Bandol sur mer — Restaurant in Berlin

Place is rustic and full of old artifacts that relates or does not relate to the food. One thing for sure, the place feels like Berlin. The waiters are super relaxed and the chefs behind the counter look so meticulous. The cooking station is part of the ambience. Very inviting to say the least.

Food wise, the starting treats were ok, the duck marshmallow was very exciting and awakened the taste buds. The potato sour bread and caramel butter is so warm and satisfying that you can’t stop reaching out to... the first course arrived, reconstruction duck liver, apple and crumbs with a buttery nan. What stands out is the nan bread. A soft, warm and buttery explosion... the duck was normal though and lacked enticing flavors.

The second course is a sturgeon, just had a bad experience with yesterday at Horváth....ok, they literary seared the fish, still cold inside, preserved the taste. The pickled onion on the side made the taste or was expected to accompany the strong taste of the fish. Fish was mild, add ons were excellent. I don’t like this fish.

I am served another wine, half red and half white... tastes like both. Three wines I have been served and the three French bottles did not have what it takes to reach out for another sip. Actually, the wines are young and sampled ones feels like drinking at a cheap local pub when I was young :)

The pork belly dish is carefully constructed, you have a dumpling, snail, garlic leaf, exceptionally green oil. The idea is good with no distinctive taste. Am sorry, this one looked good and is bland. At this stage, am really upset. I feel that eating well in Berlin is limited to Tim Rau or hit the beer gardens; there is definitely more satisfaction there. You can realize that am typing as I am waiting for my food. Razor clams, please be good...

Neither the clams nor the asparagus had any whiff of taste. How can a razor clam taste so bland. If not for the texture, I would have mistaken that with the asparagus. I think that a restaurant should source I ingredients from local farms. I remember a humble burger joint in a small village in Germany did. His meat was more satisfying from the four courses that I just had (combined)

The squab was well cooked and good. Should serve it alone. Either am not tasting anything after this bad wine or the food is bland. I don’t have to repeat it. I will cut one the deserts.

The rhubarb desert is not good

Just passed my hand over the counter that am sitting next to. It looks like it has not been dusted in a while.

One star, well deserved on the evaluation scale above and not in accordance with the Michelin guide. Seriously? One star? Neither the ingredients or the execution or the accompanying wine is worth the visit. The place is nicely decorated and has a vibe. The waiters are so polite accommodating. That’s it. The center should...

Our second visit here was very very disappointing. Unbeknown to us the menu was all vegetarian with the exception of two meat options which were an additional 50+€ per person. This was on top of the 159€ per person that we were already spending on the veggie courses which we would not normally have chosen to eat. The wine pairing was an additional 120€ each on top of that! But apart from the eye watering costs, other things were wrong. The white tablecloths have disappeared and the service was poor. Our appetisers had been served and we still had nothing to drink nor even a napkin (which we eventually asked for). The tables are just like any other average street cafe on Torstrasse so it definitely doesn’t have a special appeal without cloths. We decided to not have the wine pairing and just order a bottle. The least expensive was 85€ and they ranged into the thousands! There is no doubt that the chef is skilled but this experience we found tasteless and portions incredibly small, even for this type of restaurant. The 39€ extra roebuck course was the best but gone in two bites. After 7 courses of beautiful looking (but very very salty) morsels we were still hungry. Some I could not even eat because the sauces were just over-reduced and so so salty. It was a birthday celebration but we found it hard to celebrate, especially when we got the bill. Nearly 500€ for a meal we didn’t enjoy. Berlin is a vegan/veggie hotspot but this restaurant needs to take care not to follow this trend and alienate meat and fish eaters. Typically, the veggie crowd do not spend this sort of money on eating out and as a result the restaurant was almost empty. Last time we went we loved it but sadly we won’t go again. I would like a word with the Michelin star inspector who awarded this restaurant one star last year, perhaps it was different then. I do hope this year they will visit and think again because to spend this sort of money should guarantee a certain level of food, ambience and service. We went to Golvet last month (in Berlin and cheaper) and that blew your mind! It was incredible and we highly recommended you go there instead of here. We have given two stars even though it really only deserved one because we feel they have the skill but have just...

We absolutely love this place. If I could give it ten stars, I would. It's the perfect combination of contemporary and french cuisine with absolutely zero pomp. The atmosphere is cozy, intimate, and relaxed—my partner and I both commented on it feeling like we were in a charming little place in NYC, non-functioning tv screens and chalkboard wall included. We enjoyed a great 80s playlist throughout the meal which highlighted even further the fun and enjoyment the staff has for what they do. You can tell that although they may not take themselves too seriously, they take what they do VERY seriously. The flavor profiles are simultaneously deviating from and living in typical French high end cuisine, usually synonymous with decadence and indulgent richness. That is ever-present at Bandol sur mer, but applied with such precision and paired with expertly chosen contrasting flavors that it never feels old. There is an overall freshness in their approach, and each course plays beautifully off the last—the whole meal made sense. Bandol sur mer takes all the best parts from french dining and leaves behind the elitism and propriety that often feels uncomfortable and stuffy for most. This is french food for the people. The measured use of bright citrus flavors to break thru the fat and richness of buttery sauces makes it just an enjoyable meal from start to finish. I really could go thru every course and describe how pleasurable they all were in their own way but this is truly a place to just grab your darling and go. Our Sommelier paired some of the most interesting wines with our meal, quite foreign to my palette but I really fell deeper in love with them as we experienced it all as a whole. 10/10 for ambiance—easily romantic or a great dinner with friends. Small dining room with only a few tables. Very charming. Maybe not suitable for a really fancy occasion. 10/10 for food 10/10 for wine would recommend and will be back for the next menu. Worth every penny, a great place for an amazing dining experience...