Apologies for the nature of the blog title, it was a menu item at a traditional German Restaurant a colleague and I ate at last month. ‘Hearty Food From Mothers Pots’ was the page title, the dish consisted of Fresh Blood and Liver Sausage, on Sauerkraut with Boiled Potatoes and unfortunately, they had run out!

Ambrosius, in the Schöneberg district, Einemstr. 14, 10785 to be precise is a traditional and delightful German restaurant, and I wanted hearty food. In the end it was Thuringian Style Sausage I went for, with White Cabbage and………..Potatoes. It was really quite delicious.

This was the first of two visits to Berlin on business, taking in the atmosphere during downtime and for my part, looking for great places to experience the delights of regional German cuisine, and further afield as I was to soon find out.

I’ve been to Germany before, in fact many times. A previous company office was based in Wiesbaden, which meant monthly visits. With my partner in crime, we have had the delights of trips to Cologne for the Christmas Markets amongst other cities, a Rhine Cruise and when I was much younger, visits to German friends in the Black Forest over Christmas (Silvester), and New Year.

It was really interesting to understand what had happened in this region during bad times, the east/west separation, the wall coming down and the aftermath. I was really surprised at the number of Vietnamese restaurants on the east side off the city, which was where we were working, apparently due to political ties during and after the 2nd world war. We were to have lunch in one lovely restaurant near to the office, called Umami F-Hain.

I love Jasmine tea, it usually arrives ‘processed’ in some way, but not here! Dried Jasmine flower heads and other aromats floated in a bowl of hot water, emitting exotic scents it was truly delightful.

Food wise the menu was very comprehensive but as I usually skip lunch when working (I know, it’s not good apparently), I choose the Buddha Burger. Yes, it was Vegetarian/Vegan and extremely tasty too. I do occasionally slide towards non-protein meals if they look interesting enough. I once went to a truly awesome vegetarian/vegan restaurant in London, Vanilla Black, Chef Patron Andrew Dargue who had to close after Covid, and has now relocated to Spain, I have fond memories of the food there.

We did a fare bit of walking during the 1st trip, at least it felt like it as it was quite hot. A Paralympic festival had just concluded and the Brandenburg gate was buzzing with people as the celebrations concluded with a rapper in a wheelchair, performing live on a massive stage.

Berlin has numerous hotels, one stands out as being ultra famous, the Aldon Kempinski which is the residence for state visits and has had many famous guests walk though it’s doors. It is located next to the Brandenburg Gate and has a 2 Michelin star restaurant inside, something that I had manage to miss, but maybe next time!

It seemed rude to not pop in a see the opulence of such a historic and luxurious hotel, and we were soon persuaded to take a really comfy armchair inside and try a couple of cocktails, which the hotel is famous for, (on top of the 2 star restaurant)!

I would describe them both as worthy ‘investments’, not cheap buy super high quality, there were amazing. The second one I had, (we were in the hotel about 2 hours, chatting and putting the world to rights), was stunning. I would describe it as the tastes and textures of a lemon meringue pie, it was awesome. it’s the one on the right above.

The Ostkreuz water tower is a listed water tower in the Berlin district of Friedrichshain and a landmark of the area that is visible from quite a distance. The water tower, built between 1909 and 1912 by the Royal Rail Directorate in Berlin, was designed by the architect Karl Cornelius. The 59 meter high water tower stands next to the Ostkreuz Train Station, and served to supply the Steam Trains with water . The tower has a 400 m³ water tank that is built into the roof.

Seoul Kitchen and BBQ in Warschauer Straße was another stop on the first trip, a Korean style open fronted restaurant with another extensive menu. The crispy rolls were delicious, well the whole platter was delicious and beautifully presented.

A love a Schnitzel, preferably Wiener (Veal), unfortunately the beer garden we stumbled across only had pork, but it was very tasty and served with Cranberry Sauce and Potato Salad, another winner.

That was the 1st trip done, a successful few days, with a return trip planned, this time on my own so I could be a bit more adventurous food wise, and I didn’t have to wait long.

………. until next time ……….L8ers…….