Two of my all-time favorite dining experiences happened just days apart while I was in Berlin, Germany. Honestly, I had no idea Berlin’s cuisine scene is so avant-garde. I had someone in the know about Berlin recommend Coda Dessert Dining. It’s a 2-star Michelin restaurant.

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♬ Hit It – Yung Skrrt

My friends Pam and Earl and I went after a day filled with a history tour in the morning and food walking tour in the afternoon. I thought a dinner of desserts would be perfect to cap off the day. I made the reservation a couple of weeks and we were lucky to get in. Our server Chris was fantastic. We laughed and really enjoyed his outgoing personality. I noticed a tattoo and his arm. It says “Champagne 4 the pain.” Always and we started with a glass as an aperitif. Before the 7-course decandence with cocktail pairing commenced, we started with four bites: gummy bears, churro, lettuce and beefcake. The gourmet gummy bears were made with yellow beet juice cooked in white vinegar then dehydrated and covered with crystallized maple syrup. The churro was more savory. It was fried rice flour and served with a miso hazelnut sauce. The lettuce cup was very unusual made with dehydrated lettuce. For the beefcake, since I don’t eat meat, mine was just an almond flour cake. It was the only change they had to make for me on the menu. Of the four, the gummy bears were my favorite followed by the lettuce cup because it was so unusual.

First course was popcorn….popcorn ice cream that is! It was a thin layer of dehydrated popcorn ice cream with gooseberries and flash fried lettuce. It was paired with tangerine brandy. It was so unusual and tasty with just a hint of popcorn taste blending with the other flavors.

Eggplant – pecan biscuit with confiet eggplant with licorice salt – apple cider vinegar ball and pecan puff (like a cocoa puff)

A cheesy waffle was the most savory course. The raclette waffle was made with corn flour and raclette cheese. There was also raclette cheese with dried kimchi sprinkled around it on plate. If you’ve ever head fondue, you’ll likely had raclette. The cheese had a wonderful creamy texture with a salty, slight sweet and slightly nutty flavor. This was a moment of comfort food in the middle of the extravagant 7-course dinner.

The almond milk course was tomato paste ice cream and datterino tomatoes were topped with ginger sprig. The a milk infused with cardamom was poured around the beautiful pink and red creation. There was a slight hint of kombu, which is a kelp seaweed. The unique combination of layers of flavors was delightful.

The next course was one of the most unusual cheesecakes I’ve ever had. It was made with cironé cheese, a hard and crumbly raw cow’s milk cheese with a creamy finish We cracked the top and creamy liquid with hints of coffee and celery was poured into it. I know the flavors sound odd, but it was a wonderful savory course paired with an apple reduction sherry.

My favorite course was the frozen beetroot, partly because it’s such a weird and delicious spin on beets. Cranberries and tofu were added to this dish paired with a cocktail made with wild cherry eau de vie, wild raspberry brandy and vermouth, which kept it from being too sweet. It tasted like a raspberry brandy.

Last course was a mousseux made with chickpea, Ecuador cacao, shiitake mushroom, and hazelnut. This delicate small tower included meringue and chocolate wafer layers. It was sprinkled with a gold dust then a hazelnut sauce was delicately poured over it. This was paired with a sake and sherry cocktail.

To top off the night the experience ended with nibbles of chocolate. On the plate were hazelnuts covered with 76% chocolate, pecan crusted olives with dark chocolate, almonds covered with white and dark chocolates. The air chocolate was slightly sour and fruity. The most intense ones looked like traditional chocolate pieces and were decandent 76% ganache. It was the perfect ending to an unbelievable meal filled with 7-courses-plus of desserts!

Jennifer Broome loves sharing unique eateries in her travels. Check out the Travel Tastes section for more, including some recipes. For a great place to stay in Berlin at a great rate, check out blog on Leonardo Hotel Berlin Mitte.