Unrelated But Awesome

I have a bike thing. I've been addicted for many years, and I'm pretty sure my dream job will someday turn up, and it will involve bikes in some way or another.

But irrelevant. I found this a while ago, and I thought I should show it to you. It's beautiful. Truly. 

A Discovery

Thea & Coffee - Birkenstrasse

I've been living in this part of Berlin that no-one really seems to think is cool except for me, for about the last year now - and i swear, it just keeps getting cooler. I think we've found 3 new art galleries in the last 6 months and at least as many cafes!
 Prepare for a full report, and maybe an interview with the owners of some of these fine establishments in the coming weeks.
But for now - check out this place, just around the corner from me! I can vouch for their coffee, it's great!

On a Roof

Wow, it's a new year! I've really not managed to write anything recently, as I started a new job on the 1st of November at a tech start up called Xyologic, and that along with the whole Christmas/New Years circus has kept me pretty busy. 

A brief pause in the battle...

I want to write about New Years Eve in Berlin. Coming from Australia, where it's pretty much illegal to have your own fireworks, I was totally unprepared for the onslaught of incendiary paradise that this time of year incites. I arrived back in a unusually mild Berlin a few days before NYE, after a wonderfully relaxing few days in Bremen, and headed home with no particular problems. I failed to notice the occasional pop and bang that had already begun. After all, Berlin is not the quietest of cities at the best of times. It wasn't until I made it back to my WG (Wohngemeinschaft - German share house) that i started to register the occasional crack. To be honest, the first couple of bangs i assumed to be cars backfiring. gradually i started to get the feeling that a warzone had come to Berlin, but it wasn't until the next day when my flat mate got home that i got an explanation. 

Not bad for a phone camera in the middle of the night right?

Apparently this happens every year. For the few days before the change of years, everyone goes out and spends their hard earned on all kinds of exploding fun stuff, and then most of them can't wait until 11.59pm on the 31st, so they let one off every now and again, you know, just to test that shit out. And scare wayward Australians waiting at bus stops. 

Anyway, we had a nice NYE dinner at my place with a few friends, then snuck up onto a rooftop to experience the war from a (safer) elevated position. My friends tell me that this area of the city is tame, but even to get to the building we got on the roof of, we had to sneak ninja style through the streets, avoiding the loudest bangs and low flying rockets with military style precision (and cowering behind parked cars). What we saw was nothing less than a war zone, but an oddly co-operative one. It seemed as though the whole city was working together to give one another an amazing show. And what a show it was. Unfortunately I only had my phone camera with me, but i found this video from last year to give you some idea of what it's like. 

Pretty impressive right? It certainly astounded me, well and truly. Anyway, I'm starving, and I'm going to go try out a Mexican restaurant one of my co-workers recommended to me. Maybe you'll hear about it, if it's good :) 

Saturday Treat: Vegan Banana Pancakes

Recipe yields about 6-8 decent sized pancakes. 

Want a great recipe for a weekend treat (or weekday if you've got the time)? Try out this little number here. My girlfriend and I have made them a few times now, and they're great!

I really like this recipe because its quick and easy; the ingredients are pretty basic and shouldn't be too hard to find, and the prep is pretty simple. The one thing I've had to change each time I've made these is adding quite a bit more soy/rice/almond milk. The only thing you'll need to watch out for (aside from sneaky girlfriends stealing batter) is to sure you use a non-stick pan, we've had a few instances of un-intentional scrambled pancakes on account of my very ordinary frying pan.

Let me know how you go or what changes you make! Enjoy!
All images in this post are from original recipe, I claim no ownership. 

