Eateries and Drinkeries VI

 It is perhaps a shame that my taste in food is fine and nice, but it is still not at the level when it starts becoming connoisseur-like. I mean this would perhaps made me eliminate lots of names in this list, but to be honest, none of the places that I remember to mention here are bad. Some are outright excellent, others are pretty decent for the price you pay.  Today, I have a biggish list with me, and will try to go through those.

 First pizza places; pizza continues to be my lieblingsessen!

Masaniello:   Located in Hasenheide, a few steps away from Hermannplatz this place has some of the very good pizza that I have ever eaten in Berlin. The interior is very cool and cozy, to the extent of being quite warm even in winter (well, we were having a tropical winter till November, when I was there!). In any case, do go there, it is among the top pizza places in Berlin. I have heard from friends that the quality is going down, but I can't imagine how it must have been in the yesteryears if a month before it tasted so super!

Standard-Serious Pizza: Right from the name you have it, -- it is about serious food. No jokes here. The first time I was there was on a date, and the pizza must have been super-nice, because the conversation had flowed easily and the date was quite a success. But, jokes aside, it really is a nice place, I've been back there with friends and have yet to say bad things about the place.

Tin Tan: This is a place of Mexican street food, and yeah, this is one of those places that completely stand out. Located in the Chauseestrasse, it is still in the Mitte, and it is a smallish place, liable to get filled quite easily. And the service is slow, but that's because they are making the food super good to eat. Don't miss this, whatever be the reason.

Agni: Germans particularly are crazy about Indian food, which is not a surprise when you see the number of Indian restaurants around. Amrit is one of those chains, but Agni is another. They have one in Moabit, and another now in Prenzlauer Berg. Both I think are quite nice, even though some friends I know decare this to be the best Indian restaurant around. It is admittedly pretty good. In the Moabit branch, they would prepare the food from scratch (well, not absolutely from scratch, but you know!), and it takes some time to come. Personally, I have now been to both of them, and I think that the food indeed is quite good. Although the Kashmiri naan that I had (which should have been coated by some cheese and then raisins) was not terribly good. But everything else was.

Corroboree: An Australian restaurant located in Potsdamer Platz. I was there only once though, but only for a drink. So, I cannot really comment on the quality of food, but at least it was quite full, and had Kangaroo burgers. The interior has a very nice atmosphere. 

Lemongrass: No doubts about this, if you do not come here, you've missed something. I have actually lost count of the number of times I have been to this super nice and cozy restaurant. This has a small cozy interior, with Thai specialities, and never ceases to disappoint. Food is very reasonably priced, too!

Chapa: Another Thai place, at Kotti this time, is also pretty nice and not too expensive. Also try not to miss this one. It's location makes it rather busy and popular.

Maroush: A small cozy Lebanese place, serving a lot of falafels, my visit there wasn't really at the best of times, but I might be easily persuaded to go back there again. It's tiny, serving more as a takeaway place rather than sit-in place, but the quality that you get for the extraordinarily cheap prices is rather surprising. Don't miss this one.

Goura Pakora: Back in F'shain, this place used to serve a lot of vegetarian food, including pakodas and dosas, which are of pretty good quality when open. But, it seems like they are closed now. Hope they open soon, and when they do, don't miss it. 

Gorgonzola Club: A rather funny name for an Italian restaurant, but it is indeed quite good. Quite good I would say, I don't remember anything extraordinary with the food (maybe I had a pizza?), but there are some uncommon menus there. And again, it's kinda popular, located in the Dresdener Str., away from busy main streets of Kottbusser Tor.

Turnhalle:  Close to Ostkreuz, this is an old gym which has been turned into a restaurant. This has pictures of a number of famous people from Einstein to Helmut Kohl and others. And there is a huge nice chandelier. As the name suggests, this is an old gym which has been turned into a restaurant. You can view the inside by the side. The food is cheap and decent. I had good flammkuchens here.

Mi Amor: It is a steakhouse, but I did not have a steak here. I had turkey here, with pepper sauce, and potato fries. Again, this is a quite decent place, but the steaks should be tried.

Amrit: Together with its partners, this is probably the biggest Indian restaurant chain in Berlin. They already have six restaurants in the key places that restaurants should be. Again, nothing very special, but very good food in general. Try it (or them).

