Half a Chicken, Please!

If you are traveling to Berlin, Henne is a restaurant that you cannot miss out on. The menu consists of half a chicken and a choice of either potato salad or coleslaw (which is really sauerkraut). The chicken is fried, but not breaded. This means that the chicken still has its skin on it, but they cook it in a fryer. It might sound unhealthy, but it really does not seem too oily when you start to eat it. Between the potato salad and the sauerkraut, I preferred the potato salad. It was quite creamy, but it was absolutely delicious.

This restaurant may come across as boring since the menu is so minimal, but it is a meal you need to have…if you like chicken. Going into the meal, I was not too excited seeing as how I have chicken nearly every night for dinner when I am at home, but it was not to be believed. That is how delicious it was!

Most of the restaurant seating is outdoors on an enclosed patio. Enclosed meaning it is closed off from the street; there is no roof. The tables would be comparable with long elegant picnic-like tables. If you are with a small group (~1-4 people), do not be surprised when you are seated right next to another group. Although you are close to other groups, it does not feel invasive since the entire restaurant’s seating is like that.

Henne is more than 100 years old, which makes it a historic restaurant. It is really cool to think that the original people who owned the restaurant lived an entire life before you or even your parents were alive. It is well known throughout Berlin and after eating the food, I understand why. They also have a great selection of beers and other alcoholic beverages.

My last piece of advice with this restaurant is to call ahead and make a reservation. You do not want to get there to be told they do not have any seats available for you. This restaurant is not one that you should risk missing out on. Their website is www.henne-berlin.de . Take a look at it and keep it in mind if you are heading to Berlin anytime in the future. It is definitely a must while you are in the amazing city of Berlin!

The Land of the Waffles

Question: does the title make it clear that I am in Belgium? I am slacking on my creative titles at the moment. To be more specific, I am in Brussels. It is beautiful here! Sara and I arrived at our hostel a little after 5 and rested a bit before setting out to explore/get dinner. 

We walked around and saw some beautiful buildings and a palace. We decided since we did not get in until late that we should just spend the evening acclimating. The culture here is so cool. I feel like it is like this all over Europe. People love to sit outside and eat so streets are filled with tables at restaurants. People are also allowed to walk around with alcohol (it is usually beer) so you will see people all over with a beer in their hand. We walked for around an hour before getting dinner at an amazing restaurant. 

    

 The restaurant we ate at is called Fin De Siècle. They serve authentic Belgian food. It was DELICIOUS! I got the beef stew, which came with mashed potatoes and Sara got the rabbit. Sara said the rabbit was delicious, but I would not dare taste it. I will not eat rabbit so I will just take her word for it. Our waiter was extremely friendly and helpful since the entire menu is up on a chalkboard and written in French. Sara and I both got Belgian beer with dinner that was great as well. It is called Zinnebir and I highly enjoyed it!

  Since the sun does not set here until 10pm, Sara and I explored some more after dinner. We saw some more beautiful old buildings AND another palace! Brussels is seriously one big hill and we walked pretty high up it, so we saw a beautiful view of the beginning of the sunset. I was in awe! After that of course we needed some dessert so after not being able to make a decision in all the chocolate shops, we went with waffles. I got a waffle with Nutella on top and loved it. Sara got hers with caramel and cream and said it was really good, but super sweet. I was happy though. 

   All in all, wonderful first day in Brussels. I am a happy camper!