuisine that mixes Berlin influences with Korean tradition” Son was surprisingly good and will probably become my spot for lunch on office days. We had:
Kimchi dumplings to share: no, there’s no photo of them because I’m still not great at this. We had 4 tasty big dumplings with chili oil. Highly recommend.
I had the Korean curry with Kimchi Tofu (left side below). Very good, perfect amount of spiciness. As you can see the bowl is quite big.
Ioná had the vegan SPAM (yes, SPAM!!! That was news to me - description in the pic below) which was also very interesting I must say.
They have a bunch of Asian soft drinks and I chose this Yuzu Soda that I’ve never had before. Its slogan translates it perfectly: something & nothing. Try it and let me know if you agree. Congrats to the person behind this concept because it’s on point, lol.
Next time I hope I can get this ‘'Spicy truffle tuna’’ Bibimbap. Sounds delicious, doesn't it?
Bonus topic: Kin Dee (and my mixed feelings)
I want to stick with three topics/places per newsletter but it’s my second and I’ve already decided to open an exception. God help me. But it’s just because I had mixed feelings about this one.
Kin Dee opened in 2019, got a Michelin star and everything, and you can find a lot of posts about it online so I won’t tell the whole history behind it as it isn’t news. My dear manager Matt (hi Matt! 🚬 🥃) told me the restaurant is closing down in May this year so I thought I should better run to try it before it’s too late. I’ve heard many things from many people over the years, many good things. Here are my thoughts on the experience in a nutshell.
Great wine selection with a lot of German labels (good surprise!)
Great service, amazing staff, cool place, and impressive presentation (look at these pics).
Cockles with wild garlic and chili paste were THE thing for me - among 8 plates.
But, for a restaurant of this level, at this price (the menu costs more or less 150 euros per person if you get the wine pairing) I expect every single bite to be amazing or to surprise me at least - like the ones you get at Barra, La Côte, or 893 Ryotei. The starters were good but not special. The dessert (coconut cake & apple jam) was a bit disappointing but since I'm not a dessert person, maybe it's just me. But it lacked that sharpness, you know?
Am I the only one? Have you been? What did you think of it?
That's all for today. This was a long one! Next week I'm going to Lavanderia Vecchia for the first time (finally, after hearing so many great things from my friend Paul over the years - cheers cha!). I'll share my impressions in the next post.
You should hear from me again in 15 days - always on a Sunday evening.
Cheers,
Lola
babado, chiqueee