Yes, I know I keep blogging about food, but - who cares?!! I do. I care about food and here is another tasty source! Prinz, Tip and Zitty are unified in laudations, but also the Food & Wine magazine found this little place amongst 40 cities around the world.

Leo Bettini is specialised on dumplings and pasta in all different variations (and colours!). This beautiful dumpling picture is picked from their website www.leobettini.de.

Leo Bettini, Mulackstrasse 33, 10119 Berlin, Tel. (030) 60 50 74 49, mail@leobettini.de. Opening Hours Mo - Thurs 9:30 - 18:00, Fr 9:30 - 20:00, Sa 12:00 - 20:00.

Of course Greece is not known for pearls, so forget about the headline. But this is a very tiny place (a little bigger than a pearl, though) with very good greek food - to go and to have there. The restaurant in the back part of the location looks just like you were on a greek island with the fisherboats bobbing up and down along the waterside. Well, there is no water, but there are the little chairs and all the stuff on the walls and in the shelves that spread this relaxing taverna atmosphere.

I went there with Holger Volland (one of the other authors of this blog) and he took the picture, that’s why I am ON the picture paying my lunch - and Holger’s, too, because it was his birthday!

Kaliva, Wielandstrasse 37, 10629 Berlin (Charlottenburg), Tel. 3100 4550.

Open Mon - Fr (I believe!).

Swabians do alright in Berlin, what with Tannenzäpfle beer and Maultaschen raviolis flooding bars and eateries everywhere. But what to do if you grew up in Hessen, have no regrets about leaving home but still fancy a good old Ahle Wurscht or a Stracke and a nice big glass of Apfelwein every once in a while. A wish easily fulfilled in Frankfurt, Kassel or Marburg, proves hard to come by in the capital of Germany. Apfelwein is not the same as cider; it tastes a bit stale, like apple juice mixed with mineral water and left in the sun for a day. Anyway, to get this fantastic drink in Berlin, you have to follow other Hessians’ word-of-mouth propaganda and so sometimes find yourself in the kind of bar you’d rather not be seen dead in. However, if you’re lucky, you’ll end up in Hubis where the proprietor will willingly mix you Apfelwein-colas all night long. The word is out and now that the Fichtekranz-Company is busy trying to turn “happy apples” Apfelwein into the new scene-drink it’ll soon be served in a bar near you! I’ve already lit a candle for their success. Meanwhile Strongbow is an okay alternative, rapidly growing popular in F’hain under the exotic banner of Irish Apple Beer (Zees Krazy Irlanders).

And moving swiftly from alcohol to its counterpart stodge: …a satisfactory Irish or English fry-up is even harder to find than a good Ahle Wurscht. There is a place on Grimmstraße which usually serves all the right ingredients with a little continental garnish of fresh red capsicum on the side. Apart from that I hear the Irish Pub on Erkelenzdamm is at last making a comeback under the name of Murray’s Bar. As for that nice supper of Grau Brot and Ahle Wurscht you can order it anywhere in Berlin – albeit by post, phone or online. But your best bet is to “befriend” some commuters from north Hessen and infiltrate the sausage trafficking scene. Incidentally, Ahle Wurscht translates as Alte Wurst which simply means old sausage. And Stracke means straight. So what you are waiting for during those long wintery homesick hours, is a loaf of grey bread and an old, straight sausage. 

www.nordhessische-ahle-wurscht.de
www.fichtekranz.de
www.murraysbar.de

“The best pizza in Friedrichshain - that’s what our clients say”. There is not much to add. Pizza to go or pizza to have right there - you have the choice. They even started “Flying Pizza Concerts” every Thursday night, get a first impression on myspace if you need this with your pizza or not.

The area of Sonntagstrasse is a good place for a relaxed afternoon or evening with a lot of cheap places to eat & drink plus a little park where the local Friedrichshainer take a break to hang out, talk - or eat a pizza.

Caminetto, Sonntagstrasse 6, Friedrichshain, near S-Bahn Ostkreuz.

