The taste of summer at Kantini
For two whole years, I had the wonderful job of filling the Kantini Instagram account with photos. And during that time, Kantini also filled my stomach with delicious food – because as well as shots of the cool interior, it was also my task to take pictures of all the different eateries and mouth-watering items on their menus. So for the BIKINI BERLIN Journal, I was more than happy to return to my former stomping ground and report on what Kantini is serving up this summer.
But where do I start? Perhaps with the mid-century modern interior, which has a colour scheme that evokes memories of Palm Springs in the 50s and instantly gets you in a summer mood. Or maybe with all the greenery everywhere that exudes a real sense of calm. And just as green is the view from the loggia, which directly overlooks Berlin Zoo’s bird aviary. Another highlight is the fact that the loggia’s windows can be fully opened in the warm summer months, which means that you can listen to the birds chirping while you eat and drink. As you can tell, I could go on and on about the aesthetically pleasing interior design, but I haven’t even started on the food yet! I did, in fact, find it hard to pick out just a few dishes because there are so many different eateries at Kantini and they are all unique in their own way, but in the end my boyfriend and I decided on Frai and Sons of Mana. And for dessert: the obligatory scoop of ice cream from Copper & Flint. It is summer, after all!
Frai not only gives you the option of putting together your own dishes, but also attaches a great deal of importance to seasonal variety. For me, their “Harvest Salad” with millet and mint taboulé, seasonal vegetables and fresh salad is a textbook example of a perfect summer dish because, when it’s hot outside, it doesn’t lie heavy in your stomach but is still nicely filling and refreshing. Sons of Mana gives you the option of putting together your own poke bowl. My boyfriend opted for the Mana Grilled Salmon Bowl, topped with an extra tempura shrimp.
Poke bowls originally come from Hawaii and – like Japanese sushi – are usually served with rice, raw fish and additional toppings like avocado, seaweed salad, edamame etc. They are also ideal for hot summer days. And fish dishes always bring back memories of sunshine, sea and sand, don’t you think?
Last but by no means least – because there’s always room for ice cream – we treated ourselves to a scoop each from Copper & Flint. As well as inside the indoor food market, they currently have an ice cream van in front of BIKINI BERLIN with, I’m happy to report, all my favourite flavours.
And that, my fellow foodies, is my personal take on what summer tastes like at Kantini!
