polyg's Profile
Need Advice: burning my food (creating the campfire effect without actual fire)
You guys are wonderful - gonna try some of your ideas.
Need Advice: burning my food (creating the campfire effect without actual fire)
I had a very happy accident lately: I have left potatoes to boil on the stove, had to attend to something and when I was back, they were scorched and not unlike camp-fire potatoes. Yummy. The pot: made of regular metal (not cast iron or anything) - was black and difficult (but not impossible) to clean.
I suddenly thought that I can actually sometimes try out BBQ / grilling / camp-fire recipes at home (another point: I understand that in the US it is standard to have a BBQ grill in your balcony/yard, but I live in a European sized flat, with big balcony, but with house regulations that would prevent setting fire to anything in the flat or on the balcony).
So, are there any ways of making the "camp-fire"/grill affect at home? I saw that some ethnic stores around here sell electric grilling plates - are these things any good as an alternative for meat/shrimp (for the winter, for times when you don't feel like grilling outside with the whole gear)? What about other ways to "burn" my food?
Berlin: Middle Eastern groceries, hummus, tahineh, thin pita
Kastanienallee Israeli update: I went this week to the Zula Hummus Cafe on Husemannstrasse 10. The place is very good, probably the best hummus I have had in Berlin. They don't serve (almost) anything else, and it was half empty when I was there (a busy time in many other place in the area), so I wish them good, and urge you to go before they will not be able to pay the rent.
Berlin: Middle Eastern groceries, hummus, tahineh, thin pita
OK Dvash update: I *also* wasn't inside. Unlike her former place (the Ima compound in Kreuzberg), this one is in a gallery/wine store - not a place you can take kids to, unless you have sedated them with horse-tranquilliser beforehand. However, my partner brought me pita and hummus in a box to the Boxhagener. The hummus costs EUR6, which is a bit expensive to my taste, and although it was excellent, something was missing (then again, I have eaten it out of a take-away plastic box). It is certainly a place for adults only, and because of the "serious" location (gallery and wine store), also a bit complicated for casual eating. Still, very good eating, and a plus for adults - we parents (and their toddlers) would not be there to bother you.
Good, casual restaurant in Charlottenburg (nr Ku'damm)
I also thought of recommending Lubitsch, so I guess it is recommended. Have no idea regarding the Leibnitz Klause. This is really not my part of town...
Good, casual restaurant in Charlottenburg (nr Ku'damm)
Engelbecken is a good restaurant, but it is a bit far from Mommsenstrasse.
First of all, within a walking distance from Mommsenstrasse (at least most of it - it is a quite long street), you've got Savignyplatz and Kantstrasse. In Savignyplatz you'll find many nice restaurants, including the famous "12. Apostel" pizza/Italian place and Zwibelfisch, which is a casual, almost pub like, German restaurant. Kantstrasse has many of Berlin's most famous Asian places, including Good Friends (Cantonese) and Aroma (Dim Sum).
Marjellchen is right on Mommsenstrasse, and although I have never been there, I have heard it is a very good German restaurant with not too posh atmosphere.
http://www.marjellchen-berlin.de/
Berlin: Middle Eastern groceries, hummus, tahineh, thin pita
First of all, I agree regarding Qademus. Great restaurant, friendly service and they have brunch buffet on Sundays.
However, I think that I have bad news for you: no way to avoid travelling to Arab neighbourhoods (northern Neukoelln, Eastern Kreuzberg or Wedding/Moabit) for some of the things you're looking for. The Gesundbrunnen area is only a short walk from Prenzlauer Berg (I think I have even written about a weird walk I had to this area once).
"real hummus" - like a restaurant, to eat? There used to be a great place to eat Hummus on Kastanienallee, and I have recently happened to meet to guy who did it, and he said that he's about to re-open, so stay tuned. Otherwise I know a girl who does hummus parties once a month and she makes kick-ass hummus at a hotel in Kreuzberg. I have found a Facebook intive but no real site to show you, sorry.
Apart from that, you should be able to find both canned chickpeas and Tahini at both Reichelt and the Turkish stores (try the one at the corner of Kastanienallee and Danziger, near the Prater, if you don't want to travel all the way to Kreuzberg for the real thing). Reichelt also sell ready made fridge hummus, which is as horrible as the American industrial thing. What they sell as Tahini is the Turkish version (I understand from my husband that this is not as good as the Arab one).
Thin pitas are a "big" problem. This is certainly something that could be only bought at Arab stores - the Turks eat a richer bread, and don't hold Arab stuff unless it is a very big store. The Turkish butchers usually also have better beef and lamb (and for cheaper prices), so if you're in the shop, you might want that.
