“Food, service, wine, and a local approach are our key drivers. We buy exclusively ingredients produced within a circle of 250 kilometres from Berlin’s city limits. We focus on the flavour, not the aesthetics of the product, using only a few ingredients to create a perfect taste profile. Our chef and the owner know more than seventy-five per cent of our suppliers personally. The menu changes seasonally with individual courses added each week, based on the products and their seasons. Staff meals are cooked every day from fresh products, with our whole team eating and taking a break together.”

Egg with linden leaves; celeriac with blackcurrant wood; and venison with kohlrabi.

Billy Wagner is always in the mood for innovations. He was the first entrepreneur in Germany who opened a fine dining restaurant where no tables were available. All the guests are seated at the counter with a direct view into the kitchen so they can see the chefs work their magic. But Wagner, a gifted sommelier, also has a strict sustainable approach. With chef Micha Schäfer, he’s sourcing the best local products possible. Furthermore, the restaurant supports refugee projects and takes more care of the employees than is common in gastronomy: twenty-four days of paid vacation per year and two regular days off each week. A role model!