THE smell of roast goose and red cabbage wafted through Europe’s first restaurant for anorexics and bulimics last night in a lip-smacking attempt to tempt young women out of their eating disorders.

“Looks good, tastes good,” said Claudia, the 22-year-old chef who has been anorexic for five years. “That is, it probably tastes good.” Claudia is stirring vegetable soup but needs some persuasion before she dares to eat any. Claudia’s dilemma is at the heart of Sehnsucht (Longing), the cosy 50-seat restaurant which opened in central Berlin yesterday.

“Food is at the centre of their lives yet they are so determined to retain control they do everything to banish it from their bodies,” says Katja Eichbaum, the 33-year-old owner, who was an anorexic for many years. The waitresses also suffer from eating disorders.

Sehnsucht, with an attractive but camouflaged menu and a therapist on call, is trying to restore the balance. “Anorexics have to be taught that eating itself — not just cooking or thinking about food — gives pleasure,” she says.

The portions are normal, and there is no calorie count on the menu although most of the diners will know the numbers off by heart.

The dishes have been given names to disguise they are food. Pirates Eye offers two fish fingers and a fried egg for €2.50. Witches Spit comprises two potato pancakes with apple mousse and chocolate sauce for the same price. Heisshunger (Ravenous Hunger) is a rack of lamb and Seele (Soul) is a cappuccino creme dessert). The restaurant serves wine, but expects to sell more fruit tea as it has few calories and helps to keep anorexics warm.

Another dish, Thieves Platter, offers one plate, one knife, one fork and allows you to take whatever you want from your neighbour’s plate. It costs nothing.

The restaurant is no gimmick. Across the way is a centre for girls with eating disorders. It has six beds, a small kitchen and a therapist on call. “When I went through therapy we were forced to sit at tables and were not allowed to leave until we had eaten. There were terrible scenes,” Frau Eichbaum recalls.

“The girls would break into tears and some would rather choke than swallow. So I came up with the idea of a restaurant that takes people fresh from therapy and says — you can sit at a table and enjoy the look of food, its smell and even its taste. No one will shout at you if you don’t eat.”

There are about 100,000 anorexics and 600,000 bulimics in Germany, and sociologists are blaming the rise on childhood obesity, common in the country. Slowly celebrities are beginning to admit that they suffer, or suffered, from eating disorders and the restaurant hopes to benefit from the new openness. Recently the star Olympic swimmer Franziska van Almsick admitted that she fought for years with anorexia.

Berlin’s food critics turned out in force for last night’s opening. “It’s a terribly brave idea to have a restaurant for people who don’t like food,” said Michael Poppl, food editor for the Zitty listings magazine in Berlin. “We like to experiment with food in Berlin but I’m not sure whether normal diners will know what to expect — it will be a bit bewildering and that might scare them off.”

Explore World News

• World Agenda

• Iraq News

• US & Americas News

• Europe News

• Middle East News

• Asia News

• Africa News

• Ireland News

Times Recommends

• Rio Tinto four held as China prepares case
• Diplomats must keep heads down and trousers up
• When in Rome should one make like Berlusconi?