German gluttony

I grew up in Germany thanks to a father in the RAF. From an early age I was exposed to big hearty German dishes, slow cooked meat; chips with mayo; the amazing currywurst. So any chance I get to go back to anywhere in Germany I leap at, partly to indulge in my childhood food memories, and partly to introduce others to the delights.

This month a group of us set out to Berlin. Oktoberfest is traditionally held in Munich in Bavaria at the end of September, but of course other German towns get in on the act. Alexander Platz in Berlin was set up with mini Oktoberfest replete with Bavarian treats such as deep fried quark balls, slabs of leberkäse and of course Steins of beer.

Having got a taste for the culture and cuisine during the day we headed to a Bavarian restaurant in the evening. Augustiner am Gendarmenmarkt was as close to anything I have been to in Munich. Warm, welcoming, noisy, crowded, and the smell of slow roasting pork in the air. Check out their unashamedly German language only website here.

Mike told us of a similar meal in his favourite Austrian beer garden - Schweizerhaus. Maybe there should be an unofficial FatSteak Club competition to find the best pork knuckle. Who would win? I would not want to call it, but look forward to much more research, all in the name of the FatSteak Club of course!

Knowing the size of the meal to come it is often wise to side step a starter. One of the tests of a good beer hall is the quality of their pretzels though. A german pretzel should be soft and fluffy inside the large part, the surface covered in crunchy salt crystals. All designed to get you thirsty and tucking in to that German beer. This pretzel didn’t disappoint, but we were bemused by the one Euro charge for butter!

Beerhall food doesn’t have to be all about the meat. This Allgäuer Käsespätzle is all about comfort food in a different way. This German take on a mac n cheese delivered layers of cheesy goodness covering home made noodles.

The Wiener Schnitzel nearly covered the plate, and was made from veal, flattened, crumbed and fried. The lemon essential to cut through the fat of the fry. The lukewarm potato and cucumber salad a perfect accompaniment to the rich meat.

The two Augustiner sausages were typical spiced, meaty bratwurst. Sitting on a bed of smooth potato puree and a side of sauerkraut. The pickled cabbage providing a sharp foil to the richness of the intensely meaty gravy.

The star of the evening was the pork knuckle. A kilo of perfectly slow roasted meat on the bone, finished on a high heat to provide the perfect crispy crackling. The bone really did just slide out clean, and the pink flesh providing the memories of my childhood, falling into big chunks.

Instead of being served on sauerkraut this was languishing on a bed of stewed cabbage creating an almost white sauce texture, perfect with the rich meat.

There was genuinely too much for me to eat. Luckily I had friends willing to help out. The result? See below!