Bagel, Coffee & Culture

Breakfast in Berlin Never tasted so good

Breakfast and I have always been on an eat-because-it's-necessary basis. I'm usually not adventurous at all and I have 2 breakfast combinations that I eat, invariably: My standard breakfast, which consists of 1 soft boiled egg, 1 homemade fruit smoothie, and 1 cup of Jasmine green tea - or my hangover special, which consists of 2 over-easy eggs, 3 strips of bacon or turkey sausage, pancakes with whipped cream, strawberries, & maple syrup (If I'm in Germany I have a brötchen (bread roll) with jam and butter on one half and cream cheese on the other half) and of course, a cup of green tea & a fruit smoothie or fresh squeezed orange juice. I never deviate from those two breakfast choices, so I was a bit apprehensive when Kahlil found a new breakfast place in Kreuzberg on our last trip to Berlin. I decided to give it a shot & I'm definitely glad I did. I learned that breakfast didn't have to include egg and it's never too early in the morning to eat avocado cream.

Bagel, Coffee & Culture (Berlin)

The cafe is owned by two brothers, Rodi & Erhan. And although they say they are "two brothers devoted to the culture of coffee, they make some damn good food. So good that I had a second portion of my order and we went there every day that we were in Berlin. 

I had a toasted bagel with roasted turkey breast, avocado cream, and rucola (arugula), a cup of green tea, and a large glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Aneesha, my friend who was visiting from California, had a plain bagel with butter and jam. The men at our table opted for the Londoner; a toasted bagel with a sunny side-up egg, bacon, and cream cheese. We all thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast and Rodi was very accommodating of our special requests. We're not sure where he was from, but we guessed he was from France and really enjoyed his accent, especially his pronunciation of bacon as beck-an. 

The cafe's decor is the perfect example of the effortless, hip and modern mix-match of materials that is Berlin. Old wooden movie theater seats line the walls and table tops made out of single slabs of reclaimed wood sit atop sturdy legs of black steel. It's the kind of place where you want to sit and take in the city while working on your next novel or simply reading the newspaper. It's a moment of stillness in the constant motion that is Berlin. 

I don't drink coffee but Rodi was keen to show me the espresso machine, which was an absolute monster of a machine.  La Marzocco is known for making some of the best and most expensive espresso machines in the world and the one situated on the coutertop of Bagel Coffee Culture is no exception. Each La Marzocco espresso machine is hand crafted in Florence, Italy, and at 10.000 €, the espresso machine is probably the most expensive piece of equipment in the whole cafe. The love of coffee and making a damn good cup of it, is what drives Rodi & Ehran and it's working for them. They are currently working on opening a second Bagel & Coffee Culture just a few steps away from the current location. The new space will be much larger than the current one and is now under construction. 

All photos were taken by Lexie

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The Verdict

Everything about Bagel, Coffee & Culture was great. The only thing that could be improved a tiny bit is the atmosphere. It's right on a busy street and there was construction taking place when I visited so there was scaffolding everywhere. It's also pretty small so when you're sitting with a group of people it's pretty difficult to maneuver in and out of your seat if you need to get out for a smoke or bathroom break. But that's just nitpicking. It was super. You should pass by if you're in Berlin. Tell Rodi, Lexie says hi and to get someone to help him with downloading the pics. ;-)

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Location

Adresse: Mehringdamm 66, 10961 Berlin                      Tel.: 030/65218825
Rodi: 015224107895
Erhan: 017622689203

Hours

Unsere Öffnungszeiten/ Opening hours:
Mo-Fr: 8 bis 20 Uhr und    Sa: 9 bis 20 Uhr                So: 10 bis 20

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Bangkok

More than Tuk Tuk's, temples, & Pad Thai

Of course Thailand is more than the beautiful beaches, full moon parties, and the various red light districts; it's also the food. Oh my God, the food! Where do I begin? I love it all, well 80% of it, which means I love it. I love everything from Massaman chicken curry to any form of protein served in a soy-Thai-basil sauce. I could devour a whole fried red snapper served with  spicy chili fish sauce - bones and all, and still be ready for another one, so when I got the chance to visit Bangkok on behalf of uberding for the German film, Fack Ju Göte 2, there was no hesitation. I'm was in. On my first day in Bangkok, I was pleased to discover a local restaurant called Northeast. Northeast is located directly in the center of Bangkok near Lumpini park. It's a small restaurant with about 30 seats. At lunch time, it's filled with local business people grabbing a quick bite on their lunch breaks. I snuck in right before the lunch rush & it was well worth it. The food was just as tasty as it looked in the pictures on the menu and the prices were even better. Whenever you visit a foreign country, go local whenever possible. It's better for your budget & the food is usually more authentic than anything you could find in a tourist trap or a fancy, westernized, restaurant. 

