My Berlin weekend

Saturday

I had some business to do in Berlin so decided to mix business with pleasure and take a long weekend break.

It was quite a quiet drive along the A2 autobahn, setting of at 07:00 and not pushing it I made it into Berlin by 11:00, then starts the fun it took another 45 minutes to get to my daughters.

My daughter lives in the middle of what is called in Berlin, "Kietz", I don't think there is an English literal translation but it is the old workers quarters, that alas are now being renovated and turned into desirable  properties, I suppose some will call that progress.

After chatting we decided to go to the near by market and then go for lunch at one of the myriad of small restaurants that  have sprung up in this area of Berlin since the start of the 90's some bling and tinsel, others just making a buck but still others showing  the food of the Berlin melting pot. But first the market.

The Boxhagenerplatz Market

grilled trout, herring and mackerel

The market takes place around a very large square  there are stalls on all four sides forming a passage through the cultural and culinary complexity of Berlin. This is just 1 of about 50+ such "Wochen Markt" that take place every Saturday and in many cases on another day during the week (normally Wednesday or Thursday).

you don't have to shop but can sit in the sun and watch the kids  play on the swings

 I have been to Borough Market in London, it is also well victualled, but it is not a market in the true sense of a market that takes place on mainland Europe, people come and buy their weekly commodities, buy their weekend joint (I suppose there are those that still smoke?), buy their veg, that comes from the surrounding area outside of Berlin (Brandenburg) and is as fresh as if buying straight from the farms. Of course you have the exotics, (pineapples, mango's, avocado's, dried fruits and nuts etc.) but in the main it is local produce and very few tourists.

At one time you could also buy your chicken, goose or rabbit live, that, alas is no longer allowed, health, animal welfare or some other silly law, that stops you getting really fresh produce.

But none the less you can get all of your meat and fish stalls,the fish stalls selling many sorts that are not eaten  in the UK ,well at least on a regular basis by the Anglo-Saxons, this I find a little strange as considering where many of their roots lie (Northern Germany, Danish Peninsular and the North Sea Islands). But with influx of new British, from East of the Oder,  maybe the eels, carp, trench and pike will once again start gracing the English tables.

We then went to have lunch at a nice little Indian restaurant called Yogi-Ashram

 


Indian restaurants are becoming more and more prevalent in Berlin (when I lived in Berlin, there were only 2), we had been there last year so knew we wouldn't be served Deutsch/Indisches, which is terrible. Here they serve Cobra and Kingfisher.
  



I chose a Cobra and Janice  had a Lassi.

We settled for the mixed Karahi

This included a glass of  sherry, don't ask me why? it may be the remnants of the Raj.

Followed by the normal papadam with three sauces, mango, mint and yoghurt

Next we had a nice lentil soup, spicy and not thick like I make mine, far more delicate, alas that floating is not coriander.

This was followed by the main course of a mixed Kahari consisting of chicken, lamb and what I think is questionable duck. It was done in a very savoury dry sauce with lots of onions and peppers.

It was also served with a large side salad  with a Yoghurt dressing and yellow basmati rice

All in all it was a very nice meal, in no way comparable of your real Calcutta, Bombay, Nottingham or Bradford ethnic Indian food but for Germany very passable.




The dessert was lichee's,  peaches and out of a tin, sprinkled with dessicated coconut again don't ask me why, it was neither Indian nor added any thing to the meal, Janice ate mine.

On payment we got a free be of a mango liqueur.

Plus points, it is one of the better Indian restaurants in Berlin, the starters and main are quite authentic, the service was prompt and friendly. the meal was value for money, it cost us including drinks and tips €32,- for the two of us. This in the "Hauptstadt" is very reasonable, you would pay at least 50% more up in the centre of town.

Minus points, why the sherry, why the lack of coriander (I realise it isn't everyone's cup of tea but it is INDIAN and I am a Coriander Junkie) The Kahari could have been a little spicier. I realise that I was in Berlin and this does not have a great Indian ethnic population so does not have the same eating ethos as in Britain.

In General

The restaurant must walk a fine line between authenticity and making ends meet, the German eating culture is not one of really hot spicy pungent food, they are slow to adapt to changing eating habits they have a saying "What the farmer doesn't know , he doesn't eat", though with ever increasing influx of the various far eastern and near eastern food cultures they are becoming more cosmopolitan than many of the older well established capital Cities of Europe. During the cold war with the exception of Turkish, Italian and Yugoslavian (Balkan) there was very little experimenting with foreign food, this was done on Holiday on Majorca, in Austria or Italy (the more adventurous went to Turkey or the Greek Islands).
The Berlin Germans are big eaters, they like a full plate even if it is just potatoes, sauerkraut and a leg of pork (with plenty of sauce "bitte") anything less is not a real meal and certainly not value for money.   Anyone ordering a Berliner Schlachterplatter will realise what I mean, one of these would have fed our whole house on a Sunday, here in Berlin you each get one!!! 

Evening we went to the cinema and had been aiming to go for a Sushi, we went to see Arthur, with Russell Brand and Helen Merram as his super nanny, there was some funny parts but all in all it was a load of rubbish, pity that Helen put her name alongside his. We where still full from lunch so decided to forego the Sushi and head back home and open a bottle of SA red and have a chat. and no we didn't watch the Euro-vision unsong contest, one, it is of no interest to either of us and two, my daughter is one of those small band of people that sees no use in a television set..