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Frittenwerk is a small, but growing, German chain of venues which effectively sells loaded fries. They have a few outlets in Berlin, with this one being located at Brunnenstraße 1. As can be seen, the ordering process is made nice and easy with these self-service kiosks available, although customers can still order at the counter if they want. Every order is given a name rather than a number, which seems quite a sensible decision in a country where numerous languages are spoken.

The counter area with the menu options visible, it all feels on-trend and organised. They’re having something of a push on poutine themed dishes, which has caused some people to be grumpy that they’re not authentic, but I’m not sure that they ever claimed to be.

I went for the Currywurst loaded fries as that seemed the most appropriate option for Berlin. They apologised that they needed to put new sausages on to cook and it would be a 15 minute wait, but the best things in life are always worth waiting for. Like when I have to wait for Greggs to cook a new batch of hot chicken bakes which I promptly then burn my mouth on. The food was served as a generous portion and the whole combination of Currywurst and fries worked very well for me, with the food being well presented. The sauce had a depth of flavour, with the fries being crispy on the exterior and fluffy on the interior.

The whole venue felt modern and comfortable, with everything being clean and looked after. It’s perhaps a little formulaic, but it’s a national chain with a focus on fries, so that is slightly inevitable. Anyway, I liked it and would happily go again.

I’m slowly working around all of the Mikkeller bars in the world (everyone has to have a hobby….), although I’m going to have to go to Copenhagen again and to Japan to tick a fair few off in one go.

The beer board and the list is also on Untappd. The service was prompt and immediate with a laid-back and comfortable atmosphere in the bar. It’s a relatively small venue, so I can imagine that it regularly gets full on weekend evenings. There are 24 keg lines here with most beer styles covered, as well as a wide spread of different ABVs.

The Burst from Mikkeller, it had an orange edge to the taste, all smooth and reassuring.

The Nutty by Nature, also brewed by Mikkeller. I thought that this was one of the better brown ales that I’ve had, very nutty but also smooth and creamy with something of a Twix taste to it.

And this was the most exciting of them all, the White-Out from 3 Sons Brewing Co of Dania Beach in Florida, although it’s a collab with Mikkeller. This is a proper Christmas beer, coconut, nutmeg, chocolate with a sweetness to it, and very smooth bearing in mind that it was 13.8%. I think it’s fair to say that this delicious beer with its delightful aroma would fall foul of the purity laws.

The venue is very well reviewed and I can see why, this is some of the best beer that I think anyone is likely to get in Berlin. The prices aren’t cheap, but they’re also not unreasonable given how many of these beers have to be imported.

For over a decade I have had a tradition of getting a McRib meal on my first day in Germany, as it’s one of the two countries in the world (the other is Luxembourg) where it’s on the permanent menu. Well, technically, the first couple of times I did this it wasn’t a tradition, it was just me being hungry but that’s a different matter. Anyway, here we are again in Berlin, the best thing on the McDonald’s menu. Incidentally, that spicy sauce that comes with the fries is surprisingly decadent.

And yes, I need to get out more….

Yes, yes, I know, it’s not authentically local, but its location by the River Spree was handy (since I was standing by the River Spree) and I needed a little rest. It was a little awkward at first as I had a wait of over four minutes for a team member to arrive. Four minutes doesn’t sound long, but it does when you’re in a pub that I’m not sure is actually open.

The surroundings were pleasant, but it didn’t feel like a busy lunchtime destination and they were serving food when I visited. The food looked like it was mainly Irish specialities and hearty meals, with the prices looking reasonable. It was just a little cold when I visited, so there was no-one seated outside, but there’s a handy area for when it is warm enough to sit and enjoy the weather.

The beer that I went for, it’s the König Ludwig Weissbier and it’s light and well behaved, like everything brewed to the purity laws….. Here’s to rebellion though on that score, but I’ll try not to go on about them too much.

The service was friendly, the environment was clean and it was a comfortable place to sit for a while. I think that the atmosphere gets somewhat more lively in the evening though and there’s often live music, but I’m not built for all that frivolity. They also have a sister pub of the same name located near to Checkpoint Charlie.

I’m not sure how I’ve managed to miss Berlin Hauptbahnhof on my previous trips to the city, but it’s one of the most architecturally impressive stations that I’ve seen. It’s not a new building either, this design is from when it reopened in May 2006, but it feels modern and current.

The station was opened in 1871 as the terminus for the Berlin-Lehrte railway line, known as Lehrter Bahnhof it quickly grew into a major hub. Its grand architecture, designed in the French Neo-Renaissance style, earned it the nickname ‘palace among stations’ although it got a bit smashed up during the Second World War. Services came back to the railway station after the end of the war, but were suspended again in 1951 and bits of the station started to fall down. With the arrival of the Stadtbahn (city railway) in 1882, Lehrter Bahnhof became even more crucial to Berlin’s transport network.

However, the station suffered significant damage during World War II. Though services resumed after the war, they were eventually suspended in 1951, and the station fell into disrepair. Then Berlin got split up and it ended up in Western Sector, near to the Berlin Wall. Not much happened until Germany was unified (with the station I mean, quite a lot happened in general) and they decided that Lehrter Bahnhof would be the site for a new central station. So they knocked down the rickety old one and built a lovely new one which was designed by architects Gerkan, Marg and Partners. It took ten years to build this but it was completed just in time for the football World Cup.

It was the multi-level nature of the railway station that impressed me, that’s a track at the top as well.

It has something of a shopping vibe feel to it, but that’s what funds these buildings.

The signage here was one of the best I’ve seen at a railway station and it’s helped by the transport system avoiding using complex line names, they just go with letters and numbers which makes things much easier. Well, for me anyway.

And a train going by.

A model of the railway station.