All photos were taken by Lexie

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The Verdict

Northeast was the perfect spot to grab a bite after just arriving in Bangkok. I have absolutely no complaints. Everything was delicious and authentic. The service was warm, welcoming, and efficient. 

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Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Location

Soi Sala Daeng 1, Rama 4 Road, | Silom Subdistrict, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand    Phone:+66 2 633 8947

Hours

11:00 AM – 4:00 AM Daily

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Nido

Mexican comfort food at its best

As the weather gets colder in Stuttgart & every moment of sunshine reminds me of California, I cant help but think about my favorite comfort foods.  Being a California girl, Mexican cuisine offers some of my favorite comfort foods & right now I'm dreaming about carne asada tacos (steak tacos), guacamole and chips, and a nice cold beer from Nido. 

One of the good things about having foodie friends is knowing that you can trust their recommendations, and I know I can trust Myesha. She's been my friend for over a decade and I love her because she's awesome - No seriously, she's awesome! She's a social activist and an all around good person. She's working and literally influencing communities, policy, and doing the stuff the rest of us share on facebook. Since I moved to Germany & she moved back to her hometown, Oakland, we don't see each other or speak often because of the time difference (9 hrs), but nothing changes. She's one of the only people who I trust wholeheartedly, & by now, she knows not to mess with me when it comes to my food - especially since I gave her a good tongue lashing after a previous visit to Oakland to celebrate my birthday. If you want to hear the story of my disastrous birthday trip, request it in the comments section. This time around, she really paid attention to how serious the dining experience is to me and she delivered on multiple occasions.

Nido

The staff is friendly and the food is fresh and good - really good. Nido satisfies my culinary needs when it comes to Mexican food. If you've ever eaten a good slow-cooked Barbacoa steak taco, then I don't need to explain it to you; if you haven't eaten one, there's still plenty of time left - find a good Mexican restaurant and eat one now! 

Nido is located in the Jack London/Warehouse District, a more industrial part of Oakland, and is definitely worth a visit. The architecture of the restaurant is a quaint blend of industrial elements and rustic decor. It's right off the 880 Fwy (freeway), so it's conveniently located. In addition to the restaurant, Nido also provides catering for local businesses and private events. They have a variety of options for meat eaters, like myself, but also cater to vegetarians. Everything at Nido's is cooked fresh daily. Myesha and I went there for Brunch on a Saturday afternoon. If you love authentic Mexican food, it's definitely a must visit. 

I often judge how good a Mexican restaurant is based on their guacamole and chips or flour tortillas, and the guacamole at Nido's has the three things I love in  good guacamole: flavor, texture, and authenticity. I couldn't stop eating it. It was creamy-velvety-yummy goodness. Just writing about it makes me die inside, just a little bit. It's winter in Germany now and just the thought of this guacamole makes me wanna hop on the next plane and gorge myself on chips, guacamole, salsa, steak tacos and pints of beer. No to mention, the foundation of every great taco is the tortilla and Nido's corn tortillas are handmade and so delicious. Myesha had the Huarache de Carne Asada con Chorizo, which looked amazing, but I follow 2 strict rules: 

1. No eggs after breakfast. (breakfast time is between 6a.m. & 12 noon for me)

2. Egg whites and egg yolks cannot be mixed together before cooking. NO SCRAMBLE! Blame it on my maternal grandmother for forcing me to eat scrambled eggs. (yuck! That experiment didn't end well ;-))

Huarache de Carne Asada con Chorizo

I had the slow-braised beef tacos with Mexican rice and pinto beans and washed it down with a craft beer or two. 

Barbacoa slow-braised steak tacos

Cheers

Myesha had a Bloody Mary to start, followed by a tequila flight with the meal. I drink beer and wine almost exclusively, so I can't give you a verdict on the Bloody Mary or the tequila flight, but judging from Myesha's response, it was good - damn good. 

Tequila flight

Good service

Love birds love Nido too

Nido

All photos were taken by Lexie

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The Verdict

Our overall experience at Nido was good, but the service could be improved. We ordered drinks while we were waiting for a table to be free & the waitress forgot our drinks the whole time we were waiting, which was about 30-40 minutes. Also, when we were seated, even though we ordered drinks first, our appetizer was delivered before the drinks. The atmosphere is cozy but the tables are small, especially the tables for two, so it can feel a little cramped. We lost a tequila flight in the war for table space; one small movement and tequilla was all over the floor.  But space is at a premium in the SF Bay area and I'm more than willing to sacrifice a little table space for some good Mexican comfort food. For a guide to our rating system, click here.

