Equal parts
compelling and
complex, the German
capital will whet your
appetite in more ways
than one. These are
the places everyone
is talking about.T
eeming with laid-back cafes, thrift shops,
gardens and heavyweight museums, the
trendy Kreuzberg district leaves visitors
wanting for little, which makes the arrival
of luxury boutique hotel Orania.Berlin (orania.
berlin) all the more exciting. Beautifully restored
from its original 1913 incarnation as Oranienpalast
Café, its 41 rooms are imbued with an understated
elegance – warm reds colour plush textiles, balanced
by parchment walls, timber floors and large arched
windows overlooking tree-lined Oranienplatz. After
dark, sip a cocktail as musicians, DJs and slam poets
do their thing in Orania Bar. There’s also a literary
salon, 24-hour gym and day spa.
While gentrification has begun taking root in
Kreuzberg, the Wedding neighbourhood retains
its cool off the tourist radar, making it fitting as
the new location for Berlin’s most exclusive dining
experience, ernsT (ernstberlin.de). The 12-seat
diner showcases the less-is-more approach of chef
Dylan Watson-Brawn, who trained in the kitchen of
Tokyo’s fine-dining institution RyuGin. Exuding a
Japanese-style minimalist design, the restaurantsees guests seated along a maple counter where
they witness the chefs in action and hear stories
about local producers and winemakers. There’s no
menu per se – ingredients are meticulously sourced
then crafted into a series of dishes served over three
to four hours. You’ll have more luck wrestling a
crocodile than getting a seat at the last minute, so
book well ahead.
If you haven’t had a beer in Berlin, have you
really been there? Drink it down at a craft beer
bar within a bar, laBOr Berlin ( facebook.com/
laborberlinkraftbeerbar). Accessed via a side
room of Szimpla, the sister of Budapest’s most
famous ruin bar, this new offering breathes fun
into the local beer scene with its science theme –
white-washed walls, a periodic table-style drinks
list and bartenders in lab coats – and Hungarian
craft beers. There are 12 taps on rotation, as well
as a number of bottled varieties. Sip on the likes
of Black Mamba Imperial Milk Stout and Anubis
Barrel Aged Mead, both by Monyo Brewing Co. Snag
a booth then, when hunger strikes, slip back acrossthe hall for a grilled sandwich. (^)
WInTER ISSUE 2018 9
MELLIK TAMAS (LABOR BAR); COURTESY ORANIA.BERLIN; MAIDJE MEERGANS (ERNST)
Clockwise from above:
science-themed bar,
labor Berlin; a living room
at Orania.Berlin; ernst’s
Dylan Watson-Brown in
the kitchen.
NEVER STOP
THE JOURNEY.
olympus.com.au/neverstopthejourney
OlY924 - Get lost Magazine eM10MKiii.indd 1 18/12/2017 3:21:41 PM
TRIP NOTES
LATEST FROM BERLIN