There are stores like the one in the link you have provided on every other corner in the Sonnenallee/Kotbusser To/Turmstrasse/Hermannstrasse areas. No need to travel all the way to Schoeneberg.
Best Italian Food in Berlin?
@Linguafood -
You haven't mentioned Contadino - because you haven't been there? Because you think it is over hyped? I am curious - I haven't been there myself and I usually shy away from places which Brad Pitt frequents (nothing against Mr. Pitt, of course - and Brad, if you read it, I am also a hungry child who could be adopted). However, their menu looks superb, and I think Basilicata (which is where they are from) provides one of the best regional cuisines in Italy.
Foodies' Berlin 25.12-01.01
Regarding Spandau, one place that I can think of it is the Florida ice cream shop, near the Spandau train station.
Aside from that, there are no restaurants compared to the ones Linguafood has mentioned, but Satt und Selig in the Altstadt are true to their name (full and happy)
Berlin at New Year's 09
Hugo's has great view and is a very impressive/unique restaurant.
Staying at the Grand Hyatt Berlin- Need help on reasonable restaurants nearby!
$50 is about 40 EUR, and if you don't drink wine, you can find plenty of places in Berlin for that amount or less.
However, it is not really the area for inexpensive good food. Most of the food around the Hyatt is either expensive or fast food. There are several casual food restaurants around that serve quite decent food:
* Vapiano (pasta)
* Maredo (steaks, salad bar, usually also have some version of sea food)
* Tony Roma's
If you will try to walk, only a little, there are some interesting restaurants (I recall a good Iranian) on Potsdamer Strasse; also there is the Peking Ente on the other side of Potsdamer Platz, on the corner of Voss and Wilhelmstrasse (I haven't eaten there but it should be good, Streisand and all...)
Berlin: Need critique of several restaurants
I have been taught once that a lady doesn't speak if she has nothing nice to say, but I agree with Linguafood regarding Defne.
Berlin: Need critique of several restaurants
Your Mitte list: unfortunately I haven't been to half of them, but Zur Rippe, despite being a very nice restaurant, is the type of place I would take my 70-year old uncle and aunt (I actually have, and they had fun), so while I am sure that by "single diners in their early 30's" you have meant no agism, Zur Rippe is quite "an old people's place".
Konnopke's is not in Kreuzberg, but in Prenzlauer Berg. Its "achrival" (not really, but sort of East/West competition) in Kreuzberg is probably Curry 36.
I don't think that Storck exists anymore, perhaps I am wrong.
If you like food, I think that your list is really lacking on Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrichshain eateries. Besides, if you like Asian (Toca Rouge, Susuru, etc.), there are several good places that you should try, like Ishin.
Asian in Berlin -- and Germany, in general
What about the one next to the Chinese embassy (just across the Jannowitzbruecke station)? It is above my league, but I have heard good things about it.
Berlin: Spanferkel
Is there a restaurant in Berlin that regularly serves Schweinferkel? These are those grilled whole pig(let)s. A bit of googling did not really help, as I got mostly catering ("Party Service") and articles about how great it is to piggishly eat a whole piglet.
Berlin: Lindenbrau
I went to Lindenbrau this week. Or perhaps I should say - so you will really think the worse of me - I went to the OF version of Mamma Mia! at the Sony Centre and to Lindenbrau this week.
For the Berliners among you, this is as if I have just said that I am 13 again and went to McDonald's and to see a Jason Donovan concert (when he mounted for something for 13 year olds). I have just introduced kitsch to Chowhound Berlin. The tourists are of course indifferent, they have no idea what I am talking about. So let me put it like that: I enjoyed myself more in the restaurant than in the film, and that is despite the fact that it is one of the best films to watch in darkness in the company of gay Berliners (oops, I think this sentence could be also wrongly interpreted).
It was great, and not great in the teenage kind of way. First of all, a refreshment of memory for those who haven't been there: Lindenbrau is a "traditional" German restaurant in the most non-traditional, touristy, location: the Sony Centre. It is supposed to be also a brewery, and there are home-made brews, but you don't see most of the brewery, and I would imagine that it is really located in some factory in China. So much for a corny, plastic-like atmosphere.
I didn't try the beer, though, so it might be good. Lindenbrau have several dishes typical to the Berlin cuisine; but mostly Bavarian and south German dishes, and I would imagine what tourists might think of when they think of German food. We tried two main courses: one Schnitzel, and one vegetarian dish - a noodle mixture served in a hot cast iron plate. Both were satisfying and as usual with traditional German food, very filling/heavy (depends on your sentiments on the matter and level of hunger). And yes, not only that the vegetarian dish was good, it was also not lonely in the menu, as it usually happens in "real" traditional German restaurants.
