Berlin has to offer surprisingly decent vegan cuisine: Restaurant Frea (14. April 2023)

Whenever I’m in Berlin, I get to experience a bit of a different cuisine than what I experience in any other city. Mainly, because one of my best friends is vegetarian, so I am kind of ‘forced’ to try out vegan and vegetarian cuisine. However, compared to 15 years ago, when we first met, the vegetarian cuisine has evolved quite a bit, and is, therefore, quite interesting to discover. Before diving into the menu though, I went for the “Spicy Margarita (tequila, triple sec, chilli agave, lemon fruit essence, lime juice)” (EUR 12.00), which was a good, but also a strong margarita to get the evening started.

I then went for the “five-course menu” (EUR 75.00) with the respective “wine pairing” (EUR 48.00). What I liked about the five-course menu was the idea that you get to pick your own courses, and there is no ‘logic’ to it, i.e., what exactly you have to eat. You can pick five savoury dishes, or three sweet ones (there are only three) and two savoury ones. So, you’re quite free to change and combine.

For me, the first course this evening was the “leek and leche de tigre (roasted leek, leche de tigre, celeriac puree, algae, fennel, green apple, crispy fregola)”, which did not only look interesting and appealing, but also turned out to be quite delicious. I especially liked the crispy fregola on top of the dish. The leek itself was nothing amazing, but in combination with the other elements of the dish, it turned out to be quite tasty.

The “huacatay potato (green chilli huacatay sauce, chimichurri, caper mayonnaise, potato juliennes)” sounded a bit boring, but turned out to be quite tasty. Especially, because it was prepared in a way that there were many, many thin layers of potato, which ultimately made it a nice flavoury experience.

The “granita” was served to cleanse the palate somewhen in between, and it was actually quite a nice break from the savoury dishes.

Then, it was time for another savoury dish again – “carrots and aji panca (black beans, sesame, crispy beluga lentils, aji amarillo chilli and sea buckthorn cream, roasted shallots, carrot ponzu)”, which was okay. Frankly, I don’t really remember the flavour of the dish.

The “hoisin kohlrabi (smoked black chick peas with miso puree, green cabbage and black cabbage, black apple, crispy tempeh, cabbage dashi)” was definitely better than what I had expected, since I had expected for kohlrabi to be super bland and not really exciting. However, they way the dish was prepared, it turned out to be quite amazing.

As the last dish, I finally had the “wild garlic orzotto (green asparagus, sea fennel, see weed, wild garlic cream, green celery escabeche, black garlic crumbs, spring herbs)”, which was, especially compared to the other courses, quite a massive dish. But it was not only massive, it was also absolutely tasty. Not sure what exactly orzotto is, but it felt kind of a risotto in some form and type. And it’s definitely quite enjoyable.

The place itself is nice. What I do not appreciate is the fact that you have to wait for your table even if you have a booking because they are not ready yet. I mean, come on, what’s the point of having a booking when you subsequently can’t honour it at the exact time. The staff is friendly and very international – something I like, however, it seems almost a bit ‘trying too hard’. Also, the fact that you have a lot of unfiltered wines in the wine pairing is just something I truly don’t appreciate. For the last dish, I mentioned to the sommelier, that it would be amazing if he had a non-white wine to pair the orzotto with. And he delivered!

So, all in all, the Frea is a nice restaurant with, generally speaking, a good vegan food experience. And you actually walk out of the place having more than enough, which sometimes surprises me a bit.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Frea

Kleine Hamburger Str. 2

10115 Berlin (DE)

Tel.: +49 30 98 39 61 98

E-Mail: reservierung@frea.de

Homepage: http://www.frea.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.