Zsa Zsa Burger: I was here in the summer, and the burgers here were really super nice. They always have a special size, and look very polished and were super tasty. Try not to miss this one, it is a gem. And for what's it worth, its located in Schoeneberg, in the Isherwood era of Berlin.

Kimchi Princess: I was here a couple of times. They are always very busy, so please do reserve in advance. The food is quite good, and I have always enjoyed the Bibimaps (that's what I remember having, it is soo long ago).

 It is a bit scary, I had only wanted to write about ten restaurants+bars in all, but only with the restaurants, the number is already crossed! Maybe it is time to start counting the bars. I will start with four absolutely local ones, which are in themselves quite nice and delightful.

Dregendorff: Located on Petersburger Strasse, just at Bersarinplatz, this bar often shows the football matches, the Bundesliga and other stuff. Nothing super special, but the beers are nice and the interiors are cozy.

Trautes Heim: Funny as it seems, I couldn't find an online entry for this  bar. It is located on the other side of Petersburger Strasse as the Dregendorff, and much closer to the U-Bhf Frankfurter Strasse. In recent times, they have reinvented themselves with a new decor which is positively nice and eye-catching. They were closed for a while in between because of some accident, or something, there used to be a memorial at the door, and flowers could be seen. 

Adgedreht: This name serves as both a club and a pub, physically they are a  bit separated, but essentially side by side. I have only been in the pub. The pub is incredibly cozy, and it has quite some variety of beers to surprise you.

CoffeinCentrale: A nice coffeeshop on the Mainzer Strasse, which specializes in the new wave of coffee that's sweeping Berlin off its feet. As with most other coffee shops, a nice place to talk over coffee, and the coffee tastes pretty good here.

Palasteria Galao: The website should be working, but it doesn't. This is in Weinbergsweg, close to Rosenthaler Platz, it specializes in a whole of drinks and snaks, all aimed towards the healthy sides of life. By this alcohol automatically gets ruled out, and coffees, and flavored teas and lassis rule galore! Healthy muesli, croissants can also be seen in plenty!

Apotheke bar: A relatively new player in Mariannenplatz in Kreuzberg, it has a stylish decor. The first time I was there, it was a  bit early, and the inside was much too empty. And I had a simple beer. The second time I went there was after being turned down at the Schwarze Traube (about which I will only write if I manage to get in). I had a rather expensive cocktail which had to do with a lot of mangoes and a whole lot of chillies, not at all sweet, but you know, that is life. So, do try it out, or you will be in the miss list!


ORA: The address is Oranienplatz 14, and I have linked here another blog which gives a more intensive insight into the cafe. Although I had a relatively simple beer here, the inside of this bar is super cool, and chic to be more accurate. Many of the spirits and ingredients for making cocktails are in jars, reminiscent of an old Apotheke, and it was way too full. It wasn't easy to get a place to sit.

Romeo and romeo cafe: A rather revealing name for a cafe, understandably located in the Schoneberg neighbourhood, is frequented by a lot of gay clientele. They have quite a few snacks and coffee on offer, and if I understand correctly, a refill on a coffee is free, or at least much too cheap. They have WiFi so that you can continue to work (or flirt -- online or offline) uninterrupted.

the Club : A delightful bar/cafe located in Hermannstrasse in Neukoelln. The place is a bit special in several ways. The first of all it is bang on Hermannstrasse which makes it a bit revealing. But in spite of this, the inside is neither too shabby nor too polished, and very comfortable. They have several events going on depending on the night, and a rather large dance floor where they have Waltz Thursdays! What a surprise, getting to waltz in a techno city!

Neue Nachbarschaft : Well, this is my first in Moabit, a place which I have never before explored, really. As it turns out, this is a nice bar, which is frequented by a lot of students from the TU (and also the FU). On the friday I went they had a smallish concert by Syrian refugees, which was pretty quaint for me (Germans/Europeans enjoyed it a lot too, by the looks of it!). The bar was overfull for this event, which made even standing not trivial. They have nice bar, and also a small nice dancefloor in the cellar, where they were playing more pop music for a change! Go there, highly recommended!
  
