Hartmann's, located in the heart of the lively Kreuzberg area, was Michelin star chef Stefan Hartmann's latest venture since his return to Berlin from North America. Tucked away in a former wine cellar, chef Hartmann prepares his contemporary European food with freshest seasonal local produces.
Kreuzberg is a trendy district best known for its bars, pubs and nightclubs. After arriving a little after 6pm by car, we found all the parking spaces within two blocks of the restaurant to be taken already. So instead of wasting more time, we finally decided to double park right in front.
The set menus here are considered one of the biggest bargains in town. For €58, you get to enjoy three quality courses. Not bad for a Michelin starred restaurant.
Although we were immediately seated after entering the restaurant, we were not given our menus until after 15 minutes when we brought it to our server's attention. Perhaps a sign of things to come!?
Amuse bouche consisted of two small nibbles - a poached pork belly and a spoon of creamy crab salad (5/10).
After an extensive wait, our starter finally came first with a crayfish and sardine accompanied by sour radish, eggplant and avocado. Not a bad start but also not as impressive as we have anticipated (3/10).
Their signature dish, roasted quail breast with foie gras ice-cream, was next and finally we had something to rave about. I enjoyed the texture of the foie gras ice-cream a great deal and pairing it with a piece of brioche was an excellent choice (7/10).
Another starter was a poached char with marinated knuckle of pork, pea and green asparagus. The contrasting taste between the char fish and the pork knuckle was a lot of fun but the execution was slightly off the mark (4/10).
Then things went into eternity from here.
This was a bonus dish, pan seared skate with maccaroni and saffron, courtesy of the kitchen for waiting at least 45 minutes to an hour for our main courses. Something must have gone haywire in the kitchen and exactly what we would never find out. But this would put a dent in our general impression of this dinner.
While we closed our eyes to keep ourselves relaxed, our main courses finally arrived.
My pan seared veal fillet with artichoke and olive risotto turned out to be a slightly above average dish. I guess when tempers flared, even the best food on earth would taste numb (5/10).
A little more successful was the lamb loin with assorted vegetables. It was done medium and that was fairly tender and juicy (5.5/10).
By the time our petite four arrived, it was already well after 10pm. A long four-hour dinner! Such slow service was totally unacceptable and it should never happen to a Michelin starred restaurant.
Food Rating: 6/10
Price: €€
Address: Fichtestraße 31, 10967 Berlin, Germany
Closest Metro Station: Südstern
Tel: +49 30 6120-1003
Address: Fichtestraße 31, 10967 Berlin, Germany
Closest Metro Station: Südstern
Tel: +49 30 6120-1003
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