NOVEMBER Brasserie — Restaurant in Berlin

Celebrating a special occasion, we chose November in Prenzlauer Berg, a restaurant that has long been on our radar.

The Food

The cuisine is exceptional, with an emphasis on freshness and flavor. The €100 sushi platter is a masterpiece of culinary perfection, compelling enough to warrant a return visit solely for this dish. All other offerings maintain a similarly high standard.

The Wine List

The wine list is thoughtfully curated, featuring a delightful selection of champagne and white wines. Both choices were exquisite, prompting us to search for them to enjoy at home.

The Interior

The interior design is elegant but warm, creating a sophisticated ambiance with a casual twist. They seem to emulate japanese style listening bars with their built in speakers. A humorous moment occurred when we were offered a highly recommended table, which amusingly turned out to be situated directly in front of the restroom.

The Menu

The menu, while diverse, presents some organizational challenges. Sushi is prominently placed at the top, followed by starters and mains, the latter being modest in portion size. Notably absent are carbohydrate accompaniments such as rice. The service sequence appeared somewhat unstructured, with two of our three starters arriving before the sushi, and the third after we had finished the sushi.

The Service

Service, though attentive and courteous, occasionally felt overly formal and lacking in genuine warmth. It all felt a tad overwhelming at times too. Each dish presented was purported to be the waiter's favorite, and the frequent inquiries about our satisfaction—repeated by multiple staff members—became somewhat tiresome.

A recommendation for the service team: adopt a more relaxed and natural approach, allowing for a more effortless interaction with guests. Also have a unified approach when handling the guests. Maybe we had a few waiters that were new to the team.

Overall Experience

In summary, November offers a beautiful dining environment with excellent cuisine and a dedicated team. However, a more relaxed service approach would enhance the overall dining experience. The clientele during our visit included many affluent locals and business professionals, which may influence the atmosphere.

A return visit for the sushi platter at the chef’s counter is is already...

Reservation: unproblematic, very positive that you can check availability of certain seating-options and take a pick (outside, chef's table etc.), meal-time is limitied to 2 hours, credit card necessary for reservation as usual in fine dining Facilities: located in nice area of Prenzlauer Berg, interior design and restrooms are tastful and clean Staff: very friendly, professional and attentive, they offer recommendations in case you feel overwhelmed with the menu, try their best to make wishes/adjustments off the menu possible, dish-composition is explained to you in German/English Prices and Payment: price-range adequate for fine dining (approx. 75€/person for 6 shared small courses + drinks) especially regarding the use of high quality fresh fish/seafood, payment by card possible Food: Menu in English/German, variety of fish/seafood dishes like Nigiri and Sashimi variations which are well selected, high quality and freshly prepared in a meticulous way by the chefs, but also some vegetarian options and some creations leaning more towards European kitchen

Conclusion: Nice restaurant if you appreciate Japanese fine dining and fish/seafood dishes prepared on a high quality level, room for improvement could be in the uniqueness and creativity of the dishes (in regards of the many fine dining options in Berlin and question whether we would come for a 2nd visit)

Favorite dishes: we will remember for their singular taste, would recommend and come back for a) the pointed cabbage with dashi beurre blanc and pickled mustard seeds b) the plain rice in a bowl, we ordered it as an addition and while it's such a simple component it reflected the very high quality of the cooking and understanding of the...

Absolutely wonderful experience. We were welcomed warmly and our coats were taken. Effortlessly warm, professional, and unstuffy service. We started with ‘Shiso High’ gin & tonic and it maybe the best cocktail I’ve had in my life. I don’t extend that compliment lightly. I had the avocado nigiri which I expected to be delightful and clean, and it was, but it was also so much more. The topping and sauce that were complimenting the avocado nigiri really brought it to the next level. My guest started with the scallop carpaccio and I enjoyed watching her face light up as she took the first bite. Both already incredibly impressed, we had the kohlrabi and avocado salad, as well as bread and butter. These mid-meal dishes were quite good, although it was very hard to top the starters. Then to finish, my guest had the duck, and I enjoyed the eggplant and peanut dish. I thought I had an eaten eggplant in every way that it could possibly be prepared, but I was wrong. They whole eggplant was skinned and then maybe flash fried with then served with a host of accompanying flavors including peanuts and miso and what I believe to have been kanafeh. I was incredibly impressed how each dish seemed so simple but yet clearly had a perfect attention to detail picking the best ingredients and preparing them in unique but yet still familiar ways. I was also impressed by how little we ended up spending on the night, given the top-notched service and food. Note•• It is difficult to get a reservation. One minor critique, our table was closest to the door, and we often received a cold draft when the...