A little bit of Germany

Tonight I got together with a few friends at Schurrbart, a German pub in Lan Kwai Fong. It's been a while since I had a taste of German food, so I was happy with my German friend's suggestion for some of his comfort food.

German food is pretty hearty, so I dispensed with starters and went straight for the schweinshaxe - the famed roasted pork knuckle. It's been a long time since I last enjoyed this dish, and I was not disappointed. The meat was roasted so it was dry and crispy on the outside, while still retaining some moisture inside. The crispy, slightly hard skin was superb - crunchy in the mouth but worked perfectly with the soft layer of fat just underneath the skin. There is very little to complain about here. I didn't touch the big blob of mash on my plate, but did enjoy the sauerkraut very much.

I also had a taste of the currywurst, which is something I wanted to try for a long time after seeing it on TV. I didn't find the curry taste strong enough, and wish that they had sprinkled some curry powder on top to spice it up more...

The 2006 Selbach-Oster Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese was delicious, showing a big nose of petrol, minerals and sweet honey. It was slightly sweeter on the palate than I expected, and the girls definitely liked this wine.

I didn't have room for dessert, so I opted for a couple of schnapps - starting with winter spiced apple as a substitute for apple strudel. This wasn't a bad choice, and did actually taste like the strudel fillings . The blood orange that followed was also pretty nice, although the higher level of alcohol here was clearly detectable. It wasn't exactly fine dining, but I really enjoyed my evening.