Duvel

Laaaaazy … Chili dog … And chili crisp / cilantro / sriracha dog …

Interesting … any details on that ?

Interesting. Reminds me of Flädle …

Yes, easily. But it will be mostly imported from Canada, I think I only know of one German brand …

For some strange reason I have this very strong feeling I‘d love that combo ever since I heard about it not too long ago. I have no cultural or intellectual access to the concept, yet I know I‘ll enjoy it. Another weekend project …

Looks great - and I certainly approve of the mashed potatoes. But don‘t claim I made you serve it with roasted cauliflower 😋 … Is fried chicken on waffles still fashionable ?

Ahh … yes. That Corona 🤭 Yes, my wife likes it. The men had Kurpfalzbräu Helles.

Why ?

As we had „pizza“ last night, today’s pizza & movie night was wide open for suggestions. My wife decided for some „comfort food“ 🤔 … I was not aware that my usual options made her uncomfortable, but upon further investigation I found out she was in the mood for Schnitzel with Bratkartoffeln. Sure, why not … The setup … Good things are about to happen … Yeap. Bratkartoffeln And on the table with a cream & a wild mushroom sauce (thanks to a cupboard full of dried ceps & death trumpets), two sliced tomatoes (so everyone could check the salad component in the mental nutrition list) and some beers because thats what people drink with Schnitzel. Plenty of leftovers for tomorrow‘s Schnitzelbrötchen 🥳

Sunday at Duvel‘s … And a special breadroll with mayo and grey shrimp for me 🥳

You might have seen that castle and the surrounding vineyards before … Schriesheim, just 9 km south from where I live. Enjoying the day chasing my in-laws through the hills at 4 oC 😉 We picked some new wine on the way back and I made white pizza (with creme fraiche filling in for the tomato sauce) and selling it as Flammkuchen. Apple, blood sausage and crispy fried onions Classic onion and bacon Goat cheese, pine nuts and fig marmelade Cured & smoked headcheese sausage, Mett, potato cubes and onions. This was very tasty … No complaints 🥳

I reminisce about the time I could easily do that as well … but times change. And I hate you !

Absolutely … would be great to get an instant Cantonese roast duck like that just to pull out of the freezer !

True ! And you get lovely bag juices and plenty if rendered duck fat for other thing …

Very, very last day. With just a few hours to wander around we dropped by the Hacke‘sche Höfe, a restored historic landmark. Beautiful to see and wander around, but not so much to shop, actually … Before returning to the train station, I pressured the family to get a farewell snack at a local Vietnamese … Spring rolls (fresh) … And fried … Pho (ish) … Duck with peanut sauce This time the train ride went smooth … I had purchased some extra meatball sandwiches, which the little one and me enjoyed … And while he was having an Orangina, I enjoyed a lovely Jameson Crested from an IKEA plastic cup proper …

True that !

The in-laws are still with us, and today they were not too enthusiastic about more German food. So, I got a rabbit, braised it with little meat balls, dried wild mushrooms, brandy and white wine. Some garlic-fried white beans to go with it. Very Catalan, and no leftovers 😁

Fried chicken is a concept that has never really caught on here. Sure, we have KFC, but it is not really that popular. If I take my parents at the quintessential German couple, the issue with fried chicken is the (multitude of tiny) bones and the greasiness. It is a perception thing, of course, as you might have noticed German food isn’t exactly lean either. Yet, a proper Schnitzel will alwys be perceived better than anything from a KFC bucket. Chicken McNuggets, however, are popular as they do not have bones and their coating conceals the frying medium better that regular fried chicken, which just bleeds out oil …

It is somewhat odd how delicious and deeply satisfying a simple plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce can be …

In Germany, Döner needs to be comprised of stacked slices of marinated meat. It is, however, allowed to add a certain amount of minced meat, typically to smoothen the mass out and giving it a more uniform appearance. It also lowers the cost. A skewer just made from stacked meat slices is considered of higher quality.

Yeah, I kept telling me exactly the same thing when in the Burgermeister app I found the option to add a second patty …

It depends … are you calling me a herring ?

The rest of the family arrived an hour later, which gave me some time to recover. We decided to call it a day and watch a movie, but … Little one declared he was hungry. He wanted to have Currywurst, which I persuaded him not to take. His second option was Döner (I really wonder where he gets this from …?), which strangely I was not supportive of either. Lastly, Burger was unanimously approved, so I ordered online at Burgermeister, a Berlin „chain“ with four locations. The burger was great: juicy, flavorful, great toppings - we all found it significantly better than the 5 Guys one from a few days before. Little one gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up … I slept well that night 😉

By now I was a bit exhausted and rather full. I cycled further north west, to the city quarter of Charlottenburg, to reach the legendary Deli Rogacki. It gained popularity outside of Germany, when Anthony Bourdain choose to go nuts on the headcheese selection, bit since I was full I opted for something more light. The place has all what Germany has to offer, which you can buy and take home, or just eat there. The boiled liverwurst/blood sausage combo is legendary, but I opted for some oysters and a just arrived Matjes herring (and a Chablis, just because) … By now I was positively done. I left my trusted bike at the sidewalk (logged out from the mobility app and ended my rental) and headed back to the hotel …

Last full day in Berlin. The weather wasn’t that much more inviting, but at least it wasn’t raining. We took the bus to reach the seat of the German parliament, the Reichstag. Some architecture looks actually better in these hazy autumn days … A few meters away is the Brandenburger Tor, which from my view is as impressive as the Reichstag (but I might be biased). From here we split up. My wife, the little one and the inlaws went on to see Gendarmenmarkt, Checkpoint Charlie and go shopping … and I rented a bike. First stop was Konnopke‘s, the birthplace of the Currywurst. Located under a streetcar bridge in the former East, in this shack the first Currywurst was served in 1960. Sausage was good, well spiced with a fruity curry sauce. Cycling further through the former East, there were only a few things that caught my eye … A few kilometers away is the Dong Xuan center. As I explained above, Berlin has a huge Vietnamese population, and this is where they shop. I went there to stock up on some items, but also to get a Banh Mi. The market inside looks just like you are in Vietnam. It took me back 😊 They had all the Banh Mi ingredients you could ever ask for, plus a spacious outside seating. Unfortunately I messed up the picture and noticed too late. Please image a lovely Banh Mi with extra liver pate, pressed pork head and spicy pickles 😌 12 km back into the west side of the city is Kreuzberg, center of the Turkish population of the city. It is not a pretty place per se, but has its charm. Alledgedly, the Döner Kebap was (co)invented here by Mehmet Aygün, the founder of Hasir Döner. The Döner at Hasir differs a bit from the usual Döner you find. The meat is more coarse, definetely beef with sufficient fat interstacked on the skewer to render the shavings kind of greasy, yet very juicy. The meat doesn’t contain much seasoning except salt. Like in a french rotisserie, they keep cuts of potatoes under the rotating skewer to soak up the dripping fat. You get one or two in your Döner sandwich. Speak of flavor …