Categories
foooood in germany

berlin burger international

it’s this tiny place in the corner of sonnenallee with pannierstr. you order on the counter and wait for them to howl your name while trying to secure a place in the few biergarten tables outside on the sidewalk. your eyes wander hungrily up and down the table, to the neighbour’s plates. these are grown-up burgers, they slip from their hands and squirt ketchup everywhere as they try to eat them, an inevitable mess in the making. you smile in anticipation and wait some more while you watch the passers-by and briefly consider moving to this street. there’s that croissant place, the cakes place, the paleo place, the turkish market around the corner… pretty neat street, not bad at all.

you’re pulled out of your reverie when a strange sounding version of your name is shouted from inside. a few heads turn, eyebrows knitted. was it their name? nah, you’ve been here long enough, it’s probably yours. so you stride in, grab the bounty and plenty of napkins. just look, aren’t they a beauty? so you pull back your sleeves, press the bun into the burger with both hands, close your eyes and dig in.
every bite is like a blast of flavours in your mouth. the veggies, the meat, the sauces. it’s… really intense, and you’re torn between enjoying it slowly or inhaling it with superhuman speed.

after the first couple of times you’ve learned to drop the fries and soda… tempting as they might be, your taste buds can’t handle that much stimulation in a meal. just the burger is just right, and it ends all too quickly. now where did you put those napkins?

berlin burger international

berlin burger international
pannierstr. 5
12043 berlin – neukölln

open monday through saturday, 13h-23h

Categories
foooood in china

moon river diner

some people have asked what do i eat everyday here in china, so i think a series of posts on “what can you eat in shanghai?” are in order. a brief disclaimer:

1. if you’d like to find out how dogs, cats or rats taste, you’ll find the series disappointing… the strangest thing i ate here were frog legs – completely by mistake (no menu translation available and the dish looked like chicken on the picture…)

2. i do eat chinese food most days, at lunch, when i have someone to help me order it. i have a few favourites which i’ll try to cover. mostly though, shanghai is such a big and international city that we don’t feel the need to stick to noodles and rice. i hope i can show you why.

3. i’m not being paid to do this.

that said, meet moon river diner!

at moon river diner

moon river diner is a an american style restaurant with a very typical/cliché look-and-feel, hearty burgers, maccaroni and cheese, tacos and salads, apple pie, sundaes, all day breakfast (pancakes, waffles …), bottomless mugs of coffee, smoothies and lemonade! isn’t it just like in the movies?

ah, and there’s even a jukebox and a popcorn stand – popcorn is served as the appetiser for the meal.

we came around for today’s dinner, i ate the waffle breakfast (with fruit, egg and ham or maple syrup) and paulo had the mushroom burger (with hash browns and salad). here are the obligatory pics, which you can click for larger:

mushroom hamburger   waffle!

our diner :)   the jukebox!

they were absolutely delicious and decadent. :)

nice bonuses:
* the service is cool and the waiters don’t “hover” you.
* the music is ok (nice volume and selection) as long as you don’t sit too near the stairs, where one can hear the music from upstairs as well as the one from the floor where you are :S
* they have wireless – it isn’t terribly fast, but it works.
* the place is huge but quite cozy, with a deli on the ground floor (sandwiches, bread, etc), and a sort of bar/lounge on the last floor. i heard it has a patio, but i’ve never been there.

so there you go, this is the place we go when we feel like pretending we’re in the states. :)

moon river diners' menu

info:
moon river diner (jingan)
66,77 yuyao lu, near xikang lu
the new factories, building #1