Pret A Diner is in Berlin for its second season, a two-month long “affordable” Michelin-quality dining experience bookended by Fashion Week and the Berlinale, events for which the not-a-pop-up restaurant aims to be the centre of debauchery for the city’s überchic society circles, fashion models and movie stars, while also offering the opportunity for the general public to partake in a semi-exclusive capacity… if they are lucky enough to get a reservation. We sent along Sandy in Berlin to soak up the atmosphere.
The theatrics begin immediately upon entering the venue, the Alte Münze. A grand staircase strewn with candles casts flickering shadows up onto a vast ceiling hung with hundreds of paper birds. At the top, a crucified Minotaur surrounded by a ring of fire and pierced with dozens of spikes stands solemnly in the corner as clouds of rich incense waft out of the adjacent hallway. Door after door of neon lit rooms display edgy artwork for the beautiful people lounging on plush couches and drinking slender flutes of Veuve Clicquot.
The drama is heightened by the opening of the exhibit, “Glaube, Hoffnung, Liebe” by Marcus Mahren in the main room, which the artist describes as “a celebration of life at the moment of death.” Tall columns with cascades of white orchids stand sentinel over giant, black and white photographs of ethereal men posing Christ-like, crowned with barbs or swathed in white cloth while an operatic soprano wails over the intermittent pounding of a bass drum. This being his first exhibition, Marcus claims that he is not an artist, just someone who wants to share an idea about pleasure and love. Draped in red and wearing tinted glasses in the dark, Marcus explains that he was just returning from a teaching with the Dalai Lama: “It doesn’t matter if one is Buddhist or Catholic… the time will come where this life ends and all are equally powerless, and we all want to find a way to have another life again.” He continues, “some people react negatively to this work, not liking to see the vulnerability of a dead body, but they need to see that life is like a gift, we should all be thankful and be ready to go with pleasure.”
Continuing on, several flights of another staircase are descended, one that is hung with long strands of straw, to which dozens of small, feathered bird bodies are clinging as recorded chirping echoes from the nooks and crannies. Cookies Cage is at the bottom, the cocktail lounge where the aperitifs are presided over by a giant relief mural of Angela Merkel with a third eye in her forehead, a gift left by Alexandre Farto, a.k.a. Vhils, the infamous Portugese street artist. The rest of the décor is also inspired by birds; cages painted on the walls and the central area overhung by steel black bars to which scores of white plastic birds are affixed.
The gin and tonic is served with a splash of ginger ale and slices of cucumber, and I settle into a cracked red leather sofa to interview the host of the “event”. A handsome metrosexual with a delightful Gold Coast lilt, Rich Jay describes January’s Fashion Week as having blown by in a blur, the conventional trappings of a restaurant overwhelmed by the schmear of a high-octane soiree. As he puts it, “we were happy to cater to the extra level of naughtiness that this kind of crowd demands, they needed our haven to really let their hair down – on one night the Cage was packed with 600 revelers rocking down the house.”
Next up is dinner in the main dining area, the work of interior designer Nora Von Nordenskjöld. It’s an exquisitely designed, creatively chaotic room bursting with thousands more birds, heavy candelabra, and chic couples curled into acorn chairs and sipping from bulbous glasses. The menu aims to showcase the latest and greatest in the world of gourmet dining, providing a cacophony of taste that changes every two weeks. We sample the creations of Tim Raue and Ollysan – both of which are simply extraordinary. After an amuse bouche of steak tartar in a small waffle cone, Raue serves up succulent lobster in rice wine with coriander, a delicate whitefish on a bed of mild sauerkraut and tender pig cheeks in a tangy sweet and sour sauce. Ollysan’s menu begins with fresh salmon that has the consistency of butter, a plate of creative maki sushi topped with little pats of tartar, fried quails eggs, and crispy onions, and finally sliced velvety roast beef with al dente vegetables. For dessert: beetroot ice, mango and black sesame gel mold filled with tapioca caviar and balsamico sauce.
The restaurant is now evolving into a club, and the tables on the main floor are cleared. From where we are tucked in the corner we watch the parade of stylish men in fedora hats and sparkling women in miniskirts heaving onto the floor to dance. Some friends join us, Rich pops by for another chat, and we order a bottle of vodka, Red Bulls and a bucket of ice for the table. We learn that the restaurant concept also pops up in London, having hosted such celebrities as The Edge, Snoop Dogg, Madonna escorted by Valentino, and Kiera Knightly. In 2011, the Berlin venue was visited by Brad Pitt, and so far this year Boris and Barbara Becker have made appearances, albeit on separate evenings. What’s left of the German aristocracy also swings by later in the evening to tour the building and eat in a private dining area reserved for the elite visitors.
It is an evening to remember, and even more so one to repeat. I will definitely be back at Pret A Diner this year, if not for the food, then for the fabulous party and the gorgeous people that make it the moment’s ultimate place to be in Berlin.
For this reason, we at The Hipstery have been working on a new product – Berlin Bingo. To begin, there will be Kreuzberg, Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrichshain versions. Each card comes with 16 simple items/challenges to help you experience that area of the city. It can be people you have to find, places you have to go, things you have to eat. Simple. Fun.
Prenzl´Berg:
– when the sun (at some point this summer) will come out have an ice cream at Kleine Eiszeit in Stargarderstrasse 7
– have a vegan brunch (donation based from 4 to 8€) in Café Morgen Rot
– stroll around Kulturbrauerei courtyard (still, when the sun will decide to join us)
– have a big fantastic yummie burger at “The Bird”, but be sure you´ll avoid the “napalm wings”, or it will be the last thing your mouth will ever touch
– finish the day (and start the weekend) with a coffee at Bonanza Coffee Heroes in Oderbergerstrasse. Can´t beat Club Mate!
