Only two years ago the ground floor of a brand new building between Rosenthalerplatz and Weinbergsweg opened its doors as a Japanese
restaurant, named Hashi. Directions here:
(C) MJT
We had frequented this new restaurant off-and-on during its beginnings - bento box lunch deals, tapas-like dinners and sushi.
(C) MJT
Glad to say, Hashi is still here and they have managed to adjust and
cater very well to their clientele, and it is now a place that we go if
we want to make it a special dinner out.
Rosenthaler Strasse (C) MJT
The effort that has gone into the design and decor must be mentioned, as the ceiling is an extremely admirable piece of art. Thousands of chopsticks have been sewn together so as to appear floating in mid-air, creating a forest effect.
Hand stained chopsticks (C) MJT
Wave of chopsticks (C) MJT
According to the details mentioned in the menu, the installation was designed by Bjørn Hoffmann and Sofia Borges of Affect Studio. The chopstick forest (Hashi Mori) is created out of 15,454 hand stained and threaded chopsticks, 57,400 knots and over 20 kilometres of nylon to suspend it all together.
Chopstick forest (C) MJT
As for the food itself, most of the sushi and tapas plates are served on
slate, which adds to the freshness of the food. The menu is quite extensive but it is worth ordering a couple of dishes, as it is quite like a japanese tapas.
View towards Alexanderplatz (C) MJT
My favourite dishes worth recommending include the Ebimayo Popcorn (deep fried shrimps) for 4,90€ and the Avocado Salad with Pacific Shrimps, which has a generous
serving of prawns and it very good value for 6,90€. The sushi dishes are extremely reliable and the cooked fish dishes are worth trying.
Front entrance Hashi (C) MJT
Overall it is worth a visit if only to appreciate the ceiling, however I
would recommend it for a date night or special occasion. Take your time
and try many various dishes. Service and meals are usually extremely efficient.
Price: €€-€€€
Service: ★★★★
Food: ★★★★☆
Recommended dish: Avocado Salad with Pacific Shrimps 6,90€.
I don't often write about my work or personal life on this blog, but rather recommendations of where to visit and enjoy Berlin. However I wish to make an exception, because of the unexpected nature and uplifting experience of my work today.
As a musician we become very accustomed to and comfortable in the concert hall, theatre or practice room - but my relationship with Lieder, in this case Schubert's Winterreise, today led me to an unusual situation - a workshop inside a prison for youths.
Care of winterreise.gefaengnistheater.de
The initiative "Gefängnistheater (Prison Theatre) has been working on this winterREISE project for three years, and has taken the Schubert Song Cycle and used the texts, music and expression, to involve the detainees in an art experiment.
I was there with an outstanding colleague, dramatic mezzo soprano, Christin-Marie Hill, to perform a selection of songs from the original cycle of 24 in their original classical form. An example of "Gute Nacht" (good night) is performed below by two of Berlin's most famous artistic residents, Baritone Thomas Quasthoff and pianist Daniel Barenboim.
The majority of the afternoon was spent evolving the original texts into rap responses, performed by the detainees, and myself improvising at the piano, while Christin-Marie added sung refrains and an eclectic mix of jazz, soul, operatic and pop to the ordered rap.
What struck me the most was not the setting (I had to keep reminding myself that I was actually in a prison), but the genuine response and enthusiasm that these young men (16-23) had to both the classical version of these Lieder (songs) and their own interpretation and response via rap that could relate to their own experiences and lives.
care of winterreise.gefaengnistheater.de
I would love to post some of the rap verses, which were not only quite poetic in structure, but gave an interesting insight into their lives and past experiences. However there is a performance planned in Autumn (beginning of October), where their interpretations will be presented. Unfortunately I don't know whether it is an open performance, but regardless I feel like the experience and purpose of what is being achieved here is of great importance for rehabilitation and cultural appreciation.
care of www.berlin.de
That in a prison setting these Lieder can have such a powerful effect, continue to evolve and be relevant, was quite an uplifting and genuinely enjoyable experience for me. I believe the inmates were also extremely grateful and respectful for the day that we shared.
For further information on this programme, which is supported by the EU Union and multiple government initiatives, visit their website in german at: http://winterreise.gefaengnistheater.de/
And to finish with, a clip of my all time favourite Lieder interpreter, the late Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau performing "Letzte Hoffnung" (last hope) from "Winterreise".
"The Medium" is a two-act, one hour opera by the italian-american composer Gian Carlo Menotti.
It tells a story of Madam Flora/Baba as a fraud communicator with the dead (think Whoopie Goldberg in the film "Ghost"), until this particular seance, whereby she has a true experience of someone (or something) touching her throat. From that moment she continues to become more obsessed with finding out the answer and growing with fear, frustration and anxiety. At the end of the opera she shoots the mute, Toby, thinking that he is the ghost.
Design: Ellen Leather
While this a rarely performed Chamber Opera, it is extremely well composed, compact and dramatic.
A performance in Berlin recently took place at the restaurant P103, Potsdamer Strasse 103, and another is planned for Halloween on Friday 31 October at 22:00. I suggest getting along to see it, as the performance is by donation only, and it is easy enough to have dinner first then enjoy drinks during the performance itself.
