This one is for you my dear Japanophiles. For all of you who get goosebumps when they hear about homemade soba noodles, onsen eggs and perfectly crispy and balanced Nukazuke pickles.
Heno Heno is the Japanese diner that used to be located on Kantstraße but then moved to Wielandstraße in 2015 to become a proper restaurant. The closing of the original location caused an outcry among the very faithful fanbase of the restaurant and the sigh of relief when the new location was announced could be heard from Charlottenburg to Okinawa.
“ "This one is for you my dear Japanophiles. For all of you who get goosebumps when they hear about homemade soba noodles, onsen eggs and perfectly crispy and balanced Nukazuke pickles."
If I'm asked for great examples of Japanese food culture in Berlin, Heno Heno always enters the conversation as the quiet underdog, the solemn and faithful workhorse that always delivers but is far to humble to ever rise to true fame. Heno Heno is however one of the best Japanese restaurants Berlin has to offer and those who know how to appreciate it love it to pieces. Including yours truly, an outspoken Japanophile eternally devoted to the unmatched culinary achievements of the Nihonjin.
“ "Heno Heno is however one of the best Japanese restaurants Berlin has to offer and those who know how to appreciate it love it to pieces."
Enter Heno Heno's solemn and quiet world only to be seated by a awfully friendly Japanese lady and offered a one page menu with a very condensed amount of choices. Some swear by the Vegetarian Don, where steamed, seasonal veggies are served on rice with an onsen egg. Others, including me, rave about the Beef Curry with soba noodles or the Udon Noodle soups. Regardless of your choice, you're in for a glorious meal. All the noodles and sauces are homemade and the results are just sensational. The perfectly chewy noodles have that classy mouth feel you dreamt about since your last night in Tokyo and you marvel how refreshingly unique and special these particular noodles taste. You might even have one of those: "Oh my god. I've never tasted anything like it before!" moments. Only a visit to Heno Heno will tell.
“ "The perfectly chewy noodles have that classy mouth feel you dreamt about since your last night in Tokyo..."
The quality thinking applies to all the food served at Heno Heno, be it the rice, the spectacular Nukazuke pickles or just the simple Onigiri: Everything is cooked to perfection and just a pure pleasure to eat. This especially applies to vegetables, the selection of greens and root vegetables are so damn well prepared at Heno Heno that you feel inclined to send shuttle busses of Berlin chefs to this places for training purposes. And when you finally discover that no matter how hard you try, it's basically impossible to spend more than 10€ at Heno Heno, then you will start marvelling about this finest of food institutions all over again. All hail Heno Heno.
