Bless is a Vietnamese restaurant near Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin. More importantly, it was a short walk from our hotel, a key attribute as we had just arrived after overnight travel from home. Well-lit, inviting, comfortable interiors were also attractive, easy decision.
We arrived early when there were few other diners, but quickly filled with couples and groups while we were there.
Founders
The well-produced menu overwhelms you with choices and tempting pictures of various dishes, but also gives some background about the restaurant and its founders. And, given political discussions in the United States, this caught my attention.
A bullet-point biography about Vinh and Tuyen appears to indicate that the founders are illegal immigrants: came to Germany in 1992 and lived the first five years in an asylum home; sold newspapers after school with his mother; came to Germany at the age of 16 by himself; was deported from Germany almost 3 times.
And despite those challenges, they now have what appears to be a successful restaurant in Berlin, plus another in Hamburg.
Europe has had its own dealing with irregular migration, similar to the US, but apparently the human spirit to succeed despite odds continues.
Food
The food was as tasty as it looked on the menu.
I had the Purple Pulpo:
Grilled pupo.
Side dishes: Glazed beets, sea asparagus, green beans, picked mint cucumbers, truffle corn puree.
Sauce: Beetroot coconut curry.
The initial thoughts: what is pulpo? Most online references talk about a Spanish dish of Galician-style octopus. Obviously my dish was not octopus but pork, so I assume that pulpo refers to its preparation. Did I ask? No, I just ate.
The pork when dipped in the sauce was good – the pork was drier than I prefer but the sauce made it palatable. I’m not a fan of beets, the greens were fried and were good as well. A success.
My wife had the Tokin Prawns, the name coming from the original name of the Vietnamese capital Hanoi:
Grilled tiger prawns
Side dishes: Crispy shrimp dumplings, romanesco, baby carrots
Sauce: Galangal satay sauce, crustacean oil
While I didn’t try any, my wife thoroughly enjoyed it, though larger than her appetite and, unfortunately, no fridge in the hotel room to save for later. Her main concern was the how spicy the satay sauce would be, but ended up being fine.
Final Thoughts
Good food, friendly staff, but also thought-provoking: I have not previously met anyone who essentially admits to arriving in a country illegally, and yet the founders appear to be saying just that. My wife and I have a friend whom we suspect might have arrived from Central America without a valid passport or visa but have never asked – and never would. The founders of the restaurant, to their credit, are not afraid of telling their story.
