Since arriving in Berlin some five days ago it’s fair to say that we haven’t starved. Our forays into the gastronomic hinterland have been a little restricted by legs that are suffering from nearly thirty days of walking, which is unprecedented.

We’ve had fish and chips on our arrival at Hauptbahnhof. Salads, large and small, good and indifferent at lunch times. Berlin isn’t a cheap place for eating out by any means, after all it’s a large cosmopolitan city that receives huge numbers of tourists. However we have come up with a few gems, all on Potsdamer Strasse and within 10 minutes walk of our apartment.

We found a lovely place for breakfast, Oliv Eat It’s not fancy but provides croissants and pain aux chocolate, super coffee and a bowl of museli, packed with fruit. The staff are charming and it’s a great way to begin Berlining…

Next door to Oliv, we had a great dinner at Panama a courtyard restaurant, sufficiently far away from the main road to be shielded from traffic noise. It’s slightly different in that you choose a main dish and the waiter suggests complimentary other courses. It definitely works, as we shared a very tasty pulled lamb dish that was set off by a refreshing first course. The atmosphere is lively and fun and the staff all friendly and chatty. We’re going again tomorrow…

A little further up the road, there’s Sticks and Sushi . It’s probably self evident what type of cuisine this restaurant serves. I’m the first to admit sushi is more for Susie than me. What we had was excellent and Susie was impressed. We ate outside and the service we got was second to none. Definitely one to try if you like food with a Japanese theme.

Finally we found Saesons which is a restaurant attached to the Lulu Guldsmeden hotel near the top of Potsdamer Strasse. It’s a very eco friendly chain of Nordic hotels and likes it’s guests to feel the ‘hygge’, which is more of a phrase than a Nordic word. Hygge conveys coziness, comfort and contentment. A bit like the English word ‘hug’.. The food is exceptionally good, inventive with interesting flavour combinations. The hotel has quirky interiors and well…that warm feeling. From the staff to the food to the atmosphere, it’s wonderful. So wonderful we’ve eaten there twice and decided that when we return to Berlin we’ll be staying there. We’ve been well and truly ‘hyggled’…