Great Ideas
Fischer & Lustig Maritime Modernity in Nikolaiviertel
© Fischer & Lustig - Maximilian Zeh
Opening Times
Thursday to Sunday: 11:30am - midnight
Address
Fischer & Lustig
Poststraße 26
10178 Berlin-Mitte
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Per cliché, Northern Germans, who make up the majority of fishermen in this country, are not exactly known for their joviality. A predjudice that I, as a Hamburger, can't quite confirm. Fischer & Lustig, recently opened in Berlin's Nikolaiviertel district, wants to put an end to this and offer an excellent fish menu.
Alexander Freund's new opening is more or less the maritime sister of Jäger & Lustig - two very different but still connected restaurants. The focus is on providing guests with a fun evening in an unobtrusive atmosphere. This includes not only kind service but also dishes that are a pleasure to eat, according to chef Erik Arndt.
The concept here is to bring classic (fish) dishes to the plate in a modern way. Not only clearly maritime in name, Fischer & Lustig also offers a small variety of its partner Jäger & Lustig (and vice versa), as well as an exciting-sounding selection of vegetarian and vegan options under the category "fish from the field".
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Arndt knows a thing or two about maritime cuisine. After his beginnings at Hamburg's Fischereihafen restaurant, a period of travelling followed until he finally landed in Berlin, with stints at the Hotel Adlon and the fish kitchen at the Kempinski. He runs the kitchen at Fischer & Lustig together with Marc Burow, another great of Berlin's gastro scene who has worked at Borchardt's, La Mamma and Adnan, among others.
The two offer us a whole boatload of impressions from the kitchen during our visit, which, somewhat improvised, already reflects the upcoming autumn menu. We start with a small but delicate soup of tomatoes, capers and mussels, which is fortifying and makes you want more. Regarding drinks, I stick to beer for the time being, as the menu reads in part like traditional Hamburg cuisine. And I simply can't pass up a beer called Trüber Werner.
A wide selection of starters, lovingly arranged on a large platter, is followed by the first highlight. Then, on a little glass tower filled with ice, a tin of caviar stretches out towards us - accompanied by egg and mayonnaise, which complement each other perfectly. By the way, the interior fits together just as well, although almost every wall is designed differently.
In the large room where we are sitting, there are figures of the fisherman and his wife, embedded in the beautiful brick wall, which is painted navy blue in places and left naked in others and thus, together with wooden elements, offers variety and maritime cosiness. We particularly like a wall made of driftwood, with fish paintings painted on planks, and a fish with a tile-like pattern so cleverly sprayed on the wall above our heads that we initially mistake it for a picture or wallpaper.
Restaurant manager Katharina charmingly accompanies us through the evening. She is also a Northern light who has found her way to Fischer & Lustig not only because of her surname Fischer, but also because she has already worked with Alexander Freund at Strandbad Grünau.
After an autumnal pumpkin soup, without any fish but with roasted pumpkin seeds and porcini mushrooms, a dish that is particularly close to my heart comes to the table. When I read labskaus on the menu, I always feel the urge to try it. The Hamburg classic of simple sailor cuisine can be good but also difficult. Visually, it usually doesn't look much, but here everything is just right: colour, consistency and presentation - the potato mash comes in fine form with beetroot and pickled meat. Garnished with a fried egg (in our small tasting portion of quail) and a piece of maties, something more digestible instead of the usual rollmop. I am entirely convinced.
The main course follows a glass of sorbet with pearl riesling to neutralise the palate. In a kind of surf 'n' turf, hunters and fishermen are amusingly united here. There is red mullet with veal steak, served with morel cream sauce and primaeval carrots. Hearty, timeless and very satisfying.
Our dessert, on the menu as an after-fish, is accompanied by a glass of Friedrich Rosé Wermuth, with which the cold dog with bacon and a three-part version of quark balls, crème brûlée and a kind of Topfnstrudel are particularly tasty.
As a mini digestive walk, Katharina gives us a tour of the spacious restaurant. The kitchen front is particularly eye-catching here, a kind of house within a house, modelled on the original structure of the Nikolai quarter, in front of which you can also enjoy the kitchen dinner menu.
How fitting, then, that in this modern city there is now a restaurant that combines maritime classics with modern cuisine and design. For me, it's a must-visit place the next time I go ashore in Mitte.
