Soul Kitchen

A goofy film about a Greek/German cook who is not very smart and embroiled in financial, relationship and physical duress. The scene is a warehouse restaurant in an industrial district of Hamburg. The kitchen is a disorganized mish-mosh of broken down household cooking gear. But he has a loyal local patronage they likes his cheap-eclectic menu.

At one point Zinos hires Shayn, a tempestuous haute cuisine chef to run the place as he recovers from a back injury. During a cooking tutorial he shows him how to make a meringue and utilize the ingredients (fish sticks??) he has around and shows him a new way to cook.

Throughout the roller coaster ride of this story the restaurant is turned into a punk rock practice space, refurbished, turned into a DJ inspired nightclub and houses an old fisherman who works on boat repairs. His relationship with girlfriend Nadine is on then off then on. His brother, a convict on work leave, brings nothing but trouble into the picture. The funniest moments are when the chef spikes one dessert with a tree bark aphrodisiac. For a brief moment you think you’re watching Eyes Wide Shut.

In the end there is some thankful resolution between all these disparate entities as the restaurant holds the comical chaos together.

Strange film-of course it is – it’s German.