Reinstoff is one of Berlin’s new gastronomic top restaurants, situated in the Mitte district. Chef Patron Daniel Achilles started the restaurant with his wife and general manager Sabine Demel. Before opening his own restaurant, Daniel Achilles gained experience in several fine-dining restaurants like Schloss Berg in Perl-Nennig, Fährhaus Munkmarsch on the isle of Sylt and Amador in Langen. Only few years after opening his own restaurant, it is already recognised as one of the most interesting restaurants in Berlin.
Reinstoff is located in the historic Edison courtyards in the Mitte district, where Germany’s first light bulbs were manufactured. These brick houses were reconstructed down to detail. This allows one to imagine the dynamic industrial architecture characterising Berlin. The unique industrial flair continues to live on at the restaurant with its original brick walls, tall glass windows, old iron columns and metal pipes as well as the four-meter high Prussian vaulted ceilings. Centrepiece in the design is the canopy inside of the restaurant with 240 silver glass balls of different sizes. The big mirrors on all sides of the restaurant enhance the sense of space.
In these unique industrial surrounding, Chef Patron Daniel Achilles and Sabine created a gourmet restaurant, which is truly innovative for Berlin. The name Reinstoff describes the basis of each dish, which is the use of matter (‘stoff’ in German) that is as pure (‘rein’ in German) as possible. The chef presents a light and modern cuisine, particularly elegant and refreshing, often vegetal inspired. Dinner at Reinstoff is a quintessentially Berlin experience. Reinstoff is very much in sync with its location and with the ‘Zeitgeist’. Daniel Achilles takes a natural approach to his cuisine without being fanatical about it. With his two menus ‘ganznah’ and ‘weiterdraußen’, Daniel Achilles presents complex and creative dishes, reflecting his desire for culinary freedom.
The ‘ganznah’ tasting menu is the more classic one where (almost exclusively) produce from Germany is used. The seasons automatically play a major role in this menu. With ‘ganznah’, Daniel Achilles selects produce from regional sources and prepares these products in the best way. A good example is the Bergsdorf Mouflon lamb, which first comes in a home-made chorizo with mugwort, cream and a crisp of red pointed pepper. The second part of the serving is the pan-fried lamb steak with chervil tuber and edible wild greens. The menu ‘weiterdraußen’ reflects the motivation of the Chef Patron to continuously progress with as much complexity as possible. With this menu, Daniel Achilles aims to offer his guests an innovative culinary experience, unique to Berlin. The dishes are cosmopolitan and also inspired by current trends. The claw of Danish langoustine is served on seaweed Bao with a seaweed salad, while the roasted Danish langoustine gets richness with a beechnut risotto, cream of black trumpet mushrooms and a creamy sauce of langoustine and different seaweeds.
Wines play an important role at Reinstoff and all dishes are presented with corresponding wines or other drinks. Sommelier and restaurant manager Pascal Kunert is responsible for the beverage pairings and guides the guests through the drinks menu. His goal is to make sure that each wine is in perfect harmony with the according dish and the desire of the guests. Natural wines, beers and special local products are often used but only if guests want to join into a more adventurous pairing.
Reinstoff tells the story of a chef with a vision and lots of passion. Having dinner at restaurant Reinstoff is not a typical fine dining experience and different from all other restaurants in Berlin. Chef Patron Daniel Achilles presents unique dishes with various preparations and textures of the same ingredient. The intense flavours are the work of an accomplished chef serving a modern German cuisine that is clean and precise.
Written by Sven & Frank
