Village Market, Neue Heimat, Berlin

    

Berlin, a city with a spirit that nurtures and encourages new ideas and where the sky’s the limit when it comes to creativity. There are a lot of young people starting their own business and the use of abandoned places to do this is quite common. The Neue Heimat venue does the same, turning an old railway station in Friedrichshain into an urban meeting space where you can enjoy concerts and eat some really good street food.

I went there a few weeks ago to visit the Ber­lin Vil­lage Mar­ket which is held every Sunday. A street food mar­ket with all sorts of global food like Pad Thai, hamburgers, Bao burgers, Wiener schnitzels and much more. With the winter making it’s entry I felt like eating some nice, warming food. And what’s better comfort food than a good mac ‘n cheese accompanied by some tender, juicy whiskey ribs? Eating this deliciousness while listening to some live music and watching all the people enjoying their food made this the perfect hang out for a grey Sunday afternoon. This is exactly what I expected Berlin to be like: relaxed, creative, inspiring, unpredictable and unpretentious. According to quite some people I spoke to, all of Berlin is this buzzing in summer. I’ll definitely go back..

Check Neue Heimat’s website for upcoming events. Seems like there are a lot of good things going on this time of year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picknick, Rotterdam

Burrata with roasted pumpkin, lentils and a concentrated tomato dressing

Yoghurt with fresh fruit and spiced honey

Acai bowl with dried fruit, fresh fruit and home-made granola

Burrata with roasted pumpkin, lentils and a concentrated tomato dressing

Sandwich with fenugreek cheese, San Daniele, mustard mayo and beetroot cress

Beetroot cress and a home smoked salmon sandwich with avocado and lemon mayo

Sourdough bread

Barley porridge with apricot vanilla compote, coconut and cinnamon crumble

Some people who know me might think I cannot give an objective opinion about Picknick but I can assure you I already fell in love with this place before I fell in love with the owner. I’ve been a big fan since the beginning when I already used Picknick as a social hang-out every Tuesday afternoon, eating scones with my friends. The scones never left the menu but I’ve found some new favorites like the home smoked salmon sandwich, the soft-boiled eggs with truffle mayonaise and the healthy acai bowl with fresh fruit and homemade granola. The best feel good and healthy food of Rotterdam.

Picknick

Open daily from 8 am – 4.30 pm

Mariniersweg 259, Rotterdam

Sugar Hill, Arnhem

Antipasti plate

 

Chicken liver parfait with marinated figs

I have to admit, Arnhem is not a city I regularly visit. I think it was more than 13 years since the last time. I was there reuniting with a summer love which obviously didn’t turn out very well and for some reason I never got back. Last summer I had to go there for work and decided to spend the night there. All people I spoke to told me to go to Sugar Hill, a restaurant/bar in the fashion district. This district full of creative, original shops and ateliers with a lot of hand-made items made it a good walk to Sugar Hill. Even though it’s known for its burgers I was more in the mood for the antipasti plate. Normally, only available for 2 but the friendly staff made a plate just for me and together with the delicious chicken liver parfait it was perfectly enough. The rest of the menu sounded appealing, so next time I’ll take my real love to go for the real deal.

Mast Brother’s, New York

Before I went to New York everyone told me to visit the Mast Brothers. Being a girl (meaning chocoholic) they got my curiosity up and so I visited the chocolate factory in Williamsburg. The tasting plates made my Dutch heart beat a little faster and trying the Papua New Guinea chocolate made me feel like I found the golden ticket. After floating for a while and getting back on the ground again I instantly bought 3 three bars of this intense, smoky, bacon-y chocolate. The description on the wrapper: After harvest, these beans are uniquely smoked. This post-fermentation process imparts incredible flavor; think hickory smoked bacon and aged scotch. Hmmm… love…  Living above the Mast Brothers factory sounds like a dream to me but is reality for the guy above. Once a week he’s treating himself with something from the store downstairs. Coming down barefooted like he’s in his own living room made me have the same jealous feelings his dog must have had waiting outside.Good news! You can buy the chocolate online on mastbrothers.com but if you happen to be in New York, go. It doesn’t all only taste exquisite the whole place looks pretty good and it’s nice to take a peek into te making process. Mast Brothers 111 N 3rd St, New York Open every day