[Reposting this old post from April 2018 to fix the broken image links]
After lunch I thought, since it’s my last day in Bremen, to get a little ice cream.
Marginally larger than I had expected….
But beautifully presented. Friendly service, nice and cold outside, very lovely.
This post is of little relevance, although that’s the hallmark of this blog, but for reasons unknown I’ve been shown on TikTok the videos of Joseph James for months. I’ve wondered what random algorithm gave me that given they have two stores nowhere near me, one in Manchester and one in Stockport, but it was a little bit of excitement to see one of their outlets in what was once the Debenhams building. I’m easily pleased… But, the videos are worth seeking out, a couple of people setting up a business as a furniture outlet.
[I posted this in April 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]
I remember going to Blaze Pizza in Pasadena in January and they had a set-up where you order pizza in a Subway style. They’re not the only ones doing it, but they did it well with excellent customer service and a high quality product.
Well, here is the German version, but with burgers. And it’s quite excellent, with the staff being really welcoming and engaging.
Whilst waiting, you can try the various sauces for free. The bacon mayo was of Greggs standard, world class.
I arrived just before 12 so it was understandably quiet, but I think it’s a generally busy restaurant judging from the reviews.
The counters where you can choose which items you want in the burger.
The finished product. I asked for the burger to be medium and perhaps it verged towards well done, but it was still tender with lots of flavour. The bacon mayo was evident in the burger and the roll had lots of texture to add to the whole meal. Crispy fries and a generous portion of mayo to go along with them. And, when paying, they give out free packs of Skittles.
Spotlessly clean restaurant, friendly staff and excellent food, I hope they go on to open more than the two restaurants in Germany that they currently have.
[This is a repost of an post that I made in April 2018 with the broken image links restored]
Bremen does suffer a little from graffiti, but it’d have been nice if they could have cleaned up this sign….. It was given the name Nelson Mandela Park in 2014, with the area not having a name before then. It’s the area of former common land which connects the railway station to Burgerpark.
This elephant was constructed in 1932 and was originally called the colonial monument, but was renamed the anti-colonial monument in 1989. I’m not sure if these name changes achieve much, but the important thing is that the structure is still there and there’s signage explaining a little about the background of its history.
Another graffiti ridden sign.
These red sandstones are here to commemorate the genocide of the Herero and Nama. This seems a more positive solution to dealing with the problems of colonialism, which is by placing something which invites further investigation. It comes from the rebellions suppressed by the Germans in what was then German South West Africa, but is now part of South Africa.
Next on my tour of Good Beer Guide pubs in Stockport was the Angel Inn and I’m not sure that I would have noticed it if I had just been walking by, the scaffolding is quite dominant here.
The beer list, there was a decent mixture of cask and keg.
I’m a big fan of Tiny Rebel so it was a little bit of a treat to see two of their beers on cask.
The interior is functional rather than jazzy. It was early January when I visited, hence the Christmas tree. More on the history in a moment, but its change of uses over the last few decades have led to some of the traditional feel perhaps being a little lost.
The first beer was half of the Sertified Simcoe from Tiny Rebel, which was a punchy, hoppy and juicy little number. Acceptable crisps too.
More interior. It was a welcoming environment with friendly service and warm surroundings.
This was, as far as I’m concerned, about as good as cask gets. It’s half a pint of the EWA from Tiny Rebel, well rounded with a suitable amount of sweetness. It was creamy and tasted of cookies and Twix, really rather decadent.
This whole set-up is interesting as I just assumed it had been a pub for centuries and it did indeed have a long history, but it stopped being a pub in the 1950s and turned instead into a retail outlet. However, 57 years on, it was reopened as a pub and that seems like a really good idea to me. In terms of the building, it dates from the 1500s and has a wattle and daub construction, having first been turned into a pub in the early nineteenth century. Always a positive thing to see a pub being reborn, especially one in such an historic building and the wide range of cask and keg options added to the excitement. Thanks to the Good Beer Guide for directing me here.
[I originally posted this in April 2018, but am reposting to fix the broken image links]
Bürgerpark is a large park which is just to the north of the old town, near to the railway station. It’s all very well tended and even has a mini-zoo.
[I originally posted this in April 2018, but have reposted to fix the broken image links]
Just by Bremen cathedral is this nice little restaurant and bar. I’m being brave and sitting outside, although I can see a giant bee in the distance.
This is lovely – Nathan has never mentioned this. He should have, it may be mainstream, but it’s delicious. Franziskaner Weissbier from the barrel.
They make a lot of McCain’s here. I might bring my suitably branded bag back here tomorrow…..
[Originally posted in April 2018, but I’ve reposted to fix the broken image links]
In Bürgerpark there is a rather pleasant little zoo. There are only a few enclosures and no exotic animals, but it’s well tended. It’s also free of charge and the animals looked content.
The plan of the zoo, which actually only takes about fifteen minutes to explore.
Very lovely.
Pigs.
[I originally posted this in April 2018 and obviously didn’t feel the love….. I’m reposting now with the fixed image links, but what has been a plus to my travels is how rarely this sort of thing happens. And when it does, it’s usually for a localised and temporary reason.]
This one was easy. Staff looked miserable and clearly didn’t want to be there. So on that basis, nor did I, I just left.
However, glad I went as the cellar is full of character. It’s several hundred years old and I noticed the wine selection was excellent. Not that I got chance to try it….
Back on my tour of Good Beer Guide pubs around the country, this two storey pub is located in what was formerly a betting shop. There’s now a mix of craft and real ale going on, alongside numerous real ciders and a bottle shop area upstairs.
The beer selection and they’re also listed on Untappd.
The bar arrangement and there was a friendly welcome from the staff member.
I had two half pints, the first was the Barncliffe Bitter from Small World Beers. A clean and hoppy beer with a rather lingering bitterness, but pleasant.
I had high hopes for the Black Forest from Vibrant Forest Brewery, but there was little chocolate, just some oats and not much else. The beer tasted a little tired, not much vibrancy going on here.
Anyway, a rather nice bar and I can see why this has found itself in the Good Beer Guide. It’s a relatively small independent venue, so it has that micropub vibe, with no loud music going on. The on-line reviews are positive other than one nonsensical one star review that there was only one dark beer available on the bar, which is not unreasonable in a small pub. The angry customer went marching off to Wetherspoons, although I know that even they sometimes only have one dark beer available and it’s not even really fair to compare a large national chain with a small micropub. The prices were towards the lower end of the scale for what I’m used to, although the cost of beer in Stockport is lower than the national average. All really rather lovely.
