Deseo | Amuse Gueules and Watermelon Men

Due to inhumane temperatures, the area around Boxhagener Platz has been so quiet that we decided to take the opportunity and check out a new cocktail bar in one of the most tourist-frequented areas of Friedrichshain. Besides their impressive cocktail menu that spans over ten pages, Deseo manages to set itself apart from the plethora of cocktail bars crowding around Simon Dach Straße and beyond. They have an unusually refined food selection: A Havel perk with Schaumkraut and homemade Swabian dumplings with a spinach and ricotta filling on a bed of rosemary tomatoes – that's a little more elaborate than a bag of salted nuts.

The amuse gueule is a homebaked bread with a generous serving of olive tapenade: It leaves us wanting more. We order a Beelitz forest mushroom ragout with Serviettenknödel and ox cheek in red wine. The waitress assures us that they are "a dream come true." And she's not lying: The ox cheeks are tender and the sauce has a strong and sweet wine flavor. The mushroom ragout seems to have landed straight from Brandenburger Wald on our plates and fits well on a winterly menu that also features wild boar roast and pumpkin soup. A sambuca on the house helps us make room for cocktails after this sumptuous meal.

While the dim lighting makes for more of a divey bar atmosphere than a fancy dinner location, the food's excellent quality certainly makes up for it. If you're just looking for a little snack, the French cheese platter for two with walnuts, olives and fig mustard is a valuable pick. And the cocktails? They can keep up with the flawless cuisine anytime. A classy restaurant hidden inside a cocktail bar – we're not quite sure we understand the concept, but we like it!

(jh)