Food

Ejo #34 – TEEC: Day 22 (Date Night In Berlin)

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Yesterday was a rather lazy day. Late lunch, a lovely Cremant Rosè on a terrace overlooking a glorious park, and then a little while spent lolling in aforementioned park. Then, later in the evening, we went out for a fancy schmancy dinner at a restaurant called Lorenz Adlon.

The trivia freaks amongst you might remember the name Adlon (which is also the name of the hotel which runs the restaurant) as the place where a younger, unwiser Michael Jackson dangled his (ridiculously named) baby son, Blankey (or Blanket, or Whatever) over the balcony. Ooooh, how scandalous!

Lorenz Adlon is one of only a couple of Berlin restaurants awarded two Michelin stars (see, I told you it was fancy schmancy). We had a GREAT night, ate LOTS of amazing food and drank a ridiculous amount of good wine.

We had a table with the best view of the Brandenburg Gate!

I know, I know. But it’s just so damn delicious. Particularly when paired with an AMAZING sparkling Moscato d’Asti.

Salmon (along with a whole bunch of other stuff that I can’t remember off the top of my head but which was just divine).

The delightful marriage of pork and scallop, in a subtle curry emulsion. Mmmmmm!!

Pigeon, with accompaniments. Delicious.

My fruity (chocolate free) dessert. So pretty.

David’s chocolate-riddled dessert. A masterpiece.

Ejo #34 – TEEC: Day 21 (Dining Out In Style – Mustafa’s Famous Döner Kebab)

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Yesterday, David and I wanted to go out to celebrate. Something fancy. Good food, great wine, candlelight. That kind of thing. But yesterday was Sunday. And it transpires that Sunday is a day of rest for all the restaurants of a certain calibre in the great city of Berlin. Some of them even stay closed on Monday too!!! So, we have postponed our celebratory dinner to Tuesday night.

So, what did we do last night instead? We caught the Underground from Mitte, where we are staying, to Kreuzberg (where we stayed on the first leg of our holiday), bought some beer, got in line and waited. For an hour and a half. Out in the cold, with several other crazies. What were we waiting for? Mustafa’s (apparently, and well-deservedly, renowned) Döner kebab. Whatever else you might be able to say about us, you cannot call us food snobs. So yes, we waited. About 45 minutes into waiting, they ran out of meat and had to put on some fresh chicken. Which, of course, meant we’d have to wait even longer, to make sure it was properly cooked. The couple behind us threw in the towel at that point, opting for the vegetarian Döner (for which there was no wait). But we dug in our heels and stuck it out. Was it worth the wait?

Waiting in line. For a long time. For what?????

Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebap! I don’t even know what that means exactly!!! Nor do I actually care, coz it just tastes so good!!

Well, they use only the freshest ingredients and roast their own veggies on site (potatoes, eggplant, capsicum, onion), seasoning it all with oregano and fresh mint.

These guys work like a well oiled machine.

They slather one side of the bun with a garlicky sauce and the other with a slightly spicy chilli sauce. And the meat. Oh my goodness, the meat! Tender, succulent, tasty!

And I think the chicken is just about ready. I want my Döner kebab and I want it NOW!!!

They add some freshly chopped tomato, carrot, parsley and lettuce, and finish it all off by crumbling some feta cheese on top of the finished product. Was it worth waiting for? Abso-freaking-lutely!!!

Wow! BEST anniversary kebab ever!!!!

Ejo #34 – TEEC: Day 17 (Chucking A Sickie In Amsterdam)

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It’s been brewing in the background for a few days. A tickle in the throat, a sneeze here and there, a runny nose (I don’t want to name names, but let’s call it The Rachel Syndrome). And this morning, it developed into a full blown cold. Booooo! Who likes getting sick when they’re on holiday? Not me. Luckily we’re staying in a very cosy apartment which is very conducive to snuggling up on the couch and watching DVDs. We did manage to get out of the house for a morning coffee and brekky at my favourite cafe, called Latei.

My favourite cafe in Amsterdam. I wrote my best short story here in February 2011 amidst several coffees and a number of cheesy goodness eggs!

You have NO idea how good this cheese omelette tastes. You can’t even BEGIN to imagine.

I discovered this really great cafe when I was here in February last year. It makes really good coffee and FABULOUS cheese omelettes. It’s quirky and cool and the antithesis of every coffee chain that spews branches all over Dubai. So we ventured out this morning for coffee and eggs, also grabbing some chips “met” (which means “with” mayo – Dutchie style) before heading home with a medicinal bottle of port. Not a bad way to spend a sick day!

“Friet Met” (which mean “chips with mayonnaise”). Fabulous comfort food.