Loumi opens a fine dining restaurant in Berlin with Japanese and Nordic influences
At Loumi in Berlin, classic cuisine blends with flavors from Japan and Northern Europe in a relaxed atmosphere.
A thoughtfully designed space in a new building near Prinzenbad welcomes you to Loumi. Warm colors, defined shapes, and soft lighting frame an open kitchen where the work is visible from the tables. The young, international clientele is a mix of foodies and enthusiasts in a pleasantly relaxed atmosphere.
“While others are scaling back, we’ve gone in the opposite direction and fulfilled our dream of offering haute cuisine,” says hostess Mical Rosenblat. The other member of the team is chef Karl-Louis Kömmler. They already made a splash with their first “Loumi” (short for Louis and Mical), a supper club in an apartment with a backyard in Neukölln. Kömmler, who started as a self-taught chef, drew inspiration from Atsushi Tanaka in Paris, Jeremy Changs in London, and Benjamin Gallein of “Votum” in Hanover.
The creative menu blends classic cuisine with Japanese and Northern European influences. Breton farmed abalone is poached in dashi and sake, seared, and served with kombu seaweed, a fluffy chawanmushi (Japanese flan), yuzu zest, grilled pear, and Espelette pepper sauce. Challans duck breast, aged for ten days in a maturation chamber, is incredibly succulent and aromatic; Kömmler pairs it with Kampot pepper, Albufera sauce, and morels stuffed with shredded leg meat. The meal concludes with a citrus sorbet featuring candied mandarin peel, nori seaweed, caramelized black garlic, and oolong tea-infused Chantilly cream.
Mical Rosenblat has prepared her favorite wines from Germany, France, and South Africa to pair with each dish. According to her, the selection ranges "from the completely classic to the sometimes more daring."
You can eat at tables or at the kitchen counter, where the seating is particularly inviting. The space is modern, with glass, exposed concrete, and warm lighting. The bottled wines are less exclusive than the usual selection, but the wine pairings by the glass can be even more harmonious. Among the individual dishes, the Breton lobster with Mara-de-Bois strawberry combines two French imports in a juicy and fruity appetizer, and the diced otoro (a type of fish) is bathed in a citrusy-green broth with fresh wasabi.
The hospitality is warm and inviting, yet unpretentious. Overall, it's a solid package with a sophisticated main product.