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  • Banh Mi Pate: Vietnamese penicillin (CLOSED)

Food

Banh Mi Pate: Vietnamese penicillin (CLOSED)

Berocca, move over. We've found the perfect hangover remedy and it tastes better, too. Head east to Lichtenberg at the only location in Berlin offering bowls of steaming chao, or Vietnamese porridge.

Image for Banh Mi Pate: Vietnamese penicillin (CLOSED)
Photo by Rachel Glassberg

Sick with the flu or reeling from the repercussions of yesterday’s Berghain bacchanalia? Your miracle cure awaits at Banh Mi Pate, opened last September by southern Vietnamese expat Tran Quang Canh.

In addition to offering the titular sandwiches (€3-5 and more than decent) this Dong Xuan Center stall is the only place in Berlin that sells chao, a thick rice porridge typically eaten in Vietnam either as a breakfast or a remedy.

Unless you’re feeling particularly adventurous, skip over the mussel and eel versions and head straight for the Chao Ga, laced with shredded chicken, scallions and shiso.

It’s mild but not bland, light yet fortifying, the sort of humble dish you could imagine a Vietnamese grandmother spoon-feeding you in bed. Punch it up with a dash of pepper or devour as is and let it soothe your savage stomach.