My children’s books publisher is Italian so I get to see the Alps quite frequently for my lectures there but when I am in Hamburg and I sometimes crave good alpine food like Knödel as a main dish for lunch (try it out there, it is very good food that is sometimes based on bread and sometimes on potatoes and they serve it here!) or Kaiserschmarrn (literally the emperor’s joke but it is in fact cut-up and sugared pancake with raisins) and some lemonade called Almdudler (with herbs from the alps), I go there.

It is called Kantine meaning canteen which can already tell you the style of seating, namely long tables. In other words: you might meet strangers there and maybe become friends. The food is yummy and fresh, they have great cakes and good coffee and you can sit and have your glass of wine, too. I sometimes go there for work meetings as well, because I love it.