From kimchi to gnocchi

Adlershof’s international food offerings

As the campus grows, so does its culinary scene with a growing number of lunch spots, bistros and cafés. In this issue, we showcase three of them.

Typically Korean: mani mogo

Young Mi Park-Snowden says she was deeply touched by the response from guests in Adlershof. They have been “enthusiastic and encouraging”, she says, and welcomed her warmly. Just a few weeks ago, the restaurant owner reopened mani mogo with a new concept. The restaurant has been on Erich-Thilo-Straße, at the corner of Zum Großen Windkanal, for eleven years, bringing Korean cuisine to Adlershof. Park-Snowden is not only a restaurateur but also the author of the cookbook Kimchi Princess. As a writer, she introduces her readers to the distinctive features of Korean cooking—from the central role of rice and kimchi to the preparation of dishes such as seaweed soup, glass noodle salad and the condiments that accompany them.

Popular Korean favourites are now back on the menu at mani mogo, including the classic bibimbap—a colourful rice bowl served with meat or tofu—the hot noodle soup ramyun and Korean-style burgers. A key feature of the new design is the self-service ordering system. Guests can place their orders online or at a digital terminal in the restaurant. The system was developed specifically for mani mogo and, as Park-Snowden notes, “is a great match for the technology campus.”

The redesign was prompted by the forced removal of the pavillon that had been part of the restaurant. Even so, guests will still find the familiar design elements and stylish atmosphere that mani mogo is known for.

mani mogo

Italian flair: Gnocchi Affair

With a smile, Gabriele Paoletti welcomes the first guests of the day at his food truck on Justus-von-Liebig-Straße. The trained chef spent many years working in kitchens across Europe before deciding to strike out on his own. For eleven years now, he has been opening his food truck at 11.30 am every weekday—now called Gnocchi Affair. When his business partner left the venture last year for family reasons, Paoletti decided to rethink the concept. Instead of burgers, the menu now centres on vegetarian and vegan gnocchi.

The fact that gnocco in Italian means “good-looking guy” inspired Paoletti to play with both words and dishes. One vegan sauce is called Gentle and Sexy, while another creation goes by the name Beetemptation. His personal favourite is gnocchi with tomato sugo, fresh basil and parmesan. “For me, simplicity often holds the greatest beauty.” Burrata—a speciality from Apulia—is the star ingredient in “Nonna’s Gnocchi”, the most popular dish among customers in Adlershof that pays homage to Paoletti’s grandmother, who inspired his love of cooking.

Gnocchi Affair Berlin

Kreuzberg style: Rüdiger‘s

Three years ago, Jana Rüdiger was out walking with her husband and child in Johannisthal’s landscaped park and looked far and wide for a good cup of coffee. At that moment, an idea took shape. “I always wanted to have my own café,” says Rüdiger. She put her career as an educator on hold and opened a bistro on Hermann-Dorner-Allee. Initially, she focused on rolls, lunch options, and catering. This fit the mood of the time, when the technology park was still a construction site.

Since then, the team—Rüdiger runs the café together with her husband and brother-in-law—has refined the concept and brought Kreuzberg-style cuisine to Adlershof. Local residents stop by alongside construction workers and families spending time at the park. In summer, Sicilian scoop ice cream is a particular highlight. The Rüdiger family themselves moved to Adlershof some time ago, and their two children now attend kindergarten here. The café has since been joined by an outdoor bar on Ernst-Ruska-Ufer and a catering service. “We have grown in unison with the neighbourhood,” says Rüdiger.

Rudiger's Cafe

Jördis Götz for Adlershof Journal