Katz Orange Eating with the family in the backyard

Berlin backyards have long enjoyed legendary status. Anyone who has spent more than a few days in the city can tell a story about stumbling across a backyard on some walk where a whole new world opens up. Be it a flea market, an impromptu party or a meal with family and friends, enthusiastically celebrating togetherness and the joys of fine dining. 

The Katz Orange is the latter. At first sight, it offers precisely that magic that awakens a lightness in the stomach and means anticipation for the evening: anticipation that increases in the face of the aperitif. The Katz Orange is adorned with an exquisite aperitif and signature cocktail menu. We opt for a Lipstick and a Mezcal Negroni.

The Lipstick, with its combination of gin, rose, verjus, honey-pepper water and crémant, is wonderfully refreshing and, at the same time, with its present acidity, creates a beautiful arc of tension in the mouth that stimulates the appetite. The Negroni should already be perfect as a classic. Still, at the first sip of the mezcal variant, you wonder why you haven't always missed the smoky note, which harmonises perfectly with the sweetness of the wormwood and the bitter aromas. 

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The beautiful seats on the terrace in the old backyard of the old building do the rest to forget everyday life and fully arrive at this place. Inside, the furnishings are reminiscent of a mixture of a boutique hotel and a super cosy dining room in the holiday home of the young-at-heart grandma. Or: you have arrived with friends. 

The first course is a rabbit croquette on marinated carrots, which almost makes you want to eat nothing else all evening, with the possible exception of the prawns cooked to perfection with sea asparagus, whose subtle saltiness provides the perfect contrast to the sweet sea creatures.

Instead of bread, we feasted on fries fried in organic goose fat (!) and homemade dips (definitely try the Cajun mayo!), which are not so common south of Brussels. The accompanying wines, a natural orange wine from Slovakia and a Riesling from the Moselle, easily keep up with the food without being too overpowering.

For the main course, we have to try the house speciality, Duroc pig cooked at a low temperature for twelve hours. Of course, the mushy peas and the asparagus are also a must. Furthermore, we opt for cauliflower with Linda potatoes, Béarnaise sauce and rocket pesto. Both dishes perfectly reflect what Katz Orange stands for: dishes that invite sharing and are boldly flavoured but technically flawlessly prepared.

In short: everything tastes as it should and makes us extraordinarily full and satisfied. In combination with a delicious Sangiovese, you wonder why you didn't bring two, four, six or even eight more friends with you to taste the whole menu. Still, we don't let ourselves be deprived of a dessert. The shaved buffalo milk ice cream with a sweet topping is an almost childish delight. Who doesn't love the first snow of the year, especially when it tastes so delicious!

While we sip an exquisitely round espresso martini at the bar's beautiful wooden counter, as a post-dessert, so to speak, we are already planning our next visit, mentally inviting a few friends and family members to join us as we wind down for the evening. 

Ronja C. Kolls

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