A doner-off

Somewhere, on the internet or in a guidebook, perhaps, the claim was made that the doner kebab was invented in Berlin. Apparently, as the story goes, a Turkish restaurant owner was looking to make a name for himself and combined Turkish meat in a pita with a yogurt sauce. True or not, the town is full of doner places and we needed to try a couple.

The first contender was Hasir Restaurant. This was more upscale in appearance, a full Turkish restaurant.

But they had a counter and a very reasonably priced doner kebab at only 2.50euro. We ordered one (conscious of the fact we had just had half a chicken).

And it was a sight to behold! This doner kebab had a quarter of a large pita that had been toasted. Inside, fresh shawarma meat was mixed with a yogurt sauce, red cabbage, tomatoes, and other not fully identifiable things to create a massive sandwich. It was approximately the size of Kevika's head before we started digging in. Then, it started to go fast. It was so full of flavor and so fresh! The meat was not dry, as doner meat can often be. It got much closer to the excellent lamb I've sometimes had in gyros. The accompaniments added so much. They also made it that spectacular meal where each bite is just a bit different as the contents mix in different proportions. A very high bar was set.

The second contender was the Schlemmerbuffet. This one had the imprimatur of Lonely Planet, crowned as best in the city, "nuff said."

This was good too. The ingredients were plentiful and fresh. However, it didn't match the subtlety of flavor that the Hasir doner attained. It felt very much more like very good late-night fast food than an amazing dish. Perhaps the best comparison that can be made is that the Hasir doner is like a La Taqueria burrito whereas the Schlemmerbuffet is more of a El Farolito one.

Winner: Hasir's doner kebab. I will not escape this city without having another one of these.