Ein tisch fur eine person, bitte: Flying solo in Berlin

One of the things I love about my profession is that you never know what is around the corner, there I was innocently minding my own business watching X Factor and stuffing my face with M&S food on a quiet Saturday night when I received an e-mail, I had been selected as a scholar to attend a very prestigious conference in Berlin. Before you could say EasyJet, I had booked my flights and planned my food itinerary.

Berlin streets in autumn

After all of my work commitments had finished I took the train to Alexanderplatz and wandered around Mitte to find somewhere for dinner. My trusty lonely planet app had raved about ‘Zoe’ a hearty but classy eatery hidden on Rochstrasse in Mitte. However, as I wandered aimlessly up and down Muntstrasse with my stomach growling beginning to get impatient. Considering grabbing a pizza in the station a glitter of tea lights and canopies caught my eye down a side street. First of all I was impressed that they thought that anybody would ask ‘konnten wir einen tisch draussen?’ on a crisp German winter’s night and second of all the menu had been scrawled in German on a chalkboard. Having no idea how much this restaurant cost, I decided to try my luck and grab a tisch fur eine person. The waitress was obliging. Success!

Dinner at Lebensmittel in Mitte

Rochstrasse 2, 10178 Berlin Germany

Tel: 03027596130, Website: http://www.infoseek.de/lebensmittel-lieferservice.html

Sometimes there is nothing more wonderful than eating alone, I do concede that a handsome partner or giggly friend is the ideal but sometimes I really relish eating alone. The place was packed with loving couples and old friends, candles adorned each table (hence the poor quality photos) and there was an oak table full of Riesling, I may have accidentally stumbled upon my idea of seventh heaven. By day the ‘restaurant’ is a fresh produce supermarket/deli with market fresh vegetables, good bread and a selection of wonderful cheeses, beer and wine. By night it is transformed into a cosy eatery, wonderful let’s eat.

Fresh bread and butter yum

I started with some beautiful bread that I had spotted behind the bar slathered liberally with salted butter and washed down with a crisp glass of German Riesling and studied the menu. There appeared to be no staple menu which always pleases me, the seasonal specials of the day were smudged in ink on page and all, obviously, in German. The only word I recognised was the organisch pork loin served with cabbage wrapped dumplings. Yum, ja bitte!

Organic pork loin and dumplings (and more wine)

The pork was beautiful and falling off the bone, it was slathered in some rich jus on a bed of..I want to say white asparagus but I’m probably wrong. The dumplings were everything I wanted them to be. Sometimes there is nothing better than a plate of dumplings, perfect for a cold night. I sat for longer and ordered another glass of Riesling. My fears that this meal was going to cost my airfare home were unfounded as the whole experience came to a modest 30 euro including drinks and tip. I left wondering whether I had stumbled across a lovely local haunt and everyone there thought that I was a true Berliner, I guess the complete inability to speak German may have given it away. Nevermind, big day ahead…time to plan breakfast in the East.

Breakfast at Café Hilde

Metzer Strasse 22 10405 Berlin

Tel: 03040504172 Website: http://www.hilde-berlin.com/

I was staying in the wonderful East side so started my morning with a little wander around some of the back streets by my hotel. It was autumn and a crisp -2, the trees had just began to colour and had not lost all of their leaves, it was beautiful. I wandered around for a while before deciding it was time for a pit stop



East side building with autumn leaves



Street art and culture

I had read about Café Hilde in my search of ‘the best breakfasts in Berlin’, it had come highly recommended as a good stop for fantastic coffee and beautifully constructed cheap breakfasts. I certainly was not disappointed. The breakfast menu is predominantly divided into small eats such as cheese stuffed croissants and other pastries or beautiful sounding platters including gravlax with salad and eggs. I opted for the cheese and meat plate and was presented with such a wonderful plate of food that it may be my favourite picture of all time. An array of salamis and smoky German Black Forest ham was lovingly presented with fruit, salad and chunks of goats cheese, cheddar and soft fresh bread.

Cheese and meat platter

The atmosphere was soft and calm with soul playing quietly on the radio, young people tapping away on their various apple products and antique furniture arranged sporadically but beautifully.

If I lived in Berlin (a girl can dream), I would come here every morning. After my feed was over the waitress asked if I had enjoyed it, I couldn’t describe to her how much I had as I gloved up and prepared to test my spatial awareness and map reading to see the heart of Berlin and importantly pieces of the wall!

Lunch at Kafer

Deutscher Bundestag, Platz der Republique 1, 11011 Berlin

Website: http://www.feinkost-kaefer.de/dt_bundestag/ Entry by reservation only, passport clearance checks required

A visit to the Reichstag building was top of my priority list when I first found out I was going to Berlin, not only was it steeped in history but it also boasted one of the best views of the city and an architectural masterpiece by way of its impressive space age glass dome. You have to book this visit in advance or prepare to queue up and passport checks are mandatory. I decided to make my visit extra special by concluding my tour with lunch in Kafer adjacent to the glass dome.



View from the ground Reichstag Building

 

View inside the magnificent dome




My understanding before I visited was that Kafer was not cheap, however I was pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere is formal, when I arrived tables of artistic looking crinkly eyed smiley Germans were arriving with their wives dressed in their finery and nearly all sporting some trendy pair of thick rimmed black specs. There were a few shifty tourists lurking around sneaking a glance at their maps and enjoying the atmosphere. I was seated in the atrium by the window so I could see the glorious view over Berlin.

The menu is well constructed, you have the option to eat light and not spend too much (my main course was 16 euro) or eat a pile of schnitzel which will set you back a whopping 30 euro. I opted for the pork meatballs with a potato and gherkin stack and shaved truffles, washed down with a local glass of fizz (6 euro per glass). Had I been entertaining a friend or German lover I would have liked to pick from the impressed encyclopaedic wine list. However, drinking a bottle of wine alone at the top of a building a mere 3 hours before ones flight is not recommended so a glass suited me just fine.

The food was wonderful, rich and heart stopping. I was presented with another lovely basket of bread and salty butter (I love a good bread basket) and had friendly attentive service despite sitting solo. Wishing I could speak German I loved observing the tables of elderly hipsters toasting their day with bottles of German sparkling and tucking into their perfectly crafted starters of poached eggs and salmon.

Pork meatballs, shaved truffles and potato stack at Kafer

Unfortunately for me it was time to leave Berlin with a belly of good food, an artery full of good butter and some new friends. Auf Wiedersehen Berlin, I hope to party in you soon.