HERMAN Belgian Bar: A gem in Prenzlauer Berg which you cannot simply miss. One of the best places to enjoy high quality beer in Berlin, made by the Belgians. After seeing the menu list, you just have to open your mouths wide, as you realize which country really has a choice in variety of beers. I was taken there by my date (yes, after a pizza at the Standard, in case you have been following my personal life), and the nice beer, aided by the dimly lit cozy interiors only helped in the conversation. It's a super place, and I have been there several times later.

Eateries and Drinkeries V

It seems like I am going full gusto with all the places you can go out for. Go out people, take your friends along, smile a while, spread happiness. Be happy. I know. None of this easy. Never has been, never can be. Don't think too more about it now, just plan your next outing.

Schwarzes Cafe: One of the most delightful that the west has to offer, you can get delicious mouth watering cakes, along with satisfying pots of coffee. And White Tea, yes, if you are willing to spend 4,50 Euro for this. It also has all day breakfast, where they serve avocado. And, as if, all this weren't enough, it's open 24 hours a day!

Going up east from the Zoo, you come to the lovely Oranienburger Strasse. Other than the occasional prostitutes that you see roaming around, this is also a hub of Mitte Nightlife. Remember this is Mitte, so prices are high, and people are much more posh.

Hummus and Friends: Another nice place, with lush interiors, and with the motto, "Make Hummus Not walls". Actually, for a place in the Mitte, this is rather moderate priced. I had the daily soup, which was quite nice, though lacking a little bit of salt. But, try this out by all means.

Mogg & Melzer: Ever heard of Pastrami? Well I hadn't, so maybe it is worth checking out here. It's a way of wine-drying beef before the times of refrigeration. This place has an interesting pastrami sandwich to offer, in a very cool, Mitte-like atmosphere. The building I think is distinctly East German with some particular tiling patterns. Be careful, pastrami can be a bit chewy, but even with the big sandwiches, you can eat them in a piece without spilling things on your clothes.

RMCM: Was considerably confused to label this properly. In any case, this is really a very cozy place with nice couches and live music after nine. Then it can be quite loud. The walls are full of autographs from different music bands. A home and museum for music.

Zosch: A very local kneipe, with live music at night. Was there only rather briefly, for a Gluhwein, which was perhaps not the best idea. Other than that, it is a nice place with lively atmosphere. Lively by Mitte standards. Give it a try. As a friend and I sat outside, sipping Gluhwein, two Americans (from the USA) were arguing loudly about the rights of pulling down a building. And we sat there in the wind, trying to make some forced conversation.

La Premiatta Ditta: A tiny little Italian place, a restaurant. You might have the danger of coming out with you clothes smelling of cheese. I imagine the food must be decent, even though a friend complained that the Lasagne was not heated properly. But she was given a free glass of wine in compensation. And you'll have only Perroni beer if it comes to that.

Saint Jean: A super-posh, and super-retro gay bar, this place is just in the ecke of Weinmeisterstr. The looks of the guys who come here are very different, nearly with toned bodies, and less clothing even though it might be cold and raining outside. A very different feel of the gay life in Berlin. Somehow when we were there it was super crowded due to the rains outside. And yes, if you don't have much money try only going for the beers. The cocktails must be very nice, they are aimed at more like 9-10 Euros.

Tadjikistan Teehouse: This is a place you have to go, and give a try even if it is slighly expensive. A tea house, where you have the option of sitting on the floor. They have food as well as a variety of other drinks, besides tea. We had the Russian samovar tea, which is a huge pot of hot water and a pot of very strong black tea. In addition you get different kind of sugar, backed buiscuits, dried lemons, ginger, rum filled raisins and shots of vodka to rinse your mouth before trying out something of a different taste.

Having given you a good survey of places to go in the Oranienburger Strasse and neighbourhood let me touch on two more places before pressing the exit button.

Geist im Glas: This one is truly in Kreuzkoelln, right on a small side street off Kolumbiadamm. One of the best places to have brunch in Berlin (arguably). They have three main options (at least on the day we went): cheese biscuits and sausage, american pancakes with Dulce de leche (a form of thick condensed milk, see here), and Huevos Rancheros (a traditional Mexican style breakfast). Since we were three people, we could sample all the three dishes. Delicious. If you haven't eaten here, you've definitely missed something. And cocktails -- they have wonderful cocktails! I had a coffee chocolate cocktail, heavenly. You should go out and check for yourself.

