Before Hitler and political extremism quashed the party, Weimar culture (a period cited as having had one of the highest levels of intellectualism in history) had brought the good times to Berlin’s ‘Golden Twenties’. Forward-thinking in science, philosophy, literature, art and design had ensured an influential movement that was the envy of the world. We all know what happened next, the roaring scene of the ’20s and early-1930s would soon be gone, and things wouldn’t be the same for decades – if ever. However, the team behind Friedrichstraße’s decidedly swanky Grill Royal are keen to reignite the grandeur and decadence of the city’s golden age, evoking the sophisticated interiors and German cuisine of the day with Pauly Saal.
Located in Ehemalige Jüdische Mädchenschule, a former Jewish Girls’ School, Pauly Saal joins galleries and other eateries in Michael Fuchs’ newly refurbished Mitte-based hub of art and cuisine. Michelin-starred Siegfried Danler offers up stews in cast iron pots, traditional offal dishes, suckling pig, and all manner of other braised, sautéed, salted and marinated goodness, whilst the space recalls the lavish ’20s with Murano chandeliers, plush upholstery and period furnishings.
Bucking the Berlin-trend for all things gritty, grimy and street – the space is an interesting movement to look back at a period in the city’s history that many may have forgotten (or perhaps not even have known of), and it does it well, really well. Better brush up on our Bauhaus, philosophy and German Expressionism…
Photo © Stefan Korte
Photo © Stefan Korte
Ehemalige Jüdische Mädchenschule
Photo © Stefan Korte
Ehemalige Jüdische Mädchenschule
Photo © Stefan Korte
