Contemporary Mediterranean food by Hamra in Berlin. I’ve been there a few times and talked about their hummus on my instagram account before, but let’s make it official – this my MUST-GO of summer 2020 💛
Hamra started as a pop-up event in well known Mikkeller Bar at the end of 2019, by two passionate cooks. They have proven themselves to be so good that over half a year later, they were still serving their incredible dishes along side cool craft beers of Mikkeller. Constantly surprising and innovating with a continually changing menu, Adi & Nadav are dedicating their lives to bring tears of joy into our eyes with every bite.
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“Updade August 2020: Currently, Hamra are taking-over at Mrs. Robinson’s in Prenzlauer Berg. Check out their Instagram account to stay updated ☝️ ”
To me, Hamra feels like a Michelin star restaurant, with not cheap but affordable prices – considering their high quality ingredients and the amount of effort put into making them to perfection. Every single one of their dished looks pretty and tastes even better. Let me just take you through a few of them from my last visits, just so you’d get the idea.
Homemade Labneh – a type of soft cheese made from yoghurt, topped with Dukkah – an Egyptian nut, seed and spice blend, with a side of hot & fluffy Maroccan bread. And of course, a cool Mikkeller IPA!
90 day dry-aged holstein sirloin & octopus skewer on a charred pita bread with a side of tahini with Amba (an Iraqi spiced pickled mango condiment) and fresh herb salad with onion & sumac.
Lamb wrapped in Arab cabbage, melted cheese and roasted peanuts. This dish is literarily all we could talk about – my boyfriend and I begged them to keep this one on their menu forever! 😅
Octopus Carpaccio cooked to perfection, with new potatoes, olives, wild capers and egg yolk. Yum.
Burnt kohlrabi, zucchini, baladi cheese, pear, dates, jibneh (semi-hard white cheese) & zaatar salad. Never underestimate a salad in Hamra – I don’t think that I’ve ever had a salad as good as theirs.
During the highs of the pandemic, Hamra was one of the many restaurants in Berlin offering take aways. In their case it was mainly hummus – one of my only guilty pleasures during that time.
The boyfriend and I grabbed some Hummus with Ful (long cooked Fava bean stew) – a very typical dish in Israel and one of my personal all time favourites. And Hummus with bolognese alla Hamra – lamb, caramelised onions and spices from the old city. Both were everything and more of what you want hummus to be.
The desserts in Hamra are made by the talented Lior Tuchfeld, probably the best pastry chef that I know. If you go to Hamra a dessert is a MUST. And trust me – you don’t want to share this one!
On the picture above are broken macarons with Malabi cream, pistachio & citrus blossom. Slightly crispy, fluffy, soft, sweet, nutty, fruity & fresh and the right amount of sour at the same time – this dessert is what dreams are made from!
Cheesecake with yoghurt and cherries. Delish & perfect for a hot summer day.
I think you get the point. Go to their instagram account to check their current location and don’t forget to book a table with Hamra ❤️