PlanetEye

The weekend has come around again and Berlin is alive with the sound of chewing. The German breakfast takes a certain getting used to and when I was first faced with a Sunday brunch at my ex-boyfriend’s house I thought his parents were overdoing it in the hope of marrying off their eldest child. But no, a weekend breakfast in this country means emptying the entire fridge contents onto the table, garnishing lavishly with a variety of breads, croissants and cakes, and grazing through it at a sedate pace accompanied by endless pots of coffee.

Berlin has turned this family tradition into a city-wide phenomenon. Most cafes open up a weekend brunch buffet for around 8€. Starting at 10am and running till 4pm, you can park your backside in a cool café and work your way through eggs, pasta, seafood, salads, yoghurts, cheeses, meats, fruits, breads and cakes. Each café has its own particular smorgasbord and in summer those with outside seating are invariably full. My current favourite is Istoria in Prenzlauer Berg, but I am planning on touring brunch locations throughout the year. I’ll let you know how it goes, and how successful the subsequent diet is.

The only thing to beware is that drinks are not included and it is all too easy to go through multiple coffees and juices. And once the sun hits the highest point? Well then maybe a beer or wine – it’s LUNCH then after all, and perfectly acceptable. The best brunch I ever had started at 10am and when they packed up the buffet at 4pm we slipped into evening mode. It was 3am when we finally left that table… now who wants to join me for the next one?