Schwarze Pumpe, Berlin 21.5.2011

Breakfast in Berlin


This experience was one of the highlights in Berlin. Sadly we can't write about all the experiences from Berlin because they weren't that good. But Schwarze Pumpe was!

The weather was amazing in Berlin and that's why we decided to sit outside. The tables outside have self service. The waitress came out to took our orders probably because we were there early and were the first customers.

They serve brunch only on Sundays and it costs 4.50 €. On other mornings they serve breakfast which is the same price. The breakfast menu was wide. They had for example lots of different juices. Pauliina chose Cheese breakfast (4.50) and Mirka chose Vegetarian breakfast (5 €). The portions were huge. Pauliina also ordered some joghurt and mysli. Mirka chose pineapple juice (1.50 €). We both drank cappucino. All together the check was about 17 €.

The quality of the ingredients was good and especially the fruits were very fresh. Bread was warm and cappucinos were good. The vegetarian breakfast included different kind of cheese like feta, blue cheese, brie and pesto, boiled egg, salad, olives and fresh fruits. The cheese breakfast didn't include pesto, egg or olives but had more of variety of cheese. Pesto was incredibly good. Breakfast was a perfect start to a wonderful day!

Overall experience: 9+

Schwarzepumpe

Restaurant Massai, Berlin 20.5.2011

We arrived in Berlin on Friday evening. Our hotel was situated in Prenzlauer Berg and we wanted to have dinner somewhere near to the hotel. We decided to have some African food because there aren't that many African restaurants in Helsinki. We went to the restaurant beforehand and made the reservation for the same evening. The restaurant was full of people when we got there at eight o'clock or actually it was almost half past eight - two finns were a little bit lost in Berlin ;). 

The restaurant had a really cool vibe. The lightning was dim and created a soft and cosy atmosphere. The decoration was cool and well thought out as you can see...

The menu in Massai is broad. There are lots of different dishes to choose from like vegeterian dishes, meat dishes and some more interesting options like zebra, crocodile etc. 

Menu

For appetizer we shared Kurkuma Mandafara. It was a pastry filled with mincemeat served with pineapple-pepper sauce. The starter was great! After the Starter we got 'Greetings from kitchen'. The dish looked beautiful but we didn't like the taste that much. 

Greetings from Kitchen

For main dish Mirka chose ZilZil which was beef with spinach, onions, ginger and red peppers served with plantain and rice. Pauliina chose Sayouva which was lamb with vegetables and couscous. The lamb and the vegetables came in a fantastic sauce. Sauce was tasty and vegetables well cooked. Lamb wasn't that good. 

The food was nothing special. It could have been really good because there were some nice highpoints like the sauces. But Mirkas dish was cold and the vegetables were plain. We were disappointed after reading lots of praises online. But we really enjoyed the cozy athmosphere and the nice decoration. 

Vegetables

The service was ok. Everything worked but it wasn't really special. The staff  was polite and nice.  

Massai is very affordable restaurant. The appertizers were about 4 € and the mains 12 €. There were more expensive options too but most of the dishes were under 15 €. We wouldn't recommend this restaurant for the food but definately for the atmosphere!

Food 7
Atmosphere 9 1/2
Service 8
Price/quality 8

Massai