Munich: A Schmalznudel Breakfast @ Cafe Frischhut, Prälat-Zistl-Straße

Germany is a country known for its beer, football, precision engineering and really tall people.  But there is more to Germany than what meets the eyes.  A rich cultural heritage paired with modern influence has resulted in a diverse European landscape.  In the next few posts, I re-visit the sights and feeds that made me love this systematic country.

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A chilly wind welcomed me the next morning.  The bus ride to town had some graffiti here and there but nothing was more astonishing than seeing boozy party heads board the 8am bus home.  Even as they boarded I could hear dance music echoing from the nearby club! This was party town for sure.  But nothing could distract me from my quest to seek the German version of the Cantonese “Ham Chin Peng” or deep fried bread called the Schmalznudel.  For that, I went to Cafe Frischhut located by the Viktualien Market.

The smell of freshly fried bread was every bit tempting.  The first bite in is a little off-putting as it did not taste as good as it looked.  But soon, the simplicity of the slightly salted pastry becomes an interesting flavour. Crispy, fluffy and over all very pleasing,  Then you hit the middle bit which is sweet!! This reminds me so much of home!  

Because two is better than one, I call for a second pastry.  This time it was the apricot jam doughnut and it was nothing short of more-ish.  Fruity apricot jam with a mild tartness had to be the highlight as I reckon the deep fried doughnuts were done better in Victoria Market in Melbourne.  Even then, how much difference can there be?  And more importantly who in the world dislikes a good doughnut ball right? :D!

The sink it all in, a cup of warming hot chocolate the way it normally is.  Super chocolatey but not too sweet.

While the warm breakfast here beats the other cold ones we have had in Europe, the price was a slight shocker.  These simple pastries amounted to €16 which is quite a lot if you ask me!  Also note that the drinks and food have different prices for eating in and taking away.  Having it in the cafe cost some 50 cents more per item!  But at the end of the day, I was still every bit satisfied.

WenY

Munich: Augustinerbräu the unexpected find @ Landsberger Straat.

Germany is a country known for its beer, football, precision engineering and really tall people.  But there is more to Germany than what meets the eyes.  A rich cultural heritage paired with modern influence has resulted in a diverse European landscape.  In the next few posts, I re-visit the sights and feeds that made me love this systematic country.

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A few weeks after my weekend in Berlin,  I was on a plane to Germany again.  This time to Munich, the land of beer and the home of BMW.  After a 45 minute train to the city and another 10 minute ride to the hotel, I was super hungry.  But being so far away from the city square in Munich, means I relied on some handy tools like Siri and Trip Advisor to find my dining place. Eventually,  I decided to go to Augustinerbräu which was not too far away from my hotel.

Its wooden accented beer hall was filled with a boisterous crowd and every table seemed more welcoming than the last as we walked through the hall.  Eventually, my colleague and I settled for a sit some 10 other people at the table.  

For drinks we had none other than the famous Augustiner Lager which I have no picture of.  This is some seriously crisp beer and it was fresh because there were no sulphates.  I did not get stomach ache or itch!  But the drinks were not the reason I was there, it was for the food.  I ordered the Augustiner platter €14.50 while my colleague called the Wurst platter €11.50. No pictures of his because his was essentially a plate of 6 sausages which consisted of 3 pork sausages and 3 white sausages (presumably turkey?) all of which was on my platter too!

2 sausages, a duck thigh, a slice of roast pork and half a pork knuckle served with a side of stewed cabbage, enough said my platter was massive. Looking back, elements on the platter like the duck tight and pork knuckle were cooked perfectly.  The scheiwntaxe was super crisp from its roasting while the duck was mildly gamey with a nice caramelised skin.  Sausages were “OK” but it did not taste as meaty as I expected it to be.  The bummer of them all was the chunky slice of roast pork which was dry. But 3 above average dishes definitely trumped over 1 poor one.  More importantly it was more than just a quantity meal, it was a delicious.   This meal along with the sausage platter could easily feed 3.  I was really hungry but could not even finish my meal.

After the meal, we sat around and chat with the lovely people around the table for awhile.  It was really interesting to have conversations with everyone on the table.  You had a guy that was totally drunk and infatuated with his girlfriend.  Then there was the underage kid with his dad drinking his 3rd stein and not to mention the American couple from the hood that worked in Alaska.   Augustinerbräu is more than just a beer hall.  Its a social scene paired with quality food in an amazing venue.

WenY

Berlin: Currywurst at Curry 36 and Kebabs & Doners at Mustafas!

Germany is a country known for its beer, football, precision engineering and really tall people.  But there is more to Germany than what meets the eyes.  A rich cultural heritage paired with modern influence has resulted in a diverse European landscape.  In the next few posts, I re-visit the sights and feeds that made me love this systematic country.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Street food culture is all over Europe and Berlin has one that is worth talking about.  This is a tale of two kiosks less than 100 feet apart with a cult following and thousands of Facebook check-ins.  Recommended by my colleague’s AirBNB host, I went to the famous Curry 36 and Mustafa Gemüse Kebab.

Curry 36 serves the best Currywurst in Berlin and the hungry crowd enjoying piping hot Currywurst in the subzero weather is a testament to its fame.  So what is a Currywurst you might ask?  

Well, if you are expecting to see real curry, you are going to be disappointed.  Currywurst is essentially Berlin’s answer to making the meaty bratwurst even better; that is by topping them with a curry-infused ketchup and to finish, an extra sprinkle of curry powder with a side of chips.  True curry aficionados would frown at the sight of a Currywurst, but the flavours are actually pretty sublime thanks to the umami from the curried-ketchup that when paired with bratwurst has an undeniable chemistry.  Sure it was not life changing in anyway but its was yummy!

The queue at Mustafas is never shorter than 45 minutes be it day, or night.  

The Kebab:

The doner and kebabs at Mustafa Gemüse Kebab are legendary for a good reason.  Its attention to detail like the perfectly sweet caramelised vegetables inside as well as a finish of crumbled feta is a rarity when kebabs are often a food to go with little love put into it.  Secondly was their ridiculously juicy chicken slices.  If you have had a Doner by the road side stall in Istanbul you would totally understand the unfortunately dry chicken in the doners they serve!!  

Having both Curry 36 and Mustafa Gemüse Kebab so close to each other is a blessing!  If you are out late and want a great bite, I would look no further.  The combination of Currywurst and juicy Doners were sensational. But be warned that the 45 minute wait for a Doner is a bloody vibe killer.  Add the subzero temperature and its starts to sound ridiculous.  Fortunately, there is usually no queue at Curry 36 due to the quick turnover.  So why not enjoy a Currywurst while standing in line?  It sure distracts the mind from the cold and queue!  Would I recommend Mustafas despite the wait?  Well it really depends on how you view food!  If you queue in anticipation of a poached chicken, grilled to finished, drizzled with truffle oil, and finished with a sea-urchin infused aioli, then stay far.  It is far from fine dining but I know a good kebab when I see one ;)! So yes I would return to Mustafas!

WenY