photos: Roger Sabaté.
One of the most rewarding parts of running iHeartBerlin is getting to know some of the most interesting people in Berlin. Throughout the years I was able to connect and make friends with talented designers, musicians, artists, as well as entrepreneurs, event makers and creative people with fantastic projects. They all contributed greatly to what makes iHeartBerlin unique and inspiring to so many others. And I am glad to be able to support them with my platform and connect them with collaborators and audiences.
For our interview series iHeartBerliner we sat together with one of those inspiring people of Berlin: Shani Ahiel, owner of Shishi and Yafo. We talked with her about running two restaurants in a male-dominated gastronomic scene, about life in Berlin as an Israeli and so much more. Shani shared with us her experience of building up a business in a foreign city, how life here feels like compared to Tel Aviv and what interesting encounters she made because of her restaurants. Enjoy the video below!
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by Frank | Kreuzberg, Mitte, People, Restaurants
Due to its slightly hidden location in a backyard of a quite touristy area of Mitte, it took me quite a long time to discover The Night Kitchen. But the restaurant concept from Isreal is quite the gem in such a unique space that it is absolutely worth checking out.
Combing the buzzing atmosphere of bars with a dining experience seems to be quite a thing in Tel Aviv. Isreali places like Yafo and Benedict already turned the German idea of restaurants totally upside down, and The Night Kitchen is continuing this concept. Their place really feels like a cool bar and even most of their tables have counter height. The idea to eat in a buzzing place like that adds a lot of excitement to the dining experience. Not matter if you sit outside in the garden, or inside in the cozy bar, it never gets boring. The service also has the same warm and friendly vibe (with a dash of Isreali sass) you might remember from your last trip to Tel Aviv, it’s much less formal and stiff than most regular places. It’s certainly a breath of fresh air.
If you expect only hummus and eggplant on the menu you really have to think again. It’s full of great seafood including prawns, octopus, and seabass – to name just a few. But also on the meat side, The Night Kitchen has a lot to offer. The short ribs are excellent, but the real surprise was the Balkan Chicken with sweet potatoes which were our favorite of the night on our first visit. It’s really rare I will say this about a chicken dish.
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by Frank | Mitte, Restaurants
photo: Bernhard Musil
Contemporary dance is a lot of things: beautiful, inspiring, energetic, traumatic and sometimes boring. But it is almost never funny. Unless you are watching a piece of Nir de Volff collective Total Brutal. The performances of the Israeli choreographer who started his Berlin career by making crazy pieces in Dock 11 at Kastanienallee never lost their black and outrageous humor. So maybe it is not a cliché after all that Jews have a good sense of humor. Anyway, his new pieces premiering this week at Sophiensaele does not only have some sexy dancers to show off, but also a very intense topic. Two cities – Berlin and Tel Aviv – struggling with financial issues and political troubles have a hard time to work on their future. Its young inhabitants dance their pain away instead of worrying about the problems. Inside a vibrant nightclub 5 dancers meet and talk about their fears of the future. Reminiscent of the Golden 20s the nightclub transforms into a cabaret of anxiety. Photos and dates after the jump.
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by Claudio | Theater
