Burgers in Berlin: #2 Shiso Burger

SHISO BURGER

Located on Auguststrasse 29C, Shisho Burger is an Asian Fusion burger restaurant that has become one of our regular lunch places. Directions here:

Photo by Anne S. / Care of yelp.de

According to the wikipedia, Shiso is the leaf of a Japanese mint plant and here they do combine many asian herbs with the traditional burger. The lemon-chili burger takes the asian fusion one step further by adding a fully flavoured chili sauce to the mix. 

Chili-lemon burger at Shiso (c) MJT

If you are after a full palette of tastes and a satisfying lunch or dinner without over-eating, then I definitely recommend a trip to Shiso Burger. The Angus Beef that is used for the boulette/patties is obviously very high quality, as it is succulent without dripping of fat. Since it is not always easy or cheap to find good quality beef in Berlin, this is a very satisfying yet reasonably priced solution. What is great about this place however, is that vegetarians are equally catered for, and there are multiple burger options, including the "Toad Burger" - Portabello mushroom (essentially a mushroom steak!), "Shiso Burger" - made like a Tuna patty, a "Salmon" and a "Veggie" Burger. 

"Toad Burger" / Portabello Mushroom at Shiso (c) MJT

Shiso Burger have a Mittagsmenu Monday through to Saturday, which for 3€ on top of the normal price of the burger, gives you a drink and house fries. Unfortunately if you want any other variation of the fries it will cost an extra 1,50€ - so in the end the Mittagsmenu "deal" is pretty slack actually. So we often simply share one serving of the sweet potato fries, which have more flavour than the regular house fries. 

Sweet potato fries at Shiso Burger (c) MJT

A unique touch to the already asian fusion burger, is the fact that everything is individually served in bamboo steamers. While aesthetically interesting, we have also noticed how efficient this is at clearing the tables afterwards.

Meal at Shiso Burger (c) MJT

While there is still a fresh and new vibe about this eatery, they already celebrated their first year anniversary and it seems more and more people are aware of how delicious the burgers are, as it is always busy. Conveniently it does not take long to enjoy your meal (a great pit stop or lunch on the go), though the service can fluctuate between being attentive and completely ignored or forgotten about entirely. (Sometimes having to beg to pay...) Oh, and make sure you have cash to pay with (NO CARDS)

Menu Shiso Burger

A little more information can be found at their website: www.shisoburger.de

Itadakimasu / Guten Appetit (c) MJT

Kaffee in Berlin series: #3 Café BRAVO

CAFÈ BRAVO

Located on the very hip street of August Strasse in Mitte, Café BRAVO is situated in the courtyard of KW 69 - an art exhibition space (Kunst Werk).

(C) MJT

We particularly enjoy coming to this cafe for many reasons. 

Firstly the location is very central to the heart of Berlin's Mitte. Close to the intersection of Tucholsky Strasse, near S-Bahn Station Oranienburger Strasse, and only 5 minutes walk to the Northern part of Friedrichstrasse. (Directions here)

Care of KW

Care of KW

Secondly, the Hof (courtyard) is extremely pleasant to sit and enjoy the quiet (off the main street) and on a sunny day, the umbrellas and trees still provide enough relief from the fierce sun.

(C) MJT

(C) MJT

The traditional 19th Century architecture of Kunst-Werk is artfully contrasted by Café BRAVO's modern glass structure - perfect for those winter days in Berlin, fully equipped with magazines for your leisure time. 

Care of www.bravomitte.de

Care of www.bravomitte.de

(C) MJT

And above all we visit for the coffee itself - a smooth, well rounded blend with just the right amount of frothed milk for a cappuccino. Particularly well suited to Melbourne tastes. 

(C) MJT

(C) MJT

An ideal space to visit for an afternoon Kaffee und Kuchen, or a midday soup, panini - or a stop between visiting all the exhibitions at KW. More information of which you can find here: 
http://www.kw-berlin.de and for the Café itself: http://www.bravomitte.de/

(C) MJT

In summary, Café BRAVO comes in at a very, very high recommendation:
Coffee: ★★★★☆
Service: ★★★★☆
Atmosphere: ★★★★★
Recommended Drink: Cappuccino
Price: €2,30
Best Quality: Atmosphere and Peacefulness

Leave a comment if you have visited KW also!
M

Kaffee in Berlin series: #2 The Barn

THE BARN (ORIGINAL)

Situated in the backstreets behind Hackescher Markt in the trendy streets of Koppenplatz and Auguststrasse is the original Barn.
(Directions here) 

Care of http://barn.bigcartel.com

I say the original Barn, because they opened a larger roasting plus tasting shop on Schönhauser Allee, however I deliberately recommend the original.

Care of http://barn.bigcartel.com - Photographer not legible

Only a very small shop, which unfortunately does not allow dogs or prams inside, the footpath accommodates a surprisingly decent number of customers on any given day - however if the sun is shining (a rarity as it is in Berlin), it makes for a very pleasant coffee stop. 

(C) Franklovesellen

A small selection of fresh cakes, biscuits and small lunches are available (at the newer Barn they even make Australian ANZAC Biscuits!!) and as for the coffee, it is very Melbourne style - full flavour but not too strong. 

(C) Franklovesellen

While there are tradition Espresso, Cappucino, etc - my recommendation is for the Cortado - similar to a Melbourne-style Caffee Latte but served in a different glass and slightly smaller. But for €2,20 is stronger than the cappuccino (less milk) and cheaper. 

(C) MJT

(C) MJT

In summary, the Barn comes in at a very high recommendation:
Coffee: ★★★★
Service: ★★★★
Recommended Drink: Cortado
Price: €2,20

(c) Franklovesellen