Ich bin ein Berliner

I just got back from an amazing weekend away in Berlin. In between the partying and culture we fitted in a rather strange array of food. We had pizza, curry wurst (don't ask), and an assortment of baked goods at 5 am from a conveniently positioned bakery opposite our hostel. We stayed in the Mitte district, which luckily seemed to be the hub of funky cafes, bars and restaurants in the city.

One of my highlights was our supper at a lovely restaurant called Fleischerei on Torstrasse. Very 'Berlin'; dimly lit, sort of run down and edgy. It was there that I learnt what 380g of fillet steak meant. It was HUGE! The size of my head! It was also very delicious, and with a bit of help from my friends I finished with a clean plate and an extremely full tummy! I think I've now had my ration of red meat for about a year.

My Moscow Mule at the super trendy Neue Odessa Bar (also on Torstrasse) was another goodie; so light, not too sweet, and it slipped down very easily from what I can remember.

The St Oberholz Cafe which was right opposite our hostel was a great spot. A very laid back, achingly cool cafe. Can't be seen without your Mac book or wacky glasses. Our hot chocolates, chai lattes and coffee soothed our sore heads for sure.

But the yummiest thing I tasted on our trip was a smoothie from Chen Che Berlin; a gorgeous Vietnamese tea room that we found off Rosenthaler Strasse.

Their menu was amazing and full of unusual Asian ingredients. All of their drinks sounded delicious! So we got a couple to share. The Chen Che Xin Chao, made of fresh lime juice, sweet basil seeds, fresh peppermint-ginger tea, lychee and blueberries, was as good as it sounds. It felt like I was filling my body with nutrients and goodness!

But the Che Dau Do (see above) was even better. It was made of red soybeans in soy juice with coconut milk and ice, refined with yum root and soy milk froth. It looked pretty dodgy; what must have been the soy beans looked suspiciously like frog's spawn. Hoping it wasn't, I took a sip and was amazed by its deliciousness! It was creamy and not too sweet, with a fantastic kick of coconut at the end and a lovely consistency. I have no idea how they made it. Annoyingly my shizer German didn't stretch as far as - please can I have a demonstration? But I will definitely be trying to make this again at home.

Auf wiedersehen

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