Congrats Mary, you’re one of our five winners. Drop us a mail at https://hipstery.com/contact and let us know your address so we can send you your Hipster Kit. Thanks for your great suggestions!
Mitte :
go to Adlon Hotel and find the window where Michael Jackson almost dropped the baby
go to Tacheles and ask when they are closing
Get into a über-hipster Bar on Torstrasse and ask for a Futschi
ask the tattooist at white trash if he really gives a discount in case he would tattoo their logo into the design
find 5 totally white and empty shops with 1 person
on a mac and questionable posters near Rosenthaler
Prenzlauerberg :
Try to find a Doga / Dogyoga Studio or a bakery for Dogs, and try a biscuit
Find the ruins of Klub der Republik on Pappelallee and have a minute of silence
Go to Kollwitzplatz and smoke on a Playground in front of Cheyenne-Maria and Finn-Benjamin
go to an über-organic market with a T-shirt saying
“bacon is the candy of the meat”
print flourescent posters for a 3day kinder-techno rave for toddlers and hang them up at Kulturbrauerei
The Tacheles one killed me ???? But that would be a complete retorical question, since the answer is always “today”.
Thanks Daniel. you’re also a winner. Drop us a mail at https://hipstery.com/contact and let us know your address so we can send you your Hipster Kit. Thanks for your great suggestions!
thanks Adam, how exciting!
Prenzlauer Berg: find the only five houses left with grey/ brown fassades which have not yet been renovated to perfection.
Find ten kindercafes ( cafes that are extra friendly towards parents with small kids, for istance by offering an extra spielzimmer for die lieben kleinen…).
Prenzlauer Berg:
Vegan organic cafes: Find five. Double points for finding ones that let you exchange your old clothes for food.
Expensive kiddie shops: See if you could dress a baby for under 30 eur from their wares.
Mauerpark: Haggle a bike seller down to 20 eur.
Weinerei: Stuff your face with a piece of each delicious cake or gateaux, washed down with one glass from each wine bottle
Clothing items: Tick them off once you’ve seen them! Round-framed sunglasses, tote bag featuring some obscure organic markt logo, lace up vintage boots, basket on bicycle, “grown-up” hipster mum n’dad.
Mitte:
Mein Haus am See: for evening drinks and stay in there til it’s time for breakfast coffee
Brandenburger Tor: take obligatory photos with WW2 soldier, star wars character and horse and cart.
Boom! Nice one. Some good stuff here. Mein Haus am See I’ll check out this weekend.
Do it. I actually did stay in there for roughly 10 hours once, and I have no idea how.
Thanks Hayley, you won as well. Drop us a mail at https://hipstery.com/contact and let us know your address so we can send you your Hipster Kit.
Lies. There are no signs everywhere that point to Hauptbahnhof, because there is nothing around Hauptbahnhof.
– Sincerely, someone who transits daily via Hauptbahnhof.
P.S. Other than that, I dig.
Thanks to all those entered so far. You’ve been entertaining us! Particularly great are:
“Schwaben raus”
“double stroller.”/3 strollers
“Extremely huebsch and incredibly teuer”
Dr. Pong
Sing ‘I will survive’ at the Mauerpark karaoke
Keep ’em coming…
This is fantastic. I was just a tourist in Berlin. It was mostly in Kreuzberg. I think it is the best part of the city.
But this bingo is a great idea.
Haha.
anna
PB:
– try to spot 5 things that prove that this district was once in the GDR. (Lamp posts, original Ampelmaennchen, tram tracks, some plattenbau…)
– Have a Currywurst below Eberswalder Strasse station and imagine the Stasi agents posted at the bus stop opposite observing the West Berlin military that came there for a snack
– Sing ‘I will survive’ at the Mauerpark karaoke
Mitte:
– Read 25 Stolpersteine in the Scheunenviertel
– At Checkpoint Charlie send 5 other tourists the wrong way down Friedrichstrasse, it’ll be good for them
– At Hauptbahnhof count how long it takes to take the elevator all the way down from the S-Bahn tracks, from the moment you press the call button; points for succeeding under 5 minutes.
Congrats Jeroen, you’re also a winner. Drop us a mail at https://hipstery.com/contact and let us know your address so we can send you your Hipster Kit.
P-Berg:
+ find 5 strollers pushed by guys/girls who could easily be your younger brothers/sisters
+ “Find Love” – go looking for that huge, 3D “love” sculpture in Kulturbrauerei and take pictures with it
+ Have a beer at Dr. Pong WHILE playing group ping pong AND stay in the game for *at least* five minutes.
P-Berg/Mitte:
+ “Extremely huebsch and incredibly teuer” – have a look inside the many design shops and find five unaffordable items you would die to have.
+ Take funny pictures at a black&white photoautomat
Fedrico, congratulations, you are our last winner. Drop us a mail at https://hipstery.com/contact and let us know your address so we can send you your Hipster Kit. Cheers!
Discover 5 “Schwaben raus” graffitis in Prenzlauer Berg.
Find a coffee shop with at least 3 strollers parked in front of it in Prenzlauer Berg.
Dance tango by the riverside alongside super-serious German dancers at Strandbar Mitte.
For Prenzlauerberg: baby on a stroller wearing ironic and/or 80s rock band t-shirt. Find 4. Bonus for two babies on double stroller.