Cafe Bilderbuch: We end after coming back to the west again, at Schoeneberg. This delightful huge cafe has a wondeful atmosphere. A very unassuming place, it seems smallish from the outside until you go in to find an absolutely huge ante-chamber with lots of cozy couches, sofas and even a piano. Delightful coffee, tea, other drinks and some good variety of cakes and other food. If you have a rainy afternoon, or a cold afternoon to kill, or enjoy, go there. You won't regret it!

And now having counted a full ten places, I will say bye!

Eateries and Drinkeries IV

Again, it has been quite a while, and methinks the time is perhaps right to put up a list of places that you can amuse yourselves with.

Zu Mir Oder Zu Dir: A cozy bar in the "baby boom" district of Prenzlauer Berg. Slightly removed from U Eberswalder Str., this is a world of its own with people crowding to find a place inside. It is lush inside with sofas and stools to sit. Unfortunately (or fortunately, if you are a smoker) it is a smoking bar, so be prepaed for your clothes to smell of smoke days afterwards.

Chilees: Burgers, korean style. They are generally good, but hard to compare with the BBI (Berlin Burgers International) in Neukoelln. But then again, here you will get interesting Korean burger creations. Definitely worth a try!

Szimpla Kaffeehaus: If you want to try out a stout beer brewed with coffee, don't forget this place. I had been searching for this particular kind of beer for ages, ever since I got introduced to Elysian Split Stout in Seattle. Apparently it seems like Hungary has it all. A wonderful Hungarian craft beer place, this also had delicious cakes, which tempted me.

Hamy Cafe: Such delicious Vietnamese food at this price is difficult to find elsewhere. A small-ish show just off Hermannplatz, serves the most delicious Vietnamese food, along with exotic drinks. A food and a drink will leave you poorer by only about 8 Euros!

Roses: A lovely gay bar with very colorful interiors. Is definitely going to keep you wow-ing. Nice crowd, but they don't have dark beers, be forewarned!

Drei Schwestern: Inside a castle-like building, the arched wooden interior boasts of a castle-like dining experience, along with German food for dinner. For the weekend brunch, you can get a wonderful English breakfast.

Z-Bar: Tucked in Torstrasse, this place will definitely leave you with the feeling of wanting to come back for more. A quaint little place with nice lighting, and yeah, movies that you can watch. But, we just leaned against the glass windows and talked. And admired the dim lighting.

Cafe Lux: Another cozy little cafe in Neukolln, has the perfect atmosphere to keep you talking for hours and hours at an end.

Neta: A small place, but serves wonderful Mexican street food, notably burritos. You can choose your own burrito recipe.

I thought for a while about the 10th place, but keep it empty purposely. And Berliner, or an ex-Berliner reading this article should fill it in.

Eateries and drinkeries III

Since it has been quite a while since I've written anything about food, I'll give it another shot. And this time, maybe I'll list and recommend places based on districts, now that I have quite a feeling of what of Berlin lies where.

 I will start with my favourite district, that of Prenzlauer Berg. There is a rather new German restaurant which has come up there, called Pefferbräu. It is directly opposite the U-bahnhof Senefelderplatz, and on the top of the terrace. A semi modern place, by which I mean a terribly modern place, but has the decors indicating a touch of shabbiness, which seems to be the defining characteristics of the neo-Berlin establishments. They brew their own beer, so it is higly recommended to go for one of those -- if I remember correctly, I had a dark beer from their collection, which is not terribly large. The same is reflected in the food menu, a few food items, but extremely delicious and served in the right amount not to make you overfull. The food here is of the more fancy type, served with grace, rather expensive (prepare 15 euro and above for the main courses) but tastes superb! If I haven't stated already, this is a trendy German restaurant, so go there if you're looking to eat German food in style.

 Another time I was at a Japanese restaurant in the neighbourhood, with (what a co-incidence!), a Japanese friend of mine. The restaurant is called Marubi ramen restaurant, but very surprisingly the people who run it are not Japanese, but rather from Shanghai and other parts in China. So, it was somewhat strange to see my Japanese friend ordering food in English in a Japanese restaurant. Even though this very cheap (the usual dishes cost around 6-8 euros), the quality of the food was quite decent. I mean, not exceptionally good, but good considering what you were paying for it. As it turns out, Kollowitzplatz is one of those gems in Berlin, where you can find restaurants and bars endlessly, and never grow tired of exploring any of it, and never hesitate to go in one, since you know that the food will always be decent.

