Cafe V's chickpea polenta, a delicious island in a sea of creamy curry sauce, neighbors an island of almond raisin spinach; the traveler will not be disappointed with these exotic delights -- both will be devoured by even the most relaxed of visitors within seconds, after which the sea itself can be blotted out with the use of the tender, piping hot bruschetta-in-the-center bread provided.
Seriously, this meal, enjoyed one sunny morning in Prussia's once-capital was one of the most wonderful I've had the pleasure of sampling. From my seat outside I could see Tanne B, the ice cream spot mentioned in the previous post, and a street over awaited Veni Vidi Vegi, an all-vegan grocery store. Cafe V serves fish despite calling themselves vegetarian, which means they must've not been paying attention in Biology class when fish were grouped in Kingdom Animalia, but their vegan offerings prove they can stick to definitions quite marvellously in some respects -- their generous selection will delight any herbivore with a palate. (The staff is also very friendly: when I asked the server about a vegetable I didn't recognize, he brought me a slice of it to sample.)
Lausitzer Platz 12
Berlin 10997
+49 30 612 45 05
Maja's Deli is an adorable little all-vegan spot in Prenzlauer Berg, actually a few streets away from Hans Wurst (from the previous post). They offer two different warm dishes every day with your choice of grains and an optional salad, and a la carte sandwiches, salads, and wraps; but really it's all to showcase a magnificent, ever-renewing selection of desserts.
Chocolate truffles, brownies, cookies, muffins, tarts, and cakes are on constant rotation. The first time I came for lunch, three different hot'n fresh delectables were brought out all before I could finish my meal (and I eat fast). So I sampled a lot. Then a week later I returned, and sampled some more. I still only tried a tiny portion of what they had on display; but not to fret -- I'll be back.
The two hot-dish options are generally one white-creamy and one tomato-y, I went for the white-creamy both times; you get a choice of grains, too, rice or barley -- bring on the barley! Both of these went above and beyond expectations. It's simple fare, but I would be perfectly content eating this every lunch for the rest of my life.
The rhubarb muffins were brought out moist and hot, so I had to try them (I've a certain soft spot for rhubarb, I used to eat it raw out of a friend's garden as a child; sometimes her grandmother made a sweet soup out of it too). There may've been cinnamon involved and some fruit. They were good, not mindblowing, though. The bits of rhubarb inside helped. Here, have an unnecessary picture of its innards:
Then there were these huge cookies, bigger than my face, and I had to try them. This is some sort of sugar-nut something. (+) huge; (-) rather dry. I've made infinitely moister, more flavorful cookies and I've only ever made three batches in my life (so far; just you wait, though! I think I'll model some cookies on here soon). Dryness and muted flavor were kind of an issue with the muffin, too. Next time I'll stick to the cakes.
Blueberry cheesecake and mandarin chocolate crumble creme tart. The mandarin cake was much better than the muffin and cookie, not anywhere near as good as the blueberry, though. That thing was everything a blueberry cheesecake should be. Soft and creamy, the sauce just the right amount of sweet with a playful note of tart.
So if you're in the neighborhood, sit down on a cute blue barstool with a bowl of creamy-vegetables-and-barley and a slice of blueberry cheesecake. It'll make your day.
Pappelallee 11
10437 Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, Germany
+49 30 48494851
Next post finishes off Berlin with a display of the hauls at Veni Vidi Vegi and more desserts from around the capital, then after a quick detour through a few more German towns, across the channel to England we go! If you thought Berlin was filled with vegan goods, your mind is about to be boggled.
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