Mesa @ The Grand Hyatt Berlin, Germany

While staying at the Grand Hyatt Berlin (Please see also review) for one night in
April 2016 we went to Mesa for dinner.

We liked the sharing concept and the design of the venue by Tony Chi. It had very high
ceilings and floor to ceiling windows. Shelves provided some privacy. The dark
furniture was elegant and understated.

Staff was friendly and attentive. We received a breadbasket to start with and
ordered a bottle of still Seltzer water and two orange juice.

Studying the menu we decided to have an apple-celery soup with smoked salmon,
one Brandenburg mozzarella with cos salad, two curry sausages with fries, potato
wedges and two desserts, the lemon foam with rhubarb and strawberry and milk,
apple and chervil.

We enjoyed the modern interpretation of the dishes. Everything was of high quality, good value, light and delicious.

The bill was 51 Euro, ca. 55.75 USD.

When back in Berlin and the Grand Hyatt we would eat here again.

©2016

Restaurant Quarre @ The Adlon Kempinski Berlin, Germany

During our stay at the Adlon Hotel Kempinski in Berlin in April 2016 - please see review - , we booked a table for our dinner in advance at Quarre which is the casual, yet upscale brasserie at this famous landmark hotel.

Quarre is in a corner location. One side offers views over the Brandenburg Gate. It also has outdoor seating, which was in high demand, during our stay as the weather was sunny and people enjoyed the outdoors.

Sadly, the maître d' didn't make us feel like we were a valued guest and seemed unpleasantly surprised we were joining them for dinner.

Our table was in a more private location, which we appreciated. There was no view to the Brandenburg Gate, though but since we value privacy it was okay for our evening.

The interior felt like a Mediterranean villa.

At first there were only a few fellow diners, but the room filled quickly up with couples and a larger group.

We were given the menu and offered drinks to start with. We chose Liz water and shared two bottles during the meal.

The waiter was professional and efficient, but again lacked somewhat the warmth we had been expecting while dinning at such a famous hotel.

Our dinner included two Brandenburger Buffalo Mozzarella with roasted vegetables, one Wiener Schnitzel, one Pistachio Polenta, mushrooms and lemon and one Rocky Slide Brownie.

The mozzarella was interesting, because it was already melted and added a nice contrast to the vegetables. He said the Wiener Schnitzel was one of the best he had so far and the polenta was nice too.

Together with the dessert we ordered a hot chocolate and green tea.

The Rocky Slide Brownie was not entirely to our liking. It was a bit too sweet for us. It looked great and was creatively presented, though. We would try another dessert option should we eat at this bistro again on another occasion when in Berlin.

The bill came in at 120 Euro / ca. 137 USD.

We enjoyed the atmosphere and the quality of the food, so we would return, but we hope that next time we would receive a warmer welcome/service which actually matches a hotel of this caliber and heritage.

Would we recommend this restaurant to a friend? YES, it's good to be near beside the Brandenburg Gate.
Would we want to enjoy lunch/dinner again at this restaurant? YES, but we hope for a warmer welcome next time and a different dessert.

©2016