PANAMA

Panama is a new trendy restaurant-bar in Berlin which opened last month. Its concept is based on a much-loved German children’s book from the ’70s called “Oh, wie schön ist Panama” (Oh, how beautiful Panama is) about a little bear and tiger who live in a tiny cabin by a river and forage for fresh fish and mushrooms. One day, an empty crate smelling of bananas and stamped with the word “Panama” floats by, convincing the pair that Panama must be the land of their dreams. So they set out — and, on the way, meet all sorts of characters. Eventually a crow advises them to climb a high tree in an attempt to spot the land of their dreams from above. At the top, they marvel at the amazing view and see an abandoned cabin by a river. They decide that the spot is so beautiful that it must be Panama. What they don’t realize is that it is their old home. So they wander back, fix it up, add a sofa, and live there happily ever after.

Berlin restaurateur Ludwig Cramer-Klett said “It’s the perfect name for my latest venture. It has all the right references. I wanted the space, and in some cases the food, to be imbued with an exotic, tropical feel, with the dream of a place like Panama, but almost everything — the ingredients and materials — to be rooted here in Germany. Everything has been sourced as locally as possible.”

Its design is key to its triumphant launch, developed by architects Nora Witzigmann and Karo Butzert, natural colours and exquisite materials have been used to create an eclectic and magnetic blend that works perfectly with the art collection that hangs within.