Ich mag Schokolade, or in English, I like chocolate. If you find yourself in Berlin and you feel the same, then the chocolate restaurant upstairs in Fassbender and Rausch is a must visit.
First of all you need to whet the appetite by strolling around the chocolate shop downstairs. The smell of chocolate as you enter the door is like a warm hug from your best indulgent friend. Shelves literally stacked with every kind of chocolate imaginable. In the unlikely event you need help imagining the magnificent, then you will be blown away by the chocolate sculptures dotted around the shop. Teddy bears, angels, chocolate planes hanging from the roof, and even a massive Titanic replica. Left alone with me in the shop, that chocolate Titanic would also meet a fatal ending.
The Chocolate Restaurant
Now, on to the chocolate restaurant. At the back of the shop they have an elevator, much like Willy Wonka did, only this one had no Charlie Bucket and was filled with tourists, just like me. It takes you up two floors to the chocolate restaurant and cafe. I made a booking in advance for the chocolate inspired three course menu which is €39.50 and for good measure I threw in the wine pairing which brought it up to €48, which by all accounts is very reasonable.
To kick off the experience some delicious brown bread arrived which of course had a chocolate element, in that the butter had chocolate flakes whipped into it. I was a firm fan within seconds I must admit.
My first course, a hearty bowl of red lentil soup with tomato and coconut milk. It was topped with roasted water chestnuts and had a luxurious drizzle of the dark Rausch Plantagen-Shokolade Ecuador 70%. Quite a mouthful that description. The soup was too. Rich, creamy and packed with flavour and the drizzled chocolate seeped its way into every spoonful. Chocolate in soup, madness I would have said, before having it. Now I add chocolate to all my soups (I don’t really that line is just for the craic). The soup was paired with a 2015 Weissburgunder which had notes of pear, apple and melon and hints of nut.
My second dish was a relatively simple one, but executed well. Breast of black-feather chicken which had a honey and rum glaze. It was served with asparagus and violet potatoes and topped with white chocolate. The chicken was succulent and the glaze sweet and sticky. I’ve never had violet potatoes before and sure they look only marvellous on a plate. Taste wise they were perfectly fine. In addition to the white chocolate, which was a little sparse to be honest, the whole dish had a grating of chocolate. I didn’t think it would work. I mean who puts white chocolate with chicken. The Germans do, and what’s more they know what they are doing. Interesting this was paired with a Les Terriades 2015 Rose. I wouldn’t have chosen it myself, but it was sweet with fruit flavours.
Now, no chocolate themed menu would be complete without an actual chocolate dessert. Warm chocolate cake served with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and strawberries was to finish. A warm gooey inside added to a simple and delicious end to the meal.
The Verdict
A relaxing two-hour meal with wine for €48 I felt was money well spent. The food was enjoyable, the service superb and the quirkiness of it all was fun. The only thing I felt that let it down was the environment itself. Travelling through a chocolate shop paradise with eyes bulging in awe, I couldn’t help feel a little let down by the restaurant itself. It did feel more cafe than restaurant. Overall however, if you like chocolate and want something a little different, then its worth the visit.