Non-Germans would also enjoy the fact that at least this "touristy" restaurant is really geared towards tourists: the staff speaks English (as much as you would expect from ze Germans ven dey spik Englisch); the menu is available in major tourist languages (if I am not mistaken: English, French, Spanish and Japanese); and there are also pictures of the dishes, so you will know what you're ordering, and whether it looks more like a brew or like a roast. As has anyone who has visited a (real traditional) German restaurant (that is, with no foreign language menus or weird explanations), you're bound for surprises if you count on the wording only, not knowing the dish.
I have neglected to mention, that my babysitter is one of those people with their own time concept, which means that by the time we got to the Sony Centre, it was almost too late to eat something. The service at Lindenbrau is also quick and efficient, another major difference than any real traditional German restaurant.
So forget those cosy little places in PBerg, go to the real thing ;-)
Berlin indoor markets
There is a nice indoor market in Marheinekeplatz in Kreuzberg (take the U7 to Gneisenaustrasse). It has been recently renovated and looks (and tastes) great.
Following the recommendation of another Berlin Chowhounder (sorry, can't remember whom), I came upon this blog, and since then, dreaming of going there:
http://www.hungryinberlin.com/2008/05/30/vietzahn/
(I think *it is* on Herzbergstrasse, but unfortunately the better half is not that keen on Vietnamese food - what a weird person - so I am yet to mobilise a mass tour in that direction).
If you're a Berliner, please stay.
And if you're a tourist and not a Berliner, you're still welcome to stay, but the food emporiums in Galeria Kaufhof (Alexanderplatz) and in KaDeWe are worth visiting, even if they are not indoor markets proper.
New discoveries in Berlin?
I am reminded of another really nice Arab restaurant that I ate at, about a year ago - It is called Casalot - on Claire-Waldoff-Str. 5 (which is just behind the FDP centre and the Deutsche Theater, which means that the restaurant is filled with the unappealing combination of politicians and aspiring actresses - but you sometimes have to suffer for food, and most suprisingly in Berlin, cordial service with a smile!
In any case, naturally, this kind of area, while being more expensive than Sonnenallee, also lacked dodgy guys with beards and bearded women with headscarfs (near the Deutsche Theater and Guido Westerwelle's office, it is more likely to be dodgy women, who might be vulgarly called "birds", and clean shaven guys with headscarfs)
New discoveries in Berlin?
There are several beef restaurants that are - in my opinion - better than Maredo and Block House. I like Maredo's salad bar, and their steaks are *OK*, but not more than that. The Bird in Falkplatz (not far from the Max Schmelling Halle in P-Berg) has really great steaks and the atmosphere is *almost* like in a real American restaurant; Kirk Royal was also recommended here as a source for good steaks; and I liked - if you prefer Argentinian over American - San Diego on Karl-Marx-Allee (which is in addition, remarkably cheap in comparison with Block House).
The best Arabic food is in Neukoelln, especially in "Little Beirut" on Sonnenallee. However, I am not so sure it is for everybody - it is all very authentic, might be too authentic for some - you will feel like eating with Hasan Nasrallah and his wives...
I ate at a great Libanese in Prenzlauer Berg on the border with Friedrichshain (on Am Volkspark Friedrichshain), but I don't remember the name.
North African cuisine is notably different than Lebanese cuisine and you shouldn't mix the two, but I don't know any good Moroccan restaurant in Berlin (a start-up idea?).
Berlin vegan/vegetarian/kosher
Rachel, the question is why you want to each either Kosher or Vegan - if it is because you eat kosher, but if you will eat from non-kosher plates at a restaurant that serves non-kosher meat - I would recommend just going to a German restaurant and order a vegetarian dish.
If you will only eat from kosher or vegetarian places:
- Gabriel's: I was there twice (once with a rabbi). Food is "Jewish" and Israeli. Not bad at all (I like Jewish food) but I don't remember "German" dishes.
- Chabad's restaurant (Sushi) - haven't been there; Baharat - ditto
- You haven't mentioned Bleiberg's and Beth Cafe - both are Kosher diary with supervision, and they serve (vegetarian/diary) German and Israeli/Jewish dishes.
