Thursday 14 June 2012

Dusseldorf- a travelogue


Not everyone may know that I lived in Germany until I was 12 when my family decided to pack everything  up and move to England. I don’t really feel particularly “German” or “English” in my attitude, in any case with people moving around so much the concept of only having one home country is completely outdated, personally seeing myself as more of a “European” than anything else . Still since leaving I do miss certain things about Germany and make regular trips back to my home town Duesseldorf. I know most of you will immediately think of Berlin when city trip and Germany fall in the same sentence but it really isn’t the only place worth visiting there. This is because I personally think Duesseldorf is like a small, compact and less busy version of London, it has all the shops you will need, restaurants and of course for me especially an amazing group of friends that I don’t get to see an awful lot. It is definitely worth a visit which is why I have compiled a little round up of places that will give Duesseldorf forever a special place in my heart, yet another place that is a home for me even if I don’t get to go as much as I’d like!

I have always struggled to find truly good Japanese ramen noodle soup in London and after various not so good restaurant experience don't tend to have it when eating out, especially when the soup served at Na Ni Wa has put the bench mark so high. Duesseldorf has a large Japanese population as many big Japanese cooperation have their European headquarters there so instead of Chinatown in London in Duesseldorf a small part of town is dedicated to everything Japanese. Wandering around there I first discovered Na Ni Wa. Not very big and always with an orderly queue of people outside this place is the real deal when it comes to ramen (the Japanese businessmen that come here for a warming dinner by themselves only further indicating its authenticity) and worth the wait. It isdefinitely the best noodle soup i have sampled and even though a little crammed on the inside you can feel a little bit of Tokio atmosphere in the middle of Duesseldorf


Germans know how to make cake and bake, there is no doubt about that, but]e has managed to make beautiful looking and incredibly tasty cakes whilst sticking to a modern and understated concept. Duesseldorf is of course full of cake shops that have nice enough tortes and cream concoction but many of them look a little stuck in the good old days, something that after being spoilt with an amazing and fast moving restaurant scene in London I am ashamed to say I am a little put off by these days. Pure Freude manages to incooperate baking skills with a beautifully simple interior design and offers everything from macaroons to my favourite the Royale ( caramel mousse encased with white chocolate), all prepared everyday in the adjoining kitchen that one can gain a little glimpse into. In the back is a secluded courtyard where you can sit down with your cake of choice and completely forget that you are in the middle of the old town. 

Of course I was also there to see some of my friends so here a few fun pictures that give an indication how much fun I had in the 5 short days there!

3 comments:

Hans Georg Lundahl said...

Grüß Dich Gott!

Ich bien in Wien geboren, aber Schwede.

Hans Georg Lundahl said...

Verließ Wien mit elf und einhalb Jahren.

Hans Georg Lundahl said...

Ritter Sport!