I’ve generally been lucky with flights, my return trip to Berlin, well I wasn’t so fortunate. Everything was going well until the tannoy fired up and an announcement declared the ‘gang’ that connects to the aircraft to let passengers on was not connected, it was kaputt. We must of waited about 30-40 minutes whilst enough staff with high-viz jackets were rallied to guide us airside. When we boarded the plane and we’re good to go, we were not. One of the metal tanks used to carry our suitcases had not been loaded, another 20 minutes!

I was late departing and although passport control was quite speedy, I had lost a lot of time, this trip had a tight schedule and I was already behind. Having left the house at 04:00, missing breakfast, and lunch, by the evening I was famished and after checking in at the hotel, started to hunt for somewhere close by to eat.

Of the city’s nearly 1,000 bridges, Berlin’s Oberbaumbruecke (Oberbaum Bridge) is by far the most striking. Its Backsteingotik (brick gothic) towers, pointed arches, turrets, cross vaults and arched walkways hark back to its city gate past. The double-deck bridge with its seven arches spans the River Spree and was my route to food heaven. I had found several closer establishments but it was a Monday evening and they were shut!!

Mobile technology is brilliant. Having been in the industry since the late 90’s I have seen and experienced the development of tech that makes life so much easier, in this case, where and what to eat. I found a restaurant called RIVO on one such app and it looked good, and, it was open. I was soon sat down and perusing the menu.

The first course I went for was Octopus, grilled with a Papaya Salad, Beetroot Humus and a Black Bean Purée, it was delicious. Lots of different flavours bouncing on the palate it was a great start to the evening.

The main event, well a Schnitzel, but not any old Schnitzel. This was a Tel Aviv Schnitzel made with Corn chicken and served with Arugula (Rocket) Labneh and Hummus. I am convinced the Chicken had been brined, it was so juicy and succulent, another stunning plate of delights. The crispy Chick Peas added an additional crunch.

As I was starving and missed breakfast and lunch, dessert was a no-brainer. Passion Fruit Crème Brûlée with Sour Cream Ice Cream and a Chocolate Crumble. The dessert was not to sweet and finished things off nicely.

The wine list had some great choices but I was in the mood for a Riesling, and very good it was too. I was in the restaurant for a good two and a half hours, the service was excellent and un-rushed, the food was delicious.

I made the twenty five minute walk back to hotel and took in the atmosphere. Berlin was growing on me, a lot. The hotel I was staying in, nHow, was on the River Spree and had a brilliant view of ‘The Molecule Man’, series of aluminium sculptures, designed by American artist Jonathan Borofsky, installed at various locations around the world.

The following day was just as hectic as the previous day, we were powering through the work schedule, no lunch again and the Restaurant I wanted to go to wasn’t open, in fact I never did get to eat at ‘Scheers Schnitzel’, but made up for it at other eateries.

I am not a buildings or architecture kind of guy, electronics and communications are my thing, but I could not help at being blown away by some of the building design in the Friedrichshain district of Berlin. Some of them are truly breathtaking.

I wanted local food, traditional food, regional food and on the 2nd night my wishes were granted. Looking through my various electronic guides I discovered ‘Speisehaus’ a traditional German Kitchen, with local food. Yes! Sifting through the menu put a smile on my face. Juicy Cabbage Roulade with Parsley Potatoes, Königsberger Klopse in Caper Sauce with Mashed Potatoes and Beetroot, food heaven.

Looking at the starters something caught my eye, ‘Seasoning Meat according to an original recipe of the old republic, with Worcester Sauce, Lemon and daily Baked Bread’. ‘Würzfleisch’ is a dish dating back to the German Democratic Republic a delicious concoction of chopped meat (Chicken or Veal), cooked with a roux based chicken stock sauce and covered in melted cheese. It was yum, especially with the addition of extra Lemon Juice and Worcestershire Sauce.

For mains I decided on Crispy pork knuckle from the oven, with Spreewald Sauerkraut, Boiled Potatoes and Dijon Beer Sauce, what a plate of food it was. I remember Rick Stein having it on his Weekends series when in Berlin and it was a great choice. The outside skin had crisped up like Crackling, strong with bacon like pork aromas. Soft and tender meat hid underneath, the sauce adding some spice it was a plate of wholesome and filling food.

This time an untypical Gewürztraminer was the wine of choice (I am not a beer person), normally paired with spicy food it was quite delicious with the piquancy of the mustard/beer sauce. I didn’t have a dessert, they had run out of Apfelstrudel, yes I know it’s actually Austrian but I didn’t feel like a Chocolate dessert.

The weather had been kind to me in the evenings, the rain had stayed away and I was able to enjoy the numerous industrial skylines which had grabbed my attention.

Looking around skywards, it was great to see how people had added ‘greenery’ to their balconies adding some colour, and minor contribution to ‘carbon sinking’.

The next day was a repetition of the previous, no breakfast or lunch, working through to get things done, time had been caught up and there was a feeling of satisfaction, both professionally and experiencing new cuisine. The evening was another ‘what shall I eat’ process, looking through the restaurants nothing locally really inspired, except one, an Italian 5 minutes away, perfect.

A simple but delicious Bruschetta started things off, the waiter was really funny and as I was on my own, made me feel extremely welcome, like in an Italian family home.

A simple but extremely rich Cannellini al Forno came next, filling and packed with flavour. The evening was a bit colder than previous nights and this meal made me feel warm inside.

A nice (well delicious) Primitivo was the accompanying Vino and very good it was too, rich and round it worked perfectly and kept my company for a good couple of hours. Restaurant ‘La Cesta) in Danneckerstraße 7, 10245 Berlin, Germany is a great place to loose a few hours over great food, give it a go if you are visiting.

After another hectic week I did get my Wiener Schnitzel, at Berlin Airport, and it was just delicious.

……………… Until next time ……….. L8ers ……….