In September 2020 I was very lucky to spend a few days in Berlin, Germany. The city break was booked before Covid-19 became a pandemic, and the date happened to be when the lull in Covid cases in the UK and Germany were low enough to allow travel.
Each Autumn since 2012 I take a Mother-Daughter city break, often to European countries (Rome, Barcelona, Stockholm, Vienna etc), and once we went further a field to New York (to be covered in another blog sometime). Each trip consists of a luxury hotel, lots of walking, and sweet things!
Here is a guide to what I ate and where.
Day 1
Vapiano: Tiramisu
All good holidays start with a dessert on the first night. We arrived late in the afternoon and walked from the train station along the river Spree to our hotel. Our hotel (The Adlon Kempinski) was a short walk from Potsdamer Platz, which had a variety of restaurants, perfect for when one is tired from traveling. Vapiano is always an easy choice because of the variety of food (I had pizza, Mum had pasta). I heard there was only one tiramisu left, so I ordered it straight away with my main to not miss out! It was small in size but big in flavour. Creamy, chocolatey, and perfectly soaked lady fingers. A good start to the trip.
Day 2
Rausch Schokoladenhaus: Schokoladen Tortchen (chocolate mini-torte) and liquid hot chocolate
The next day we rose early, had a wonderful breakfast, and set out to explore Berlin. We walked along Friedrichstraße, down to Check Point Charlie, then Eastwards to Alexanderplatz. We went up the TV tower for the amazing views before deciding it was time for a treat. Rausch is a chocolate shop downstairs and a cafe upstairs. Dating back to 1918, this establishment is known for its fine chocolates and cakes and continues to be a family business to this day. The cafe sells high quality cakes and hot chocolate. I had the chocolate torte, comprised of a milk chocolate ganache and dark chocolate mousse. I also had a cup of melted pure 70% Ecuador chocolate. The shop was a joy to look around, with it's chocolate sculptures, historical photographs and selection of delectable treats. Pepped up, we were back on our feet to take in the Reichstag Building, Holocaust Memorial and have wander around Tiergarten.
Day 3 (Part 1)
Der Kuchenladen: Chocolate Cherry Mousse Cake
On Day 3 we took the train to Charlottenburg Schloss. I love visiting royal palaces on holiday for the opulence and history. Whilst over the West side of Berlin we went for cake at Der Kuchenladen. Their selection of cakes was vast and they all looked amazing. After pouring over the menu and staring at the cakes for a while, I settled for this chocolate cherry mousse cake. It had a cherry base, thick layer of rich chocolate mousse, topped with cocoa powder and a gold leaf adorned cherry. Rich, dense and very decadent. Powered up, we went shopping on Kurfürstendamm.
Day 3 (Part 2)
Mama Trattoria: Tiramisu
We dined at Mama Trattoria, situated right by the Brandenburger Tor. All week there was a vibrant atmosphere in the area due to the Tor being one of the locations for the Festival of Lights. Mama's tiramisu was similar to Vapiano - a modest portion, served in a glass, and absolutely delicious!
Day 4
The Hotel Adlon Kempinski: Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Gateau)
The day saw us walk along the Berlin wall and take in the art at the East Side Gallery. We ate vegan lunches in the East Side Mall and then headed back to the hotel for tea and cake. The hotel had a few cakes to try but I had to go for the black forest gateau as it is one of my favourites. This gateau was delicious: three layers of chocolate cake, with kirsch cherries and cream. The cream to cake ratio was perfect, it truly was a heavenly slice. My Mum had apple strudel, also very good. Once the cake went down we had a swim in the pool before our final night out.
Day 5
Brammibals Donuts: Tiramisu Donut
It may have been the final day but there was just enough time to fit in one last treat. Brammibals donuts are all vegan and were just a short walk away from my hotel at Potsdamer Platz, though they have other locations. Of course, I had to have the tiramisu donut! My Mum had a cinnamon sugar ring. Both were a lovely, non-greasy dough akin to any non-vegan donuts. The tiramisu had coffee icing and was topped with a whipped cream swirl.
And home we traveled, with minds full of culture and stomachs full of cake. I had spent time researching where to get cakes and chocolates before my holiday, and I'm glad I did as Berlin wasn't the kind of city where you just happen upon somewhere by chance. The biggest challenge was finding somewhere selling vegetarian or vegan food, most places were meat-heavy, and one restaurant even had fish on its margherita pizza!
If you have been to Berlin and have enjoyed these delights, or tried somewhere else, get in touch and let me know, I would love to hear from you!
Lulu x