Oh, the summer is leaving us this year but I can still reflect back on some great al fresco meals we’ve had – ok, who am I kidding? I have a bit of a photo backlog from this summer and I’m finding a few gems here and there to share with you. Like that day we went bicycling along the Thames and the path was so pebbley that I thought either one of my tires would get a puncture or my teeth were going to jiggle out. And then we came home and used Google Map Pedometer to map our ride and it turned out to be 30km – nice. Only when I thought about it, it felt like much longer since we were negotiating all those pebbles.
At about lunchtime that day, we’d reached Richmond – no coincidence since I’d timed for us to arrive there for our midday meal. We were headed for Stein’s, a consistently busy beergarden on the Thames serving Bavarian food and beer. It was a fine day when we got there but do call ahead if the weather’s bad (as suggested on their website). I can’t remember if they had outdoor heaters.
We parked nearby, secured our table, and I joined the long queue for food. The queue moved at a snail’s pace, what with the people wishing to practice their German, people unclear on what to eat, people unclear on the drink policy (drinks are only served with a main meal and a pretzel is not a meal!). Drinks you collect immediately but the food is brought to you when it’s ready. To drink, I had an Almdudler sparkling herbal lemonade imported from Austria; no photo of it but it tasted like a slightly gingery lemonade – gorgeous stuff.
To eat, we ordered the Bayerische Schlachtplatte – a Bavarian Sharer platter for 2: A selection of grilled Nuernberger, Thueringer and Polnische pork sausages & bacon, served grilled with lots of sauerkraut and potato mash, all with a little Bavarian flag on top. While the little Nurnberg bratwursts weren’t up to scratch, the Polish style one and the big Thuringer bratwurst were both delicious, as were the Polish sausage and the bacon. The bacon was actually sublime – porky and meaty and a far cry from the watery specimens found at most supermarkets. The big slab that looks like Spam is Leberkäse (don’t worry – no liver and no cheese in it) and it was very moreish as it wasn’t as salty as the version I’ve tried previously. The sides were alright – nothing can compare to the memory of the porky sauerkraut I tried in Munich!
The platter might look huge but we managed to put it away rather easily and also found space for a slice of mediocre Sachertorte. A number of cakes are on display for dessert and are joined by a few others listed on the menu – I’m up for trying the Dampfnudel mit Vanillesauce next time! Actually, what I’d like to do is gather a group of friends to try Die Grosse Bratwurst Sause (a whacking huge platter) for 6-8 people!
Stein’s
Richmond Towpath
Rear of 55 Petersham Road
Richmond TW10 6UX
Sun, 27 Sep, 2009 at 22:07
I really haven’t explored bavarian food much, but reading this post makes me want to more. Sossidges!
Mon, 28 Sep, 2009 at 07:19
Ah, the thing you serve beer in: I thought for a moment Rick Stein had opened a branch in Richmond.
Lovely pictures of the sausages … I have an idea that the first person ever to store left-over food in animal intestines lived somewhere near the Rhine.
We were once served a dish called ‘Three German Sausages’. For some reason, I wanted to sing this to the tune of ‘Mademoiselle from Armentieres’
Mon, 28 Sep, 2009 at 10:34
Jealous! I love leberkaese!!!
It’s just starting to heat up here in Melbourne; can’t wait for some good biergarten action.
xox Sarah
Tue, 29 Sep, 2009 at 11:53
I’m not usually a fan of German grub but this does look the business. Don’t want to be a philistine but do they do gravy here ? That would complete the dish for me.
Wed, 30 Sep, 2009 at 16:37
Wow, I could really go for a glass of that lemonade right now…. and I bet I could talk Logan into a jaunt to the UK for Die Grosse Bratwurst Sause!
Mon, 5 Oct, 2009 at 13:46
Lizzie: More sausages than you can shake a stick at!
travelrat: Could be someone else named Stein. Love that creatively named “Three German Sausages”!
Sarah: And here it’s getting cold… no more biergartens for us but I need to start getting some Bavarian food home!
Mr Noodles: No gravy! This is really truly Bavarian food and to go with it, there’s a variety of mustards, including my favourite sweet one for weisswurst.
Rachel: OMG, do come over and we’ll split one!