berlin – the lucky leek

On the second night I was in Berlin I dined at the Lucky Leek. I had booked before I left home to make sure I could go. I had high expectations and I wasn’t disappointed. The service is friendly and relaxed, I was treated well as a solo diner and given a nice table in the window. The food is refined without being so posh and minuscule that you end up hungry.

I had a choice of a 3 or 5 course chef’s menu. I chose the 5 courses. It cost 55 euros.

Here is what I ate.

Amuse Bouche of smoked tofu on a red pepper and lentil pilaf. This was accompanied by a sushi roll that had been fried in tempura batter and topped with something delicious that I couldn’t identify. Both were delicious.

The first real course was a very pretty salad with a gratin of vegan feta on pumpernickel. It came with strawberries, pickled turnip and delicious apple purée and dried apple. Really good.

It is full on asparagus season in Europe at the moment and restaurants everywhere are featuring it on their menus. Here was no exception, where it came as a creamy asparagus soup with a wonton filled with potato and garnished with parsley oil. Simple and good with the crunch of the wonton perfect with the velvety soup.

This course was probably my favourite. Ginger cooked carrot with pistachio, asparagus purée, sautéed bok choy, white asparagus, tempura green asparagus and a pea and mint dumpling. Plate licking worthy food.

This course was mixed for me. Tempeh, gratinated eggplant, sweet potato and cheese croquette and cabbage with pepper and beetroot sauces. The tempeh was a dead loss for me as I can’t bear it unless it is thin and crispy. But the eggplant and the croquette were wonderful and the cabbage delicious. The sauces were not that thrilling. But I’d have eaten this dish for that croquette alone.

Dessert was a fruit tart, with an apricot curry mousse and a lemon cheesecake icecream. All good and surprising the mousse with curry worked!

I’d go back to the Lucky Leek anytime. It is high end, delicious vegan food without being stuffy and it is good value for the quality.

Lucky Leek
Kollwitzstraße 54
10405 Berlin