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We've just come back from a short, cold but very enjoyable trip to my home country - Germany. L has this fascination with German winters and I think he was hoping for lots of snow. Unfortunately he got disappointed, it did start snowing at one point, but didn't settle on the ground. Anyway, our two weeks in Berlin were mostly spent organising things for our wedding. Yikes, yes, we are getting married and it's getting closer and closer! This was our only chance to actually get over there to organise things "in the flesh". Everything else is happening over the phone or email and thankfully my mother is super organised and helping heaps!
L's favourite place in Germany so far is Berlin, he's now been twice (and both in winter), so I can't wait to show him this amazing, buzzing city in the summer! We spent two days in the capital, exploring, walking, doing touristy things like museums and the Reichstag, and of course eating!
L had stumbled across this great little cafe find online and it was within walking distance from my sisters apartment in Mitte (great area if you're planning on visiting Berlin!). Hidden away on a quiet street off Friedrichstrasse, with barely more than a little sign announcing it's existence. House of Small Wonder has a big sister cafe in Brooklyn, and to be honest, I think they've done a fairly good job of bringing the vibe with them to Berlin.
Upon entering Little House of Wonder you feel like you are transported to a different place. It's got a very calm atmosphere, with a staircase winding it's way to the first floor, where the actual cafe is located. (I've been told it gets super, super busy on weekends, so the tranquillity might have been just a weekday occurance.). From what I could tell, the staff all spoke English only and the menu is also in English, so definitely very tourist friendly.
Iced Coffee and Latte
The menu only has a few dishes on offer, four items each for breakfast and lunch as well as a selection of delicious sounding sandwiches. They do however offer all day breakfast and all day lunch, so you can do it like L and order Okinawan Taco Rice, which is described as "invented in the 60’s, Tex-Mex favorite with a Japanese twist: ground all natural pork, chopped vegetables, parmesan and fried organic egg over rice". The mince had a great flavour to it and to be honest, with the fried egg on top it made for a great breakfast dish. I went for something slightly more traditional, but still not your usual breakfast option: Two Eggs with Potato Gratin. I'm a massive fan of potato gratin and this one was awesome. It comes witha choice of either spinach salad or Mediterranean (super delicious tomato + cucumber).
Two Eggs with Potato Gratin
One of my bridesmaids joined us a little later and I'm so glad she ordered the Croissant French Toast. I knew it would be too sweet for me, but jeez it looked amazing! On the plate were two little jars, one with maple syrup, one with whipped cream. And the fruit salad! It was a very appetizing looking mixture of colours and fruits.
Croissant French Toast
While she was enjoying her pretty dish, L and I decided we wanted to try something small from the bakery section and chose an Apple Crumble to share. Juicy at the bottom, crumbly and crunchy at the top, a perfect little apple crumble, exactly like it should be!
Apple Crumble with whipped cream
I loved House of Small Wonder and would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Berlin. Let me know if you have been and what you thought! (Or if you know of any other cool little hidden cafes in Berlin, I'd love to check them out next time!).
House of Small Wonder Johannisstr 20 10117 Berlin Phone 030 2758 2877 (don't take reservations)
