I’ve been stuck in a very delicious rut when it comes to Berlin eateries – everywhere I’ve been in the past is so delicious that I just don’t feel tempted to try any new spots. It’s a shame to take that attitude when the vegan scene is thriving so much. So when Dr HH and I visited in June, we decided to make space in our eating itinerary for one new place, and we chose Dervish, which is an all-vegan Uzbek restaurant. I’ve never had Uzbek food before, so this was an exciting opportunity to try something completely different. And generally, it was a success.

We ordered the potato manti plate (dumplings), but were told shortly afterwards that they were short of potatoes so we only got a couple of potato ones and the rest pumpkin, which was another option on the menu. Running out of potato before 6pm on a Saturday seems like an unpopular move! Sure enough, the pumpkin ones were a little too sweet and otherwise bland for our tastes. The potato ones also included onion and were much tastier, so it’s a real shame we didn’t get more of them. The dumplings were quite large and nicely steamed. They were garnished with dill, which I’m not crazy about, but it worked. It was served with a salad which was absolutely swimming in yoghurt. I’m not crazy about salad, so that’s certainly one way to improve it.

We also shared a kofta, which was sensational! The kofta itself had a good texture with a nice crispy shell and a well-packed, meaty inside. The tomato sauce was really rich and flavoursome. I would definitely order this again.

And we also shared the qatab plate, which is these stuffed flatbreads. One of them was filled with spinach, and was a little dull and under seasoned. The other was filled with potato and cheese, and was totally delicious. The important takeaway from this dining experience is that potato is the best filling – as if we didn’t already know! The dips and sauces in the middle were a little underwhelming, to be honest. The vegetable pot at the top was quite good, but again a little under seasoned. The hummus was disappointingly bland, and needed more seasoning. The yoghurt dip was fine, and the tomato one was again a little bland.

Overall, it wasn’t an all-round hit like many of our other Berlin spots, but I think we’re both intrigued enough that we’ll go back again for another try. There are some fried breads on the menu that we somehow overlooked this time, so we’re really keen to try them. And hopefully we’ll get lots of koftas and potato manti, now that we know what’s good!

One negative point is that it was cash only, so make sure you are prepared for that. Service was great, and the interior is really nicely decorated. I’d been a little worried to see in a Happy Cow review that there were low tables that required you to sit on the floor – it turns out there are some tables like that and some ‘regular’ tables and chairs. If your creaky bones could not handle sitting on the floor for an hour or so, make sure you get yourself a table and chair!