My East Berlin Crow's Nest

Asian Tiger (Greifswalder Str 208)

If you find yourself wandering down Greifswalder Strasse on a Sunday, hungry and irritable due to the supermarket closing before your untimely arrival, don’t go to Asian Tiger. I ordered vegetable spring rolls and a tofu Phad Thai ('ve eaten too much chicken lately, I'm not turning into Moby).

When the spring rolls arrived, a realisation dawned that countless bad Asian restaurant experiences could have previously been avoided, if I'd used the spring roll starter as a litmus test to whether I should even bother ordering a main. Bad Asian restaurants create spring rolls like these I thought, as oil from the deep fat fryer slithered down my chin. I was relieved the sun had just disappeared, sitting at my kerb side table, the spring roll left me feeling vulnerable of being fried from the inside out - my innards spitting in hot grease, until they melted through my skin and dropped into daylight.

Unforyunately I had already ordered the main. The 'Pad Thai' arrived with me being typically British and nodding my approval at the departing half eaten spring rolls as the waitress removed my plate. The Pad Thai was limp, bland and did nothing to dispel my spring roll theory. The tofu, deep fried, overcooked, and almost as foul to the tastebuds as Moby is to the ears. Thoroughly depressing.

I've heard the Miso soup is good.

Cafe Maibach (Wörther Straße 28)

My first eating experience at Maibach was, well...cheesy. I ordered the 'Fromage antipasti' and during occasional breaks from swatting gingerly at wasps, I admired my surroundings. From the restaurants south-facing corner, I could see every cobble that lined the quintessential Prenzlauer Berg street, Rykestrasse. The window boxes look like statement-making colourful handkerchiefs in the pocket square of a suit, as they overflow from the wonderful townhouses that define this part of Berlin. The barrel chested, stoic, water tower announced the streets end; while the extra-terrestrial TV tower hovered in the blue sky of Berlin in the distance.

My 'Fromage Antipasti' arrived. It looked like someone had prepared a stockpile of cheese, but forgot to buy the mousetraps. Nothing, but cheese. Five mountains of inch sized cubes: A very mild cheddar - although, given that it was so mild it was nearly tasteless, it may well have been a deutsche bastard child of cheddar. Hellumi - unless its been grilled, I just don't see the attraction. A strong blue cheese - creamy and sharp, but I had eaten too much cheese before we encountered each other. Another mild yellow cheese and, finally, I think there was feta.

I was even more surprised when I realised I'd eaten everything, than by it's arrival. One-by-one I had soldiered through the cheese cubes, nearly to the point of having to check with the back of my hand that my mouth hadn't evolved into four corners.

Perfect location, strong cappuccino, smiley staff, wifi. And cheese.

*23/8 Returned and had an excellent late brunch. Pan mottled Scrambled eggs with crispy bacon. Interesting to learn the Germans follow the Turks with a salad side - an odd assortment of lettuce, tinned sweetcorn and olives.

Anyabella (Kirchstrasse)

Baked buckwheat Peirogi, wink at me from a bath of bubbling, Deutsche cheese. Topped with a sprinkling of chives.

I 'vill be back.