glimpses of berlin

taken at schaedel & sattler. more about them soon!

due to work, i've been slightly disorganised lately about keeping up with culture in berlin. still hoping to see a film or two at the berlinale film festival (which ends this sunday). in case you don't know, you can also buy tickets at eventim affiliated ticket booths around town to avoid queueing at the main pre-sale counters at potsdamer platz or kino international. they charge an extra 2 euro per ticket, but it is darn handy. also have my eye on the arno fischer show at berlinische galerie.

sgaminegg (revisited)

about high time to revisit sgaminegg, easily one of the nicest cafés in prenzlauer berg if you ask me. you may remember my first post about them, over a year ago. since then, the opening times have changed slightly, a small farmers' market has been initiated just outside its front door (every saturday, 10-16 h). oh, and i had the chance of trying some of their excellent white wines, which they don't just offer by the glass but also sell by the bottle in their small deli section. if you're curious about german and austrian whites (and you should! - don't think sweetly spaetlese or sickly rieslings, but crisp dry whites), you should definitely try them. if you've got more of a sweet tooth, why not try a coffee and some cake or a soft italian macaron, wrapped ever so nicely in white tissue paper.

last time i went, i took my pentax with me and took so many photos i had a hard time choosing. if you like them, find more on my flickr.

oh, and apart from their website, sgaminegg is also represented on facebook.

find it here: seelower straße 2, 10439 berlin (prenzlauer berg), open mon-fri 8.30-18.00h, sat 9.30.00-18.00h, sun closed.

café weltempfaenger

café weltempfaenger is right next door to the flea market on arkonaplatz (the much smaller fleamarket in prenzlauer berg/mitte, compared to the mauerpark, but much better liked by me). handy if you want to have a coffee after your hunting and gathering. only catch: the service there is really slow. i thought i'd better tell you. i still go, 'cause it's so close to the market and i like the place, the interior, the atmosphere. so there.

find it here: weltempfaenger, anklamer str. 27, 10115 berlin, open daily from 9.00 h.

psst.: they do run a small b&b too. book early, if you want to go.

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bar salumeria sigismondo

the bar and salumeria sigismondo is a fairly recent addition to my neighbourhood. the other day, when i was waiting for a roll of film i had processed at the lab on the other side of the street, i stopped by. i had the most delicious plate of pasta with tomato and mozarella - absolutely simple and all the better for it.

although sigismondo's is located in a side street, it's less than a five minutes walk from subway stop schönhauser allee. go for lunch, or have a sandwich or some pastry with a coffee! aren't there some friends you haven't seen in a while and want to catch up with? meet at sigismondo's, you really can't go wrong there.

find it here. bar salumeria sigismondo, kopenhagener str. 6, 10437 berlin (prenzlauer berg), open mon-fri 9.00-19.00h, sat 10.00-18.00h, sun closed. (summer opening will be a bit longer, most probably from 8.00-20.00h - stay tuned!) 

happy birthday, fernsehturm

believe it or not, berlin's television tower on alexanderplatz is turning forty on october 3, 2009. to mark the occasion, tickets sold that day will feature a vintage design and food served at the restaurant will commemorate the historic menu from 1969 (i dread to think what this may mean).

one of berlin's most distinct landmarks is surely worth a visit. if you don't manage to go on the day, do when you get the chance. a little cautionary note though: the service attitude of the staff is a bit on the stroppy side. just put on your zen mindset and you'll be fine. enjoy the view. have some black forest gateau. go late afternoonish and you'll most likely see the most amazing sunset.

did you know...

- that artist tacita dean did a wonderful film set in the tower's restaurant?

- that the tower is nicknamed 'the pope's revenge'? watch out for the cross-shaped shadow appearing on the metal cladding of the tower. the east german party officials are said not to have been delighted.

oh, and one more thing: if you don't fancy queuing for yonks and don't mind shelling out 20 euros, you might want to pre-book VIP tickets via their website.

find it on alexanderplatz, berlin mitte, open march-october daily 9.00-0.00, november-february daily 10.00-0.00, admission: adults 10.00 euro, children up to 16y 5.50 euro, children up to 3 y free entry, VIP ticket 19.50 euro

café oliv

a few weeks back i first saw it briefly mentioned on holgarific (holga photographer matt's fab blog, check it out). since i'm a believer in the credo 'never run out of a good café to go to' i went to take a look. and how lucky that was! café oliv features grey walls, eames chairs, a chunky wooden table, lovingly placed orchids and vases with seabuckthorn - the place just got me as soon as i set my foot over the threshold. you'll be glad to hear that not only the amazing interior makes it well worth a visit, the coffee is pretty awesome too. should you feel peckish, you are spoilt for choice with baked goods. super yummy muffins, savoury tarts - you name it, they sell it. i tried to be good and only had a tiny almond cookie with my flat white. a dream.

the café is conveniently located near hackescher markt or alexanderplatz and if you are willing to take my advice: don't waste your time grabbing a coffee at one of the more touristy places there, but take the 5 minute walk over to café oliv. you won't regret it.

find it here: oliv, münzstr. 8 (münzstr. and almstadtstr.), 10178 berlin mitte, open mo-fri 8.00-19.00, sat 9.00-19.00, from october also open on sundays (check over on their website for times)

cafés in berlin: sgaminegg

thanks so much for hanging in there. it's summer and i'm blogging much less. there's lots of work and the time i have to spare i tend to spend outside. after all, you never know how long it will stay sunny in berlin... thanks for your patience!

last week i spent one of my lunch-breaks at this small café/deli/restaurant in my neighbourhood, which i discovered via berlin reified, a great blog about food and design in berlin. go check it out! 

sgaminegg offers simple dishes with a focus on southern german cuisine (think leberkäs with home-made potato salad), but equally offers a plat du jour like pasta, couscous or soup. you can also stop here for cake, coffee or tea. rather interesting is their small deli section, notably the bread. tuesdays and saturdays you'll get the most delicious loafs of white or sourdough breads. 

since their location is a little off the beaten track (yet less than five minutes from u-bahn and s-bahn stops schönhauser allee), it's not too busy. that may change soon, though. so take your chance and make the most of it. 

find it here: seelower straße 2, 10439 berlin (prenzlauer berg), open tues-fri 8.30-18.00h, sat 9.30-18.00h, sun and mon closed.  

lass uns freunde bleiben

lass uns freunde bleiben (let's stay friends) used to have a companian bar named ruf mich nie wieder an (don't ever call me again), now it's all by itself. that's not a problem though, if you ask me, it's nice enough as it is. the small bar and café is located at choriner straße and zionskirchstraße, close to kastanienallee but away from the buzz. the corner building is unrefurbished, just the way i like it, i hate it when they glitz up these kinds of buildings with bright orange or green paint as they do sometimes.

in the mornings and during the day you could stop by for a coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice and a croissant or a piece of cake or perhaps a sandwich. at night, it tends to be busy, so expect not to find a seat and just mix with the crowd in the often packed bar. since germany has issued its smoking ban in restaurants, clubs and bars, some places have opened up separate rooms where you can still have a fag. this bar, too, has a 'smoker's lounge'. they used to have a pool table at the back as well, i'm not sure if that still exists, forgot to check the last time i was there. 

there are some tables outside on the pavement, too, if you feel like having your coffee out in the sun (just pray for good weather).

find it on choriner str. 12, 10119 berlin (prenzlauer berg), open mon-thurs 8.00-1.00 h, fri 8.00-3.00h, sat 10.00-3.00 h, sun closed.