Gobbling Germans' Gibberish

Usually, this is a tag-team of the gobblingwoman and her counterpart. But this time, she had decided to be elsewhere and the man was hungry.

We had seen Fletcher’s Better Burger opening just a short while back and already talked about going there…so I did by myself. I visited the location @ Berger Strasse 111.

So I entered the joint, it is quite nicely designed, modern, simple and I was greeted with a friendly smile. The menu is short, you get Hamburger, Cheeseburger, Baconburger and you can even get veggie stuff if you like (Falafel, Hummus, Halloumi…). The ordered burgers can be varied by getting additional toppings free of charge or if you pay more, you can double/triple the meat and/or cheese.

After ordering a cheeseburger-Menu with cheese-bacon-jalapeno fries, i first got a buzzer telling me when my food is done, then I got what you see here:

Double Cheeseburger with cheese-bacon-jalapeno fries.

Basically, the gig is almost like in any fast food joint, you order, you pick up, you return the tray. So I picked up and sat down and since I am no friend of using those paper bags as a means of holding my burgers, I tried to get some form of cutlery…they have some, but it small and made of plastic.

The burger itself was very well made, still slightly red in the center (as it should be, otherwise it is an abomination unto the Lord) and the meat was excellent. The entire affair was juicy, tasty, just the cheddar cheese was sub par. It could have used a bit more oomph. The hot sauce topping was not hot, but spicy…since I do like to eat very spicy, I cannot be the judge of “hot” anymore. Nevertheless the sauce was nice and an excellent partner for the burger.

The fries were meh. Their redeeming feature would have been a nice, spicy cheddar cheese with nice and spicy jalapenos topped with crispy bacon. They were not redeemed since the cheddar was — again — not really strong, rather a bland, rubbery thing. The jalapenos and bacon tasted nice and should they ever consider using better cheese, they will be perfect. I can already hear the gobblingwoman cry in her pillow…she is a big fan of chili cheese fries and these would not tickle her fancy.

Now to the bad part. The price. The entire gig set me back 15 Euros. That was the menu for ~11 (Burger, Normal fries and a drink) and then the extras (double meat, chili-cheese-bacon fries) for ~4.

Living in Frankfurt makes you thick-skinned when it comes to prices in restaurants and the like, especially if they are in certain areas. Now 15 Euros are ok-ish, but comparing it to  other burger-joints, they do not stick out much and you can get better fries at most others. Will I fork out that amount of moolah again for a burger there? No. Most likely not. There are better places to get your burgers where you get better sides AND get served.  If you are only after a meat patty without sides (maybe without bread..:) ), then you can safely get one there, the burger is fine.

Our previous postings might have given a clue that we do like asian food. We do. A lot. But that does not mean that we shirk away from other cuisines. In fact, we like a good burger now and then. And the Frankfurt quarter of Bornheim does provide us with a good feeding place: The Heroes Premium Burgers.

garlic bread with sour cream

The patties are not grilled to their very death here; they are nice and juicy. And if you aren’t into beef, there are chicken burgers or even vegetarian ones (halumi cheese). A side order of garlic bread has become tradition.

I decided to get a Butch witch cheese, nothing fancy, but with pickled salty cucumbers and aioli. They do know how to make a good aioli in that place. The place provides some hints on how to tackle a burger that is stacked so high they have to keep everything in place with a little wooden pin. You should first cut the thing in half and then take heart and grab you half burger and dig in. No dainty cutting off little slices with knife and fork.

The ‘Butch’ with cheese

But alas – the knives they provide are intended to spread butter on a slice of bread, they are so blunt. If you cut the burger in two you most likely than not make a complete mess of the affair.

Gobblinggermanman forsake the patties this time and opted for a burger with Sucuk, a spicy turkish sausage. Now these sausages are really resilient and trying to cut them resulted in a near-total disintegration of the burger and some minor attire mishaps. But the taste more than made up for it.

süper güc

We mentioned the knife problem to the attendant and had the impression that we weren’t the first to remark on it. This place has but 10 steak knives, and those are reserved for steak. Hopefully they will rethink their policy (or sharpen the existing knives). But apart from that, the place is nice and friendly, they have a lunch offer and you definitely need not be a hero to try their food.

A few years ago, the Chinese food situation for both the gobblingwoman and the gobblingman was a simple one-stop affair. With the death of that restaurant and the owner, it is no longer as simple and it took us a while to lock our sights on the Frankfurt district close to the main station which traditionally has lots and lots of exotic restaurants … which also traditionally sucked more often than not. That time seems to be over now.

The Mian Nudelhaus is found close to the less savory streets where drug addicts and shady fellows roam and usually you would not  think to find such a gem in an environment such as this. But you do. The place is very small and is run by Chinese and usually filled up within 30 minutes of opening (at least around midday) with Asians and  local workers who like good food.

You get seated wherever there is room and sometimes you will end up at a table with people you do not know. It is always funny to see two Germans come in, look around and when the waitress points to 2 free spots at a half-occupied table, they stick their heads together, smile and then leave. Their loss, our gain.

The menu is small … basically you get some dumplings, soups and a few noodle-bowls. Every time we visit the place, we read the menu and well…most of the time, we order our favorites. The woman loves the Jiao Zi  with wild garlic (Jiao Zi mit Bärlauch) while the man goes for the noodles with minced meat (Zha Jiang Mian).

Even when it is full, the orders are usually delivered quite quickly, maybe if overrun with dumpling orders, it can take a little longer. But the wait is worth it.

Jiao Zi with wild garlic

The dumplings come piping hot and there is — as one would expect — soy sauce, vinegar and hot sauce at the table to season them if needed. I stole a dumpling from the woman and have to say the meat is very well done, only slightly seasoned but the wild garlic is noticeable. They are delicious but they are no side order…the first time in, the woman and I ordered 2 “main” courses and some dumplings on the side and we found out that we can no longer eat so much..:)

Zha Jiang Mian (Noodles with minced meat)

The freshly made noodles in the Zha Jiang Mian are really delicious and one tastes that the person making them knows what he/she is doing for sure. The mince is well seasoned but not overwhelming and a spoon of hot sauce makes the dish even better.

We did not mention prices yet…the woman paid around 9 Euros and I paid around 11 Euros, prices that are on the low end of the scale in Frankfurt.

Long story short, the Mian Nudelhaus is an excellent spot for lunch and dinner if you are lucky to get a table. You should not mind chattering people, noise and the rather shady neighborhood (which is safe during the day) and you will get wonderful, homemade food at a good price.

The Berger Strasse, the backbone of the Frankfurt quarter Bornheim, has lots of nice restaurants. The Sonamu is one of them.

The Sonamu

The restaurant owner must have a great liking for wood – there is wood on the outside, wood on the ceiling, the walls, the floor… With an occasional red accent providing some relief and saving the place from looking like a finnish sauna.

The menu is small, but you can find the traditional Korean dishes with some variations. Each serving comes with side orders (one of them kimchi, of course).

sol dot bi bim bap

I must admit that I always order the same thing, for I do like the taste so much. A bi bim bap but with a twist. They add rocket, egg and a sliced apple, which brings a wonderful freshness to this dish.

Gobblinggermanman has also found something to his taste: A soup with vegetables based on a beef broth. It is hot due to chilli flakes that are roasted with the beef before being added to the soup.

yuk ge chang

The service is quick and friendly and more often than not a visit to the local food market at Bornheim Mitte (which is open wednesdays and saturdays) has led us to the impromptu decision to have lunch at this place.