La Soupe populaire restaurant

I always feel happy and grateful when Michelin starred chefs create restaurants where people can enjoy their fantastic food at more affordable prices.

When I planned my new visit to Berlin, my brother Francesco told me to absolutely book a table at La Soupe Populaire by chef Tim Raue. I did some research first and knowing that I could enjoy some gluten free dishes I followed his advise immediately.

What a big pleasure for me having dinner at La Soupe Populaire yesterday !

For starter, I was offered gluten free bread with creamy butter, gentle spicy salami and pickles made with Tim Raue’s own recipe: they were delicious ! A nice combination of sweet, savoury, with a touch of chili.

After I chose butterhead lettuce with a fantastic vinaigrette of parsley, lemon and capers. Here again I loved how he played with the sweet and the sour of the lemon: on the salad there was fresh lemon but also candied lemon zest. Such a perfect balance of flavours that made an ordinary salad an extraordinary dish.

My main course was codfish, with marinated cucumber and tarragon. The codfish was cooked to perfection and the slight taste of the lemon that was left in the mouth made this dish fresh and light.

For dessert I opted for a Melba peach with vanilla ice cream, raspberry sorbet and ginger meringues: it was very good. I loved how he played with different consistencies: soft, creamy and crunchy.

To me every bite of this excellent dinner was like a symphony of flavours: I could feel each of them separately, yet they played beautifully together.

At the end I was offered dark chocolate truffles, I love truffles so much and Tim Raue’s were so good!

La Soupe populaire restaurant is niched inside an ancient brewery in Prenzlauer Berg neighbourhood.

In Berlin I am discovering several places like this one and I find them just wonderful. At La Soupe populaire they respected the ancient building architecture and design, you can almost have a feel of how it used to be once, and they have mixed vintage pieces with a touch of more contemporary objects and furniture here and there. There is also an art gallery on the ground floor and you can spot some art while you are eating.

If you decide to go, don’t forget to book your table in advance – it is very sought-after – and you can do it easily also on line.