- Samadhi - very good but naturally not German at all
- Hans Wurst - was horrible for me, but this is because I am not so soymilk-tolerant and I have forgotten that this is what they will serve if you order coffee. Was not much impressed that they have a real menu, more like a coffee house/pub
- Kädtler - good bakery, normal prices despite kosher certificate and most importantly, you will get to see a real German bakery - but please note that while there is no meat anywhere, only some of the baked goods are under supervision.
More Kosher:
http://www.jewish-berlin.com/kosher.htm
To summarise: authentic German = at a German vegetarian place - none of the vegan/vegetarian places you have mentioned is "German".
Berlin: My Sunday Walk Through Wedding
thank you. Going to try!!
At Barcomi's I am always distracted by the cakes and I have never gone past cakes or "serious eating". But I have been there at least a dozen times and I think that my Cannoli-obsessed mind would have remembered.
Best sit down Turkish in Berlin?
Just this week I wrote about a Turkish restaurant in Berlin called Yesil Firin, check my review bellow.
However, it is not in a very touristy area. Hasir is in all the touristy places: near the KaDeWE, near Hackescher Markt.
I haven't been to Dafne, but it is considered to be good.
Berlin: My Sunday Walk Through Wedding
I really didn't mean to get there. Nobody ever intentionally tries to get to Wedding. But I was in Mauerpark, and was too hot to think of anything, and was just looking for a little shade. Result: I start walking in the "wrong" part of Gleimstrasse, and then right at Volkspark Humboldtshain, towards Gesundbrunnen.
First place: on Brunnenstrasse there is an ice-cream place called Eis Henri. Neat, clean, design. The ice cream is not bad either. I wouldn't list it as the best scope in Berlin, but the pistachio ice-cream was in fact rather crunchy and the chocolate rather good (though not as good as the one in Theogor Heuss Platz).
Second Stop: near the Holiday Inn Mitte (someone should really sue Holiday Inn for calling a hotel in Wedding "Mitte". Vile trick if I ever saw one), there is a nice Turkish bakery/cafe. Not only Baklava or this sot of stuff, but also some "real" food (including Manti).
Third Stop: a fast-food grill place called Yesil Firin. Laides and Gentlemen who go regularly to Maxwell's and Fischer Fritz: It is time you will leave this post. Why should I tell you about a nice, extremely cheap, Turkish place in Wedding? First of all, it is clean and forget about your stereotypes of Turkish fast food in general: this place wants to be a restaurant and works well here. The prices: main courses cost between 5 and 9 EUR, are plainly tasty, unless you're some diet-crazed, vegan, caro-drinker (not to mention tree hugger!). Crunchy, fresh salads and great Tzaziki (Casik in Turkish). Lots of garlic everywhere, but there was a romantic lunch next to us, and I think they passed each other's test: "if s/he likes garlic, s/he's probably not a pretentious pain in my non-vegan [mouth]". The toilets and so on are clean, and the staff is nice. Didn't try the Turkish desserts because of the above mentioned Henri.
Last Stop, back in Prenzlauer Berg: I wish I had stayed in Wedding. I went to Ost Fee on Oderberger Strasse to get some coffee. The staff is nice, but we've paid for coffee and cake almost as much as we paid for the whole lunch at the Turkish place. I had an ice-coffee, and I donno what I have expected, because I know this German school of throwing ice-cream scopes into a tepid coffee and calling it "eis kaffee", but it wasn't much to write home (or to this board) about. We also had a milkshake (OK, not superb) and a cappuccino which was also not fantastic. The only good thing I can say about this place is that they have toilets for wheelchair users (rarity in Berlin) and a small sandbox/play corner for the P Berg mamas. No changing table in the toilets, though.
Last but not least, a question to the 3 other Berliners : where can I find good and real Cannoli in Berlin? It couldn't be that in a city with so many Italians, they don't have some god(ess) that makes good Cannoli.
Berlin For the First Time
There are almost no places in Berlin that are more expensive than 100 EUR p.p, so this wasn't much help in narrowing down the wide array of Berlin restaurants.
I'll tell you some of my favourites, but mind you that for me, 100 EUR is something to feed my whole family for a week on:
Asian: I like Monsieur Voung (Vietnamese); "Good Friends" (Chinese, I think Cantonese but not really sure); Ashai and Ishin Sushi. There is a Korean I really want to try, called Maru, in the squatti area of Friedrichshain.
Middle Eastern: Berlin is a good place to try Turkish food, if you haven't yet. It has nice, "respectable" Turkish restaurant like the Hasir chain, and also Doener Kebap stands in every corner (I especially recommend Didim on Erkstrasse and Kotbusser Tor; but I am not so sure these are the first places I would send a tourist to...). I also like the many Hummus places on Sonnenallee, but again not so sure I'd send a tourist there...
