[dddorf]

You know that feeling when you go to a new country and you start discovering the cuisine, the ingredients and what comfort food might mean to someone else? Well, this is about what you might experience at Taste Greece, a little oasis of high quality Greek goods right there hidden away in Unterbilk. A warehouse actually, with quite the charm I might add. Open to the public a couple days a week (on top of doing B2B) Taste Greece carries a selection of Greek foods and drinks that could appeal to any foodie. Everything seems to be selected with love by the business owners, from olive oil coming from the land of their family’s neighbour in Crete, to craft beers you’ve probably never even heard about. So wether you’re looking for the perfect olive oil to dip your bread in, planning a large Greek dinner with your friends, or adding a new Greek dish on your restaurant’s menu - swing by Taste Greece and they’ll get you what you need. καλη ορεξη!

Volmerswerther Str. 21

Düsseldorf 

Tram & S Bahn station: Völklinger Straße

Open to the public on Thursday, Friday & Saturday

http://www.tastegreece.com/

[dddorf]

If you asked us a year ago what Düsseldorf was missing for us to love it more, it would have been a good juice place. But then, Greentrees happened. You might know them for their beautiful and delicious smoothie bowls they have served to crowds at festivals all around d’dorf and in nearby cities. Now you can try one for yourself at their very own shop in Derendorf, right by the new upcoming FH Düsseldorf campus.  This small cold pressed juice and smoothie joint has a lovely interior, and a lovely owner. The Australian lady you’ll most likely meet behind the “theke” is the brains behind the fresh concept, one that’s been imitated but never equalled.  With an array of not only healthy but also super tasty foods from “rawnola” bars to avocado toast topped with superfoods, you’ll leave there refreshed and feeling pretty good about what you just put into your body. In fact, their whole mantra is about this, “tyblat” or “treat your body like a temple” can be found on the walls of the place, reminding their customers to take care of themselves. 

Well there we go, Düsseldorf is just that much better now! We love this place and supporting another expat who’s investing into our city. So go ahead, go treat your body like a temple.

Münsterstraße 149 / Lorettostraße 54 (New location)

Düsseldorf

Tram station: Rather Straße (Derendorf) / Bilker Kirche (Unterbilk)

Open 7 days a week

greentreesthejuicery.de

[dddorf]

For us, a perfect day in the city is not complete without a visit to a farmer’s market. And of all the lovely markets in the city, this one is our favourite.

The “Rheinischer Bauernmarkt” happens once to twice a week in a few different locations in Düsseldorf; Lessingplatz, Kolpingplatz & Friedensplätzchen. They offer the most wonderful local produce, eggs, bread, jams, meat, flowers - Most of it organic- all of such at quite a modest price. All what’s on offer has to come from within 80 km and most of the farms are certified by very legit organic certification organizations such as Bioland & Demeter. Being avid foodies, we can confirm that the produce here can be incredible & so much more full of taste than the giant veggies you find at big chain groceries. Making the switch to organic is a matter of environmental and social values, yes, but just the taste is enough to convince anyone with a love for food. Additionally, it just seems like everyone selling there is incredibly nice, and always more than happy to talk about their goods and where they come from. By buying from them you’re encouraging the sustainability of local farms, which is great. And finally, what we love most about this market is that they offer very different stuff every week, new flowers, new veggies... So the surprise is what keeps us wanting to stop by! 

Lessingplatz (Oberbilk) Thursdays 8-13.30

Kolpingplatz (Pempelfort) Wednesdays 8-13 & Saturdays 8-13.30

Friedensplätzchen (Unterbilk) Tuesdays 8-13 & Friday 10-18

Düsseldorf 

bauernmarkt.netzwerkagrarbuero.de

[dddorf]

Lying in the middle of a very quiet area outside the nearby city of Neuss, is a collection of unique architecture and art known as Stiftung Insel Hombroich. Founded in 1982 by Karl Heinrich Müller, this disused NATO missile station and Museum park now host a combination of impressive modern buildings. The attractions are separated into two main areas the first one being the Hombroich Museum. There you will find a collection of galleries and spaces spread out through over 62 acres of meadowland all connected by rocky paths. Every building is unique and hosts different kinds of art, from antique to modern. Combining nature and art, the experience is so different from any kind of museum you’ve ever visited. That fact on it’s own is enough to make it worth a visit. 

