Finally, you wont have to hear me whinge about being tired and time poor all the time because, my dear readers, its holidays! And what better way to celebrate the holidays then with some waffles? When i’ve had a rare moment to unwind i’ve been spending my time reading up on the recipes at Food52 which is where I found a super easy waffle recipe that is perfect for a lazy Sunday morning. Just quietly though, I can’t believe how seriously the Americans take their waffles. The comments under the waffle recipes are insanely detailed and passionate! I also can’t believe how many of them are perfectly willing to use a batter that requires whipped egg whites and resting overnight. This waffle thing is clearly serious business.
Its the weekend. Thank god. For some reason this week has really taken it out of me and all i’ve craved was a sweet, sweet night of deep, deep sleep. But when things get like this, no matter how tired I am, I think that there is nothing that a delicious slice of cake can’t fix. A simple layer cake like this gingerbread cake with cinnamon buttercream is the perfect thing to soothe the soul.
Ok peeps, if you’re following this series via the instagram hashtag #lunchatyourdesk you could be forgiven for thinking that all my lunches now are magically hearty and healthy salads and gourmet sandwiches. Hah! Its all smoke and mirrors! Well, not quite. I have been quite proud of having brought at least a semblance of a healthy lunch to work every day this term (except for the one day that I just couldn’t get my act together and had to run down the street for takeaway. It was awful.). But I have definitely taken some shortcuts. The biggest one being this kinda healthy but also kinda not but definitely unconventional sandwich.
I love apples and generally pack one for recess or lunch most days each week. When I was under the pump and the cupboards were bare of ingredients for a decent sandwich, I thought ‘screw it’ and packed a couple of slices of bread to see where the day would take me.
It took me to a delicious place of sweet apple slices, salty peanut butter and soft, white bread. I know it probably seems weird but if you’re a fan of the sweet/salty combo and you’re pressed for time one day, just go with it. The result is a sandwich of contrasting textures with the soft bread and juicy and crispy apple slices. I had a tangelo too which are in season at the moment and beautifully sweet and juicy (and super easy to peel too!). So, although this one was a bit of a weird lunch at your desk, it did the trick!
Whats the weirdest sandwich combination you’ve had at work or in life in general?
I hate to brag but I really feel as if we won in every aspect of our trip. It was a huge rush to get everything ready before we flew out on the last night of Term 3 but it meant that we slept properly on the flight and seemed to escape the worst of jetlag when we touched down in Berlin. Just to make sure that we were going to sleep properly that night, we decided to go for a walk around the city centre then have a light dinner.
Firstly we took a walk up to the Unter Den Linden to say hello to my good friend Goethe
Then, because I was actually fading pretty fast, we went to the Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz which was quite close to our hotel to have a look around and find somewhere to have dinner. The place was jumping with people because the new Terminator movie was opening in a couple of days and there was a huge set being built for the premiere.
This was a the view from our dinner table.
I did wonder if I would look up from my dessert and see someone materialise, something like this…
but alas, I had to be satisfied with only the food materialising in front of me.
Sigh.
We nabbed a table at Josty which appears in all the guide books and seemed to be doing a roaring trade. It isn’t gourmet but they serve all the stereotypical German food that you want to try in situ and the staff are friendly and accommodating. I particularly liked that they had blankets for all their customers (which unfortunately was necessary despite it being the middle of Summer. Far out Berlin, get your act together!) While it isn’t the original Cafe Josty which was located slightly further away, there is quite a lovely literary and artistic tradition around the restaurant and I may have slipped into a daydream where I was listening to the Grimm brothers discussing their new fairytales. Alas!
Pretzel and Summer Berry Punch
Of course we had to begin with a pretzel slathered with butter! I made hubs join me with a house special punch which was pretty lethal. It may have just been the jetlag but I was definitely feeling pretty good after only one little glass of this stuff!
Pork with Bread Dumpling, Sauerkraut and Mustard Sauce
Weiner with Sauerkraut and Mash
Of course we had the weiner and pork and sauerkraut and all good German things! The meals were both tasty and arrived promptly. Sauerkraut is definitely better in Germany than here in Australia and the mash was nice and creamy. Our waiter was super friendly and talked me into also ordering this…
Apple Strudel with Vanilla Creme Anglaise
Of course I had to have strudel for dessert even though I was absolutely stuffed! I ordered it after speaking to the very persuasive waiter and with the assurance that hubs would help me eat it. Of course that was a lie as I definitely ate it all myself. Does anyone else do that? Order a dessert to share with absolutely no intention of sharing it? Or is that just me… regardless, the strudel was pleasant with lot of stewed cinnamon-y apples and creamy vanilla custard to set it off. I was really surprised at how flaky the pastry was. I know that strudel is supposed to have super thin pastry almost like puff pastry but I think that in Australia we tend to make it much more doughy. When the school holidays finally roll around I will be having a crack at the more traditional strudel as, really, how can that do anything other than help to make the world a better place?
Overall, Josty was a pleasant place for our first meal in Berlin. If you are expecting fine dining then you will be disappointed. But, if you are looking for a cheerful restaurant for some typical German food, you should have a good time!
Cafe Josty Sony Center, Potsdamer Platz, Berlin
Open daily from 8am
