Curry Wurst, Kölsch Beer, Cologne and Düsseldorf

Curry Wurst is the first thing I always go for when in Germany…it’s a national speciality and translates as Curry Sausage. The one who does not know about this delicacy would assume it’s a sausage made with Curry. It is not, it’s much simpler…a grilled sausage, topped with Ketchup and Curry Powder, served with French fries. Apparently Curry Wurst was invented in Berlin 1949 by Herta Heuwer, there is also a patent trademark certificate.

The secret of a perfect Curry Wurst lies in different and complex components.

1. The sausage: Sausage making is an art. In the UK there are lots of sausages and people are proud of these, but to compare them with German sausages is only for fools. For Curry wurst the sausage is grilled or roasted.

2. The Curry Wurst: The art of making sausage is a phylosophie for itself.

3. The sauce: real good curry wurst sauce is not Ketchup but a sauce made of tomato extract and spices, chili, curry, etc…

4. Curry wurst is a Imbiss (Snack) and the best ones are found on roadside grill shaks.

5. My favorite place so far is in Düsseldorf (im Hafen) and is called Curry. It’s a stylish young and hip place, the Düsselfdorf fashionistas also don’t shy back of having a bottle of bubbly Prosecco with the Imbiss. The fries are delicious and home made. Various additional sauces are offered.

6. Beer: Beer is another great asset Germany has, again, the Brits think the ales and bitters they have are the best…forgett about it, try a Kölsch (blonde beer from Cologne) or an Alt Beer (old beer) in Düsseldorf and you will instantly know the difference, it’s enough reason to cancel your flight ticket back to the UK, and if the beer is not enough, then its the beer and curry wurst…

7. Here are some fabulous links and places to explore:

Curry in Düsseldorf

Curry Wurst from Berlin, the whole story

Wiki on Curry Wurst

Peters Brauhaus in Cologne for fabulous local food and Kölsch

Kölsch beer on Wiki

Kölsch bier on Wiki

Go and check it out for yourself, Cologne a nice old city with lots of charm whilst I personally prefer the more sophisticated small fashion town of Düsseldorf.

Here we are self pictured over an Alster Bier, at the Düesseldorf Neumark, a lovely vegetable, fruit and meat market in the middle of the city!

Trader Vics at the Hilton, a retro classic boozer?

Recently I tried out Trader Vic at the Hilton on Park Lane, we haven’t been there for ages. This place is so old and kind of out of fashion that it by now deserves to be fashionable to have a drink here, again. Considering that various boutiques and shops are selling retro 70’s tables, home furnitures and chairs at astonishing prices, even in Selfridge’s, the type my grandma throw in the bin a few years ago. The waitresses wear long dresses with the sides of the skirts cut open showing a lot of leg, nearly up to the bum…and most of them are guess what, no not 55+ but late 20’s and quite gorgeous. The clients are according to the decor, some Samsonite businessmen from all age groups but mainly 55+ and various ethnic backgrounds, I noticed quite a large amount of “fruit cocktail boozers” from the Middle East, then there are, surprise surprise, some single (on business? hehehe) women, which also sit around, sipping on Perrier waters and fruit juices. The music band got stuck in 1970’s and the decor reminds of a Polynesian beach joint, from about the time when the musicians were born. Cheesy salsa, some known and less known hits, Brazil beats and some unidentifiable other tunes, but not to the point that it gets totally annoying. They also serve some food, but we did not go there, although the large Tandoori like ovens in the glass shielded kitchen look interesting.

ENOUGH cynicism, the history of Trader Vic’s is interesting and Victor J Bergeron is to be considered a pioneer. “It all started when Victor Jules Bergeron was a waiter at San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel and owned a grocery store on San Pablo Avenue in Oakland. His son – Victor, (Jr.) – grew up loving the food business, living with the family in an apartment above the store and helping out downstairs.” so one can read on www.tradervics.com “In 1932, with a nest egg of $700 and carpentry help from his wife’s brothers – plus his mother’s pot-bellied stove and oven – the ebullient Victor built a cozy pub across the street from the store and called it Hinky Dink’s. His pungent vocabulary and ribald air made him a popular host, as did his potent tropical cocktail concoctions and delicious Americanized adaptations of Polynesian food.” Somewhere along the lines in 1944 the Mai Tai Cocktail was also invented by a Trader Vic. The customer was served the rum based drink and said “Mai Tai Roe Ae” which means “Out of this world” in Tahitian.

Images from Trader Vic’s

Trader Vic’s is located at the London Hilton Park Lane, 22 Park Lane, W1Y 1BE, England. There are several other Trader Vic’s around the world, from Dubai to Munich.

Bloody Mary New Style, a NOBU recipe

Bloody mary is a great Sunday “before” brunch drink for me and THE hang over cure. I always find it amazing how many people drink bloody marry and tomato juice on airplanes, I don’t see it as often eslwehere. Strange.

There is a classic way to prepare it, there is the English way with English mustard (what else…) and fresh horseradish which I like a lot and then there is the “New Style” NOBU one which I find amazing interesting. Somehow I got my hands on this recipe…and here it is:

BLOODY MARY NEW STYLE

40ML. RUZKY VODKA

DROP OF LIME JUICE

SALT AND PEPPER

WASABI

DROP OF TONKATSU SAUCE

GRANINI TOMATO JUICE

SHAKE WITH ICE AND POOR INTO TUMBLER GLASS,

CUCUMBER/SHISO LEAF/SEA SALT