Rommy Ghaly's Qype profile

The weather's gotten cold in Berlin.

In these times of cold, the desire for a hot meal to warm the senses becomes necessary, almost urgent. We call it "comfort food" and it is the reason why in the winter we become fat and homely. It becomes the reason we spend time inside, indulging in wines, whiskeys, stews, meats, and the like, only going outside when necessary.

But there is another kind of comfort food, one which doesn't have to make you feel guilty, one that warms the senses, is loaded with intensely rich flavors, and makes you feel like your desire for comfort in the face of impending cold has been fulfilled.

That food is ramen. The place is Cocolo in Mitte.

My friends Francesco and Claudia turned me on to this place. I've been here for five months and lived three minutes and two blocks away from it and yet had no idea it even existed.

You walk in and you know it's a proper ramen place. It's the size of a shoebox with a bar that seats about seven people and three tables that seat four people each. So with eating room for about 19 people, you should expect it to be packed, with a line of starving people anxious to bury their face in a bowl of authentic Asian awesomeness. The line shouldn't discourage, since the ramen is prepared at lightning speeds, and is consumed at about the same rate. I waited about 15 minutes for a seat, and ate the ramen in about the same amount of time.

This isn't a Japanese restaurant, it's a ramen place. You come here for one thing. Ramen. So anyone who complains about the menu not being large enough, or not having any sushi or tempura or bento boxes or people flinging pieces of meat or seafood at your face from a big grill while acting like the silly stereotype of a Japanese cook needs to STFU and go back to their chain restaurants and their silly suburban lifestyles with their Benihanas and their Long John Silverses.

Though I've never been to Japan, from what I hear, this is the authentic ramen experience. A couple guys behind the bar pumping out ramen, welcoming you as you walk in, thanking you as you leave 15 minutes later, peoples faces buried over the bowls of hot broth, splashy tender noodles, wantans, vegetables, pork, and other pieces of awesomeness. It's not a place for conversing or socializing, it's a place for consuming and partaking in the pleasures of flavor and warmth.

The ramen was amazing. Easily the best ramen I've ever had. Until now I've had many bowls of ramen, very good ramen, but until you've had an amazing one, it's tough to know what a ramen should taste like. This bowl of Tonkatsu that I ate, or rather inhaled, was perfect. It eeked the flavors out of the incredibly fresh ingredients in the bowl which included the pork, ginger, mushrooms, and more. Just the perfect amount of heat, left my nose running and my hunger appeased. If you think you'll be hungry after this hearty soup, you'd be mistaken. You'll be completely and perfectly satisfied. So much so, I smiled the whole way home, and almost considered frolicking through the streets naked. Don't judge.

The service is quick and the price is very fair. Ranging in price from €7.50 - €9.50, it's expensive by Berlin standards, but one of the best meals you'll have here and it's worth every Europenny.

You come to Mein Haus Am See for the atmosphere. This includes peoplewatching, meeting up with friends, relaxing, and using the internet, often times for hours on end.

I’ve been there quite often. The space is amazing. It’s one of those vast places in a gutted old building that is made hip with the cool retro flea market furniture and cool art drawn directly on the walls. There are a dozen couches in this place surrounding coffee tables. Each grouping of couches, chairs, and tables feeling like its own living room. It allows for being social and meeting friends and keeps you there for hours. Which is good, since it’s open 24 hours.

Sadly the coffee, food, and service do little in terms of providing any reason to return. Often times I’ll sit there for a half hour without anyone serving on me. And the quality of the coffee preparation can often be inconsistent and sub-par. Coffee will be spilling over the side when it gets to you. Sometimes it’s served lukewarm. The place can get pretty loud which means you have to shout over the noise to the server. As a result sometimes they’ll get the order wrong. Usually there are two servers working, but the place is so vast that to get their attention and a focus on quality seem to get lost in their scrambling to serve the people that are constantly coming in and out of the place. Sometimes the service is good, but it’s just too inconsistent to ever leave me feeling satisfied.

