Ui restaurant – An introduction to Uyghur food

Uyghur food is neither common nor well known in Germany and therefore I was very excited to have a possibility for an introduction to this cuisine in Frankfurt. The Uyghurs are a people of Islam faith living mostly in the North-West of China, with its main city of Ürümqi in Xinjiang province, but also are spread throughout central Asia and other parts of China. With their substantial migration, also their cuisine spread and Uyghurs are famous throughout China to provide excellent street food. The Uyghurs also form a small diaspora in Europe and in a few large cities in Germany some families opened restaurants offering their ethnic food. Frankfurt recently has seen its own Uyghur restaurant opened and I had the pleasure to visit it.

The location of Ui restaurant is unfortunately a bit remote, half way between Gallus and Griesheim in between private garden lots, and at least during winter times feels secluded from the rest of the city. Not many visitors managed to make their way to this location on the night of our visit. However, during summer this might become different, when all surrounding gardens are filled with hungry potential customers. I wish a lot of success to this restaurant, especially since they offer such a rare cuisine, but also because the service was incredibly friendly and welcoming.

The menu focuses on a few dishes all unknown to me prior to this visit. It needed a few explanations and we learned that Leghmen are the national signature dish of Uyghur cuisine and also of Ui restaurant. Leghmen are hand-pulled noodles that are boiled for a long time and can be topped with different meat and vegetables. The restaurant also makes them hand made. We went for this obvious introductory choice and ordered the spicy version of the noodles. As another dish to try, we ordered meat filled dumplings called Benschir.

Our plates arrived quickly and we could start to delve into our first bites of Uyghur food. Indeed, it was quite tasty. The Leghmen especially are very different from any other noodles I know. The spicy option was actually spicy. The Benschir was also good, however less original than the Leghmen. Overall, it was a great experience to try such an uncommon cuisine. On top, we also had a surprisingly good glass of wine to finish our evening. There are more dishes on the menu that sound worth trying during a future visit in Griesheim.

Style: Casual eatery/Dinner

Cuisine: Uyghur/Asian

Location: Griesheim

Website: http://ui-restaurant.de/

Coffee Alley – Tiny café serving incredibly tasty coffee

I recently found an amazing café that serves probably some of the best coffee in Frankfurt. It is located at an unlikely spot to find such great coffee. Coffee Alley seems to be a small independent coffee place that is just outside of the Skyline Plaza shopping center. The busy shopper is more likely to go to Starbucks right on the ground floor of the center and not endeavor out on the street to find. However, it is well rewarded to take a small walk down on the Europa Allee to find this charming place.

Coffee Alley seems to be only recently opened. There is no information to be found on the internet, it is not even marked on google maps. Yet, this is the place to be for any coffee enthusiast. The short menu contains the usual classics but also some more original choices like matcha tea as well as some trendy options like cold brew and affogato. The team of Coffee Alley does not have all the equipment yet to serve what they have on the menu. But what I tried was simply delicious. On top of that, they offer some great cookies and pastel de nata.

The owners/staff are incredibly friendly and apparently know their craft very well. I also liked the trendy interior design, which is minimalist and quite typical for a cozy neighborhood café. I will definitely stop by again. For me this is a new highlight in the Güterplatz/Europa Viertel area.

Style: Café

Cuisine: Coffee and cookies

Location: Europa Viertel

Website: n/a

Mera Masala – Popular Indian in the eastern part of city

Indian is one of my absolute favorites – extremely strong flavors, exotic colorful curries, good meat and bread. Even though there are quite some Indian places in Frankfurt, I so far did not manage to find one that really convinces me. Last weekend, I reserved a table in Mera Masala, which is a popular, well rated Indian restaurant in-between Merianplatz and Zoo. It is situated on Sandweg and thus officially in Ostend, however, it feels more part of the culinary scene around Berger Strasse/Nordend/Bornheim. It is therefore not surprising that this Indian restaurant is full on a Friday night. Luckily, we reserved, which was conveniently possible on their website.

Despite the full house, the waiters were very attentive and friendly. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable in spite of tables being close together. I especially liked the interior decoration of this place. Much to the opposite of the usual Indian where they go a bit overboard with their decoration enthusiasm, in Mera Masala it looked composed and tasteful.

Mera Masala is not offering the usual curry menu that is available at almost any Indian restaurant, but instead is specializing on more unique dishes from the local regions of the Sub-continent. This is a great idea and the menu intrigued me a lot. There are interesting sounding dishes from exotic places. I ordered lamb in a lentil based sauce and my wife ordered chicken in a coriander sauce. But first, we got the obligatory papadam with different sauces/dips as appetizer. This was already a good start; the dips were really good. Especially the mango chutney was delicious. Soon after, we received the main dishes. Both looked really great and indeed were quite tasty. My lamb was cooked well and was juicy.

