The Bar at the Bistro and Gourmet Restaurant: Victor & Victoria, Berlin
© Victor & Victoria
There’s a lot going on at Berlin’s Gendarmenmarkt on the (bar and) restaurant scene. “Bellboy” (as we reported) has been providing liquid entertainment since the end of 2021, “Heritage”, the restaurant in the new “Luc” hotel, has been serving drinks from the bar since 2022, and now “Victor & Victoria”, a mix of daytime bistro and fine-dining restaurant, has also joined the fray.
With the famous Deutscher Dom to the front and Berlin’s TV tower to the rear, the new “Victor & Victoria” offers beautiful views right on the Gendarmenmarkt. And their culinary plans here are quite ambitious too: Already opening in autumn as a daytime bistro with café on the ground floor, the bar (also on the ground floor) and the gourmet restaurant on the upper floor have now also opened for business. Theoretically, you could spend the whole day here, since the doors open at eight in the morning and at weekends they stay open until at least two in the morning.
From lattes to gourmet menus
Downstairs, you’ll find an uncomplicated food offering, from morning croques and business lunches to the “Bistronomy Menu” in the evening featuring truffle pasta and steak frites. Upstairs they’re obviously reaching for the stars – thanks to chef Stephan Krogmann, who has cooked for greats such as Jan Hartwig, Thomas Bühner, Heinz Winkler and Klaus Erfort. From amuses-bouche to a Brandenburg saddle of venison roasted in aromatics and served with camphor pepper, celeriac, Piedmont hazelnut and sauce rouennaise along with their signature dessert – Sicilian Moro blood orange with caramelised cream, sucrine, rye and liquorice syrup, elaborately layered like a costume of Queen Elizabeth the First – here everything is complex and highly precise, in both visual and culinary terms.
The bar is what ties it all together
The link tying together “casual” dining downstairs and “fine” dining upstairs is the bar. And this is run by Ferhat Akbiyik, who has helped shape many Berlin culinary concepts, from high-class meat restaurant “Grill Royal” to high-society high-rise “Soho House” and from the burlesque bar “Prinzipal” to the classic “Reingold”. Born in Istanbul this hotel manager by trade has been working in hospitality near Berlin’s television tower for some twenty years now. In the Covid year, he took time out to work for a Bavarian golf hotel where he redesigned their bar concept, only to return to the capital soon after. Following a guest appearance to launch the bar at the “Victor & Victoria”, he then offered to join their ranks. The versatile concept from street bistro to the planned star cuisine appeals to him, he explains. Indeed, he has fond memories of dawn-to-dusk dining from “Soho House” – even though he himself is very much a night owl.
© Victor & Victoria
A wide range of drinks
Of course, such an extensive concept also needs to include a suitable range of drinks. The bar manager is currently working on the aperitif menu for the outdoor season which is due to kick off soon. And no daytime drinking concept would want to miss out on the backdrop of this beautiful historic square. Since Akbiyik or his deputy can’t always be present during the day only joining the team in the afternoon, it’s important to design the drinks in such a way they can also be mixed by the café team according to the bar manager’s recipe and instructions. For the evening bar business, Akbiyik relies on his own creations and adaptations brought with him over many years and through many different locations. His menu for instance includes “Hot Passion Fizz” – a drink made with vodka, vanilla, passion fruit puree, lemon juice and a spicy but not overwhelming chilli essence – which is nice as a pre-meal aperitif. Or “Botanical Woman” made with gin, basil, ginger, lime juice and lime cordial – another of his signature drinks.
On call between the floors
In coordination with sommelier Andrea Agosta, boasting notable stints in the city at “Pauly Saal”, Pauly Saal, “Michelberger Restaurant” and “Cookies Cream”, the bar manager is in touch when diners on the upper floor, i.e. in the gourmet restaurant, want an alternative to wine as an accompaniment to their meal. How does this work in practice, we ask ourselves, since the barman is downstairs and the sommelier is upstairs? It’s simple – they talk on the phone. Meaning drinks can be prepared downstairs promptly in time for the next course. Conveniently, they also have a dumbwaiter – ping and the drinks appear. And if time permits, the bar staff are happy to personally bring them upstairs to the second floor, a velvet affair with chandeliers. Non-alcoholic drinks – like gimlet or negroni adaptations – or low-alcohol options are also often ordered “from upstairs”. “After their meal, many diners also come down to us for a cocktail to finish,” explains Akbiyik. Like we do too, for a punchy “Smoky Date” with Islay whisky, date syrup, cinnamon, lemon juice, pink grapefruit and chocolate bitters. Twice a month, drinks are the focus of special tastings ranging from Champagne to spirit and cocktail flights.
In-restaurant bars: communication’s the key
Is that conceptual split between bar and restaurant – long existing in Germany unlike the US or Great Britain for instance – now slowly be coming to an end? In Germany people used to avoid bars in restaurants, reports Akbiyik, who is familiar with an entirely different setup, not least from Turkish eating and drinking culture. For the German audience, bars in restaurants often felt a bit like waiting rooms, he observes. Now, he says, there’s a growing willingness to take bars on board, settle down (with or without food) and experience them as part of the whole. For bar veteran Akbiyik, this has less to do with the drinks. Without a doubt, they have to be good, that’s for sure, but it’s more about good communication: Don’t just shyly present the bar menu but really involve customers. Engage them in dialogue. Introduce them to one another, get them to mingle and strike up new conversations – if they so wish, of course. Being able to recognise sensitivities and openness and act accordingly is an important quality, to his mind.
© Victor & Victoria
Working flair
Was there anything else? Oh yes: bartending flair! Akbiyik already made a name for himself in that department at “TGIF” in Istanbul reaping various awards at championships and competitions. And today? He no longer puts on the big juggling show, he says. That would probably be too much of a good thing in a place like this. But he does add a little “working flair” when mixing his creations. An ice cube might still skilfully fly into his cocktail shaker. And diners are sure to enjoy this, even if they do primarily come for the fine dining.
Victor & Victoria Berlin
Charlottenstrasse 59
10117 Berlin
https://victorvictoriaberlin.com
