Berlin express

Acclaimed chef and proud Berliner, Tim Raue shares his guide to the city's most inventive restaurants. From fine dining to street stalls, these are the spots to add to your next itinerary, writes KATE BETTES.

- KATE BETTES

Few cities transform after dark like Berlin. Its steamy clubs, heart-pulsing techno and radical inclusivity have made it the undisputed nightlife capital of the world.

No one knows this better than Tim Raue, one of Germany's most celebrated chefs and a proud Berliner. “The nights here are never-ending,” he says. “People from different social backgrounds come together to celebrate.”

But this frenzied desire to adapt and change isn’t limited to the dance floor. It’s also reshaping its food scene. “Berlin has always been in culinary flux,” explains Raue. “It has very few traditions, making it a city that thrives in the present.”

He points to the local palate of yesteryear, which ignored traditional German cuisine in favour of Italian or Asian. Now, he says, tastes are shifting and, instead, a new generation of chefs is reclaiming and reimagining the flavours of Berlin.

Today, there are 20 Michelin-starred restaurants within the city, including his own eponymous two-starred restaurant (considered among the world's best). And while his own cuisine is renowned the world over for its fusion of Thai spices, Chinese techniques and Japanese minimalism – drawn from his travels through Asia in the early 2000s – he insists that Berlin remains his deepest inspiration.

“I was born in Berlin,” he says. “It’s where I've always wanted to live.” In a restless city whose clubs reinvent themselves every night, the same can now be said for its restaurants. Here, nothing stands still for long.

GRILL ROYAL

“If you want to watch the crowd that drives Berlin, while enjoying a steak and choosing a fine bottle of wine from a vast list, this [is the] place,” says Raue.