L. Rose Nolan & R. Elizabeth Baz in THE MEDIUM / Photo: Niko Tourkos
The opera is sung in English and features an international cast as follows:
Monica - Elizabeth Baz
Madam Flora - Rose Nolan
Mrs Gobineau - Ellen Leather
Mr Gobineau - Oskar Koziolek-Goetz
Mrs Nolan - Alexandra Broneske
Toby - a mute (imagined)
Musical Director - Matthew Toogood
Come along and support these young artists by leaving a donation!!!
As you may be aware if you live in Berlin, Einstein Coffee is a Berlin chain of Coffee Houses, starting I believe with the original Einstein Villa in Schöneberg.
Now in Quartier 206 (C) MJT
The Einstein new opening on Friedrichstrasse in Quartier 206 is a welcome return to the area, as it was one of my original haunts when I first moved to Berlin.
Kaffee Einstein (C) MJT
Living long distance, I would spend hours each day skyping back to Australia in the cosy Coffee Shop close to my work. However the manager/owner decided to move to Savignyplatz, and the lease was taken over by a watch store (a watch store!! really??!! it was the best coffee for blocks!) However, Einstein Kaffee have now re-opened after a number of delays on the opposite side of the street in the centre of Quartier 206 in a much bigger store with upstairs seating. Directions here:
Espresso macchiato (C) MJT
While this is still a chain, the friendliness of the staff (particularly the manager) and the loyalty cards, makes this an extremely reliable place to grab a quick espresso, or if you are on a skype date enjoy a larger beverage such as the hot chocolate, or even for a lunch of cous cous salad or panini.
A quick espresso macchiato date (C) MJT
My only reservation is that the prices are slightly too high for a chain (particularly on lunch food) and there are now more places around Berlin to get good coffee. Given that the location is tourist central and Quartier 206 is considered hoighty-toighty, this is perhaps not so surprising.
Care of www.einstein-kaffee.de
In summary, EINSTEIN Kaffee in Quartier 206 comes in at a good recommendation, particularly if you are in the area around Checkpoint Charlie or Gendarmenmarkt and need a refresher:
Coffee: ★★★☆
Service: ★★★★☆
Atmosphere: ★★★★
Recommended Drink: Espresso macchiato or Hot Chocolate
Price: €1,80 or €3,50
Best Quality: Wifi, Service (particularly the manager) and atmosphere (now upstairs seating and in Quartier 206)
Near the intersection of Rosenthaler Platz and on the corner of Mulackstrasse is a new(ish) vietnamese restaurant. Directions here:
We tried their Mittagsmenü when they first opened approximately a year and a half ago, and were intrigued but not overly impressed.
Since then they have modified their menu, and their Bao Burger is an award winning creating in Berlin.
(C) MJT
Basically if one is familiar with the dough of chinese buns (eg BBQ Pork Buns), this is the bread of the burger - so the texture and density is quite different to that of a regular burger.
The ingredients are strong in flavour, enhanced particularly by the coriander and chili.
Care of www.districtmot.com
The effort that has gone into making this Berlin corner restaurant resemble a busy Saigon street is impressive, if not a little too crowded - but that is probably part of the theme.
While I would recommend trying the Bao Burger, I have to confess that I do find that the service is extremely poor - both in attendance and manner. Given the number of Vietnamese restaurants in Berlin, in order to compete, the service does need to improve.
More information regarding the regular menu can be found on their website: www.districtmot.com however this does not have the Burger information, as it is usually a special item.
A quick blog post to actually re-blog a video that franklovesellen.com posted a while ago, which includes footage from our trip to Szczecin and the Olympus Photography Playground.
If you have a few free minutes have a watch, and see some of our daily life, as it was this past May, and how clever E is at compiling and editing videos!
Tucked away in the Sophie-Gips-Hof is a treasured large coffee and cake
house. Though not as busy as the Hackescher Höfe, this courtyard has a more local feel
and is ideal for a weekend brunch or an afternoon coffee and cake. Directions here:
There is an abundance of seating inside for the winter months and outside in the calm courtyard opposite Gestalten.
Care of www.barcomis.de
I have previously written about the Sophie-Gips-Höfe, that it was
originally a factory for bike chains and then sewing machines. The full
post can be found here:
Barcomi's Cappuccino (C) MJT
The café itself seems to be based on an Austrian tradition with New York
style feel. There is a page worth of coffee beans to choose from, and
it has been one of the few coffee houses I have found to serve a
condensed milk "cortado" (as they name it).
Cortado at Barcomi's (C) MJT
I can also recommend sharing the three dips lunch, or a bagel. To date I
have resisted the temptation to try the cakes, though I'm sure that
wont last long and I will follow up this post with a dedicated cake one.
Bagel at Barcomi's (C) MJT
Another great quality or touch that I appreciate is not having to ask for water, as each coffee drink comes with sparkling water to cleanse the palette.
Espresso at Barcomi's (C) MJT
Overall a very calm, traditional coffee and cake house.
Coffee: ★★★★
Service: ★★★★
Atmosphere: ★★★★☆
Recommended Drink: Cortado (condensed milk)
Price: €2,80 (€3,80 doppel)
Best quality: condensed milk coffee "cortado" or the cakes
