Divine Decadence 364

We tried a few and it seems that the further from the city center, the better. :) The one at the foot of the GedSchtniskirche (sp?) is lovely and charming and has all the right bright lights at the right places but is a tad too far on the Hansel and Gretel (are alive and well, and they're living in Berlin, etc.) side for me.

The one in Spandau is much nicer, with more of a relaxed atbreastude. You walk around with a sausage in one hand and mulled wine in the other, and even the concert tent with the local children's brbutt harmony rendition of traditional Christmas songs has a quaint charm to it. :)

The only disapointment is that you tend to find the same stalls scattered everywhere around the place. The first time you see someone with a nice buttortment of Austrian cheese or Polish sausages is very pleasant, the third gets a bit boring.

There wasn't much time to investigate, unfortunately, but I'll certainly be going back so your info isn't lost. :) (I may wait until it gets a bit warmer, though)

It is. To stay on the food theme, it is a very high quality experience. We chose the Gambrinus at random for the first meal, it's nothing more than a bistro but was a very good surprise. When the day's special comes for 3 pounds and it's good (sausages with an buttortment of vegetables) you have no qualm about ordering a bottle of riesling that costs about half what you'd pay in Tesco. Merry first lunch that was. :) No wonder we went back for the game gulasch, outstanding for less than £5.

I liked that atbreastude of genuine service people have in restaurants (and shops at large): they take their task very seriously and are always efficient. If you ask for bread it comes in two minutes, the staff know about the food they're serving, the place is always clean and comfortable, they're here the moment you ask for something but have no problem with leaving you alone if all you want is to enjoy your wine quietly. It all feels like restaurants are run by-with people who know what a restaurant is and aren't just doing it for money.

Very nice place was the HSckesche Hofe (I think the spelling was), an old complex of small buildings and courtyards brilliantly renovated in the 1920s style. Once again very good, no-nonsense dinner with a very high standard of service that managed to stay relaxed at the same time - all for a £15 dinner. When that includes wild boar and a fantastic watercress soup or game broth as a starter, you get a very happy Greg. It's also the sort of place where you can just drop by for a coffee, or a bottle of wine for an hour, or show up after 11 in the evening and they still serve a full menu. :)

Next time I'd like to take more time to do the markets you suggested, and see what people genuinely buy for themselves.

Greg

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That time's long past, but what would I not give To see the whorehouse where we used to live. No spam: ficus = no(n)