“Juicy sausages, currywurst and ice-cold beer”
Currywurst, Germany’s answer to satay, has finally made its way to Singapore. Mr Berlin serves up authentic German street food, currywurst, washed down with good ol’ German beer.
Currywurst is essentially German sausages smothered in a sauce made of ketchup and curry powder. An unusual but good combination.
For those who are curious, a short lesson in European post-war history that birthed the currywurst:
In 1949 Germany, spices and ingredients were in short supply, so a resourceful Berlin housewife, Herta Heuwer, decided to trade some spirits with British soldiers for English curry, then an exotic ingredient
Some experimentation in her kitchen with ketchup, curry powder and German sausages gave birth to the ‘currywurst’, which she decided to sell from a street stand in Berlin. It soon took after became an amazingly popular German street food.
Now the currywurst has come to Singapore as a casual snack we can also enjoy especially with beer.
Weihenstephan Weissbeer Dunkel ($12.50), Weihenstephan Weisbeer Hefe ($12.50). Mr Berlin is probably the only joint in Singapore that carries the German brand Weihenstephan. The beer is light, sweet and easy to drink. A good contrast to the hotdogs.
Weihenstephan Lager ($12, 0.5l). There is Weihenstephan lager on draft too, and for the heavier drinkers, it comes in a 1 litre tall glass shaped like a boot. The beer is easygoing on the palate, and has a crystal clear finish. The trick to drinking from the boot is to tilt the ‘feet’ downwards toward the end, if not you might get a sudden surge of beer when finishing.
Top-down: Organic Bread Roll ($2), Pork Currywurst ($12.50 with red/white fries, $10.90 with bread roll), Cheese Sausage ($9.80, served with organic bread roll), Red/White Fries ($3.50), Hotdog ‘Special’ ($9.50), Curry Fries ‘Special’ ($5.50), Chicken Currywurst ($12.50 with red/white fries, $10.90 with bread roll)
Fresh organic bread rolls are Air flown from Europe, containing a dense crust and chewy on the inside.
The pork currywurst of mild spiciness had just enough fragrance to bring out the curry flavour.
Sliced pork sausages bursting with smokey cheese on the inside.
Red/White fries, fries topped with ketchup and mayonnaise, just like how they have it in Germany.
Curry Fries “Special”- Again, the homemade curry ketchup made the fries much tastier and was a pleasant accompaniment to top up the normal tasting fries.
Chicken currywurst, in the spiciest level, isn’t at all too spicy for the Singaporean palate, coming off as sweet rather than spicy. The chicken sausages came in second to the pork, though.
Cheese Sausage ($9.80, served with organic bread roll)
This was my personal favourite. The juicy sausage and spicy mustard was a perfect combination with this heavy cheese sausage.
Pork Brutwurst ($9.80, served with organic bread roll). The natural sweetness of the meat infused with tons of black pepper dipped in a spicy mustard. The classic no-frills German sausage for that hearty pick-me-up.
The hotdog special uses a Nuernberg Bratwurst (flavoured by Marjoram herb) sausage topped with mustard and home curry ketchup served on a freshly toasted baked organic sausage bun. The sweetness of the meat and spiciness of the sauce brought out the fragrance of the overall dish. The bun was rather baguette-like, unlike the softer buns we are used to. I would have liked for there to have been a fluffier, lighter bun though.
The German favourite might start to pick up steam in Singapore, being a great accompaniment to beer. Coupled with its central location in Shenton in the CBD, it could be the new supper spot for beer-loving locals.
Mr Berlin is a great introduction to German street food and a pretty good place to just chill out and grab a beer with friends with hearty sausages and ice-cold beer. Watch out for promotions too, like their weekly Guys’ night which gives a free beer for every currywurst ordered! An awesome guy hangout spot.
Expected damage: $20-$25/pax
