Lila Restaurant Stylish, hip, delicious

A Friday evening on the Landwehrkanal in Kreuzberg: On both sides of the canal people sit with a beer, the Paul-Linke-Ufer is lined with restaurants whose names are well-known in the city, if not the country: Spindler, Volt, Horváth... In short, there is gastronomic, culinary and lifestyle hustle and bustle here.

A place like the Lila Restaurant fits in here as appropriately as a glass of wine with dinner. In other words: a hip and good-looking Kreuzberg crowd, a no less stylish interior and not one, but two beautiful terraces.

Our aperitifs are quickly chosen and follow the culinary concept of Lila: memories from Peru, the home of chef Omar Ben Hammou, meet culinary classics from Italian and other international cuisines.

His years in New York City and his collaboration with renowned chefs from all over South America and the world also define his culinary and thus the Lila signature. The surprising combinations are fresh and delicious, with a clear focus on the preparation of seafood and fish, which is why the Lila restaurant is a must for lovers of the same. 

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Drinks and starters arrive promptly - in the open kitchen, a well-coordinated team is working alongside chef Omar Ben Hammou. He discovered his passion for the cooking at an early age alongside his mother and grandmother. Both were named Lila - a nice tribute to name his restaurant after them. 

Of course, for us it has to be the truly outstanding ceviche, one of our all-time favourites. Other delicacies from the sea are also on the menu: baked scallop with browned butter anyone? Octopus with capers and citrus flavours? Yes, please. While the service could be a little more attentive, it is charming and friendly throughout, the drinks are great, the atmosphere in the Lila Restaurant loud and good.

In the meantime, the drinks are empty and give way to a beer and a fine glass of rosé for the main course: the truffle pasta already enjoys a certain reputation in Berlin - of course it has to be tried. It is wonderfully al dente, has a surprising but fine acidity that harmonises wonderfully with the truffle. Such as delicious as the incredibly good pork belly: crispy crust and incredibly tender and juicy inside. 

Although the panna cotta also has a pretty good reputation, the dessert is liquid today - after all, it's Friday night. Under other circumstances, we might still be going dancing. But a stroll through Kreuzberg after a visit to Lila is also quite nice.

Ronja C. Kolls

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