From the outside the rather simple and unimpressive restaurant „goodtime“ in Mitte contrasts with the visual and culinary experience on the inside that you shouldn’t miss. The subtle illumination gives the eatery a mysterious aura. The paper hangings are decorated with huge floral and vegetable motifs. The service is folded like water lilies. The cutlery and the dishes ornate with lovely elements have been carefully selected. Even the patrons are a feast for the eyes. But the highlight is – surprise! – the meal isn’t just nice to look at but is cooked with fresh ingredients, good taste and an endless diversity. The pineapple shake is a must!

goodtime

www.goodtime-berlin.de

It seems to me that I am always blogging about food locations. No, I am not 90 kilos heavy, but yes, I like eating, so there’s another one. At lunchtime on Wednesdays in Friedrichshain you see nearly all of our staff wandering to the Spreebar where they have their Schnitzel Day. A schnitzel with french fries and salad for 5,70 EUR is fair enough, and if the weather is not like today (rain, rain, rain) you can even sit outside at the Spree and watch the boats go by. The atmosphere is fast and canteen like, and don’t expect too much quality concerning the food, but the staff is friendly and served Korbinian a second schnitzel today after he had complained (for no particular reason!). Spreebar is located at Stralauer Allee 2c, next to the Universal building (which includes another canteen right on the Spree).

Schnitzel - before and after!

what makes a top creative creative? right. that is food. a lot of food, as we can see in this blog. if the people at metadesign are hungry, they often go to “klemke” just around the corner. forget about health food, eco bio sustainable fusion cuisine. this is REAL food. pigs, cows and lambs slaughtered, cooked and deliciously prepared as traditional food: braten, schnitzel, gulasch. there are no chairs, you have to eat standing at a table, preferably outside most time of the year. ah, and lawyers go there too.

Klemke’s Wein und Spirituosenhandel.  Address: Mommsenstr. 9, 10629 Berlin

image from qype

I’m no big fan of Döner (turkish kebap), to be honest. But rumor has it, that this by now favorite German dish … … was invented in Berlin. And you do get a good one in the city. So it can’t be left out here.

I think Bagdad has a fairly good one, with good meat and the choice of chicken or beef. I prefer beef.

Bagdad, Schlesisches Tor, thanks for the pic to http://berlin.virtualnights.com

It is in Schlesische Straße, just off the subway stop Schlesisches Tor.
There is another Döner restaurant right next to it, don’t go there. I don’t like it out of no reason. (But I have friends who enjoy their Döner there as well - so this is just a very personal statement).

My favorite is a Dürüm Döner with extra cheese and olives (Eur 3,40), but the standard Döner (”Ein Döner bitte”) for 2,50 is great, too.  Concerning sauces on the döner, they salesperson will ask you “welche sauce”, I prefer “Kräuter-scharf” meaning a mix of the spicy and herbal sauces. There is a garlicy one as well. Concerning condiments he will ask you “Mit Salat alles” which means you get lettuce on it, tomatoes, onions and cabbage.

The mentioned rumor has it that the Döner was created or developed in Berlin in the 60s (in Turkey, there is a beef-in-bread-kombo, but it doesn’t have any condiments on it). Who knows whether this is true, but if it is true, the Döner’s origins lay in a Turkish restaurant in Adalbertstraße: it is on the left hand side when you turn in from Oranienstraße and walk towards Kottbusser Tor. They still sell Döner, also to go, and it is - in fact - very good.

Only place to go: Ishin.

The small chain has various outlets in Steglitz, Mitte and somewhere in “Wilmersdorf-Schöneberg” (Bundesallee, I believe).

Its cantina-style concept and opening hours guarantee you the freshest fish. The rice is delicious, too. And for those of you who can’t stand sushi, there are a variety of other great Japanese dishes, such as DONs (a bowl of sushi rice with various toppings) and Cey-Ros (steamed portions of rice with vegetables, meat or fish).

Definitely try those side dishes:

a) Hiya-Yakko
b) For the adventurous: Natto (fermented beans: mix them with the mustard that comes along and some soy sauce)

http://www.ishin.de/

The Blaues Band is “in the middle of Mitte”, as they say on their Website, but in contrary to what you would expect this is not an extremely “hip” place. I always go there when I want to have a relaxed coffee or a good, tasty dinner with no big chichi. And, to be honest, I mostly go there when I am too lazy to go any further, because it is just around the corner of where I live. It’s a place to chill and - until 2 p.m. - it is also a place to sunbath (afterwards the sun is gone). The only timeframe to get some excitement and a lot of people is on Sunday morning for breakfast (the breakfast is excellent!). Take your sunglasses and sit outside to watch who is walking by. It is a perfect place to check the latest Mitte look from Brit pop style to full metal piercing and all kinds of tattoo styles. On Sunday nights they have movie nights in the back of the restaurant (for those who don’t want to talk to anyone).

Alte Schönhauser Str. 7/8, 10119 Berlin, Tel. +49-30-28 38 50 99.

Opens at 10 a.m.