December 18-24: Community Initiative, a Few Events, and Restaurant Reviews
December 18-24: Community Initiative, a Few Events, and Restaurant Reviews
Things to do and restaurants to visit in Berlin - Week of December 18, 2023!
Last week, I created Berlin Events Weekly’s 🌐 Telegram Group 🌐, and around 160 people joined the group. The main idea is to provide a space where people can connect and find others interested in attending events with them. Sometimes you want to check out an exhibition, market, or show, but your friends aren’t available, and you don’t want to go alone. The BEW’s Telegram Group helps with finding people who might feel the same and want to join you. And there is a common link between all: 🤝 being part of this community of interesting and interested people who are looking to connect with others.
We can complain about not having someone to do things with, but we also have the power to change this by being proactive. I met someone yesterday in my tango class (yes, I’m learning Argentine tango 💃, and I even have one of these shoes!) who comes to classes alone where you need a partner to dance with. Sometimes, she doesn’t find a partner, but she still comes because she loves the dance and wants to be out there. How inspiring is this!!
I'm working on building a community where fewer people have to attend a tango class or any other event alone. This initiative won’t be successful without your participation. I believe we can create a community where people feel less alone and have more social interactions in a city that is known for its coldness (literally and metaphorically). We are the people of this city, and we can change things together.
Thanks for reading 🙂
For this week’s edition, there are a few events worth visiting and two restaurants that I went to this week.
🎻 Lunchkonzert
🚗 Lawrence Lek - NOX
📷 General Idea
🍽️ Vox Restaurant & Bar
🐔 Tori-Katsu Berlin
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1. Lunchkonzert
Every Wednesday between September and June, the Philharmonie hosts a lunch concert at 13:00. The program features 40 to 50 minutes of diverse music, ranging from chamber music and piano works to occasional percussion duos, covering a spectrum from Tchaikovsky to tango. The stage often sees members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra or the Karajan Academy, with guest performances by musicians from the German Symphony Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin, or Berlin music academies. More info.
Cost: Free
Date: 20 Dec (Wed) / 13:00
Location: Berliner Philharmonie
Lawrence Lek, NOX, 2023. © Lawrence Lek. Commissioned by LAS Art Foundation. Photo Andrea Rossetti
2. Lawrence Lek - NOX
Lawrence Lek's latest exhibition is his most extensive yet, offering a glimpse into a future where artificial intelligence seamlessly integrates into urban life. The exhibition, titled NOX, paints a vivid picture of the psychological impact of a world filled with smart systems and intelligent machines. Across three floors, it transports visitors into a facility operated by the fictional Farsight Corporation, an AI conglomerate dedicated to training and caring for sentient self-driving cars. Each type of vehicle, whether for delivery, patrol, or pleasure, comes with its own personality. More info.
Cost: €15
Date: Until 14 Jan 2024
Location: Kranzler Eck
General Idea, P is for Poodle, 1983-89 © Royal Bank of Canada Art Collection
3. General Idea
The Canadian artist group General Idea, formed in Toronto in 1969, made significant contributions to both the art world and society during their groundbreaking 25-year tenure. Comprising Felix Partz, Jorge Zontal, and AA Bronson, the trio explored the production, distribution, and consumption of images across various media. Employing humor and satire, General Idea critically addressed elements of consumer culture, mass media, social injustices, queer identities, the art industry, and the AIDS crisis. More info.
Cost: €9
Date: Until 14 Jan 2024
Location: Gropius Bau
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Restaurant Reviews:
4. Vox Restaurant & Bar
The restaurant is on the ground floor of the Grand Hyatt hotel in Potsdamer Platz. Last Saturday, when we visited, the hotel was hosting a Hanukkah celebration, leading to a noticeable police presence in the lobby and outside.
The restaurant itself is on the upscale side and has a spacious layout. The menu offers a variety of dishes, from steak to sushi. We went for the 4-dish set menu (they also offer a Vegan set menu).
Scallop: Cabbage turnip, salted yogurt, parsley oil, Sumac (⭐5/5)
Beet root tea: Smoked sour cream, sautéed pointed cabbage, walnut, ginger (⭐3.5/5)
Confit haunch of wild boar: Brussels sprouts, pumpkin cream, daikon (⭐4/5)
Spiced cake parfait: Lemon cream, meringue, spiced cake (⭐3/5)
The set menu is priced at €89 and includes 4 glasses of wine to pair with the dishes. They offered an extra glass of wine when the main dish took a bit longer. The overall experience, factoring in the location, food quality, service, and prices, earned a ⭐4.5/5 rating from us. The only thing that bothered us was the price of the bottle of water, which was €10.
If you're looking for a nice dinner for a special occasion, Vox Restaurant and Bar can be a great choice.
5. Tori-Katsu Berlin
This is a rather unique restaurant that gives me more of a canteen vibe. The space is relatively small and seems to be managed by Japanese staff. It felt like they do not speak English or German (who am I to judge, I don't speak German either!). An older gentleman behind the counter, who came to check on our seating a few times, seems to be the owner.
The menu mainly revolves around chicken, and their specialty is the chicken Katsu with rice. You can choose from various sauces (we tried Curry and Braten sauce). They also offer different soups, including a sour-spicy soup with the same recipe for the past 55 years (it was quite good!).
The average prices are under €10 per dish, and the portions are generous. It's not the ideal place for a date (you need at least five dates before bringing someone here), a large group (the biggest table accommodates four), or if you're not a fan of chicken. However, if you're looking for a unique atmosphere, affordable eats, relatively good quality for the price, and an abundance of chicken options, then I recommend Tori-Katsu. The overall experience was ⭐4/5.
Track of the week:
The track of the week is Mariah Carey’s "All I Want for Christmas Is You." We've had it on repeat in our house, and I can't seem to get it out of my head. Mariah is truly taking over hearts and minds 😝!