Thanks for the tip. It sounds like something I would have enjoyed, despite the hip elite, but we’re going to a concert on Thursday evening. A friend of ours is playing in the orchestra, and I’m sure she’ll be hungry afterwards. Any recommendations in the vicinity of the Berliner Philharmonie?
That area is tricky, but fairly well connected to get you somewhere else quickly.
Let me think about it and get back to you.
In that case it’s probably better if we look for something near her hotel. I’ll ask her where she’s staying. The next day she and her husband are transferring to our hotel in Prenzlauerberg, which will make life simpler.
Philharmonie problem resolved. Our friend has decided that she won’t want any more than a bite at the hotel after the concert. So we’ll probably have a bite there with her.
Have you, or has anyone, heard anything about an upscale Italian place called A Mano in Berlin Mitte?
Nope, never. Sorry.
Natascha, Salt n Bone appears to be in Prenzlauer Berg, not Kreuzberg. It’s just across the street from Lecker Song, where we had some Chinese dumplings last time we were in Berlin. I was not too terribly impressed with Lecker Song. Could have been a bit more Lecker. But speaking of Chinese places, do you know Lao Xiang?
My bad. I actually meant Candy on Bone, which is in Xberg.
I’ve not had great experiences with Chinese in Berlin. Wok Show makes some very nice dumplings, and Tian Fu in Wilmersdorf has decent Sichuan food. You really have to tell them to crank up the heat, however.
I can’t figure out what kind of regional cuisine Lao Xian is serving - the menu is all over the place. I’ve not been there nor had I heard of it.
Not really. Candy on Bone is closed now according to their website, and Salt 'n Bone looks interesting. If we get there, I’ll tell you about it.
I agree that Lao Xiang’s menu is diffuse and touristy, but it does have some items that non-Chinese seldom order, so maybe that’s a good sign?
I’ve been to Salt & Bone a few years ago, so my memory of their food is a bit fuzzy at this point.
I did not know Candy on Bone was closed again already.
Can’t believe I’ll be back in just a little over a week 
Hi Natascha,
We did quite well following your recommendations. Starting with Hamburg, Nil was excellent. There were four of us, each one of us had something different, and each of us was delighted. We also had a pretty good Spanish, or perhaps Basque, meal at Dr. José, highly recommended by a young lady at the front desk of the hotel. Another recommendation from the hotel staff was Casa Romana, really excellent Italian food in Hamburg!
In Berlin the two stars were Wok Show and Txokoa. The Chinese dumplings at Wok Show were some of the best I’ve ever had. We tried both the fried and the boiled. Both great. Last year we tried something I’d read about in Paris. Not in the same class. If I lived in Berlin, I’d be there once a week.
Txokoa was another hit out of the park. Most of the dishes were superb, and the ones that didn’t rise to that level were excellent. Funnily enough, I was a bit disappointed in the 24-hour pork belly. It was excellent, and the others at the table loved it, but I missed the soy sauce that would have been in the Chinese version.
We ate at District Mot again, but whereas I liked it, I didn’t like it as much as the last time we were there. And we had a burger at The Bird. I was probably expecting too much. I did like it, as did my wife and cousin, but my burgers are better. Immodest, yes, but …
We ate at the upscale and rather expensive Italian place called A Mano. It was good, but expensive. The cheapest wines were EUR 32.50, and from there into the stratosphere. It was good, but I do not feel the need to return.
Renger Patzsch, which you and @dlobo recommended, was a mixed joy. All five of us ordered different things, and all five of us enjoyed our meal immensely. Unfortunately, my wife and I experienced some post-prandial distress, most likely as a result of a shared dessert (tarte tatin). Happens. None of our friends had any problems.
On our last evening we wanted to go to Salt n Bone. I made a reservation via the internet, tried to call to confirm, didn’t get through, so we went anyway. It turned out that they were closed that day because of electrical problems in the kitchen. The next day I received an email from them. So we walked around the area and ended up in a Viennese place, Bistro Stadt Salettl, a very pleasant small place, where I had a true Wiener Schnitzel, good wine, and my wife and cousin also had desserts. This is a place that I could imagine returning to.
Another place that we just chanced upon was Al Dente on Greifswalderstr. We were just looking for someplace for a quick lunch. It was excellent.
The only disappointment was Friedel Richter. In the first place, they didnt’ have the chicken skin appetizer the day we were there. In addition, my schnitzel was not enjoyable. But my wife’s mustard eggs with mashed potatoes, which I had to finish, were quite good.
So, thanks again for your input, and Bon Appetit!
I am glad that your overall experience was good to great, but am of course sorry about the few disappointments along the way.
Some gal pals and I used to have a monthly ladies night at Wok Show, but I haven’t been in at least a couple of years.
Very glad that you liked your experience at Nil. I am incredibly tempted to go to HH just for a night so I can dine there again 
And, by the way, we missed Nefertiti, since our friends were too tired to go when we were in the area. I guess that means another visit to Berlin, no?
Always
Btw, your glowing report of Nil prompted us to do a quick overnight trip to HH… pretty much just to have dinner there again (it’s been a few years, at least).
So thanks for that inspiration!
Natascha, the inspiration came from you! By the way, this was our first trip to Hamburg, which is a beautiful city. We’ll have to get back there, too.
