TIM RAUE is a two-star Michelin Chef and is considered as one of the best Chefs in Berlin. He opened his flagship store, Tim Raue, together with his wife Marie-Anne last July 2010, serving Asian-inspired cuisine. It is the top 78 restaurant in the San Pellegrino list.
Tim also opened two new restaurants in 2013 in Berlin–Sra Bua by Tim Rau (Japanese-Thai cuisine) in Hotel Aldon Kempinski, and La Soupe Populaire (German cuisine) in the Studio House of Bötzow Brewery, along Prenzlauer Allee.
We tried Tim Raue restaurant with fashion blogger Camille Co and her awesome sister Charlotte Co on our last day in Berlin, and here’s a photo essay of our experience…
Tim Raue is located at the ground floor of a five-storey historical building called Kochstr 60 (since 1974), located along Rudi Dutschke Straße near Checkpoint Charlie.
The facade from the outside is unassuming. You have to go inside a courtyard with a mini-garden to enter the restaurant.
Upon entering, the ambiance is casual but elegant, with cast asphalt flooring, high ceiling, and thought-provoking artwork.
The restaurant has a nice street view of Berlin, with thoughfully positioned gallery lighting, reminiscent of the art gallery it replaced.
Creativity, uniqueness, and freedom are the guiding principles of the restaurant, as embodied by the logo inspired by the Hummingbird.
The colors of the resto are highlighted by different shades of blue and purple.
The main highlight of the resto is the KRUG Table–a 12-seater chef’s table made of heavy long oak with handmade metal inlays, with an awesome view of the kitchen.
As you go down the basement, you’ll see a display of porcelain pieces, vases, and other Asian collectible items.
The private dining area in the basement is illuminated by an array of 300 bulbs, inspired by the Hong Kong skyline.
The private area can be booked for a minimum of 6 people or up to a maximum of 30.
Even going to the bathroom in the basement is a pleasant experience.
Tim Raue Menu: lunch | menu unique | summer menu | German Wines: | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56
The service is casually friendly and very helpful, but without an overpowering presence.
Weingut Wittnmann, Westhofen Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) (0.75l – 42 €)
We ordered the recommended wine, which paired well with the meal. Although a dry riesling would have a been a better wine to drink during lunch.
An exciting selection of Asian-inspired small appetizer plates are served, like the bowl of sweet & sour Shanghai cucumbers–compliments of the kitchen.
We were fighting over the crunchy and spiced cashews! How I wish we ordered a replenishment.
I appreciated the fact that they don’t serve carbo-loaded side dishes such as bread, noodles, rice, nor do they use white sugar.
The highlight is a melt-in-your-mouth, thinly sliced pork belly, szechuan style.
The plating was beautiful. It was a pleasure shooting and enjoying the food with fellow bloggers.
Camille ordered a 4-course, while Charlotte and I ordered a 3-course lunch set. We all decided to share a bit of the dishes.
Related Blog Post: Camille Tries to Blog | Photo Diary: Berlin
Appetizer
Octopus, Purple Curry, & Melon
One big octopus tentacle in purple curry (perhaps from beet roots) with a burst of honeydew melon flavor. You can cut it into 10 small slices to enjoy every bit of it. The octopus meat was cooked well, not rubbery, and with just the right bite.
Wasabi Langoustine **
The langoustine, which is from a slim lobster that tasted like a big prawn, is coated and fried in flour, topped with wasabi mayo sauce and lots of deep fried rice chips. It reminded me of our favorite cereal prawn, but served in a Japanese-French way atop of a stock of fish sauce, mango, and carrot. Highly recommended, even if you have to pay an additional premium.
Dim Sum “Jerusalem Artichoke, Black Truffle, & Hazelnut”
It’s gyoza-like dimsum with Jerusalem artichoke, seared on one side, and topped with big pieces of black truffle. The hazelnut helps clean the palette. It was a unique flavor combination that surprised even us Asians. Nicely done. 🙂
We were impressed by the artwork displayed all over the resto. The artists decided to prove that the bad news in a newspaper can be turned into something positive by erasing most of the words and turning it into a piece of art.
