World of flavour awaits at restaurant
THE flavours of Germany have arrived in East London with German Taste serving up the best from Deutschland.
East London and the Border area have for decades had a strong German flavour, with German Settlers arriving here in the 1850s and many towns, such as Berlin and Hamburg, named after cities in “Deutschland”.
More recently, Germans enter our city for work purposes, with the Mercedes-Benz SA plant here.
With the city’s long history, German Taste is the first German restaurant that can be remembered in East London.
My girlfriend Bernie and I paid a visit to the restaurant with its lovely location on the East London beachfront a stone’s throw away from the German Settlers Monument, to take in some of the freshly made flavours.
We were met by owner Franzi Czikmantori.
The rustic but modern restaurant has a cosy feel to go with the really comforting food that is German cuisine.
For starters Bernie had the spinach and feta quiche, while I had the ham and cheese quiche. This was delicious, with a moist, tasty filling and a light base.
The quiches, along with all the croissants, pretzels, baguettes, various pastries and a whole range of other breads, are baked fresh daily by baker Ralph Boepple, Czikmantori’s father.
The family link does not end there, with Franzi’s mother helping out by making some of the traditional German dishes.
They are a long line of cooks, with Czikmantori’s great-great-great-grand- mother’s recipes still in use by the family. Czikmantori said in Germany one had to study for six years to become a baker – three years for baking and three years in confectionery.
Bernie had the goulash as a main. It’s a slow-cooked German beef stew served with knodel – boiled dumplings – at R139.
I opted for the baked maultaschen – a stuffed German pasta baked with tomato sauce and Emmentaler cheese. This is served with a salad and costs R99.
True to all I’ve heard about German food, it was real comfort food with deep, delicious flavours. The flavour was quite new for Bernie but she enjoyed the goulash none the less. I loved the maultaschen as it reminded me of a heartier version of ravioli.
The mains are not small and really fill you up, but we did have some space left to try the Bavarian crème served with strawberry coulis at R49. It was a delicate, delicious and creamy dessert that spoke to my palate after a big meal.
Pastries are also available but Czikmantori said their main focus was on the plated food.
German Taste has now received its liquor licence and also have some outside tables.
They are open from Tuesday to Sunday from 12noon to 9.30pm.
Boepple’s bakery, along with German Taste, go by the name Taste Factory and I can attest to the fact that they put out many different tastes for a variety of palates, and you can treat yourself to the best breads, a world of tasty pastries and delicious food.
