Icelander runs one of Berlin's best restaurants
Victoria Elíasdóttir, sister of artist Ólafur Elíasson, is only 27 years old but runs the hugely popular Dóttir restaurant. Photo: Silja Magg
A mere two years after graduating as chef, Icelander Victoria Elíasdóttir manages Dóttir, one of Berlin's most popular restaurants. She prepares three course meals for up to sixty people five nights a week, with emphasis on fish, and prepares food that she enjoyed as a child in Iceland, Denmark and Sweden with a modern twist.
Elíasdóttir, who is 27 years old, is the younger sister of renowned Berlin-based artist Ólafur Elíasson.
"I was born in Denmark but grew up in Iceland. I've always had one foot in Copenhagen and I've travelled a lot but I've always felt that my home is Iceland, I never wanted to live anywhere else. Óli had asked me to move to Berlin for ages but I didn't want to move there and just do something. When he suggested that I design a new kitchen, in cooperation with his architects. for his studio, and would also cook for almost ninety members of staff, I decided to finally go for it. "
Dóttir, located in Mitte near the river Spree, is so popular in Berlin that the waiting list for a table is two weeks. German food critics rave about Dóttir and the restaurant's fame has spread, with Bloomberg for example calling it one of Berlin's best restaurants.
"I was really surprised by all the interest," says Elíasdóttir. "Many restaurants struggle for years," and adds that she's really grateful.
Dóttir is located in Mitte, in a building that had stood empty for 37 years. Photo: Silja Magg
The idea for Dóttir came after Elíasdóttir had worked at her brothers studio for a while and was approached by the owner of Grill Royal and Pauly Saal, two of Berlin's finest restaurants.
"When he realised a was an Icelandic chef he asked me if I liked fish and I said yes, and told him I missed not being able to eat good fish in Berlin. He then suggested that we should open a restaurant together. My brother knew him and told me to give this a chance. He wanted to open this huge, swanky place and I was totally against that." She explains that she got her ideas across politely but firmly and waited to see what would happen. And finally, she got exactly what she wanted. A prime location in a building that had been empty for 37 years. It was time to say yes.
"It certainly suited me very well that someone else was paying for what I wanted to do. The financers behind the project just let me do what I wanted. They just helped on the renovation of the building, which was completely derelict. Instead of removing the flaking paint we just washed the walls and put a coat of laquer over them to give a raw feeling. We bought antique wooden floors and had the ceiling repaired.
The final results are a huge success. Elíasdóttir has two sous-chefs and three waiters. Dóttir is a mere 200 square metres in size and seats over fifty people, five days a week. Elíasdóttir gets a little bit of time off, for other projects or to fly back to Iceland to be with her girlfriend. "I just got back from Switzerland where I designed a menu for a charity dinner at a museum in Basel."
Getting away can be neccessary after twelve day shifts at Dóttir. "We offer four to five three course menus and every week we change two or three of them. We also offer vegetarian versions of all the menus. I always thought Germans were big on meat or, failing that they're all vegan. That's why I was surprised at how much they like fish." She adds that maybe, like herself, they hadn't found any fish restaurants in Berlin, except for really expensive ones.
Elíasdóttir has to eat fish twice per week. "My inspiration is mostly from my childhood memories in Iceland, Denmark and Sweden. I wanted the menu to reflect the food I miss the most. The sous-chef is Danish and we like to reminisce about dishes together." Elíasdóttir often orders fish from Iceland, or gets it from a colleague who regularly visits the Baltic countries and provides her with fresh fish twice a week.
Dóttir is at Mittelstraße 41, 10117 Berlin; +49 30 330060760 or dottirberlin.com
