Ambavi Berlin Of Georgian cosiness

Cosiness can mean many things in gastronomic terms: A beautiful dining room, a pleasant atmosphere, a kind staff or the famous comfort food. The Georgian restaurant Ambavi Berlin in the north of Friedrichshain offers all this and more.

Comfort food reflects the food that provides the greatest fulfilment but is usually not exactly good for a slim figure. Our number one comfort food is definitely the Georgian national dish khachapuri, a dish of baked dough filled in various ways, which is served impressively at Ambavi.

The dough comes roughgly in shape of a boat and is topped with cheese and egg, which are mixed before eating. We are helped by owner Eli, who stretches the cheese before our eyes so high that it makes our hearts leap. Eli, originally from Batumi, the home of Atcharuli Khachapuri, being the variant already described, opened Ambavi last year.

Initially, it was meant to be a café with small Georgian dishes, which became increasingly popular with the guests. A slight reminiscence of cafés in Friedrichshain can still be seen in the straight-lined interior with its light wood look. The timing, however, was between the lockdowns. So when the second lockdown came, Eli, her husband, and business partner Luca decided to completely transform Ambavi into a Georgian restaurant.

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To this end, the two travelled to Georgia to recruit kitchen staff and wine suppliers. As a result, we experience the Ambavi as a familiar, kind and authentic restaurant - cosy, in fact. The wall decoration, which shows pictures by Georgian artists, also lends authenticity to the Ambavi. Family is to be taken literally here because, besides Eli and Luca, family and friends of the couple help out here.

The menu is divided into three simple categories: The starters are all vegan or vegetarian; among the pastry dishes, you will find khachapuri in different variations, while the main courses consist primarily of stews and individual meat dishes. Finally, those who shy away from the agony of choice can have a selection of dishes served in the so-called supra for two.

Most of the dishes on the short but concise menu are relatively light in nature and often even vegan. We start with an appetiser plate consisting of various walnut pastes with beetroot, spinach and more, plus deep-fried corn rolls, stuffed aubergines and Georgian salad, classically consisting of tomatoes, cucumber and red onions, but with walnut dressing instead of feta cheese. Fresh, delicious and without animal ingredients, which only come with the intermediate course khachapuri.

Khachapuri is fantastic satiation and adds to our maximum comfort. As Georgia fans, my partner and I visited the Caucasian country a few years ago. The names of the dishes have something familiar and yearning simultaneously. This is also the case with the main dishes adjafsandali, a vegetarian aubergine stew, and chashashuli, braised veal in tomato sauce. Served in style in a clay pot, these taste fresh and aromatic and are simply good for the soul.

Of course, they are accompanied by Georgian wine. Not for nothing is Georgia the wine country of the East. We taste the open red and white wines matured in oak barrels, which do not have to fear comparison with their Western European relatives. However, the actual wine speciality of Georgia is the wine matured in clay amphorae, which is only offered as a whole bottle at Ambavi.

This unique storage gives those wines an earthy note that is not necessarily for everyone but should definitely be tasted. You should also try the second national dish, which is only served at Ambavi on Thursdays due to its time-consuming production: Khinkali, large, twisted dumplings with various fillings. We will save these for our next visit soon.

Maximilian Zeh

Marketing & PR