Maybe it was my high expectations triggered by the intriguing menu and the excellent appetizer, but the main dish did not fully satisfy. My sauce could have been seasoned more and was missing a kick. I have to say that the sauce of my wife’s dish was much better though. Both of our dishes were marked as spicy on the menu, yet, this was not the case at all. It is a really great idea to serve food that is not the usual curry, but I cannot imagine that the authentic Indian dish, that mine was based on, has so little spice. However, Frankfurters seem to enjoy this Indian restaurant and the original menu is a success in drawing in the interested crowd. Maybe part of their recipe for success with the German audience is to tone down the spiciness.

Style: Casual eatery/Dinner

Cuisine: Indian/Asian

Location: Ostend

Website: http://www.meramasala.de/?file=kop1.php

Platz im Herzen – Delicious good food in the heart of culinary Frankfurt

This place surprised me very much. I had no big expectations – the restaurant is situated in an unremarkable building close to the Günthersburgpark, the decoration is not so much my style and the menu offers plenty of different international cuisine dishes from burger and schnitzel to chicken and pasta. But after tasting my meal, I was blown away. The food was delicious and you just get the impression that the kitchen is pursuing a high-quality standard.

We have visited Platz im Herzen now for the second time. This time for lunch. The menu on offer is the same, they do not have a special lunch menu. So, the quantity of food was a bit too much given that I felt more like wanting a snack. At lunch time, the restaurant was fairly empty, which is understandable. I remember the last time we have visited, for dinner, the place was packed. At least now we could freely choose our table. We were greeted nicely by our host. In general, the service was super friendly and attentive. Regarding the decoration, it is a little bit too much for my taste, complete walls and the ceiling painted in bright pink, but I have to acknowledge that they put effort and thought into it. I guess it depends on one’s personal taste to like it.

The food served in Platz im Herzen is international style, meaning it ranges from burger, wiener schnitzel, Thai-curry chicken to vegetarian couscous dishes. At first, this seems a bit wild and all over the place. But they just offer dishes that are very popular and then create a super tasty version of it. We ordered the wiener schnitzel and the ‘oriental chicken’. Both dishes were presented in a very stylish way: served on trendy plates came some beautifully arranged food. My chicken was soaked in a sweet-sour sauce which was to die for. Couscous and a mint dip on the side was also part of my dish. All in all, it was a fantastic dinner – even though we just stopped for lunch. They also have good wines and beers on their menu as refreshments. The menu of the day, announced on a board in the restaurant, also sounded intriguing. Additionally, the website informs that they also serve breakfast. Overall, I want to stop by again to try more.

Style: Casual eatery/Dinner

Cuisine: International

Location: Nordend-Ost

Website: http://www.platzimherzen.de/

L’Emir – Upscale Lebanese

L’Emir is a nice Lebanese restaurant in the middle of the happening Bahnhofsviertel. The tiny area between Frankfurt’s central station and the bank towers of the financial district is known to be a multicultural melting pot. It contains exciting opportunities to try different ethnic cuisines as you can find almost any nationality in the Bahnhofsviertel, L’Emir is a bit more of an upscale option and, presumably, connected to the neighboring hotel. It offers a glimpse into the Lebanese cuisine and culture.

We reserved short notice for a larger group but still got a table. The place is styled and has an interesting atmosphere. The prices are not cheap, but also not absurd. The menu offers quite an overwhelming range of dishes. A good choice are the menus, where one can easily pick from a few options without needing to know much about Lebanese cuisine. A menu includes some starters and a main course. It is supposed to be for one person, but we thought sharing among two would be sufficient. Indeed, it turned out that this is a good idea. We were able to try some different dishes and the quantity was sufficient.

As starters, we received flat bread and some dips/spreads, where one had a wonderful taste of roasted eggplant. Of course, hummus, a Levantine classic, was also served. All spreads were excellent without exception. The starter dishes also included some tasty vegetables from the grill. Finally, the main dishes arrived. We got two grill platters with chicken, lamb and vegetables. The taste was absolutely fantastic. The two small accompanying dips completed the dishes.

As a final touch to our introduction to Middle Eastern culture L’Emir presented a small belly dancing show. It was done tastefully and definitely brightened up the mood in the restaurant. We were glad to have this extra fun experience. Overall, L’Emir is an interesting place. It is more expensive than the average Bahnhofsviertel restaurant, but the dishes do not disappoint. The menu is varied and interesting. Everything seems quite authentic, yet more of an upscale presentation of traditional Lebanese food. Overall, I was totally intrigued to come back and try out some more dishes.