We were wondering why a big painting featuring a garbage dumpsite would be the centerpiece of a restaurant?
Email me (anton@diaz.ph) if you want to know the point of this painting.
Main Course
Lobsters, Sambal Manis, & Pomelo
It tastes like a sweet & spicy lobster version and is more like an appetizer in portion and taste than a main course.
Most foodies rave about the deconstructed Peking Duck interpretation of Tim Raue.
Peking Duck Interpretation TR **
It’s more of Peking Duck served three ways–a soup, an appetizing terrine, and a main meat course.
The hot duck consommé was clean tasting and surprisingly good, with bits and pieces of tongue, heart, and stomach, wintermelon, and chili.
The duck liver terrine topped with foie gras cream was extra creamy and rich, you’d wish they served it with some melba toast. Instead, you have to eat the pickled cucumber, 3 dollops of ginger-leak cream, and Chinese barbecue sauce to balance the creaminess in between bites.
The best part of the meal was the big chunk of juicy duck breast cooked medium with crispy skin and a thin layer of fat. It was served on a bed of five-spice waffle with apple and leek, surrounded by sticky duck jus. So good!
Desserts
The desserts were pleasant and surprisingly different from the usual sweets in Asia.
These redeemed my first impression of the poor quality of desserts in Berlin.
Calpico, Raspberry, & Rhubarb
This was the most interesting and satisfying dessert with calpico (a Japanese milky softdrink) meringue and cream, with rhubarb sorbet, and raspberries.
Raw Milk Gouda, Apricot, & Saffron
Forgettable. Feels like just eating grated cheese.
Vanilla, Passion Fruit, & Toffee
This vanilla passion fruit meringue with toffee sauce failed to make an impression.
But the surprise dessert–compliments of the kitchen–erased the memory of the mediocre dessert.
I know it was a bit weird for Asians to be eating in an Asian-inspired Michelin Restaurant. I wasn’t really expecting the food to surprise me and was more after experiencing the most raved about restaurant in Berlin.
I like the casual chic ambiance–it’s quiet but not snooty. The service is smart and the staff builds rapport quickly but disappears in the background. I love the thought provoking artwork that intrigue you and challenge you to take action.
I highly recommend a three-course lunch meal with the following combination (50 €):
- Appetizer: Dim Sum “Jerusalem Artichoke, Black Truffle, & Hazelnut”
- Main Course: Peking Duck Interpretation TR
- Dessert: Calpico, Raspberry, & Rhubarb
I would like to meet him in person one of these days, and would love to try his German food creations.
TIM RAUE
Rudi Dutschke Straße. 26, 10969 Berlin
Email: office@tim-raue.com
Telephone: +49 30 2593-7930
Facebook: Restaurant Tim Raue
Website: http://tim-raue.com/
Operating Hours: Tuesday – Saturday
Lunch opens at 12.00nn | Kitchen open until 1.30pm | restaurant open until 3.00pm
Dinner opens at 7.00pm | Kichen open until 9.30pm | restaurant open until 12.00mn.
Tim Raue lunch menu
3 course menu 38 € | 4 course menu 48 €
5 cousre menu 58 € | 6 course menu 68 €
* 8 € supplemenet
** 12 € supplement
prices in €, including 19% tax
Related Blog Post:
- The Wrong City | Tim Raue – How to Make it in San Pellegrino Top 100
- Stil in Berlin | Food in Berlin: Tim Raue
- Happy Noms | Berlin: Tim Raue (Oct. 2013)
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Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Disclosure: We paid for our meal. Our Berlin Trip was courtesy of the Foreign Ministry as part of the Blogger Visitors Program of the Federal Republic of Germany. I wrote this article with my own biases, opinions, and insights. Read Our Awesome Planet Complete Disclosure Policy here.
P.S. Budget about 80 €/person with wine.
