Eat a lot: Das Lokal, Mitte

Some restaurants deserve a visit based on their reputation alone. Lokal is one of those restaurants. It opened in 2012 so it's hardly new, and has been reviewed by everyone and their cousin. My friend sends all her Dutch visitors there so I reckon half of my countrymen have been there before me. I could have easily skipped it and pretended to have 'been there, done that'. But I hadn't, so I didn't.

 

The menu was the sort of minimalist affair you see a lot nowadays, showcasing just a list of ingredients. The focus is on what's in your dish, rather than the way it will be prepared for you. This may be great if you have an allergy, but if you'd like to know whether your chosen food will be served raw or boiled, pureed or jellied, you're lost.

All the 'now' ingredients were there though: offal, game, bitter leaves, funky new grains and various artichokes and root vegetables.

I went for the buttermilk pancake (€16), which came with a promise of emmer wheat, rote bete, knollenziest, rotkohl and chicoree. The actual plate was stacked high with food and seemed to contain loads more than was listed. It made for a tasty, large, nutritious meal that lacked a little in finesse and looks, but made up for it in flavour and adventure. It was certainly innovative for a vegetarian main.

Not quite what I was expecting when I ordered the buttermilk pancake

The choice of desserts was also a simplistic one: two sweet options, one cheese and no chocolate. No chocolate? I was so discombobulated I went for the cheese (€10), which I then had to pick & mix from a list on a school blackboard: blue cheese, bergkäse, Gouda, a sheep's brie and goat's cheese among them.

The pick & mix cheese board

So now I've been there, done that. I'll happily send visitors to Lokal knowing that it will fill stomachs and make for a great Berliner experience. And if they put some chocolate on the menu, I may even come back.


Das Lokal, Linienstraße 160, 10115 Berlin, 03028449500, website, open Mon - Sun from 5.30pm