Still referred to locally as the Madchenschule or Girls School, Berlin’s trendy new dining complex, the House of Art and Dining Culture at Auguststrasse 11, was originally built in 1927 as a Jewish Girls School. Architecturally part of the artistic movement called the Neue Sachlichkeit or New Objectivity, the school was designed as a pragmatic presentation of pure function, an antidote to everything romantic or sentimental. From the exterior, with its severe, horizontal lines, the main building could be a factory or a prison, its strict utilitarianism captured in a formal, undecorated block of brick.
Inside, it’s a different story. Bright colors, whimsical tiles, and mosaic floors argue against the minimalism of the exterior and memorialize the children who used to study here. Originally designed by architect Alexander Beer, the complex ceased to function with the outbreak of World War II. It served as a military hospital for a while and briefly once again as a school before becoming a ruinous eyesore just around the corner from one of Berlin’s most prestigious shopping streets, Friedrichstrasse.
Officially handed back to Berlin’s Jewish community in 1966, the complex was leased by art gallery owner Michael Fuchs, who invested 5 million euros in restoring the playful interiors and the stern façade.
In 2012 the House of Art and Dining Culture opened to great acclaim. Food and art come together in three upstairs art galleries, which focus on contemporary and conceptual art and three different downstairs dining experiences, the formal Pauly Saal Restaurant, the Kosher Classroom, and the Mogg & Melzer Delicatessen.
The Pauly Saal Restaurant is located in the school’s former gymnasium and features a wonderful interpretation of traditional Jewish dishes with contemporary variations. The menu is limited and focuses on what is in season. Fish and lamb play major roles, like the monkfish with capers and lemon, served with spinach, Jerusalem artichokes and crab, or the rack of lamb with potato thyme blinis, sheep’s yoghurt, and eggplant. The restaurant also offers meat from its rotisserie and housemade pastries for dessert.
On Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath, the Kosher Classroom, a restaurant operating literally in one of the school’s spacious old classrooms, offers classic kosher food for those who love the traditional and for those exploring unfamiliar culinary traditions alike. But on my visit, I headed straight for the third Madchenschule restaurant, the uber-popular Mogg and Melzer Delicatessen.
Founded by New Yorkers Paul Mogg and Oskar Melzer, the deli has the best sandwiches in town. With the Jewish community growing rapidly in Berlin, the need for a good pastrami sandwich became critical. Mogg and Melzer solved the dilemma.
The restaurant is located in the former headmaster’s office, which provides an intimate space with generous windows. The hands-on open kitchen lets diners view the succulent hunks of pastrami and corned beef that go into the sandwiches. The day I was there, customers crammed the tables as platters of food whizzed by like flying frisbees in the hands of an adept waitress. Oskar Melzer wearing a New York Yankees cap and T-shirt flashing the 20 of Jorge Posada presided over the kitchen.
I sampled three universally popular dishes drawn from Jewish cookery beginning with matzo ball soup. This was a bit disappointing as the broth seemed a little thin and the matzo ball not quite up to top notch standards. But then came the deli’s signature pastrami sandwich and all was forgiven. Lean, tender, and flavorful, the finely sliced layers of meat were laced with mustard and served with cole slaw and of course a kosher dill pickle. The freshly baked rye bread added its own flavor notes.
Deli owner Paul Mogg has said his goal was to bring good pastrami to Berlin. In this he has succeeded. I closed the meal with a slice of Mogg and Melzer’s New York cheesecake. It was fluffy, rich, and moist with a crust that was neither too thin nor too thick. Like their pastrami sandwiches, the deli does cheesecake just right.
Susan James is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. She has lived in India, the U.K., and Hawaii, and writes about travel, art, and culture.
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