European: Ottenthal is a great Austrian on Kantstrasse; I haven't been to, but everybody's praising Grill Royale (French and meat) and Brandol Sur Mer (French and seafood); Still looking for a good British restaurant in Berlin. Also - Gabriel's, the restaurant at the Jewish Community Centre (which is naturally Kosher) is not bad at all IMHO, but quite expensive for what they give.
Italian: Again - my own budget sends me to good, but not so fancy, Italian restaurants across town. I like Due Forni despite the slow service (in general, as Linguafood suggested, don't expect good service in Berlin). Bocca di Bacco is supposed to be amazing, but I haven't been there; also try Via Condotti.
German: Weihenstephaner may not be the "best" or the most authentic German restaurant in town (it is actually Bavarian, which most Germans would not qualify as part of Germany), but it is a good restaurant; you will find plenty of Berlin-style raunchy places in Nikolai Quarter; and Oderquelle in Prenzlauer Berg also comes up high. For a beer-garden experience, consider spending an evening in the Prater.
Some fancy chef restaurants: except for the unique chocolate/cocoa restaurant of Fassbender and Rausch, I haven't been to, but again heard good things about: Borchardt, Fischer Fritz, Facil, Hugo's, Vau, Refugium, Shiro i Shiro.
Deserts: I have already mentioned chocoholic heaven (or hell, depending how you look at it) Fassbender & Rausch. You should also try the cakes in the Operpalais.
I will probably remember more restaurants, as if this list is not enough for 10 years in Berlin.
Berlin: Joe Penas - Disappointment
No, actually it was made fresh in front of us ;0)
Was very cool but unfortunately brought hopes for the rest of the meal (we ordered it as a first course) which were soon to be shattered.
In a way, I wish it was one of those greasy Mexican places with ready made stuff. then at least you'd had normal prices. Hubby said at the end - "we should have had Doener..." (his logic: then, if you suffer, it was only 2 EUR worth of suffering)
Berlin: Joe Penas - Disappointment
I had quite a dreadful experience at Joe Penas' in Berlin last night.
(1) False advertising: outside, there is a board announcing that on Sundays, there is "Eat-as-much-as-you-can" Fajitas. The waitress tells us that this doesn't apply today, as there is a match. I would like to note that we came about three hours before the match started and went about two hours before the match started. The restaurant was half-empty. In any case, how hard is it to delete a board if this doesn't apply on a certain day?
(2) Bad food: most of the food was absolutely horrible. Now, I know that for example at Qype Joe Penas is hailed as a great Mexican, and I wonder if the food I have tried is a Germanised version of Mexican food, and that's why it was so horrible. It doesn't really matter: Enchiladas came half-cold (in places where they should have been hot) and while the Salad in the Caesar's Salad with Chicken was an exact version of Caesar's - the chicken was over-spiced and horrible.
One good point: their Guacamole was really good. That was the only good dish in a four dishes meal.
(3) No apologies (forget compensation! I am talking about politeness): the waitress sees that we ate only half of the meal - no remarks regarding our complaints; regarding a certain drink order, she begins to argue regarding the quality of our German, instead of just deciding that it could be that we're a*hole customers, but we're always right (and we were right. I check with a dictionary back home).
(4) Bill just didn't come. After 20 minutes of waiting, we went to the till and took care of it.
How come there is no board for Germany?
Maybe not enough posts about Germany that would justify a separate forum? Not enough local English speakers (especially outside Berlin) who would share their restaurant experiences? And perhaps one should only ask for it and it will be granted.
Berlin, Oderquelle -- I just don't get it....
Oh, I am not complaining about the price. I actually have no idea what I was ranting about. I had a bit of arrogant service last time that I was there, I think; and I must admit that the meat was good (I mean: excellent) but I was with a sulky person I chose until death do us part, who said he's not coming back till they enforce the anti-smoking laws. I later googled and found it was a common problem with the Bird, but isn't it with most or many restaurants in Berlin? If it is not a big restaurant (which is a bit alienating in many cases and gives the feeling of a dining hall) and not an Asian one (which is why I like Asian food so much?), there's smoking...
Berlin, Oderquelle -- I just don't get it....
Tell you the truth? I think that anything that is in P/Berg gets already some extra trendiness points with some reviewers. I think it is a good German restaurant, but not something I would have travelled from (say) Charlottenburg to eat in. I also think that Da Bird, while being good, is not that much of a broohooha, but that's just me.
