Amy C.
Yelp
Put simply, winter really sucks for people who wear glasses. Those blessed with good eyesight can simply stroll indoors and welcome the the blast of heat as a respite from the cold. Those who aren't as lucky see their glasses immediately fog up thanks to the instant change in temperature. I'd never had any employee try to help me while I pitifully wiped my glasses off on a shirt, sweater, or scarf for the first 30 seconds after stepping foot inside a restaurant or a coffee shop... until my visit to Father Carpenter. Because I didn't hear her ask if I needed a napkin, the employee behind the counter actually walked over to where I was and handed it to me, quickly becoming my hero of the day. What great service, and I hadn't even ordered yet.
I can't deny that I'm a sucker for avocado toast. (Guess that means I'm just another millennial who won't be able to afford to buy a house in the future!) Avocado toast is usually run-of-the-mill everywhere you go unless you're willing to drop more money on fancy, artisanal add-ons. I've always found myself ordering heartier brunch-style avocado toast that come with poached eggs, so it was a pleasant surprise for me to see that Father Carpenter's only avocado toast option came with hummus and harissa. (Alas, I had to get my poached egg fix as an add-on for €2.)
Both the hummus and the harissa came on the side, which I appreciated because I had to pass on the spicy harissa because it overpowered the rest of the flavors. The hummus, however, did add a nice and subtle garlicky kick to the avocado toast. On the other hand, I thought that the sourdough was an interesting bread choice because the toasted crust made the dish a little hard to cut with a knife, but it was still very tasty.
You won't find yourself randomly walking past the coffee shop and then deciding to give it a try because Father Carpenter is tucked away in a courtyard hidden from the main street. It's a beautiful and peaceful courtyard though, and I can't wait to enjoy my meal there once the weather gets warmer. I found the clientele quite international -- I mostly heard English being spoken. This might be one of the reasons that Father Carpenter offers complimentary tap water, which is a rarity in Berlin restaurants. While I thought my avocado toast was a little pricy, I loved the complexity of flavors and came in expecting Mitte prices in the first place.