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Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Location

Jack London / Warehouse District

444 Oak St. Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 444-6436

Hours

Lunch

11am-3pm Tuesday-Friday
With Happy Hour 3pm-6pm

Dinner

5pm-9:30pm Tuesday-Thursday
5pm-10:30pm Friday & Saturday

Brunch

10am-3pm Saturday & Sunday
Happy Hour 3-6pm Saturday

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How German Juice Reviews work

BECAUSE YOU DESERVE TO EAT WELL, DRINK GOOD BEER, & HAVE GREAT SERVICE

We don't use stars, we use beers when it comes to our rating system. 1 beer is equavalent to 1 star. Restaurants are rated based on the following 4 criteria: food, service, value & atmosphere. Each criteria is divided into 5 specific categories. Restaurants earn 1 beer per category. 5 is the highest amount of beers a restaurant can obtain in each category.

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Food

1. Quality - Are the ingredients fresh? Are they cooked properly? 
2. Flavor/taste - Is the dish well balanced & seasoned?  
3. Authenticity - Are the dishes authentic? 
4. Menu  - Does the menu accurately represent the dishes being served? Does it fit the theme of the restaurant?
5. Presentation - Does the food look appetizing? Is the smell enticing?

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Service

1. Greeting - Were you greeted & acknowledged upon entering the restaurant?
2. First contact - Was your waiter pleasant, welcoming, & clean?
3. Demeanor of Staff - How was your overall experience with each member of the staff? Were they pleasant and helpful?
4. Timing - How long did it take for you to be seated? How long did it take for your order to be taken? How long did it take for your meal to be served? Was every guest in your party served each course at the same time? Was each course delivered in a timely manner?
5. Efficiency- Was your waiter prompt? Did your waiter check back to make sure that your order was correct or to refill drinks, water, etc? Was the waiter organized? How does the wait staff and restaurant deal with special requests?

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Value

1. Service - Was the level of service received adequate for the type of restaurant and amount of money spent at the establishment.
2. The meal - Was the meal worth what was paid for it? 
3. Location - Was the restaurant clean, well maintained, and worth the cost of dining in the restaurant? 
4. Revisit - Would you return to the restaurant again?
5. Overall Experience - Was the overall experience positive and money well spent or was it a waste of time & money?

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Atmosphere

1. Decor - Was the decor of the restaurant appealing?
2. Lighting - Was the lighting complimentary? 
3. Welcoming - Does the staff create a welcoming atmosphere or is it stiff & uptight? 
4. Acoustics - Were the acoustics in the restaurant favorable? was the background music too loud to have a conversation? Was there proper insulation installed to allow guests to engage in conversations at their tables without having to yell?
5. The vibe - Was it lively & bustling with lots of activity from happy diners or was it a ghost town with dust on the tablecloth?

Welcome to German Juice

THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO THE LOVE OF GOOD FOOD, GREAT SERVICE, & GERMAN BEER

Earlier this year when I decided to start German Juice, I had already bought the domain years before, but I kept putting it off. I fiddled around with the design of the site for months. I kept taking photos of my experiences eating out & cooking, but even with a good deal of content I still hesitated. Like so many of you, I had a lot of things that I wanted to do but I kept procrastinating. I kept waiting for the perfect moment - the perfect design. My friends, Mia & Thies from the populer German blog uberding, gave me a special edition gift box of Warsteiner beer to encourage me. The following year they gave me another sampler of different beers on my birthday. By now, you've probably figured out that I love beer, especially German beer. My husband pushed me & encouraged me every step of the way. Finally, Mia & Thies told me that I should just put it out and make changes later, but the most important thing is to just get it out. 

The day is finally here. The blog is out and I learned a huge lesson throughout this process: stop waiting. Stop waiting on the things you’re passionate about. Stop operating out of fear, anxiety, or whatever else may be hindering you. Just do it. Whatever you want to accomplish, just go for it. Thank you to my friends and family for kicking my ass. Life isn’t perfect. It’s full of peaks and valleys - it’s full of ups and downs, bends and curves, and you’re bound to make a few wrong turns along the way, but the things you learn along the way make you stronger and it's worth. Don’t let anything stop you, even if that thing is “you.” I hope you enjoy the blog as much as I enjoyed creating it for you. On behalf of myself and team German Juice, we hope to have lots of great moments with you - moments filled with good food, lots of laughter and plenty of German beer. (the other drinks aren't too bad either ;-)

Click here to meet the team.