DASHI — Restaurant in Berlin

The total was €49 as we bought 2 Shiitake congee, 1 coke braised pork, and a single serving of Sichuan fries. Seeing the strong positive reviews I was beyond excited to try this place.

Unfortunately as someone who was raised eating congee this place has not even hit the mark as edible. The Shiitake mushroom was sour. The congee itself had a weird funk to it which can be caused by not washing the grains before cooking. There is no flavor depth and the YouTiao/ Fried donut sticks were old and not fried on spot as usual Chinese way. It is soggy, hard to tear and had an old oil flavor. 3/10

The braised pork was just as depressing. To start, it was not as tender as how traditional braised pork should be (the meat is suppose to tear apart softly with the flavor from the fat melting on your tongue), but it was still fine. What really bothered me was the fact that the sause did not fully absorb into the pork. It’s suppose to be a burst of flavor not pork dipped in sauce. The Coca-Cola flavoring was sweet as I expected, but there lacked any other flavor profile and was not properly salted. (And I’m someone who argues for less salted foods) This dish was almost offensive to my culture. 1/10

On a brighter note, the fries were not too bad. They are thinly sliced potatoes almost into the shape of fries then deep fried with a batter coating and topped with Sichuan oil. It was a nice take. My only suggestion would be to have thicker cuts of potatoes as what we were served were basically crumbs of potatoes. 6.5/10

The service here was okay, they were friendly and not much else to say about that. The interior is a tight area with small amount of seating. They don’t seem to get busy so more seating wouldn’t be necessary. I would suggest finding an authentic Chinese restaurant for those dishes. The place is also called Dashi which is a Japanese name although these dishes I’ve had...

This new Asian Diner is located on the buzzling and increasingly trendy corner of Invalidenstrasse and Chausseestrasse in Berlin Mitte.

The first thing you notice when walking into DASHI is that this place is not your average Asian eatery. Its attractive interior design features sleek wood panelling in a no-fuss minimalistic yet relaxing setting. It takes cues from popular Asian diners and cafes and combines it with the aesthetics of the 1970s brown rooms.

When you enter the Diner, orders are taken at the quick service-counter ensuring to keep customer contact at a minimum at these times of the Corona pandemic.

At the time of writing, the DASHI Diner opening menu featured a mix of a couple of Asian classics and comfort foods that will appeal to adults and youngsters alike. I had the Korokke Curry with golden brown deep-fried potato croquettes and pickled red cabbage plus an extra Chicken Katsu. My 2-year old daughter had the Chicken Congee and the crispy double-fried French fries. They were all exquisite. For dessert, we shared the stylish Melon Granita shaved ice topped with a retro maraschino-cherry.

Everything we ate was fresh, delicious and beautifully presented. The staff is attentive and super friendly, the place was extremely clean, and the atmosphere is relaxed and chill.

I highly recommend this Diner. The food is satisfying and the atmosphere is unique. Word of advise, make sure to come early for lunch if you want to have a seat as they don’t take reservations and this Diner is filling up with people rather quickly. Otherwise, they also...

Let’s start with the good stuff.

Service was amazing. If you’ve been to Japan or Korea, having baskets for your clothes is a common thing. So it was refreshing seeing something like this in Berlin.

The place is super clean and looks very nice. It’s clear that the owners care about cleanliness and service (which seems to be a rarity in Berlin).

The food was really good. Congee was really good and the chicken sandwich was delicious.

However, I had to remove 2 stars due because of the entire concept of the restaurant.

Dashi is a Japanese stock used widely in Japanese cuisines and the interior looks very Japanese inspired. So when everything, from name to interior design to menu items look and sound Japanese, you would expect authentic Japanese food.

However, the congee was a Vietnamese version, which was delicious, but it’s not the Japanese Version.

The sandwich was stuffed with so many herbs and garlic, that you barley tasted any of the Katsu itself. I understand why restaurants tend to make Chicken Katsu in Europe, but the entire sandwich tasted more like a South East Asian interpretation of Sando.

I love fusion cuisine. But if your entire business screams Japan and you serve Vietnamese / Japanese inspired foods, it’s borderline cultural appropriation. But it’s clear that the restaurant is tailored towards white instagram influencers, so that feedback might not be taken seriously.

It would be a lot more respectful to serve authentic Japanese Okayu and Sando. The kitchen staff is very skilled and could...