Another great spot proving that it’s always worth venturing a little off the beaten track.

Tucked away in the heart of the still-developing Schinkelkwartier, surrounded by small warehouses and industrial buildings, Bennies has elegantly taken over a former industrial space, freshened up in white and dotted with some (very) beautiful pieces of design… Dirk van der Kooij’s fabulous Chubby Chairs, De Sede’s iconic ‘Snake’ sofa… The scene is set: our hosts clearly have excellent taste.

The wine list follows suit: lovely bottles, natural and elegant, some familiar, others more under the radar, but clearly nothing but the good stuff.

The kitchen sends out plates of all shapes and sizes: a few snacks, two or three raw dishes and half a dozen cooked over the flames of the fire that takes centre stage right in the middle of the kitchen.

And here too: nothing but the good stuff.

The absolute highlight was a ‘shrimp toast’ so insanely good that I ordered another one… for dessert. But there were also magnificent anchovies, lovely little artichokes, an indulgent chicken dish with brie and Iberian ham, and cod that nailed the perfect combination of beautifully crisp skin and pearly, just-cooked flesh… perfect.

Super-friendly, attentive service, backed by an enthusiastic DJ, completes an experience that’s hard to forget.

If you’ve read this far, the conclusion is fairly redundant: worth a visit? Of course it is!