Scowl, Nu?

I wish I had words to explain this evening…

This evening, my neighborhood hosted the Geisterzug, one of the many parades that are part of Köln’s Carneval festivities.

The Geisterzug, or Ghost Parade wound through the Agnesviertel, with the crowds starting around 6pm, and it is still going strong now at midnight.

We started at 6pm at Havana having a few Sion Kölsch. From there, we went to Früh im Veedel for three more, followed by three .33l bottles of Mühlen Kölsch at the street vendors, two Gaffels at Balthasar and a final Sion at Zweipann at the corner. This doesn’t include the large Kölsch this afternoon at Früh or the Gaffel at Kaufhof this afternoon. Yes, you truly can’t appreciate Karneval without a a Kölsch in your hand.

Words just can’t describe it. Drum corps, people in skeleton costumes, and a few thousand people in the streets wandering to the eis-stadion across from our apartment. I would write more, but I am debating whether to headi out and join the fray once again…

On Sunday, after seeing a guest off, we decided to make a quick run to the Hauptbahnhof for magazines and a quick bite to eat (note to all Ausländers… the train station and the airport are the only places in most German cities that can sell goods on Sunday) As we were wandering through the food court, we stumbled upon Flambees, an Alsatian Flammkuchen (elsässer flammkuchen) restaurant.

Alsatian Flammkuchen is very simple: a very thin piece of dough, covered with schmand (a thick sour cream similar to creme fraiche), onions, little cubes of bacon and quickly baked over high heat. Sure, there are variations with other toppings, but the classics are the best.

And how is Flambees? Not bad. A small (which is pretty big) classic (see above) will set you back 3.79€, which is perfect for a quick freshly cooked lunch.

Flambees. Hauptbahnhof. Great for a quick bite when you are sick of fast food, pizza and döner…

Ok, it’s already considered the best Mexican restaurant in Cologne, so it doesn’t need the press, but if you have a craving for decent Mexican, Cafe Especial near the Deutz Bahnhof fits the bill.

A nice Tequila list (great selection in German terms, nothing like Tommy’s Tequila in San Francisco), great guacamole, very good chili colorado and a better than average salsa were all in the mix last saturday, but the meal comes with a price – a hefty price.

A Chili Colorado burrito, which would cost 6 dollars in the States runs you over 10 euros. Herradura Tequila was over 7 a shot. The service was minimal and disorganized.

Still, it was a very passable Mexican joint by European standards and we will be back once our wallets recover from the shock.

Cafe Especial, Köln Deutz U-Bahn. Worth a trip.

In a previous life, it may have been a coffee shop since there was still a large espresso machine in the middle of the prep area and a tile coffee cup on in front of the stairs going down to the bathroom. Or maybe it was an Italian cafe, since the bathroom mirrors were still stenciled with the words “Buon Giorno”. Regardless of what it was, Maru is now Cologne’s first Ramen-ya, specializing in Ramen and Udon dishes, complimented with donburi (toppings over rice) and Japanese interpretations of Dim Sum.

We went in to Maru not sure what to expect – will it be another “asian fusion” restaurant that promise much but fail on most fronts? Will it be another corporate cafe that just caters to the wanna-bes? Well, it wasn’t anything like that: it was just a humble little shop where you could get a bowl of ramen soup, a little yakigyoza, and a nice bottle of soju.

Yep, soju. Maru has the 200ml bottles of Iichiko Soju, the Japanese Sake distillate which is a true pleasure to find, as well as a good selection of teas, dumplings and even Calpis/Calipco – Japan’s citrusy milk soda.

This evening, we went wild, starting with Jiao-zi (pork and ginger steamed dumplings), Zhen-Bao (buns filled with ground pork, shiitake, onions and ginger that tasted just like a Yoshinoya beef bowl – but in a good way), and Yakigyoza (pot-sticker dumplings) which were all made from scratch as we waited. These were so good, I even ordered some Ebi-Shumai (shrimp dumplings with carrot and ginger).

Following this was some of the most delicate Shoyu-ramen that we have ever had – roasted pork, green onions, mung beans and wakame in a perfectly balanced soy sauce broth.

All of this, five Reissdorf Kölsch (33cl bottles) and a whole bottle of soju (20cl) came to a whopping 47 Euros, placing Maru clearly into our normal selection of restaurants in Cologne.

Maru. Friesenplatz U-bahn. EC Cards and Cash.

As we reported earlier, there is pretty damned good Indian food in Cologne… but the first place we found, Tandoor Palace was a bit pricey for every day eating. Sure, I am not against paying 65€ for a good meal, but it’s not the sort of money I want to spend every day.

So, on New Year’s Day, after coming back from Antwerp, we were in search of sustinance. Falling on the logic taught to us by great moves such as “A Christmas Story” – look towards ethnic restaurants when you want food on the holidays. Unfortunately, United Kitchens, the major delivery company here in Cologne, was on the end-of-year break. Calls to an Indian restaurant well recommended by Douglas, our hair stylist, went to an answering machine. About a minute away from giving up and ordering a pizza, I stumbled upon a review of Clay Oven in the 2005 Prinz Guide for Cologne.

Ok, four stars, same as the highly recommended place from Douglas and the Tandoor Palace. Decent website. Wait… what is this… they deliver???

A quick call confirmed it, and 45 minutes later, we were sitting down (ok, squatting on the floor) to a nice Indian meal.

Quality wise, the food was very good. The Chicken Vindaloo was quite spicy, but didn’t sacrifice flavor for heat. Janet’s Chicken Tikka Masala was more flavorful than most… and the rice – flavored with cardamom pods – fantastic. The real killer was the price… Half of what we paid for Tandoor Palace.

Needless to say, we have a new regular delivery Indian Restaurant.

Just a quick note here. If you’re looking for a good hairstylist in Cologne, try Jag’s Hair. Janet had her hair re-styled there about 2 months ago when we were on an apartment-hunting trip and I just had mine done there. The results? Fantastic. Plus, Douglas (the owner) is a Brit (here since ’78), so it makes it a little easier for us non-Natives