#4 Döner Kebab — Otto’s Berlin Döner

Apple Podcast link:
For the fourth episode of sandwich podcast Sliced Bread, I headed to Otto’s Berlin Döner in Kensington market to try a sandwich that was born on the meat spits of Turkey, but grew up in the club districts of Berlin — the döner kebab!

Otto’s Berlin Döner opened up in 2015, as funky little döner shop in Kensington Market. It quickly became the place in Toronto for German street foods, whether you’re looking for a döner kebab, currywurst, döner teller or a club mate to wash it all down with. The owners and Chef Steve Nguyen have built on the success of the shop with the opening of Otto’s Bierhalle on Queen West in the past year.

As I bit my way into the döner, I got hit with wave of sensory overload like I’d just stepped into Berghain. The fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage and spiced onion sent flashes of colourful flavour all over my tongue, pulsing with every bite like a laser show synced to music. The deep fried halloumi filled my mouth with savoury delight like a smoke machine, making the laser show even more luminescent, and the dancers, more mysterious. My first bite of chicken sent me to my feet, bouncing and swaying uncontrollably like DJ Ben Klocks was spinning a set! The meat was cut so thinly that it almost melted on the tongue, releasing its delicious flavour profile at just the right volume. It was the sauces that really got me though. When the garlic aioli, herb yoghurt and hot sauce finally hit, I found myself coming up into a world of euphoria. My body tingled with pleasure, and all the other parts of the döner somehow tasted even better. The flavour overload had me sweating profusely, and I had to chug my club mate to keep my body hydrated. Somehow, the flatten brot bread was able to hold each tasty bite in place, and each had it’s own slightly different character, like Berghain’s many rooms. I could have stayed in that doner all night long, but at the pace I was going at, it only lasted ten or so minutes. I left Otto’s Berlin Döner knowing that after such a culinary high, I was headed for a food coma. Feeling my evening coming to a close, I thought to myself, “You know what I could really go for right now? The favourite late night food of Berlin. The döner kebab!”
-SBTO