 The neighborhood also has a whole lot of bars, out of which some are highly recommended. Some of the really cool ones are Scotch and Sofa. There's another one called Cocktailbar 55, which I don't think has a webpage, but has a whole book full of delicious cocktails, again highly recommended. Just walk down the Kollowitzstrasse away from the Scotch and Sofa and you will come across the bar to your left. There is another one in between these two, and in the same side as Cocktailbar 55, but neither Google nor other sources of internet want to reveal it. But then, that is Kollowitzplatz -- literally full of places to eat and drink.

  Not next to it. but not very far either is a Vietnamese place, called Si An that I went to on a Sunday. This blog already says a lot about it, so I will stop giving my own opinions. The food was pretty good, although the waiters a bit brusque, and only a few beers on offer. But you go for the food, that is very recommended.

 Another handful done, so I'll conclude now. More in my next!

 

Eateries and Drinkeries II

Its time again to recount the culinary adventures that I've shared with friends. Going to places alone is not really my plate of food, so I like to do it with friends!

okay, with which one should I start? Perhaps the Mustafa's at Mehringsdamm U Bahn stop. This is one of the very well known Doener places in Berlin. I was out with a friend drinking craft Beer at Hopfenreich, about which I have talked about in the last post. Actually, after this, we went to an Irish Pub, next to the Friedrichstadt Palast: if I am not too mistaken, its called Oscar Wilde. Mmmhmm, how very appropriate! Anyway, after that we went to Mehringsdamm. I had the chicken gemeuse Kebab: it was certainly the best that I have had in Berlin. But I wonder if it is worth all the hype it gets. I mean, there are like hour long lines for this every day. But just our sweet luck, we went there at quarter to two, and therefore only had to queue about 15 minutes. In the freezing weather, however, I have to admit, the waiting wasn't that nice.

 In the later weeks, I was told that there exists another branch of Mustafa's in Friedrishain, close to the Kaisers' at Warschauer Strasse S-Bahn.

 Well, so much for Kebabs. Let's move on. There is the exotic "Chutnify" that cannot not be mentioned, a paradise for authentic and modern South Indian food --- namely Idlis and Dosas. All my friends were delighted to be at this place. While they served traditional dosas, they also had dishes, which I would call modern, like when the filling of the Dosa is made of keema, or minced meat. It is a small place, so if you plan to go there in the evening with more than four people make sure to reserve a table.

 The next stop would probably be a Turkish, which was the weekend when Jyoti visited me. We went to the Doyum Grill and Restaurant near Kottbuser Tor. While I will not tell you what it was like (hey, you have to try it out yourself!), you can read more praises here. If you go here, try the Adana Kebab. This is the only one I've had here, as per the recommendation in the blog, and am willing to come here week after week to try the meat that is charcoal grilled on the outside, and yet sufficiently juicy and succulent inside.

Then there are two places at Potsdamer Platz that I've tried. The one inside the Sony Center, which is more a kind of a multi-cuisine place. With Jyoti around, we tried the flammkuchen. It was quite okay I think, not particularly memorable but better than many other places I've had Flammkuches at. The restaurant was fancy, but the prices were actually quite decent. The other place was the Amlas, the Indian restaurant, again close to Potsdamer Platz, where we went to after watching a Berlinale movie and to celebrate Miguel's birthday. Again, I think the Indian lived up to its average spicy food, but it was lacking the extra bit that made up the elegance of Chutnify.

 The next one which deserves a special mention is the Restaurant Serrano. Located to the west to the Tiergarten, close to Wilmersdorf and Charlottenberg, this serves Peruvian cuisine. The food was good, but rather expensive. I had a dish which was corn-fed chicken breast with a yellow chili sauce, walnut and parmesan cheese and blue potatoes, and was really delightful. This was one of this upper class restaurants where you can take your dates to impress them, the food is expensive, but good, the quantity is measured, but enough that it will just fill you, but maybe a bit more wouldn't have hurt. And the Peruvian beer (which unfortunately came bottled, not brewed there directly) had an interesting sweet sour taste. Given that I am very dangerously into foods with a sweetish taste, I consumed two big helpings of the beer. Oops!

