Qype: El-Dai'a Snack in Berlin

Berlin


I've only ever eaten one thing here, but it's amazing: HUMMUS.
You pay 3eur and are served a warm, made-to-order bowl of delicious hummus along with a pile of chopped veggies and pita bread. It's more than enough for a meal and sooo tasty. I come here all the time!

Check out my review of El-Dai'a Snack - I am insizlane - on Qype

Qype: risotto in Berlin

Berlin - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - European - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - Italian & Pizza


If you're like me and adore the culinary amazingness that is risotto, then this place will be your dream come true.
4 or 5 risotto options make up the menu, all you have to do is choose which scrumptious option to go with--not an easy task! Luckily since I had been craving artichokes and today's cheapest special was an artichoke risotto, my task was made somewhat easier. But I was still tempted by the tomato and broccoli-and-goat-cheese options.
I added a small side salad to my order and loved that the greens and dressing were handed to me in small jars. Plus the dressing was delish.
For that and my risotto I ended up paying about 7eur, which is not too bad considering the quality.
From the lovely heavy silverware to the friendly service to the decor, I loved everything about this place. Definitely worth checking out!

Check out my review of risotto - I am insizlane - on Qype

Recipe: Potato and Leek Soup

Recently we had some potatoes lyin' around our kitchen that needed to be used up, quick! I thought the perfect solution would be a nice potato-leek soup, because I love the savory deliciousness of leeks balanced by a nice hearty potato base.
My favorite way to make vegetable soups is to let the veggies speak for themselves and not dilute their flavor with a lot of cream or cheese, and this recipe is no different. It's aaaall about the natural flavor of the yummy veggies! And it's really simple and quick, to boot.

What you need:
*olive oil
*1 large onion, diced
*1 garlic clove, minced fine
*1 lb potatoes, diced
*3-4 large leeks, sliced
*couple cups vegetable or chicken broth
*salt and pepper to taste
optional:
*couple pinches cayenne pepper
*finely chopped parsley
*couple drops of your favorite hot sauce

What you do:
Heat the oil in a pot. Add the onions and sautee. Add the garlic and sautee until fragrant. Add the leeks and cook for a couple minutes, stirring intermittently. Add the potatoes and cook with the occasional stir. When the potatoes begin to brown, add broth to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for at least 30 mins or until soup is at desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy. I prefer not to puree, I like my soups chunky :)
If you, like I, like a little kick in your soup, add cayenne pepper liberally to taste. It's also nice with some chopped fresh parsley stirred in, and I always add some hot sauce to my bowl to get some real heat going.
Bon Apppetit!

Qype: Mustafas Gemüse Kebab in Berlin

Berlin - Eating & Drinking - Fastfood & Takeaway - Kebabs


BELIEVE the HYPE.
it's WORTH the WAIT.
forget about the stupid chicken. delicious crispy perfectly seasoned veggies covered in crumbly cheese and lemon juice is all you could ever want at this gem.

Check out my review of Mustafas Gemüse Kebab - I am insizlane - on Qype

Qype: Room 77 in Berlin

Berlin - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - American - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - Mexican


I had heard this place has good burgers and when I walked in and saw the massive specimens on people's plates I could hardly wait to get my hands on one. When I saw the menu I was even more pleasantly surprised: not just burgers, but enchiladas, texas chili and a fajita special! Then they plunked down my favorite hot sauce on the table (Tabasco smoked chipotle) and I was certifiably in heaven. Ensconced on a cozy couch, beer and live music close at hand, I devoured a chicken burger smothered in delicious guacamole and hot sauce, as well as some crispy potato wedges. Yum. My companions had beef burgers that they pronounced wunderbar and a lovely-looking enchilada with a BIG salad. I want to go back and try some of the other menu items!
The only negative is that we were sitting right by the stage and the music was extremely loud, making conversation almost impossible. Also, as a non-smoker I found the smoke kind of oppressive (particularly as I was getting over a sinus infection at the time), but I guess the ability to smoke freely would be a draw to some.
I will be back for sure.

Check out my review of Room 77 - I am insizlane - on Qype

Recipe: Quick Lentil Stew

Hey friends!
We're back from California, but we don't know yet when the next supper will be. In the meantime, I have a new recipe for you all! Now that the weather's warmer again, I've started going to the Turkish Market more frequently than I did in the cold winter months, and today I knew I had to finish off some cherry tomatoes I picked up last week. I wanted to use them in a stew of some kind because I was sick of eating them raw. So I figured a lentil stew would be yummy. I picked up some fresh carrots and parsley and voila.

What you need:
couple onions, diced
little bit of olive oil
4-5 carrots, chopped
few handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups dried green lentils
2 cups water
couple handfuls fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

What you do:
Heat the oil in a pot. Add the carrots and onions and saute until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, stir a bit, then add the lentils, water, salt and pepper. Turn down the heat and simmer until the lentils get soft (15-20min). Toss in the parsley, salt and pepper, stir a few times, remove from the heat and enjoy :)
Serves 4ish

The sweet fresh carrots really made this an unexpectedly delicious dish, and surprisingly light, despite the fact that I described it as a stew. It's a nice 'n easy recipe for early spring!

Recipe: Vegan Blueberry Cake

Another vegan-ized recipe that turned out ridiculously scrumptious.
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks.

What you need:
*1 cup plus 2 tbsp. white flour
*1 cup plus 2 tbsp. whole wheat flour
*2 teaspoons baking powder
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*1 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
*1 teaspoon cider vinegar
*10 tablespoons soy milk (divided)
*1 cup unsulphered molasses
*2 small mashed bananas
*5 tablespoons applesauce
*1 tbsp. vegetable oil
*3 cups blueberries, frozen (plus extras for serving if desired)
*1 teaspoon flour
*powdered sugar for serving if desired

What you do:
Preheat your oven to 350F degrees. Oil and flour a 9-inch round cake pan (or equivalent).
In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a small bowl whisk together the cider vinegar with 6 tablespoons of the soy milk. In another bowl whisk the molasses with the remaining 4 tablespoons of soy milk. Whisk the cider vinegar mixture into the molasses mixture, then whisk in the banana.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir until just barely combined. Stir in the applesauce and oil. Toss the blueberries with 1 teaspoon of flour and fold them into the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about thirty minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes and then serve sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Serves 12.