Style: Dinner

Cuisine: Lebanese/Mediterranean

Location: Bahnhofsviertel

Website: http://www.lemir.de/

Hankook – One of the best Koreans in town

Korean is a star among Asian food. It got increasingly popular in recent years in Germany too and Frankfurt has already its fair share of established Korean restaurants. Hankook in Sachsenhausen-Süd is one of the most known places and it offers the typical Korean menu – from Bibimbap to Korean Barbecue. Browsing through the internet, I got the impression that Hankook is competing for the unofficial title of best Korean restaurant in Frankfurt. I wanted to test the place myself as I am bigger admirer of spicy Korean dishes and good Korean Barbecue.

We went to Hankook, which is located a small uphill walk from Lokalbahnhof right next to the new development around the former Henninger Turm. I reserved the place for two and after arriving, we noticed that this is really necessary. The restaurant is extremely busy, especially on a Friday night. The owners manage this very well though. They seem to have quite a large crew of people working there. We were greeted friendly and got a good table. It is definitely recommended to call before since the place was absolutely packed. It speaks for the restaurant that it is so popular and confirms my internet research.

The menu offers basically the classical dishes that you expect to appear in a Korean restaurant in Europe. A highlight of good Korean is the table barbecue. Hankook is offering quite a variety of meats and so we went for it. We chose the menu where our orders of Bulgogi (marinated beef) and Samgyeopsal (pork belly) came with a wide range of small vegetable side dishes. The menu price was absolutely fair especially considering the amount of food we got. The side dishes were many and the meat was plenty. The menu card also explains that you can even order more meat if necessary – of course no take-away of left overs and no sharing with people who do not pay (the menu card explains in detail because people probably abuse the system otherwise). Also, the more people you are the more different kinds of meat you can order.

We were more than happy with the amount of food, in fact I even ate too much. But it was just so delicious. The meat was excellent and grilling on your own table adds a bit of extra fun. The side dishes were pretty good as well. However, some of them were a bit weak in taste and could have some more kick to it. When it comes to winning the crown of best Korean restaurant, a close look to the Kimchi served is in order. Kimchi - fermented vegetable, usually cabbage - is the core of the Korean food universe. The spiciness of Kimchi of Hankook is unfortunately toned down quite a bit and fermenting time was probably not too long. I guess this is necessary to accommodate the German taste, which usually is not compatible with too spicy food. Overall, I understand that most Asian places have to do this – but really great would be if there was an option to choose among the Korean and the German version of Kimchi.

Overall, I can confirm that good stories I read about Hankook. Its popularity does have a reason. The food is tasty and plentiful. The atmosphere was good. The prices are fair. I will definitely want to visit again. However, if it wins the title of best Korean restaurant in Frankfurt remains yet to be seen.

Style: Casual eatery/Dinner

Cuisine: Korean/Asian

Location: Sachsenhausen

Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hankook/147432088645759

Café Croquant – Charming French café in the Europa Viertel

This café is a super charming place in the middle of the Europa Viertel. Being right at the Europa Allee, the big street passing through this newly developed neighborhood, it is perfectly located to serve as a local meeting place and supply the residents with fresh bakery products. Café Croquant is more than just a bakery though, it is a French style Sandwicherie, Pâtisserie, Brasserie and Café. Charmingly decorated it is very inviting not only to have a small beverage but to also sit down and enjoy a Flammkuchen, a tart or some of other pastry.

We visited right before Christmas and the decoration of the café was prepared accordingly. The style inside is very cozy and comforting. Not to be missed in a French brasserie are the wine bottles beautifying the background shelve. The thick wooden furniture makes it feel rustic and down to earth. So far, the view outside still goes to a large construction site where the Messe is building another extensive hall. Still some of the surrounding building places are to be developed, but once this part of Europa Viertel is completed the view will also improve. I can imagine that it is a promising location with plenty of apartment blocks around, where there are many potential costumers waiting for a café and bakery. 

We visited café Croquant on a cloudy Sunday afternoon. We were much surprised to find such a charming place during our walk along the Europa Allee. We ordered two white wines, French of course, to go with our Flammkuchen and omelet. Everything was pretty good, fresh and tasty. The Flammkuchen was not the best one I ever tried, but quite alright. The strong suit of this café are the pastries though. We enjoyed a little chocolate tarte, which was fantastic. Overall, it is the perfect place to rest a bit from a Sunday walk and enjoy the cozy atmosphere.

Style: Café

Cuisine: French, Bakery

Location: Europa Viertel

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Caf%C3%A9-Croquant-599321850250498/