24. October 2013: Restaurant Refugium
As a little amuse bouche from the kitchen a small “Eisbeinpraline with pea cream” was served. While it was refreshing to eat something (as it was already 10pm) it was not really a great start. Somehow it just lacked in taste – the pea cream was slightly aromatic but besides that definitely nothing special.
I decided to go for the offered three course menu (EUR 55.00) which started with a “mousse of musk duck liver and green anise, chocolate with quatre épices and compote of apples, walnuts and Calvados raisins” and was actually quite tasty. The mousse was very soft and smooth and did not taste too much like liver (which it actually could have – at least for my personal taste). What was truly interesting though was the layers of chocolate and the compote of apples which provided it with a nice combination of sweet and liver.
The main course were “slices from medium roasted roast Simmentaler beef with sauteed Brussels sprout leafs and bacon-potato cake”. While the dish definitely looked absolutely tasty, it was not actually that great. I mean, the bacon-potato cake was actually absolutely delicious and mouth-watering but the meat was not really what I expected. It did truly look delicious but I must say that it just did not taste like anything – I can’t even say it tasted bad – it just did not taste like anything. It had a very neutral taste which was kind of weird as it really looked amazing when served.
Last but not least, I had a nice “selection of four different raw milk cheeses” which were definitely good. Unforunately, I cannot tell you what exactly I ate as the waitress did not consider it necessary to inform me about what kind of cheeses she had picked and served. Besides that though she did a good job, very friendly, very dedicated, absolutely good service (if there wasn’t this small flaw at the end).
The Refugium is quite a nice place as the furniture is interesting and the layout of the restaurant is appealing. Not only that, the place also looks quite nice from the outside. When it comes to the beverages, the prices are pretty fair too. A bottle of Barbera d’Alba accounted for EUR 29.00. Sure, no well-known producer but the wine was actually good and the price – for that – is very fair. Overall, the Refugium is definitely a fine place to go to: nice interior, overall good service, quite fair prices and actually okay dishes. I mean, it was just a pity that the main course was not what I expected it to be (respectively did not taste like anything) but other than that, quite okay.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Refugium
Gendarmenmarkt 5
10117 Berlin (DE)
Tel.: +49 30 229 16 61
Fax: +49 30 22 48 98 61
E-Mail: mail@restaurant-refugium.de
Homepage: http://www.restaurant-refugium.de
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
