Schokoladen Restaurant opened on September 15, 2006 in Berlin, Germany, and is the first and only chocolate restaurant in Europe.
For a chocolate aficionado, the Schokoladen Restaurant at Fassbender & Rausch is a decadent chocolate paradise where every dish on the menu contains a form of chocolate. Under the skilled and talented direction of Austrian Chef Markus Walder, he teases the palate with his inspired creations using cacao from Ecuador, Tobago, Trinidad, and Venezuela from eight plantations that use brown sugar and no vanilla to create a natural and healthy product.
The large, airy, and contemporary décor restaurant located over the Fassbender & Rausch chocolate shop features peach-colored walls with dark wood, black leather chairs and dark wood tables, walls of windows, palm trees add a feeling of the tropics, and sensational desserts beckon from the shining glass cases.
Edward F. Nesta and I had lunch at the restaurant in March 2007, where we began with a first course of Sole Tartar with White Chocolate and Smoked Salmon with saffron and orange caviar with a milk fish foam beautifully presented on a scallop shell and garnished with saffron and deep-fried dill. Although we both love chocolate, in Edward’s case only the richest, deepest, and darkest chocolate need apply, when the sole dish arrived, our palates were surprised at the subtle and perfect melding of flavors, and no, it was not sweet.
For his second course, Edward selected the Saddle of Venison with Red Cabbage and Chestnut Blini with Chocolate, and Cacao and Chocolate Beans that was every bit as tasty as it was artful, with subtle, underlying cacao flavors. The venison was presented as delectable layers of venison medallions with raspberry sauce, truffle oil, cacao and chocolate beans, chocolate bread, red cabbage, and apple rings.
I selected the Tuna Steak with Spinach, Pancake with Chocolate-Lentils and Banana Leaf. This presentation was gorgeous with 2 pieces of tuna, one of which was wrapped in a banana leaf and speared with a piece of lemongrass, with quartered cherry tomatoes, and lentils coated with chocolate on a bed of spinach, with a saffron fish foam chocolate sauce, sprinkled with sea salt and garnished with deep-fried dill. To really bring out the full-cacao flavor in this dish, our waiter grated cacao pepper over the tuna, which added extra appeal to this unusual and very pleasing course.
After our savory chocolate courses, it was time to progress to the opulent Schokoladen Restaurant desserts. Edward selected the Arriba Chocolate Cake in the Chocolate Box, which was a stunning presentation of a square chocolate "box" filled with a rich dark chocolate cake, garnished with spun sugar and "accessorized" with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and mangoes. One bite of this heavenly dessert led to another until he had finished every morsel of this tempting dessert.
I selected the Chocolate Cannelloni with Lemongrass Filling and Red Fruit Jelly, which was another winner both in presentation and taste, with its dark chocolate "cannelloni" filled with a delicious lemongrass cream, with raspberries and blueberries lining the cannelloni, a ribbon of raspberry coulis on the plate, and decorated with two elaborate spun sugar arcs. Combined with steaming cups of rich hot chocolate served with fresh whipped cream sprinkled with tiny chocolate squares, we had reached our chocolate saturation level, at least for one day!
Read Chefs’ Recipes where Chef Markus Walder generously shares his recipes for a complete chocolate menu, including Sole Tartar with White Chocolate and Smoked Salmon, Tuna Steak with Spinach, Pancake with Chocolate-Lentils and Banana Leaf, Saddle of Venison with Red Cabbage and Chestnut Blini with Chocolate, Chocolate Cannelloni with Lemongrass Filling and Red Fruit Jelly, and Arriba Chocolate Cake in the Chocolate Box.
Schokoladen Restaurant is open Monday – Saturday from 10:00 am – 11:00 pm
Sunday from 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Lunch is served daily from 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Dinner is served à la Carte from Sunday – Thursday from 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Chocolate Dinner Show on Friday and Saturday from 7:30 pm – 11:00 pm
Schokoladen-Restaurant
Fassbender & Rausch
Chocolatiers am Gendarmenmarkt
Charlottenstrasse 60
10117 Berlin
Germany
Telephone: +49 30 2045 8443
Toll-Free: 800 757 8810 (Monday – Sunday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm)
Fax: +49 30 2045 8445
Email: info@fassbender-rausch.de
www.Fassbender-Rausch.de
Read other articles on Berlin and Germany in Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Spas, Restaurants, Chefs’ Recipes, Arts and Antiques: Performances, and Music Scene sections.
For more information on Berlin and Germany, please visit: www.berlin-tourist-information.com and www.ComeToGermany.com.
© May 2007. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com All rights reserved.
