Dinner and cocktails at Solar, Berlin

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On the plane from London to Berlin I asked the woman in the seat next to recommend a nice bar in to me, and thanks to her Emma and I ended up in this fabulous restaurant and sky lounge in Kreuzberg.

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The restaurant was really nice and although we had booked a late table (that was all that s available) they could fit us in around 7.30pm, which was great as we were already starving.

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After ordering prosecco we received this lovely bread basket with thick still warm slices of dark and white bread, a grassy olive oil and a sweet potato crème.

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Emma loved her cod with chickpeas, leek, pickled lemons and smoked fish broth and a side of creamed spinach.

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I had fregola pasta, which I’ve never had before. It’s little pearls of pasta from Sicily that looks very much like giant couscous but is a little chewier. It was prepared like a risotto and was served with coppa ham, salted almond’s, olives, lamb’s lettuce and soft goat’s cheese. Delicious!

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After dinner we walked up to the sky bar with great views over the city and had cocktails and prosecco.

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Solar, Stresemanstrasse 76, 109 63 Berlin, Germany 

Lunch at Lutter & Wegner, Berlin, Germany

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After a long walk through a sunny Berlin on Saturday, Emma and I were ravenous by the time we saw some restaurants near Gendarmenmarkt. Most other cities have restaurants and cafés scattered everywhere but in Berlin they were a little harder to find if you wanted to avoid the real tourist traps. But around Gendarmenmarkt and off of Kurfürstendamm here are a few clusters of restaurants, so we’re glad we found them.

I had read about Lutter & Wegner while doing my research and it lived up to its expectations. The menu is German with some other influences. The service was great, the interior is cosy and the food really good.

Emma had a Caesar salad with large prawns which was nice and substantial and looked really fresh. I went a bit more local with a Wienerschnitzel serves with potato and cucumber salad. The schnitzel was huge but very flat and tender and the salad was delicious too. We both had a glass of wine each with our lunch, both matched with our food by our knowledgeable waiter and the recommendations were spot on. After having refuelled in such a nice way we were ready to continue our long walk in the sun.

Lutter & Wegner, Charlottenstraße 56, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Berlin in pictures

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Berlin was quite different to what I expected, but Emma and I had a fabulous time. We enjoyed good food (restaurant reviews in separate posts), laughed A LOT and walked lots taking in the sights.

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On the Saturday we started the day at the Berlin Wall museum for some contemporary history. It was very educational and well worth a visit. After that we walked around for the rest of the day exploring Berlin. The city is a fun fix of old and new, pretty and ugly.

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Emma at The Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe.

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An obligatory tourist picture by Brandenburger Tor.

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Strasse des 17. Juni by Brandenburger Tor.

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Reichstag (the Parliament).

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Modern architecture.

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The river Spree.

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Brandenburger Tor.

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Gendarmenmarkt (Cavalry square) with pretty old buildings.

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Den iconic green man; a little chubbier than the regular one.

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A typical Berlin view; old meets new.

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Die Fernsehenturm (Television tower) which you can spot from anywhere in the city.

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The River Spree.

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Graffiti.

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The Lipstick and the Powder Compact by Kurfürstendamm.

 

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A walking talking sausage stand. I didn’t buy any but they looked and smelled great!