我其實是個很愛逛超市/市場的人. 但即使如此, 常常還是會陷入繞了超市十圈卻找不齊所有材料, 或是瞪著某個新奇食材卻不確定自己會不會處理的窘境. 出發到柏林之前正好讀到Kochhaus的介紹, 這麼有趣的地方怎能不去看看？
走進Kochhaus比較像走進一本大型的立體食譜而不是超市. 深色的木頭桌子各以一食譜為主題, 陳列著所有需要用到的材料：小至雞湯塊, 貼心到連搭配的葡萄酒都挑好了！要是想要保留食譜, 一份0.5歐元.
Okay!! Grocery shopping. My experience often involves circling around the (super) market, trying to locate all ingredients I need (and forgetting one thing or two during the ordeal) or staring at an interesting looking ingredient yet have no idea what to do with it. So when I read about Kochhaus before headed to Berlin, I knew I gotta go check it out.
Kochhaus is a walk-in recipe book concept. Upon entering the store, I see dark wood tables each devoted to a single recipe. And on the table, there’s pretty much all the ingredients you will need to execute the recipe, including something as tiny as chicken stock cubes and even….. wines to pair with!! Hallelujah.
( Also, you could pick up a copy of the recipe for €0.50).
To me, this is better than Rachel Ray’s 30-Minute Meal and definitely much better than the corner take-out or even the prepared food isle.
四週的牆上有食譜區(包括與食物相關的書寫), 調味料, 葡萄酒, 餐具與廚房用具, 店裡也有現做咖啡與一些輕食. 雖然不是琳琅滿目的大規模超市, 但是卻很有魅力與特色. 即使不能像個柏林人一樣在下班回家的途中挑個食譜回家作頓晚餐, 我買了份食譜, ㄧ瓶裝滿春天氣息的乾燥花瓣與一瓶Barolo後開心地漫步在Schoneberg的街道上.
回到台北以後我查了一下, Kochhaus其實是幾個年輕的創業家開發出來的新概念. 在這個大家抓破頭只求下一個飲食新點子的時代, 這樣一個簡單卻實用的存在不知道為甚麼很振奮人心. 紐約時報在2010年Kochhaus剛起步的時候曾經報導過他們, 行銷總監Stober說Kochhaus的每一道食譜(ㄧ人份)都在10歐元以下, 不超過12道步驟, 準備時間也不超過1小時— 這樣的設置的確讓在家做菜又簡單了一些.
而幾個星期後, 這些在柏林的靈感與收穫都進了白蘆筍派對食客們的肚子裡.
On the walls surround these recipe tables, a wonderful collection of cookbooks/food writing, spices, wines, cookware and tableware completes the display. Not a mega store, but there’s an intellectual epicerie kind of feeling to it. It was end of April, and the store was featuring white asparagus. I picked up a copy of recipe (White Asparagus Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette and Parma Ham), a tiny jar of dried flower petals that screams Spring and a bottle of Barolo. Despite the fact I do not have the privilege of being a Berliner to go straight home and cook myself a great dinner, I felt inspired.
After returning home, i did some research on Kochhaus and found out it’s actually a young start-up. New York Times did a piece on them in 2010, Stober, Kochhaus’ Marketing Director says: “The rules we make for ourselves are strict and easy to understand: no dish costs more than €10, about $13, a serving; no dish takes more than one hour to prepare; there are no more than twelve steps to any recipe; there are never more than twenty recipes to choose from in the store, although two new ones are rotated in each week.” In the world where all F &B ehnthusiastics and professionals are pulling their hair out to come up with new concepts, I have to say this one is simple, straight forward and well executed.
Few weeks later, I happily took the inspiration and recipe to cook for my White Asparagus Party!
LOW TEMP HALF CORK 