Berlin Reified | Food, design and life in Berlin

Stockholm notes

For myself and perhaps for you, before I forget, some notes from the journey.

Rosendals Trädgård, Rosendals Trädgård, Rosendals Trädgård! This biodynamic farm houses a cafe across three greenhouses, and we were lucky enough to try the wintertime lunch buffet. I seldom taste such intelligence in food, least of all in buffet offerings, but each bite -- of pickled romanesque broccoli and red onions, of gratinéed crab apple halves -- taught me something. Back a day later, we luxuriated in the spiced carrot cake. // Did you know there was a Swedish Muji? How happy I was to stumble across Granit, where I promptly located the rucksack of my dreams, a gray sweatshirt I'll live in this winter, and a black-and-white striped scarf that will let me pretend I am a Stockholmer. // Two mornings I walked through the predawn chill to Brunkebergs Bageri at opening time. I bought a cardamon bun fresh off the tray, steaming, and peeled off strand after buttery strand, watching the baker's thoughtless dance of flouring, slicing and sliding his loaves. // And yes, how strange to taste the spices of my childhood in such unfamiliar places! Cardamon speckled the chocolate cookies at Rosendals too, and at Vette-Kattan I was moved to delight by the gaudy yellow of the saffron bun, easily equal to the burfis of Maharashtrian functions long past. // The food at the Moderna Museet cafe is nothing spectacular but the view is exalting, and with free refills on the coffee, it's a lovely place to idle for an afternoon, writing. // Swedish is close enough to German that you can make it out if you squint, so I couldn't resist the Rosendals Trädgård cookbook. Wish me luck with my first attempt, a creamy chocolate orange cake.

London treats

London will fade if I'm not quick so let me just note for myself and and perhaps for you a few gems that I was led to or stumbled upon in our brief stay in London.

Such a delight to meet Tamami at Broadway Market and try one of her brownies and a slice of chocolate cake after following her adventures on her blog for some months! And I couldn't take my eyes off the fudge display at a stall further down: pictured above is one of the more lurid examples. Now I'm daydreaming of doing something similar in Berlin // One could do worse than pop into Ping Pong Dim Sum to grab a quick bite and go to the bathroom and marvel at the sterile, friendly charm of it all (nothing like it in [my] Berlin) before buying sandwiches at A. Gold then finishing the extravagence with espressos at Market Coffee House. // I bought S two cunning jars of yogurt and a basket of blueberries at La Fromagerie and she was in heaven. // There must be few nicer ways to enjoy a crisp, radiant London evening than protected by the glass roof in the Wallace Collection's courtyard, watching a beloved friend dance in her white dress. // And Tommy was quite right to include Fortnum & Mason on her list. Watching the women clad in green linen lunch in the first-floor ice cream parlor was heaven, and we've been enjoying our smoky Earl Grey every day since we returned.

Was there more? There was: I will add it if I remember.

A. Gold's British Delicatessen (London Notes)

You'll be unsurprised to hear Tommy's Lo-Fi London guide was spot on. On the Stansted Express bound for Liverpool Street Station I pulled out my print-outs and after a moment squinting at the map it was clear we had to go to A. Gold's immediately. When we stepped into the shop I breathed a sigh of relief: Lovely to enter a place so utterly of its destination. A. Gold's is a dream of England, all neatly hand-printed signs and cake stands and boiled sweets in old packaging. Yet while the food in such places can taste faintly dusty -- the product of owners more attuned to a concept than the kitchen's work -- A. Gold's selection was pitch-perfect. The crunchy sweet whipped egg whites in the lemon meringue cake gently collapsed beneath a dense layer of sponge, and the sourdough baguettes had just the right chewiness. We enjoyed our sandwiches so much we returned for more before leaving for the airport. They were all out of bread but let us persuade them to make sandwiches from the heels because we were so disconsolate at the prospect of making do with Marks & Spencer Simply Food. You cannot go wrong with their egg mayonnaise mixture, which I liked so much I bought cress yesterday to make my own.

Stay tuned for a few more London highlights!

Back

Erp, I really didn't intend to vanish without a syllable of explanation yet once more; blame strep throat and the fact that the wireless was down at our hostel in London. Here an outtake as a way of saying I'm back; more very very soon.

Suburbia ade

Frantic packing and my clingy baby must take precedence over a proper post. Readers and friends, you'll hear more from me in a few days once I'm back in Berlin. (Yes, the posts over the past fortnight have been me catching up with my notes!)

Brodowin (Day trips from Berlin)

With the weather so fine and the days so long, I have begun dreaming about escaping the city. Inspired by the charming line drawings on my bottles of organic milk, I went to Brodowin with friends last fall, and was wowed by what an idyll it was. Far less geared to Berlin daytrippers than I had expected, Brodowin has refreshingly few dining options, inspiring us to cook up feasts in our holiday flat using Brodowin produce and fresh eggs from the chickens in the back garden.

Scotland highlights

 

I'm lucky to have in-laws who live a ten-minute walk from the beach pictured above. Our recent visit to Scotland's northeast coast was full of quiet charms. Most tourists dawdle in Edinburgh and Glasgow or head straight for the West Coast and the Hebrides, but Moray is definitely worth the detour. I've stolen a leaf from Heidi's book and done a brief round-up below.

Moray highlights: We were greeted by a line of lowing Aberdeenshire Angus cows when we turned into the car park of the Kinloss Farm Shop. The wide array of cakes and slices are all homemade. // Elgin's High Street is slowly dying, but a few gems remain. Gordon & MacPhail is an encyclopedia of whiskies, and its shelves are also laden with sweet treats, including Huntly Herbs' organic raspberry jam. // For kitchenware, MacKenzie & Cruickshank in Forres is fantastic. Can you imagine how thrilled I am to finally own pudding basins? // The Burghead Snack Shack, with its bacon butties grilled to order, is kind of incredible. // The Loft is located down a winding country road. Their nut cutlet (despite that unpromising name) is the best vegetarian main course David's had in ages. // Meanwhile, the Kimberley Inn in Findhorn offers a cozy fireside and stunning views over Findhorn Bay. The beer batter for their fried fish is crisp and flavorful. // Afterwards, you might go to the Blue Angel down the road for a slice of organic almond chocolate cake and a cup of tea. // Wester Lawrenceton's Caerphilly and sweet-milk cheeses are stunning. You can find them at Gordon & MacPhail's or at Elgin's monthly farmers' market. // The Harbour Lights in Lossiemouth brings a Slow Food sensibility to their freshly prepared dishes made from mostly local ingredients. // The Allarburn Farm Shop has the smartest jute bags I've ever seen along with crowdie and locally-made sticky toffee pudding. // And just drop me a line if you're planning a visit and would like to know more!

Edinburgh highlights: I needed at least two hours to look at everything very carefully at Edinburgh's Farmers' Market in Castle Terrace. Favourites included the hog roast, the lamb burgers, Valvona & Crolla's sourdough bread, and the Puddledub bacon. // Sasha loved the rattling plates in the Dean Gallery cafe, while I was partial to the fruit scones. The Redpath room (part of the Four Scottish Painters exhibit) is fantastic.

Home (A journey through Scotland)

The above was taken on the train from Edinburgh to Elgin in the still-grey Cairngorm Mountains of Grampian. Lovely to be away, but lovely to be back! More on Scotland in the next day or two...

Off to Scotland!

We're off to Scotland very very early this morning. I'll see what the Internet facilities are like at Burghead library, but don't be cross if I don't return till mid-March.

Moments along Rockville Pike