Whenever I visit Berlin I always enjoy browsing the Bikini Berlin mall. It’s a shopping centre but not like any other you’ll have been to. It’s a little more unique and you’ll find lots of independent brands, places to eat, work, relax and there’s even a hotel. It’s situated just by the zoo (you can look over at the monkeys from the rooftop garden) and it’s just across the road from the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.
Bikini Berlin has a very relaxing atmosphere and it’s nice to browse the interesting shops, I loved that most of the brands were new to me. We visited twice on this trip. On the first time, Phil and I enjoyed a picnic on the rooftop garden and then we came back again and had a delicious lunch at BagYard (at the entrance of the mall).
Today I specifically want to tell you about one shop from Bikini Berlin and it’s Lakrids by Johan Bülow. For the whole of the trip we’d been a bit liquorice obsessed. Just as we were about to leave Bikini Berlin N spotted a rather interesting shop. It was decorated with black fixtures, unusual lighting and the only colours came from the labels on the jars. Actually, that’s a lie. There were also a section of pots filled with colourful, sparkling balls. We quickly learnt that these were chocolate covered liquorice. That’s right, Lakrids is a shop dedicated to liquorice.
The branding was fantastic and you really have to visit the shop to get the full experience. The lighting was strategically placed to highlight the jars of liquorice. This probably explains why my snaps aren’t the best.
The staff in the shop were very friendly and welcoming. They were truly passionate about the products they were selling. I loved that, it’s exactly what you want when you step into a new shop. They were excited to share and bring us into the world of liquorice. We were encouraged us to try the various different types of liquorice and chocolate covered liquorice – all of which I really enjoyed. I decided to treat myself to one of the tins of liquorice which you can see in the photo above. The tins were neatly displayed on the wall with options like chilli, ginger and sweet. When chilli is an option I always go for it.
I’m sure some of you will be pleased to know that this liquorice is gluten free. If you’re reading this and thinking that liquorice isn’t for you then please hold that thought. The company was founded in 2007 by Johan Bulow. He felt that the world was missing out on the magical world of liquorice and wanted to create a variety of liquorice that could be enjoyed by everyone. So, if you have the chance to visit one of the Lakrids shops please go inside with an open mind. Start by trying their chocolate covered liquorice and then make your decision. Talk to the staff because they really know their stuff (especially in the Berlin shop). Explain the types of flavours you like and they’ll make sure you start with something suitable. You must read Johan’s whole story, it’s truly a tale of hard work and passion.
I only recently realised that I like liquorice and I really feel like I’ve been missing out over the years. I’m tempted to order some of the salted caramel liquorice for Christmas as well as a selection of their food line which includes liquorice powder, syrup and cookbook. They actually have a selection of recipes over on their blog, so I’ll be having a browse through those tonight.
If you want to get hold of Lakdrids here in the UK then try Harvey Nichols, Fortnum & Mason or even Amazon. But if you’re in Berlin (or one of their other store locations) then make sure you visit. It’s a delightful shopping experience and I know I’ve this before but the customer service is excellent.