Korean in Berlin: Ban Ban Kitchen
What I love most about the Berlin food scene is that it lets you travel the world just by wandering the streets and stopping here and there for something to eat — whether that means digging into a French breakfast, cherishing an American cheesecake with your coffee, or slurping up a bowl of ramen.Actual world travel can be just as inspiring: On a trip to Korea, the Berlin-born Korean-Vietnamese team behind Ban Ban Kitchen had the genius idea to start serving Korean soulfood. In their tiny shop in the U-Bahn-forsaken south of Neukölln they now serve a kind of fusion food that is anything but fussy, combining the best of two international (street) cuisines — read: kimchi pommes or bulgogi burgers.
We decided on the latter with some fried dumplings on the side. Their crispiness proved the perfect companion to the juicy burger made with kimchi and marinated Korean beef. There was more to marvel at on the menu, though, with bibimbap in a box and the so-called 'Nori Tacos' (using Korean seaweed as taco shells) especially catching our attention.To make matters simple, the enticing menu is divided into three different categories (ninja chicken, soy superstar, bulgogi beef); so vegetarian or vegan customers can enjoy the same dishes and flavors, just with caramelized soy meat that's been marinated in ginger.
Though our obsession with Korean food has a long tradition on this blog, it seems that most of the Berlin places serving anything from kimchi to bibimbap are located either around Mitte, Kantstraße, or Kreuzberg. With their creative take on traditional Korean food, Ban Ban Kitchen is a tasty addition to the area around what might be one of the busiest streets in Neukölln. Amidst all the Turkish eateries, Ban Ban offers combines its comforting flavors so wonderfully well that we will definitely be back for their latest creation: a Berlin-style döner topped with daeji bulgogi (spicy pork) instead of tired mystery meat.And with warmer days around the corner, we suggest to just get it to go, Tempelhofer Feld is a short saunter away!