From the series: Europe is Hot, Berlin is on Fire
What do Canadian Food, the city of Berlin, a mid 19th century house, Weddings, Catering, Cakes and Coffee have in common? The Cafe Lehmsofa Restaurant; I had the opportunity to visit and following is my review. Guten Appetit!
Cafe Lehmsofa *****
Canadian Food, Seasonal Menu, Catering, Wedding Parties
Opening Hours: Closed Monday & Tuesday. Open Wednesday to Friday – Noon to 6pm / 12 Uhr – 18 Uhr, Saturday & Sunday – Noon to 7pm / 12 Uhr – 19 Uhr.
Address: Dorfstrasse 4, 13057, Berlin-Falkenberg
Tel: 030 930 22874, 0160 590 1918 Contact: Lynn Densmore, Website
Although in the big city of Berlin, the Cafe Lehmsofa Restaurant, in the borough of Falkenberg, seems like another world. Falkenberg itself, a village from the 19th century, is now a charming district without the hustle and bustle and high rises of central Berlin. The Cafe is home in the monument Gutsarbeiterhaus, a building which housed the workers of Count von Arnim. Hiking and cycling trails come right to the backdoor!
The owner, Canadian Lynn Densmore is a very busy lady; in addition to managing her afternoon restaurant, she and her team have a full catering service, bake beautiful wedding / celebration cakes and host complete wedding parties in house. Her food is self proclaimed Canadian; all dishes are made from scratch with seasonal ingredients whenever possible, therefore the menu is continuously changing. We went for a Sunday drive to find out what this busy sounding place is all about.
My first impression as we drove up was the how beautiful the charming old house looked. Red brick, green shutters and ample colourful gardens created a charming, relaxed, inviting feeling. At the entrance a big blackboard list teased us with a selection of cakes. As we entered, smiling faces greeted us from the open kitchen on the right; curiously I made my way through 3 different rooms with seating for approximately 60, all decorated slightly different but with one thing in common, inviting!
It was a beautiful sunny day, so we made our way out to the patio. A delightful garden with long tables, benches and sun umbrellas encouraged us to grab a seat and relish the day. A clipboard menu presented the monthly seasonal offerings, blackboards presented daily specials and cakes. It was busy and people seemed to be enjoying themselves, some eating cakes and drinking coffee, others eating salads or hot dishes accompanied with cold beers.
A server arrived very quickly, efficiently gave some suggestions and took our orders for cake and coffee. I took the time to take a closer look at the menu. I would say, based on the offerings, it seems like Canadian food with a German twist – of course this makes sense given the fact that the food is prepared fresh and seasonal, therefore, assumedly local as well. Soups, salads, stews and cakes are the menu basics with in seasonal variations; surprise additions, like a variety of hamburgers in the 2016 September menu (see below) create diversity.
In short order our coffee and cake arrived. I bet they get a kick out of the pleasantly shocked faces of the new customers when food is presented – the portion size was huge! The Cappuccino was a display of Italian perfection, espresso topped with a thick foamy milk froth with a gentle sprinkling of cocoa completed with a sweet, round biscotti on the side – coffee heaven! The Cherry Streusel was sinfully delicious, tangy cherries in a thin flour crust followed with a buttery, flaky batter and topped with a crunchy, sweet crumb topping. Guess what? I ate it all!
Based on my coffee and cake experience and the fabulous, friendly and efficient atmosphere, I can absolutely recommend the Cafe Lehmsofa. Hopefully I can return in the near future to taste the hot dishes on offer. I asked on the way out where the Lehmsofa (Clay Sofa) is and they guided me into the middle room, where sure enough sat a functioning Clay Sofa Oven – warm ass on a cold winter day!
Bike, hike, drive or take the bus, but if you are in Berlin, make this a stop and say hi to Lynn!
Current Menu Sample Menu - September 2016 Always a daily special, and always cakes! Salad All salads are served with a homemade herbed balsamic vinaigrette. Small Mixed Salad - with tomatoes and cucumbers Leaf lettuce Salad with Cheese - with pickled feta cheese, black olives and roasted nuts Burgers - homemade with fresh meat from the butcher, served with ketchup, mustard, tomato, onion, lettuce and Potato chips Classic Burger Cheese Burger - topped with emmental cheese au gratin Apple Burger - topped with pan prepared grated apple Apple Cheese Burger - pan prepared grated apple and emmental cheese BBQ Burger - with homemade barbecue sauce Lehmsofa Burger - with homemade Plum and Onion Sauce Hot Meals Canadian Chicken Stew - chicken stewed in its own juices with roasted kohlrabi, carrots, thyme and potatoes Altbier Stew - Beef goulash from a stew of mushrooms, gorgonzola white wine sauce and potatoes, with dumplings and red cabbage Celery Root Schnitzel - Celery Root prepared schnitzel art with a vegetable orange sauce, served with a side salad or fried potatoes (Vegetarian) Stuffed Pepper - minced meat, rice, apples, red wine sauce with a side salad
