Sometimes something happens that makes me
realise I'm totally out of the loop. That, or the city I live in is just too
blinking big. This happened again last week, when I heard of the second
instalment of a new foodie event. A foodie event. New. In Berlin. And I had
missed the first gathering? Oh no. Best go and check it out pronto.
And so I went to Bite Club. It's best
described as a gathering of mobile food vendors, the ones that normally show up
to provide the all-important nosh at festivals or events. Only this time they
ARE the event. Quaint campervans, pushbike-drawn carts and flappy bunting
everywhere. Sprinkle a DJ, a few bars and a seating area floating in the
Spree on top and you have your own mini summer festival. You won't even
notice the Arctic Monkeys aren't there.
I learned a few things as I watched the
infinitely more trendy and clued up Berliners go by:
1) käsespätzle = tasty in summer too
2) black = the new black
3) a jute bag = the must have accessory
(baby twins do well too but they're not quite as easy to carry around)
4) non-sparkly blanc de noir wine = soooo
my favourite wine
5) if you want to try the Korean barbeque,
get there early
I had the käsespätzle (€4),
selbstverständlich. It was by far the best käsespätzle I have ever tasted.
Soft, salty and endlessly cheesy thanks to the Algäuer and Emmenthaler cheeses. The crispy fried onions and chives on top were a winner too. I
also tried the shrimp burger (€6), which turned out to be prawns scattered on a
crusty bun rather than a patty of some kind. The prawns where lovely and
knackig (ah, let's say: lush) though. And, from the same van, cayenne and
melted butter popcorn (€1) which totally fills the hole while you wait for the
loser in your group to survive the queue for the Korean barbeque. It's all a
bit on the expensive side considering the small portions, but good it was. The
drinks (a cocktail, a posh glass of wine) are a fiver too, so bring you own
beer, poor Berlin style. No seriously, you can, our deck chair neighbour did
the same, and he looked clued up enough not to have missed the first
instalment.
Bite Club, Hoppetosse, Eichenstraße 4,
12435 Berlin (next to the Badeschiff), website
Next event dates: 30 August, 13 and 27
September, 6pm to midnight
PS I saw this jute bag at Etsy - it seems very Berlin somehow. Must be because everyone here looks EXACTLY like the couple on the bag...