On the other side of the road, passed the Kirkeby field and a 10 minute walk, is the Raketenstation, a former missile base now home of the fascinating Langen Foundation. Designed by the great Tadao Ando, the foundation acts as an exhibition space, hosting impressive works from major names in the art world. Right now on display are some pieces by Danish-Icelandic art superstar, Olafur Eliasson, from the Boros Collection in Berlin. The architecture and the works complement each other beautifully, resulting in a truly impressive display. A mix of installations, sculptures and photographs, the exhibition is a must for anyone with even a remote interest in modern art. It’s been extended until February 21st, so make sure you take the time to visit it until then.

Stiftung Insel Hombroich is one of the most interesting places we’ve visited in the area so far, and recommend it to anyone who’s looking to do something different.

Minkel 2

Neuss

Olafur Eliasson - Works from the Boros Collection 1994 - 2015 / On until 21.02.2016

 Combination ticket  20€ adult - 11€ student

Bus stop: Neuss, Minkel or Museum Insel Hombroich

inselhombroich.de

[dddorf]

In the space that used to be Toykio comes a new pizza joint from the people from What’s Beef. The newly opened What’s Pizza, like it’s sister restaurant, does not disappoint. Sure it’s not the cheapest, but the quality is there. The space has changed a bit since the Toykio days, the most notable piece being a crazy gold italian pizza oven, but they still serve coffee as they did before, including a very very tasty almond milk latte. The pizza itself was very good, a fusion between italian and american style, with a San Marzano tomato base, which let’s face it, are the best tomatoes ever. We had a simple Margherita and a Marinara, both very nice. Drizzled them in rosemary and garlic oil and they were even better. The mama style lemonade was super fresh and nice. It was quiet for lunch on saturday but it can get quite busy on evenings. A notable mention is that on mondays they only serve vegetarian meals as part of “Meatless Monday” which is awesome, because like us, What’s Pizza knows that for meat it should be quality over quantity. We have to admit, it has to be the best pizza we’ve had in the city. 

Immermannstrasse 18

Düsseldorf

U station: Oststraße

Tram station: Charlottenstr./Oststraße

facebook.com/whatspizza

[dddorf]

Update 2017: Sadly, Madam Vu is now permanently closed. In it’s place is now a delicious fresh pasta place. If you’re craving banh mi, head over to ĂN BÁNH MÌ.

When questioning ourselves on what to eat in the city, going for a banh mi sandwich is always on our list. A steady staple of ours is always the delicious ĂN BÁNH MÌ, but now there’s a new kid in town. Tucked away in the Carlsplatz Market in the Altstadt area, Madame vu is a nice stall covered in a super cool wooden structure that serves mainly vietnamese style dishes. They have tons of house teas and sauces for sale as well. On the menu are banh mi sandwiches, Pho soups, Noodles and salad. You get a choice of any of these with either tofu, beef, chicken or fish. We grabbed ourselves a tofu bahn mi and some summer rolls. The soft silken tofu was super nice and crispy on the outside. The only downsides of this place was that the lady who took our order was a bit rude. So this means that we will have to visit again and see, especially because the location is great, but for now our hearts still belong to ĂN BÁNH MÌ!

Carlsplatz

Düsseldorf

U station: Heinrich-Heine-Allee 

Tram station: Benrather Straße or Heinrich-Heine-Allee

[dddorf]

We love local things. Local mustard, local beer, local produce etc. Not only are they always good presents to bring back to the motherlands for our friends and family but they also allow us to feel like we’re encouraging local economy and buying products close to where they were made. I personally was very excited to find this local honey at Cucina, partly because I love honey and partly because the jar is so cute and well designed. The honey itself is produced in Kaiserswerth, in the north of the city, with the bees having pollinated summer blooms. It’s texture is thick and it’s taste fairly sweet, showing that it’s quite unprocessed. Additionally, every jar has a number on the lid, showing how many have been produced until now. Super product we totally approve of, also a great gift idea for visitors. 

