überlin

Even with Berlin’s underwhelming culinary reputation, we expected our first meal at one of the city’s five star hotels to be one of the best we’ve ever had. And sure enough, a couple of times during our dinner at Hotel Concorde’s Brasserie Le Faubourg I wanted to cry – not when our picks from the Schnapps trolley hit my throat, but as I experienced the pure pleasure of tasting something perfect, and perfectly new. After arriving at the beautiful west Berlin hotel, just off Kurfürstendamm, we eschewed the enticing “collection culinaire” and seasonal Spargel selection in favour of creating our own menu, with my choices fuelled by a craving for decent fish!

My curiosity led me to the lobster latte macchiato, a rich bisque presented as (mmmm) a glass of coffee, and the surprisingly delicious ray wings with parsley root risotto, radish and lemon fumée. But it was Zoë who picked the dish of the evening – narrowing down the impressive dessert selection to a deconstructed carrot cake, served with yoghurt ice cream and mascarpone, which was one of the best sweet things either of us have ever tasted. As one would expect from a five star establishment, dinner at Hotel Concorde’s French-inspired brasserie is best reserved for a special occasion, but, to be blunt, we’ve eaten far less enjoyable meals that cost much more money. At the risk of being overly sentimental, allow me to choke back the tears as I exclaim that the meal we ate at Brasserie Le Faubourg is the best we’ve ever eaten in Berlin.