KINK: What's a tartare doing in a ballroom?

At KINK, you look up first. Eight metres above the tables, red loops of light cross a room where people once danced. Columns support the ceiling and a gallery runs around the former ballroom on Pfefferberg. Below: a black bar, wood and warm lighting. The place doesn't need to decide whether it's an art installation, restaurant or bar. It's all three. But by the end of the evening, it wasn't only the light that stayed with me.

KINK Bar & RestaurantMitte · Bar

Must Eat

KINK Bar & Restaurant

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The red lines form “Spaceknot (Pfefferberg)”, an installation by Swiss artist Kerim Seiler. More than a hundred metres of illuminated tubing hang over the bar, giving the enormous room a character of its own. The ballroom belongs to the history of the old Pfefferberg brewery; KINK hasn't turned it into a nostalgic set, but a room that belongs firmly to the present. Red dominates the photographs. At the table, quieter details emerge: candlelight, wood and small lamps along the walls.

I met the owner during my visit, but what I remember most clearly is the service: attentive, easy-going, never making the evening feel staged. That's no small achievement in a room with this much visual drama. The food holds its own too. And among the plates on our table, there was a clear winner.

The tartare steals the show

The beef tartare is cut by hand, then served with egg yolk, crispy potatoes and a Nikkei dressing made with tomate de árbol – also known as tamarillo or tree tomato. Fine strands of potato form a little nest on top of the meat. The contrasts do the work: soft tartare, crunchy potato and a dressing with a distinct character. This is not a dish that needs the spectacular room to be interesting. It was my highlight of the night.

The other dishes had their moments too. On our visit, there were corn flautas filled with grilled spinach and potatoes, served with salsa tatemada, achiote oil and sour cream. Fresh leaves covered the rolls while orange oil traced its way across the plate. A small bucket of fries came with smoked paprika aioli. The menu changes, and these were the plates we ate that evening. Even so, they reveal something about the kitchen: different culinary influences, sharp contrasts and a feel for presentation that doesn't stop with the lighting.

A cocktail menu disguised as an album

At the bar, the drinks list becomes a small piece of music. Beverage Director Leo Foriglio and his team call it “The Perfect Album”: eight cocktails, eight tracks, presented in a CD case with a booklet and a playlist reached by QR code. “Helden / Heroes” brings together rye whiskey, port, Amontillado, chamomile and quince. “By Your Side” combines gin and pisco with raspberry, jasmine and white chocolate. Some tracks have alcohol-free “Unplugged” versions. It's a playful idea, but more than decoration: next door, the team even uses a rotary evaporator to create its own flavours. The bar is part of the identity of KINK, not just somewhere to wait before dinner.