Where to find: All selling points found here

5,90€ / 250g 

duesseldorferhonig.de

[dddorf]

You probably know by now that Düsseldorf has a fair share of beautiful museums to visit, but KIT, Kunst im Tunnel, is something else. It's a different breed of museum and it deserves a visit if you are anywhere near D'dorf. Kunst im Tunnel translates to Art in the Tunnel, which is quite explanatory seeing as it's a museum in an underground tunnel under the Rhine Promenade. The architecture in itself is worth seeing, but so are the exhibitions. Currently running is TAU, featuring a large installation by Düsseldorf's art darling, Katharina Grosse, in addition to the works of her students at the Kunstakademie. It's on until February 22nd, so make sure you don't miss it. 

Mannesmannufer 1b

Düsseldorf

TAU / On until 22.02.2015

4€ adult - 3€ student

Tram station: Landtag/Kniebrücke

kunst-im-tunnel.de

[dddorf]

It seems like the best surprises come in simple packages. We've had our eye on Dreas & Dendas for a long time, passing by it time & time again, but never had the chance to eat there, seeing as it only serves lunch on weekdays. It took one of us having a day off to make our way there and, I promise, it was worth it. Sitting around a large communal table, we had what we deem to be one of the best, if not the best, meal we've ever had in Düsseldorf.  Dreas & Dendas is a caterer, lunch spot & café with a clear love for fresh, honest food. They have a daily menu, serving something new every day, including some favourites like soups, salads, risottos etc. They update their weekly menu on their website, all crafted with mostly local & organic produce and including vegetarian & vegan options. We had Oven-baked veggies with a caper vinaigrette &  Atlantic cod with a horseradish cream sauce. Both dishes were simple & delicious - nothing more, nothing less. Thank you Dreas & Dendas and see you soon again.

Neusser Str. 129

Düsseldorf

Mo-Fr 8-16h

Tram station: Bilker Kirche

S-Bahn station: Düsseldorf Völklinger Str.

dreasdendas.de

[dddorf]

Museum Kunstpalast has to be one of Düsseldorf's most impressive museums. It's early exhibitions were donated by Jan Wellem, the Duke of Palatinate and his wife, Anna Maria Luisa, of the famous art-collecting Medici Family. It's located right next to NRW Forum, in Ehrenhof. 

Apart from it's truly impressive permanent collection, the museum hosts an array of incredible temporary exhibitions. We headed out there particularly to see the colourful works of Katharina Grosse, an incredible artist and a professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, who also has a show running for her class at KIT. A room full of her mindblowingly beautiful paintings is on show, in addition to an installation inviting you to walk through a pathway of colourful rock debris. This alone is well worth the trip, we assure you. If your interests are more along the line of classical art, there is a fair share of this as well, including an extensive collection of Italian baroque pieces and many important pieces for German art history. 

  Ehrenhof 4-5

Düsseldorf

Katharina Grosse - Inside the Speaker / On until 01.02.2015

9€ adult - 7€ student

U-Bahn station: Tonhalle/Ehrenhof 

smkp.de

[dddorf]

As you might have noticed before, we're a bit of a pair of coffee snobs. Trying new coffees is pretty exciting for us, and when we fall on some good beans, we're truly delighted. As far as classical coffee goes, Germany doesn't have the best reputation, but in terms of third wave we have an array of great roasters popping up everywhere around the country. One of them is Playground coffee in Hamburg. We got their Schoko Ono and their Mr. Lawa Lawa. Both for filter coffee and both equally delicious!

 • Where to find: Grindelhof 33, Hamburg (their café) or playground-coffee.com

• 9,90€ / 250g of beans

[dddorf]

Hidden down under in the food court of Schadow Arkaden, right off Königsallee, Convida is a Californian style Mexican food joint. It's a good shopping pit stop option, in the location where Curry used to be. They serve 4 different meals: Burritos, Quesadillas, Salads or "Bowlitos" (seen here). You can either pick and choose your toppings or have one of their suggestions. Top it off with one of four tasty salsas (Pico de Gallo, Convida, Salsa Verde & Habañero) and call it a day. 