 Rounding up the food discussion, I must mention the brunch places. The first one we tried the Datcha. Lots of people already praise this place, so I need not give you an additional link. The brunch, however, is particularly renowned! Suffices to say that we went there on a winter's noon for brunch, and I had to wait for almost half an hour for a place for two. So better go in advance, also given the fact that you cannot reserve for the brunches. The food is really worth it, all kinds of fresh salads with delicious cheese, fish, meat, veggies, filled papricas. Maybe also a Russian tea to settle your stomach. The brunch is help-yourself, and one can stay till 4pm, eat as much as you like, and the food is always replaced and very fresh. A comparable brunch place is the Schiller Cafe. The food is again very fresh with a wide variety, and they had the most delicious Berliners (Pfannkuchen) that I've ever had. Try this, it is highly recommended! And if it's not enough, they have a burger shop next doors, which I've heard is also quite good.

 Among the couple of Bars, that I can recommend, here goes the list. Definitely try out the Djungel, if you haven't. This is in Neukoelln, somewhere close to the Weserstrasse. The interior decor is quite striking, but as you'd expect: in a jungle. Unfortunately I never got to enjoy the ambience too much. Another one nearby is the Silverfuture, another pretty cool place with the hip (not hippy) atmosphere where you can see people of all age groups, and also LGBT. Going all the way up to the north Prenzlauer Berg, there is Cafe November,  not too far from Chutnify. It is a cool place, a bit on the quieter side, and while the lentil soup looked appetizing there, someone complained that it was a bit cold. Then there is Dogma Bar, not far away. This is bit more flashy bar, with more youngish people, nicely and trendily dressed. Perhaps not unlike the one on Kastanienallee, but then Prenzlauer Berg is sufficiently gentrified. A club across the corner is Horns and Hooves, on Danziger Str. and it is quite an interesting place to be (even though it means paying an 8 euro entrance fee), with a bar, a dance floor, a magic show, and sometimes live concerts. Another lively place is the Mon Plasir, on the Pappelallee, which makes fairly decent long drinks (all around 4 or 4.50 euros). Ah yes, they even have sand on the floor trying to mimicking the Bahamas.

 I think I will leave it at that. Hopefully this has enough to keep you running about for a few days at least!

Eateries and Drinkeries

While 'Drinkeries' is no proper self-respecting English word, I'll still go with it. With all the revolution in the English Language going on around the world, I think it'll survive the understanding.

So, since a couple of months I've moved to Berlin. While it's still true that because of various issues at various facets, I'm still struggling to establish a normal life here, I've begun to enjoy the city tremendously. Here, I'll focus on one particular aspect, as mentioned in the title.

 One of the first interesting places I've been to was a Sri Lankan restaurant around Boxhagener Platz. Here is the link. It turned out to be refreshingly nice restaurant, true to the universality of the South Indian spices. If I still remember correctly, I had "Appes", which are like Dosas but are shaped like a bowl. Would definitely recommend it. It is a small place though, and when we went, we even met a waiter from Bangladesh, who was working there for his last day.

The next restaurant I enjoyed the food was at an Italian place near Ostkreutz/Boxhagener Platz. That one of the crazy neighbourhoods in Berlin which is absolutely jam-packed with cool restaurants and bars. The place served really GOOD Italian food. Further down the memory lane, we land at a Burger place in Panierstrasse, which is again another neighbourhood (in Neukolln) filled with wonderful places. You can check out the BurgersInternational here . You can see how 'lacker' the burgers look, and take it from a person who can identify decent food, that they were absolutely superb! I would love to go there again and again. Note that it is a small place, often very crowded, and you might have to be outside. And, as you see, the burgers are huge, so be prepared to open your mouths wide.

