Chutnify is a modern and exciting take on Indian food in Prenzlauer Berg's Kollwitzkietz and successfully introduces a couple of quite interesting dishes to Berlin's notoriously poor Indian repertoire.
Berlin's restaurant scene is becoming more and more internationally diversified and nowadays Berlin can show off at least one pretty authentic eatery in most categories. One thing most of us however agree on, is that this absolutely not applies to Indian food, for some reason 99.9% of all Berlin Indian restaurants are just shit. Really. Chutnify is owner Aparna Aurora's vision to inject some fresh blood into the Indian food scene here, an undertaking to transform traditional Indian food into something more contemporary.
“ The whole thing is like a warm, colourful Bollywood movie
This is all happening on Sredzskistraße in Kollwitzkitz, the most dangerous and filthy district of Berlin (yes I'm fucking with you, it's 100% the opposite and as pretty and perfect as Disneyland), in the former location of a mediocre Italian restaurant. Aparna and her team transformed this place into a very beautiful restaurant and I really think she's done an amazing job here. The whole thing is like a warm, colourful Bollywood movie with lots of colours and the effort that has been dedicated to the details is extraordinary.
“ These dosas are very good, the dough is fantastic, moist and soft in the middle with slightly crunchy edges and really a perfect vehicle for the dry curry fillings
The venue also perfectly matches the colourful and vibrant food served at Chutnify. To be clear from the beginning, don't expect Chutnify the be the salvation and deliverance from all the shit curries you've had in Berlin. The menu is not traditional and has instead a strong focus on dishes you might not expect to find on the menu of an Indian restaurant. The mains are focused on dosa dishes, a kind of Indian crepe made out of rice and lentil flour which then is filled with meats or vegetables. At Chutnify great choices include the tandoori chicken or the pork, both very flavourful and rich dishes served with some delicious chutneys on the side. These dosas are very good, the dough is fantastic, moist and soft in the middle with slightly crunchy edges and really a perfect vehicle for the dry curry fillings. Some of the starters are also very interesting (emphasis on "some"), a stand out is a great sweet potato dish served with chickpeas and a coriander salsa, a very balanced creation and super smartly executed. The Bhelpuri, a puffed rice dish with tons of spicy chutneys, is also very refreshing and interesting. The salads are nothing special though (don't understand them, especially not as a starter. They are really more a dish by themselves.) and where the idea of fusion has gone a bit too crazy is the masala wurst, which is the Chutnify version the currywurst. I fully understand the idea and ambition behind it, but the sausage is really not pleasant at all and for me this is a back to the drawing board dish. This does not at all impact the overall very positive food experience at Chutnify though and the great dishes for sure make up for the few bad ones.
