The stories of 1001 Nights have a magical attraction for people. Most of them date back to the Islamic Golden Era (8th to 13th century), but had already been passed down orally for centuries before that. Some of them date back to the Sassanid Empire (224-651 AD). The stories are mainly set in the cultural context of the Middle East, the Arab world, Persia, India and China. This weekend we will take you back to these times and worlds. We will visit oriental palaces and immerse ourselves in jinn worlds (spirit worlds).
You can also look forward to a marvellous dessert buffet from world champion chocolatier Alireza Sheikhi. He runs the ‘Alirezas - Persian Patisserie’ in Berlin. He transforms the finest rose water, saffron, cardamom, pistachios, almonds, honey and syrup into wonderful creations such as baklava, gaz, naan-e nokhodchi, sohan and many more. Alireza also takes us on a turbulent journey, as he had to flee Iran as a child and ended up in Turkey. There he came into contact with the confectionery trade and made a living selling baked goods. He then went to Germany, qualified as a master craftsman and ended up in Berlin. There he worked at the Hotel Adlon Kempinski and honed his craft once again. In 2024, Alireza took part in the Central Europe National Selection of the World Chocolate Masters and even won the prize for the best ‘Whimsical Bonbon’. This afternoon, we will be travelling with Alireza Sheiki from his Persian homeland, via Turkey, to Berlin. He will tell us about his story and accompany everything with the finest patisserie from the respective country.
But now to the programme:
Thursday 29 May 2025:
At 5.00 pm, the hotel management welcomes you with an aperitif. In keeping with the theme, we will serve a raki with water and sparkling wine with rose water and saffron.
At 6.00 pm you can look forward to an Afghan cuisine party. Our head chef Maik Albrecht and his sous chef Sami Fuhrmann, who is originally from Afghanistan, will prepare specialities such as Kabuli Palau, Mantu and Qorma-e Sabzi for us.
Friday 30 May 2025:
Enjoy our sumptuous breakfast.
At 1.00 pm we invite you to an illustrated information lecture by Dr Reinhard Laszig on the topic ‘From cocoa to chocolate’. There will also be a selection of hot chocolates, including those with cinnamon, chilli and other spices. Also served with cream or our homemade marshmallows.
Join us at 4.00 pm for the reading ‘The story of Schehezerade’.
At 7.00 pm we welcome you to dinner in our gourmet restaurant ‘der Wappensaal’. Our chef Maik Albrecht interprets 1001 Nights in an outstanding fine dining menu. Our sommelier Franziska Pauli will provide the perfect wine and beverage accompaniment.
Saturday 31 May 2025:
Enjoy our sumptuous breakfast.
At 3.00 pm we dedicate ourselves to Alireza Sheikhi and his outstanding desserts. ‘A long journey in food’, which is modelled on his escape from Iran, his stopover in Turkey and his life in Berlin. We will also serve you tea specialities from Samova.
At 7.00 pm we welcome you to the vaulted cellar for a wine evening with our sommelier Franziska Pauli. There will be specialities from Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia, including some mature rarities from Château Musar. We will also be serving delicacies from Levantine cuisine such as lamb tagine.
Sunday 1 June 2025:
Enjoy our sumptuous breakfast.
At 11.00 a.m. you can look forward to a matinée reading of ‘Alibaba and the 40 Robbers’ with musical accompaniment.
Afterwards, we will bid you farewell with a small gift.
Another note: Maik Albrecht generally decides the menus according to the season and market situation. Please inform us in advance of any allergies, preferences or intolerances.
1001 nights from the perspective of the 5-element theory:
Strong spices and hot chocolate, as is customary in Levantine cuisine, activate the element of fire. Wine moves the element metal. The kitchen party on the first day will therefore harmonise all 5 elements. A breakfast with lots of light and well-cooked food and drinks based on Maik Albrecht and Franziska Pauli's recipes will help the digestive system, which is assigned to the element EARTH, to recover.