The food menu is simple and uninspiring. Simple sandwiches, paninis, and refrigerated pre-made desserts force me to go to any one of the joints near there to eat before I arrive.

It’s that place that has the potential to be the best café in all of Berlin - but with just the right focus on atmosphere, and not nearly enough on food and service, Mein Haus Am See leaves much to be desired.

Scandic Sjofartshotellet ist ein gutes, sauberes Hotel mit einer fantastischen Lage, nur wenige Gehminuten von der Gamla Stan (Altstadt) entfernt. Ich war hier her geschickt worden um zu arbeiten und habe keine Beschwerden über das Hotel. Das Hotelzimmer in dem ich nächtigte war klein, mit einem Doppelbett, aber ich brauchte nicht wirklich mehr. Ich versuche, eine Bodenständige Lebensweise zu führen und dieses Hotel ist ideal dafür. Das Frühstück hat mir am besten gefallen. Sie servieren für jeden Geschmack etwas: Aromatisch/süß, Fleisch/Obst, Müsli, Kaffee, frisches Brot, etc. Ich bin mir nicht so sicher wie viel es gekostet hat, weil ich nicht dafür bezahlt habe, aber Ich denke das man einiges dafür bezahlen muss wegen der Lage.

Scandic Sjofartshotellet es un buen y limpio hotel con una estupenda ubicación, muy cerca a pié de Gamla Stan (casco histórico). Me mandaron ahí por trabajo y no tengo queja alguna. La habitación del hotel era muy pequeña, con una cama de matrimonio pequeña, pero no necesitaba más. Intento vivir de la forma más minimalista y este hotel se correspondía a lo que necesitaba. El desayuno era mi parte favorita. Sirven un montón de cosas para todos los gustos: dulce-salado, carne-fruta, cereales, café, pan fresco, etc. No estoy muy seguro del precio porque no pagé, pero creo que si estás pagando mucho seguramente es por su ubicación.

Scandic Sjofartshotellet is a bon hôtel, propre, extrêmement bien situé, à quelques pas de Gamla Stan (la vieille ville). J'ai été logé là pour le travail, et je n'ai pas eu à me plaindre. La chambre dans laquelle j'ai séjourné était minuscule, avec un lit une place, mais vraiment c'était tout ce dont j'avais besoin. J'essaie d'adopter un mode de vie plus minimaliste et cet hôtel fait bien l'affaire. Le petit-déjeuner est ce que j'ai préféré. On vous sert un énorme assortiment pour tous les goûts : salé/sucré, viande/fruits, céréales, café, pain frais, etc. Je ne suis pas sûr du prix car ce n'est pas moi qui ai payé, mais je dirai que si vous payez cher, c'est sans aucun doute à cause de l'emplacement.

Scandic Sjofartshotellet è un buon hotel, pulito e in una location perfetta, situato vicino a Gamla Stan (città vecchia). Ho prenotato qui per lavoro e non ho lamentele. La stanza in cui ho soggiornato era piccola, con un letto doppio, ma era tutto quello di cui avevo bisogno. La colazione è stata la mia parte preferita, visto che hanno una selezione per tutti i gusti: salato/dolce, carne/frutta, cereali, caffè, pane fresco etc. Non so quanto costi perchè i miei datori di lavoro hanno pagato per me, ma se si paga tanto, è sicuramente per la location.

Yes my friends, Anchor Pub is THE premier bar for metalheads and bikers in Stockholm.

Oddly enough it’s located in the rather posh neighborhood of Vasastan.

And on a Tuesday evening, this place was packed and charging a cover which is amazing, especially for Stockholm.

It’s a dive, with a great atmosphere, lots of long hair, tattoos, and angst. And it’s totally a place I can see myself going regularly even though I possess none of these physical or mental traits.

A great selection of beers on tap, they serve Hoegaarden out of a massive glass. They have decent pub food, but you really just go here to drink and watch heavy metal documentaries with a fun crowd.