READY, STEADY, EAT!
In Berlin to run a half marathon, former MasterChef SA winner Kamini Pather used the opportunity to sample the German capital’s thriving food scene – all in her pink takkies, no less
“THE EMOTION I FELT RUNNING THROUGH THE BRANDENBERG GATE WILL STAY WITH ME FOREVER. AS WILL TIM RAUE’S RED CURRY MARSHMALLOW WITH PINEAPPLE”
Shewho runs, eats all the things.
This has been my mantra since I started plodding, one foot in front of the other, over long distances. My trip to Berlin was designed to fulfill both my passions – I planned to run the Berlin Half Marathon and eat my way through the streets of the once divided city.
I started running three years ago as one of the ambassadors for the Cape Town Marathon, and I’ve been running ever since. Something about appearing on MasterChef SA really reignited my competitive spirit and, in Berlin, my aim was to finish the race in under two hours.
But first, food. I wore my salmonpink takkies to Tim Raue’s eponymous two Michelin-star restaurant on RudiDutschkestrasse. Yes, that Tim Raue, the controversial chef who appeared in the third season of Chefs Table. His Cantonese langoustine came with the most perfect broth I’ve ever tasted. And I was happy to find that my comfortable shoes weren’t out of place: Tim and his team serve Asianinspired food prepared from the comfort of their trainers. When he sat down with me, I had to remind myself to forget his fiery reputation and stay cool. We spoke about the vegan food trend that is taking over Berlin and he asked after his fellow San Pellegrino-listed chef, Luke Dale Roberts of The Test Kitchen, promising me that he would visit South Africa sometime.
In contrast, my visit to Jaja, one of the city’s most beloved bar-restaurants, was a completely different experience. Situated on Weichselstrasse in Neukölln, it’s a hole in the wall that serves natural wine with plates, boards and bowls of artful dishes made with freshly sourced ingredients. My local running buddy and I sipped on Brendan Tracey’s Pour une Poignee de Bouteilles, an unfiltered Beaujolais that is alive with cherry, plum and something barnyardy. I’ll always remember the flavours of my smoked mackerel croquettes with horseradish cream and swatches of Bayonne ham with Cheddar and beurre noisette, as well as the fresh burrata in a sea of peas with wild garlic.
After that, we found our way to CODA, a dessert bar just down the street. We sat at the end of the dark, minimalist counter and watched the mixologist and the chef produce a dessert-andcocktail pairing. The result? A Tanzanian cocoa, plum and smoke dish matched with a delicate dessert wine – Lambrusco – spritzed with single-malt whisky.
My trek to dinner at Lode & Stijn was a memorable series of wrong turns and wrong trains. (Takkies come in handy in a new city!) But it was all worth it when I got to taste the creations of this Dutch duo. The highlight? Veal tartare on toast with oysters, chicory and linseeds.
Between all the fine dining, I also feasted on great streetfood. At Tribeca
I ate plant-based ice cream made with coconut milk, nut milk and cocoa butter. At Burgermeister – a former public toilet – I tucked into a burger made with a homemade brioche bun. At Pho Noodlebar in Mitte, I had a bowl of Vietnamese soup worth dreaming about. At Kollwitzplatz Markt I managed to buy olive oil-anddonkey milk hand lotion, locally made gin and jewellery – all while holding a mustard-slathered wurst in my hand.
And it was at Rosenthaler Grill that I discovered Berlin’s finest, most affordable Turkish kebabs.
As for the race and my target of two hours? I finished in two hours and one minute. And I was gutted. But the emotion I felt running through the Brandenberg Gate is something that will stay with me for a lifetime. As will the flavour of Tim Raue’s red curry marshmallow with pineapple.