Album Review: Hinterland

Ok, I'll admit it, the first time i heard this album it damn near broke my heart. I was so excited for it, and I guess I had a clear concept of what it would sound like, already sitting there between my ears.
AND THEN IT DIDN'T SOUND ANYTHING LIKE THAT!
And i raged a little bit (ok maybe a lot) inside. I'd been expecting a progressive album, but one that stuck in the vein of XOXO. I'd wanted to hear the edge, the frustration, the attitude and emotion that tracks like "Der Druck Steigt" or "Unzerbrechlich" gave us in spades. And for me, sitting in my "20qm", listening to Hinterland for the first time, I didn't hear that. Not at all.
I didn't listen Hinterland again for a couple days. I went back to "Hin zur Sonne" and the older stuff, and got stuck there. It wasn't until I was listening to Spotify radio almost a week later that i heard some of the tracks again, and then decided to give it another chance.
It took me about 3 sessions of the whole album to get used to the new direction. I make no secrets about it, Casper is absolutely one of my all time favourite artists, and so to accept change to something I like so much was hard. Really hard. But after a few plays, i started to see the method behind what I'd thought was madness.

Yeah, there certainly aren't many songs that would fit on a record like "Der Druck Steigt", not as many songs that I can imagine a packed stadium in Hamburg screaming along to, but there is something else. Something deeper. Even though a lot of the beats are muffled by indie style guitars, no doubt influenced by Tom Smith of the Editors, and the (admittedly awesome) guys from Kraftklub, there's still that classic Casper sound hiding in there in places.
At least we get eased into the change. The first two tracks, "Im Ascheregen" and "Hinterland" both still hold the Casper from XOXO. Disguised behind the guitars and lengthy intros, there lurks the dissatisfaction that we know so well from earlier albums. The next three tracks "Alles endet (aber nie die Musik)""Nach der Demo ging's Berg ab" and "20qm" are certainly different, but after repeated listening, I found that they both provided a good transition to the next part of the album, and manage to sneak a bit of the old Casper in there as well. From then on, we start to lose the old stuff almost completely, moving into pop influenced tracks like "Lux Lisbon" and "Ariel". By the time "Ganz schön ok"(with Kraftklub) comes around, we've lost any trace of something that would be recognisable to someone that only knew "Hin zur Sonne". I'm not saying this is a bad thing, it's just quite a lot different than what I'd expected. The rest of the album follows the same thread, until the last track "Endlich Angekommen" brings us back to a sense of the new and old, melding together into one.

"Hinterland" is definitely not my favourite Casper album to date, but now that I've heard it a few more times I'm beginning to enjoy it, and even though it's not what I'd expected, it is a progressive step forward for Casper. I guess sometimes it's just hard to let go of the conceptions and expectations that you have for something, be it in music, or in other parts of your life.

If you've given the album a listen, what did you think?

Wednesday Bar Check No. 1: Klunkerkranich

Looking for something a bit different this weekend? Maybe something a little bit less popular, a little bit more out of the way? Good, because boy do I have something for you!

What a view! Is Berlin your favourite Euro-capital yet?

 The Klunkerkranich isn’t your average Berlin bar. Sure, it’s a bit quirky, it often has live music, and it has its fair share of hipsters, but how many bars in Berlin do you know that are on a rooftop? Overlooking the city? That only cost 3 Euro to get into, and are accessed by walking through a deserted car park? Not many? That’s what I thought.

Opened recently by the wonderful folk associated with another of  Berlin’s excellent nighttime establishments (Fuchs und Elster), Klunkerkranich is a great after work stop off, or a great place to start a night of epic proportions. Due to its 12pm curfew, it’s not going to be your new all night haunt, but that’s what you’ve got the bar “Ä“ for, just down the road.  

Catch a live show after work or just come and enjoy the ambience!

After finding your way up through the parking decks of the Neu Kölln Arkardien, wander through the wooden garden beds before going through the gate to the main bar area. Grab a drink at the well stocked bar (and well priced, considering the location), sit back on the wooden terraces and take in the sights of the sun setting over Berlin. Not bad huh? Don't go telling too many of your friends though, or it'll get way too full!

Just a heads up, but it can get pretty cold up on top once the sun goes down, so if you want to be able to comfortably enjoy the eclectic variety of live music, make sure you're dressed for the occasion! If somehow your hipster crusade 

clothing has left you in the lurch, blankets can be rented from the bar for a 2 Euro deposit. 

They also have a cool garden set up in the area before the bar, which is nice
for a wander when the bar area gets really hectic!

