So I'm in Berlin right now and I just enjoyed a really relaxed - and excellent - meal at Oderquelle. I ate there last year too, and the place was empty, but this year it was packed inside and out. Word must have gotten around that it's one of the best meals in the old east part of Berlin. Getting there was fun - we forgot what street it was on from last year and had to direct the taxi through the area - "maybe down there?", "or there?", "It was near a fire station..."
So, are you ready? I had: Uckermärker Reh- und Hirschkalbrücken auf sautierten Steinpilzen dazu gestofter Wirsing und Schupfnudeln. Basically deer shoulder with sauteed vegetables and a potato noodle side dish. It was hearty, but not heavy, and went really well with beer (and ok, a cuba libre too).
The place is best called funky - I don't think it's seen more that a little lick of paint since the wall came down, but the food is great and they're rightly proud of it. The menu, which included a blackpudding ravioli as well as more traditional German dishes, is changed daily and the food is all prepared market-fresh each day.
Dinner for three including a couple of drinks each was just over 60 euros. Cheap by UK standards - you can barely eat at Pizza Express for that - but there was nothing cheap about the food or the standard with which it was cooked. Service was great with the waiter (who may also have been the owner) taking real time to explain what was on the menu and how it was prepared. I asked what he'd recommend and he seemed genuine when he promised it was all good. Ralf and Karli each had pork - Spanferkelkeule mit Rosmarin gebraten auf Bohnengemüse und Annakartoffeln mit Livarot und Kümmel - which they said was really good too. I'd have been tempted by that too, if I hadn't had pork at the "family meal" - the staff meal thrown in the back room of the place where we've been working today. Even that basic meal was really pleasant - pork in a light cream sauce with gnocchi and a small salad - and a far cry from the basic sandwich I'd probably have enjoyed in a similar situation back home. Ok, it's a familiar refrain - and in many ways I appreciate the growth in food culture we've seen in the UK - but it's always a shock to travel and see just how well some cultures can take for granted when it comes to eating.
It was a foodie night, with Karli regaling us with tales of her boyfriend Alex's creations - and enormous knife collection (he's a chef, not just a kitchen poseur like me!)
Overall, Oderquelle comes highly recommended and I'll look forward to going back again.
www.oderquelle.de
You ate Bambi!!! :O
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