Katz Orange

Bergstrasse 22, 10115 Berlin, Mitte   Tel: 0049 30 983208430 

Berlin, like London is flooded with openings of restaurants, bars and new hangouts every week and Katz Orange looked like the city's newest gem. Promising inventive organic gourmet dishes in Wallpaper worthy surroundings, all killim rugs and wild flowers. We turned off the main strip at Torstrasse into a courtyard tipped with snow and followed the sound of jazz to the far end illuminated by an ambient amber glow.

Inside was a trove of collected treasures, an elaborate display of a well travelled person, skulls of horned beasts and floor length embroidered wall hangings. Katz Orange was a dreamy split level space, good looking and charming. On paper the menu too read like a sure fire hit, familiar flavours like homely chicken cassoulet and equally comforting banana chocolate bread, something for everyone. Surely a place so beautiful would have food to match, expectations were high as we placed our order and waited to see what was between the Katz' ears.

It was a bad start as the waiting staff seemed to have disappeared entirely from the mezzanine level. After taking our food and drink requests we were left to our own devices, we were left thinking that we were maybe supposed to quench our thirst with the water in the flower vase or subdue our hunger by biting our nails as opposed to bread like folk on the surrounding tables.

After much head turning our yearning looks were finally met with something edible. A canoe like bowl filled to the brim with golden crunchy chips and our two sauces. Although we had to coax our waiter into coming round to the fact that one was in fact not what we ordered, anyway they were both tasty, a heady curry and saffron mayo and creamy remoulade. Despite the very hearty portion of chips our mains were leaning towards dainty with my dining companions looking questionably patched together by a heavy handed waiter. Although no negatives were used to describe the dish no words of sweet amour either, I always think it a shame in any circumstance to just provoke a ho hum response. My champignon mousse and tatsoi salad, admittedly looked a picture, jellies of earthy mushrooms and twirls of enoki, a pleasant mix of textures and flavours.

We were now half way through our meal and still without wine, when pointing this out my most loathed response followed; a blank stare with an empty line of words with a distinct lack of an apology. It did however make it in perfect timing as a digestif. There was a questionable amount of substance to Katz Orange's style. The food was a mixed bag, nothing urkingly disconcerting but it did seem odd to get chips as a side to a dehydrated crumb and micro herbed main. But the main flaw was Katz Orange's choice of company, no matter of your beauty the company you keep can define you, that night we were subjected to service laced in irreverence and tardiness.   Saying that like a butterfly to the flame I would chance it all again, to be amongst beautiful things but will just come with the knowledge that the dishes may not come with a smile and the drinks may not come at all.