restaurant | Postcards From Here and There

Rutz Wine Bar

Restaurant Rutz is one of Berlin’s seven two star Michelin restaurants with chef Marco Müller at the helm. Downstairs from the restaurant is a wine bar which itself holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Located on Chausseestraße in Berlin’s central district it is everything you would want from a wine bar. Wine takes centre stage with bottles in a display filling a whole wall. The wine list is excellent and naturally German wines feature heavily, there is a good choice of wines by the glass and the staff are very knowledgeable and helpful.

The menu offers creative interpretations of traditional, regional dishes. As you would expect the cooking is first class and service is attentive without being overbearing. We decided to try a few wines by the glass rather than buy a bottle.

Roasted Berlin Black Pudding with vegetables

Pork Knuckle, Potato – sauerkraut and carrot

Prignitz Chicken, roasted onions with mashed potato and vegetables.

The wines

Georg Breuer Estate Rauenthal 2016. Rheingau – Wonderful aromas of lime with hints of lemon and petrol. Dry with great balance, lime and fresh zingy acidity, slight spritz. A nice lingering finish.

Immich – Batterieberg Eschenburg Riesling 2011. Mosel – Lime green in appearance, crystal clear and bright. Nose is intensely petrol and lime with a slight herby note. Palate is fuller, medium bodied. A really nice, elegant wine.

Vino Verde. Muros de Melgaço. Alvarinho. 2017 – Aromas of lime and stone fruits. Nice weight and balance with some real character and a saline minerality. A long, long finish. This really is very good.

Haart. Goldtropfchen. Spaltete. 2013. Mosel – Nose is restrained -lime, petrol. Palate shows excellent balance of sweetness and acidity. Flavours of lime, lemon and touch of honey spice.

Domaine de l’Horizon. Mar i Montanya. Cotes Catalanes. 2016 – Cherry red and youthful. Nose is fresh fruits; raspberry and strawberry with a touch of cherry. Palate is light with lovely red berry fruits, a hint of violets and a lovely savoury finish.

Katz Orange

Katz Orange is a restaurant in central Berlin which is well worth a visit, not only for the quality of the cooking but also for a really good wine list.

Located in a former brewery, built in 1893, and set back from the road in a courtyard, the setting is fantastic. In warm weather there are tables arranged outside, covered by large parasols, which, if the weather permits, should be your choice of seating. The interior of the restaurant is arranged over two floors and is warm and inviting, creating a good atmosphere for a relaxed evening. So dining either inside or outside it’s a win win!

The menu is short and well focused, offering seven or so choices for both appetisers and mains. There are house specialities such as Duroc pork, which has been cooked for 12 hours at low temperature to create a wonderfully tender and flavoursome piece of meat. This is only available for two to share and my photograph doesn’t do it justice, it was superb.

Heirloom tomatoes with date vinegar, pine nuts and croutons

Ceviche of Rottstock Sea Trout with melon and dill

Duroc pork with pickled cauliflower, red and fried onions.

Portions are generous and we didn’t feel that dessert was necessary but there is an interesting choice for those that want it including white chocolate cheesecake and cherry clafoutis.

The wine list here is very good and this always makes choosing difficult but staff are very helpful and more than willing to spend time discussing the possible options. In the end we chose Testalonga El Bandito Skin Contact Orange Wine 2016 from South Africa. Made from Chenin Blanc grapes which the juice has a shortish period of contact with the skins during vinification to produce a wine of real character. Stone fruits and some savoury spice abound in a wine that is dry and well balanced.

Katz Orange, Bergstraße 22, 10115, Berlin.

Open daily but evenings only from 6pm

Website is here

Nordbahnof (S-bahn S1, S2, S25, S26) or Rosenthaler Platz (U-Bahn U8) are the closest public transport train lines.

Lagom

A wet and windy day. An ideal opportunity to investigate a Swedish cookbook called Lagom by Steffi Knowles-Dellner that I received as a Christmas present.

Lagom is a word that is difficult to define but generally means “just the right amount , enough, sufficient, adequate, just right” but can also mean “in moderation and in balance”. Indeed in the introduction to her book Steffi expands on this and gives a wider appreciation of its meaning.

My interest in Nordic cuisine followed a city break in Stockholm a couple of years ago. Superb meals at Gastrologik and Ekstedt together with the tradition of fika (coffee, often with a piece of cake or pastry) left me in no doubt that the Swedes take their food very seriously indeed. So this book was a welcome addition to the book shelf.

Recipes are divided into six sections and I decide to try cooking from three. To start the day, breakfast. Buckwheat and lemon pancakes with berries and creme fraiche. The actual recipe in the book shows a savoury version for serving with smoked salmon but gives an alternative sweeter variety which I choose. I have to say that the addition of whipped egg whites gives an incredibly light but very tasty pancake. An excellent addition to the breakfast repertoire.

Next up Seeded Apple Bread. Part bread, part cake and made without using yeast so there is no kneading and prooving. Easy to make and really nice.

Finally Slow-cooked Pork with sweet mustard and root vegetables. You have to be patient here but it is well worth the wait. Four and a half hours in the oven produces pork shoulder that falls apart and tastes devine. I will definitely be making this again.

In conclusion three excellent recipes which worked well and are relatively straightforward to follow. Whats more there are plenty more to choose from. Steffi Knowles-Delliner has produced a book which is more than a cookery book to flick through, it is one to use over and over again to produce some authentic Swedish food and yes there are recipes for meatballs.