Bonvivant goes vegan

BERLIN. vegan means full of flavour: Nikodemus Berger and his team at Bonvivant Cocktail Bistro are proving it from January 2025 after a long development phase. As usual, the new evening menu offers culinary highlights at star level - only without the use of animal products. "It's been a long journey," admits the 30-year-old chef, "we don't want to deliver a cheat pack and have experimented a lot to guarantee the best flavours, fine textures and exciting consistencies."

Nikodemus Berger is not interested in following a trend. The committed top chef has been a vegetarian since early childhood and prefers to collect his seasonal ingredients himself in the forest. "Sustainability is our greatest motivation, so it was only logical for us to take the next step and switch to vegan dishes," explains Nikodemus Berger, "even if it is a challenge to cook vegan, the guests won't notice the effort and the detours." It is precisely because the team succeeds so well in presenting lightness and playfulness to the outside world that Berger reveals how the amazing results are achieved. For example, egg-free mayonnaises are made using aquafaba from pulses and the spice vadouvan. Roasted baker's yeast is used for cheesy flavours and potato proteins are used to make meringues.

By limiting itself to vegan ingredients, the kitchen now seems to be even more creative. With plenty of variety, the new menu also shows that winter is more versatile than its frosty reputation:

• Radish / juniper smoke / rye / mustard cucumber
• Pumpkin / marigold / vadouvan / "bisque"
• Savoy cabbage / charcoal / black apple / tarragon
• Leafy mushroom / brioche / watercress / truffle
• Douglas fir / ginger / pear / celery
• Oxalis root / cherry leaf / baked apple / elderberry
• As an additional course: potato / yeast / onions / truffle

It will be a few weeks before the brunch can be offered vegan. "We definitely want to retain the special character of our brunch offering," explains owner Jules Winnfield, "and that's exactly what our team is working on right now." It is important that guests do not miss the use of animal protagonists in the morning, but on the contrary are amazed at how the vegan team trumps old eating habits. "If anyone manages to maintain our quality standards under these conditions, it's Nikodemus Berger," says Winnfield, "it's not possible, it doesn't exist with him, it always becomes a now-first-right with him."