The perk of this place, let's say over eating at the lovely Casita Mexicana, is that the prices are super affordable, quick, and everything can be taken to go. Oh and don't forget to pick up the highlight of this place, one of their tasty Aguas Fresca! 

Salud!

Schadow Arkaden, Schadowstraße 11

Düsseldorf

U-bahn: Heinrich-Heine-Allee or Steinstraße/Königsallee

convida.de

[dddorf]

What initially brought us to the Kunsthalle was an exhibition by Thomas Ruff, a very influential photographer from the region. We both love his work, especially his series of star photographs (Sterne), which were on display for the exhibition. In addition, they are also showing Auge und Welt, a surreal, fun and completely weird collection. Kunsthalle is a relatively small museum in comparison to let's say K21 and K20, but it hosts great artists, which makes it worth the visit. Make sure you stop at the book store below, Buchhandlung Walther König, named after the great man,  and the absolute best collection of Art & Design books we've ever encountered. The main store is located in Cologne but we'll definitely get back to you about this gem in a future post. 

Grabbeplatz 4

Düsseldorf

Entry: 6€ for adults, 3€ for students 

U-Bahn/Tram station: Heinrich-Heine-Allee

kunsthalle-duesseldorf.de

[dddorf]

Local brewery Uerige has come out with this new alcohol-free "brewed lemonade" that tastes a bit like heaven. There a rhubarb one (seen here) and an Elderberry one. We don't know how long they'll offer it so make sure to have a taste next time you get the chance! 

Where to find: Directly at the Uerige brewery or in a few restaurants and cafés (such as at Søøt)

Price: ~€3 a bottle

[dddorf]

First and foremost, sorry for being so quiet these past few weeks. dddorf went on vacation, but we are now happy to be back in our lovely city of ours. So here we go, back with a new post with plenty more to roll in this fall.

Çiğköftem is a tiny little place with two locations: one on our wonderfully "multiculti" Kölnerstraße, the one we visited, and another one on Graf-Adolf-Straße. They serve çiğköfte, a delicious Turkish dish that entails little hand formed raw dumplings with mint, veggies, sauce and wraps. Traditionally it's made with meat but this version, and most Turkish street versions, is vegan. For those of you who don't know it already (go try it!) it usually consists of something around these lines: grains, walnut, tomato puree, sunflower oil, parsley, and green onion. Simple, healthy, filling, delicious... Oh seriously, we can't get enough of these! 

Kölner Straße 285 & Graf-Adolf-Straße 68

Düsseldorf

U-Bahn station: Eller Straße & Oststraße

cigkoeftem.de

[dddorf]

Update 2016: Sadly, Søøt is now permanently closed. You can still drink their coffee over at Kaffeereich.

Søøt is Scandinavian looking pâtisserie/café hidden away in the Schwanenhöfe in south Flingern. The pastries are beautifully crafted and the filter coffee was very good. There's not much to say except that we're delighted to have a found a new spot to satisfy our caffeine cravings in the comfort of a place that values quality as much as we do.

Erkratherstraße 228a (Schwanenhöfe)

Düsseldorf

U-Bahn station: Kettwiger Straße

soeoet.de

[dddorf]

Update 2017: Sadly, Schnell Veg is now permanently closed. For tasty vegan food head over to Sattgrün instead.

Yay for healthy food in D'dorf! We love this new place in Pempelfort, Schnell Veg, a vegetarian eatery and bar. The food was great and the green juice even greater. The interior is also quite pretty, in addition to cool branding. We went on a friday evening and it was extremely busy so maybe a weeknight would be a better move next time. They have various burgers, offered with a crispy tofu or seitan patty, fresh juices and a few other things including scrumptious looking vegan desserts (that they always post on Facebook). Seen here is the tofu burger with cherry lemonade and the Melbourne salad with the Green juice. Of course you don't need to be veg to be welcome here but you could always make this place your meatless day date!

Bagelstr. 130

Düsseldorf

Closed on mondays

Tram station: Tußmannstraße

S-Bahn station: Düsseldorf-Zoo

schnellveg.com