It's also worth noting that when you get too cold or the joint starts to slow down for the evening, your entry stamp will also get you into the aforementioned Fuchs und Elster. It can be a bit of a trick to find, as its well hidden in the cellar of another bar (which is often semi closed by the time the paart really gets started). It's worth a look if you like electro swing, and they do great cocktails (like, really really good. The bartenders here definitely know what they're about) that never seem to cost as   much as they say on the menu. 

That's all I've got for tonight folks, if you give it a try let me know. Once again, i didn't have a camera with me, so these images are borrowed from Klunkerkranich's Facebook page, which can be found here. 

Restaurant Check: Kopps Berlin

Picture this for me, if you will. 5pm on a Thursday afternoon, and a 20-something Australian living in Berlin is sitting at work in a techno-start-up (tourists and start ups, am I sounding cliché yet?). “Oh shit” he realizes, “tomorrow is date night!”. And of course, the scamp had made no reservation. What a muppet.

Now imagine this muppet is me.

“Damn!” I thought! I really needed to have thought about this earlier! We do a monthly “fancy” night out, and it was our first one since we’d gotten back from our last trip. I had to make a good start. And, of course, like most important things, I’d forgotten about it. And it was my turn to choose the location. Frantic googling ensued. Like, a lot of frantic googling.

You see, both my girlfriend and I are vegetarian, and a little bit cheapskate. So I had to strike the balance between “night to remember” crossed with “not heinously expensive”. Which can be difficult, but luckily, Berlin is a city like no other, and I came up with Kopps. Kind of an uninspiring name huh? Don’t worry, the place is amazing.

Using their online reservation system was a breeze and I received the conformation email momentarily.

Phew! Crisis averted. Work finished, out the door. Off to #Catch Casper secret show, crash out.

Date night arrives. Nerves shortly after. What if this place is no good? What if she thinks its too expensive? Oh man, did I make a massive mistake? Should we just get falafel?

But 8 o’clock saw us on the U-bahn to Rosenthaler Platz, and without to much getting lost we made it in the front door.

Snazzy Entrance. 

We were greeted promptly and politely by the staff, who advised us that if we'd like to wait briefly they could prepare a nicer table for us. After a [very brief] wait we were shown to a window booth. To be honest the decor felt more casual than the prices on the menu would have suggested, but the service was excellent and we ordered Grilled Basil Tofu with new potatoes, cherry tomotoes and home made mozzerella, and Pumpkin Seed Ravioli with cold carrot salad.

We were here at night, so it looked a little different,
but this image give you an idea how compact the interior is.

After ordering we had plenty of time to observe the other guests and enjoy our drinks (the home made jasmine ice tea is an interesting flavor, worth a try if you like ice tea!) before our meals came. The clientele was quite mixed, an older Asian gentleman and his wife, several couples (varying levels of fancy) and several small groups chatted quietly. Although the tables were relatively close together, the restaurant was fairly quiet and the muted hum of conversation was not at all unpleasant (I’d been a bit worried about this as I’d read in a review during my frenzied googling that it could be quiet loud).

Fantastic presentation.

The meals arrived with one of the (I have to mention again) very professional staff, and boy did they look good. Looking at my Pumpkin Seed Ravioli, there were beautiful proportions on the plate, great colours and fantastic smells. I didn’t have a camera with me, so I pinched these pictures off their website, but trust me, the meals look just as good in real life. 

To be blunt, at first bite I was a bit confused. It tasted good, but nothing like I'd expected. Not mind blowing by any stretch of the imagination. It wasn't until I combined the ravioli with the carrot salad that i realised the chef's genius. The flavours just sprung, combining wonderfully to create a unique culinary experience. The nuttiness from the filling melded with the sweet flavours from the carrots to make for something wonderful. 

The basil tofu was equally good, again utilising the accompanying vegetables to their fullest potential. 

By the time we were finished we were both of the same opinion: we'd need to come back! The excellent service and great food left no doubt. I would thoroughly recommend Kopps to any vegetarian (or even non-vego) looking for a good night out. Yes, it is a bit expensive, but the quality of service was really top notch, as was the menu. Worth a look if you're ever in Berlin and fancy a culinary adventure!