When Christian, Lewis and Sofia were around for a weekend, we were mostly visiting Christmas markets, but there was a Vietnamese place on Sonntagsstr. @ Ostkreutz which was quite nice, and the Aussie Burger at the restaurant of the Adina hotel was quite tasty. Another super cool cafe is Cafe Hilde at Prenzlauer Berg. Check out the cool baked goodshere. It is a relatively big cafe with a nice decor, and a very cozy atmosphere. The muffins and hot chocolate were especially good. Speaking of Cafes, the one you shouldn't miss at all are Cupcakes Berlin. I don't know about the coffee there, but given the quality of cupcakes I've had (read: terrific), I would go there again and again. Actually, I had got some cupcakes (hmm, its not Muffins, that's American! Even there was a British lady at the reception) as a surprise for Sabine's birthday. And these muffins we had at Standige Vertretung. This is a place which I still have on my list. We went to this place for a drink, and it was so crowded that we couldn't go in --- admittedly on a Saturday evening. The speciality of this place is Cuisine from Koln, as Julia told us. Actually, we went there after having dinner at a Japanese restaurant in Friedrichstrasse (well, Mittelstrasse actually), called Ishin . Unfortunately, I don't exactly remember what I had, but it must have been a Don, with some meat.

Okonomiyaki

And speaking of Japanese places, another place at Prenzlauer Berg comes to mind, where Hana took me, and we had Okonomiyaki (see the picture). It is a delicious salty Japanese pancake, and even someone like who does not like fish, liked it very much! The restaurant is here, and for a more extensive review of the place you can read more. Shortly after the Okonomiyaki lunch, we visited the another cool chocolaterie and cafe in the area, in the very French fashion, Mon Plasir. If you go there, make sure you try the Macarons, and coffee, of course. Try whatever you want, I bet you won't be disappointed.

Coming back to more recent times, the first time we started doing 'informed' restaurant hunting, we went to Babel in Kastanienallee. A delicious Lebanese place, if ever there was one. Food was around 8-9 Euro, a lot of it, very good quality and extremely tasty. Again, it is a small place, and can get really crowded at times. In the neighborhood, there are two places that I need to try: one is a South African place called Cape Town, and another a South Indian, called Chutnify. We did try to go to Cape Town last Friday, but it was closed for some unknown reason, and Chutnify turned out to be a small but extremely popular restaurant, so no places were available for the whole evening. To take a hit, we went to Savanna . However, I wouldn't recommend this place too much, although you can get exotic dishes here. I had ostrich, while Miguel had Antelope and Hana zebra. To me, Ostrich and Antelope seemed fine, but I won't be trying Zebra. The quality of the food / meat was good, but the cooking wasn't superb, and the dishes generally expensive (even for traditional meat like chicken/lamb). Among the cereal dishes, one can choose rice, or couscous, or fufu. The latter is made from the root of some trees, and I wouldn't recommend it -- it was basically tasteless. Rice or couscous would have been much better. The African Beer Dju Dju was quite nice though, even if a bit expensive, and it comes in different flavors, much like the Berliner Weisse.

This is the men's bathroom, I'm sure you can tell!

Finally, some 'drinkeries'  before finishing this off. One of the really cool places I've been to in terms of quality and atmosphere has to be Hopfenreich. It has the largest number of craft beers I have seen available in a single place. Another place in Perenzlauer Berg, close to the Kulturbraurei, whose name I can't recall or find out from Google, but it was a very comfy place, with a particularly cozy nook that made for perfect drinking and conversation. And this is a classic example why these bars please me so much --- they have an atmosphere of casual decay and disdain, nothing is very polished, but stuck with old posters of a bygone era. Things look worn out, there are mysterious boxes behind curtains draped across big windows -- as if no one really cares if they get stolen or not, and no one cares what people think. It is this decadence that lends an aura that is quite difficult to conjure else where. In contrast, the bar/club An einem schonem Sonntag im August , has quite a different atmosphere. Often with (live) music, the seating places are arranged more like steps, and more carefully dressed people as well as smart, but casually dressed people come here. Quite recommended. Yes, and the bar at St Oberholz. Its quite a big place, but is more than the ordinary restaurant/bar as you can read in the blog. Besides having cool beer, they have a clever way of distinguishing male and female toilets (see the pic). And they have free WiFi, so a good place to work as well.

I think I'll close now. Quite a mouthful of places that I've listed. They look good, and hopefully there will be more in the future to come. In a phrase, Berlin is a foodie/drinkie's sublime paradise.