Rice and Shine, photo: Valerie Siba Rousparas.
Following the tragic shooting in Atlanta, Georgia that killed 8 Asian-Americans on March 16, 2021 the topic of anti-Asian racism has been in the spotlight around the globe, an issue that does not exclude our very own Berlin.
Especially due to the pandemic with phrases like “Kung Flu” and “China virus” being thrown around, Asian communities have become wary of increased anti-Asian racism. For myself, this past year has forced me to be aware of my Asianness more than ever, leaving me to wonder if the person who just moved away from me on the U-Bahn only did so because of my almond-shaped eyes smiling at them from behind my mask.
While COVID-19 has exacerbated the situation, racism towards Asians has been around long before the pandemic. Here in Berlin, I have had men fetishize my “exotic oriental beauty” and “ching chong” gibberish shouted at me on the street, just to name a few mild remarks. Attention needs to be brought to such experiences not to complain of our beloved Berlin, but because we care about this city and want to help make it feel safer for the communities that make this place so special.
Read on…
by Aisha | Stories
In the last couple of years, Berlin’s gastronomic scene has certainly gained a lot in terms of diversity, originality, and also quality. Understandably, this comes at a certain price. When I look at our listings of new restaurants of recent years the price tag for the most hyped new places has continuously risen. While it is probably a blessing for gastronomy entrepreneurs that people are finally spending more money on elaborate restaurant experiences – it also means that especially younger people or those who simply can’t afford to spend 50 EUR up for a dinner are left out of the fun.
Luckily, Berlin still has a lot of places that combine excellent cooking, a cool ambiance, and an “affordable” price level. We decided to dig through our previous restaurant guides and also add some places that we never featured here before even though they belong to our personal favorites to compile a list of the best affordable restaurants in Berlin.
Read on…
by Frank | Restaurants
Vietnamese people is Berlin’s largest East Asian community, comprising 1.16% of the total population. German or international friends usually immediately associate Vietnamese people with restaurants, nail salons, flower shops or convenience stores since the majority of those people operate in these businesses. However, the younger generations of Vietnamese in Berlin are actually a lively generation blended well into the German culture and the Berlin hippie lifestyle. They are also a very creative and artful cohort and the faces behind lots of successful businesses and entertaining activities in this cosmopolitan city. A look into the most outstanding and interesting projects by the Vietnamese youth in Berlin!
Read on…
by Guest Author | Art, Events, Party, People
Every year Berlin gets so many new restaurants that it has become a custom for us to make a round-up of all that’s new in the gastronomic scene in the past months. This year it was in fact so much, that we decided to split up our annual new restaurant guide in two and we’ll start with one particularly trendy genre: Asian fusion. Here’s our pick of the most interesting ones:
Read on…
by Frank | Charlottenburg, Kreuzberg, Mitte, Restaurants, Schöneberg
A few months ago my neighborhood in Prenzlauer Berg has been enriched with a great new Vietnamese restaurant that I would like to introduce to you today. We have already a couple of Vietnamese place and fusion restaurants here, so did we really need yet another one? I can confidently answer this with: yes. Because Anjoy is really quite something. It’s run by a charming young lady who’s mom used to cook in the Dong Xuan center in Lichtenberg. Her kitchen there was super popular, so it made a lot of sense to give a bigger audience a chance to taste her amazing cooking. At Anjoy you’ll be served traditional Vietnamese dishes, but the menu was curated in a way that it stands out from the typical Vietnam restaurants. Here you can enjoy a beef stew so rich in taste it almost reminds you of a Gulasch, crunchy pork belly and lemongrass skewers and a platter full of delicious sea food, to name only a few of the options. Even the drinks are little pieces of artwork. We tried almost everyone of their mixes and we couldn’t get enough of them.
Read on…
by Frank | Prenzlauer Berg, Restaurants
It’s undeniable that Berlin is in a Korean food craze. No street food market is complete without the Korean influenced fusion burgers or fries, nor will be able to go far in Kreuzberg, Neukoelln or Prenzlauer Berg without stumbling over some sizzling Bibimbap. The smell of Korean BBQ in the air is undeniably mouth-watering and there’s nothing more heart-warming than a spicy hot stew on a breezy day – though Koreans especially enjoy hot and spicy food in summer, sweating everything out.
We all know the staples like Kimchi, Bibimbap (maybe even the “dolsot” version served in a sizzling hot ceramic pot), pork belly BBQ, Bulgogi and the seafood pancake. The variety of Korean restaurants in this city shows us that there is more to good Korean food than slapping some Kimchi on your rice veggie bowl and we have compiled our best-of list for you in this Korean restaurant guide so you can be sure to hit the right spots. Read more about our recommendations after the jump.
Read on…
by Yoori | Restaurants
I kept hearing so much about Dudu I just had to check it out! The Asian Fusion restaurant is located at Torstr. near Rosenthaler Platz in Mitte, with a newly opened second location in Charlottenburg. People are so crazy about it that reservations are necessary most of the time. I tried the beef dish Kuh Auf der Weide which was really awesome and I like the rice that has a hint of coconut. Details and more photos after the jump.
Read on…
by Frank | Charlottenburg, Mitte, Places, Restaurants
The Transit at Ostkreuz has been my favorite restaurant in quite some time. It is not only really nicely decorated with all those colorful birdcages hanging from the ceiling (don’t worry, they don’t have roasted canaries on the menu), it also has the most delicious Thai dishes that you can get in Friedrichshain. And what is special about it: They serve all their tasty little dishes in small portions for 3 EUR each. This way you can stack your table full of things and everyone can get a taste of everything. A bit like tapas, only better tasting. Oh and the coco panna cotta with mango sauce is a MUST HAVE. Now that I think of it, I feel like having it today… But as I don’t live in Friedrichshain anymore I would probably head to the second Transit at Rosenthaler Platz. More photos and details after the jump.
Read on…
by Frank | Friedrichshain, Mitte, Places, Restaurants
Not only is this Japanese restaurant extremely nice to look at, it also serves excellent food. The Susuru offers a variety of authentic delicious Japanese Udon noodle soups on a regularly changing menu, as well as some side dishes they refer to as Japanese Tapas. We expecially like Edamame, a small snack consisting of young soy beans in sea salt, the Chicken Curry Udon, which is a very hip dish in Japan right now, and the Matcha Macchiato, which is hot milk with green tea powder. And if you were wondering about the name: Susuru is Japanese and means slurping, cause that’s how Japanese like to eat their soup. Read on for more infos and photos. Read on…
by Frank | Mitte, Restaurants
