It’s 6.30 on a cool autumn evening in Kreuzberg, Berlin, and I’m standing on a bridge over the Landwehr Canal overlooking some pretty restaurants. It’s a Friday evening and most of the passersby are pulling trolleys and eating snacks purchased at the Turkish market which runs along the banks of the canal. I’m here to meet Kavita Meelu, a young British-born woman, who’s recently set up the supper club called Mother’s Mother. Kavita moved to Berlin four years ago and typifies the migration of young people who come here looking for opportunities in this city. Originally from Birmingham, she lived in London for a few years, working for an advertising agency, before moving here. “I always wanted to work in food, but the cost of living is so high in London that it’s hard to step sideways. “I’d been to a couple of supper clubs in London before I left and really liked the concept, and I wanted to do something on my own.” At each of the events she has run so far, different cooks are invited to cook their grandmother’s favourite dishes. “Conversations with other guests start quickly which means you don’t feel quite as foreign,” she says.”People want more of a connection with the people who are cooking the food, and the Mother’s Mother club is a way of linking them with a tradition.” While Berlin’s food scene has improved greatly over the past ten years (there are now 13 Michelin star restaurants, three with 2 stars), Kuvita admits it can be difficult to find good food here. “It’s not comparable to London or New York or Sydney, but the people here are very open-minded and willing to try new cuisines.” Perhaps Berlin needs an injection of fresh young Aussie chefs? A few are already here. On the way to meeting Kavita, I spotted a blackboard with Vegemite Toast written on it.  It was attached to the outside wall of the Melbourne Canteen and the young manager,  Lauren Jackson, told me their eggs benedict are a huge hit. “Breakfasts are very popular around here with the young arty crowd, and German breakfasts usually consist of cold platters of meat and cheese, and maybe some fruit and yoghurt.” Opened just five months ago, their hot breakfasts have really taken off. That “gastronomic icon”,  the “currywurst“, is still predominant in Berlin: it’s composed of a wiener (or frankfurter) cut into pieces, sprinkled with curry powder, then doused in tomato sauce and usually served with frites. You see people snacking on them all over the city. For me, the best place to enjoy a wurst was standing up around one of the tall circular tables at Rogacki, an old style deli in Wilmersdorfer Strasse, and a Berlin institution. You can have a glass of wine here, chat to the locals and choose from a wide variety of sausages, frankfurters and smoked fish.  They also offer more substantial dishes such as wiener schnitzel and roast pork. With only a few days to explore this dynamic city (the amount of building construction and the number of cranes all over the city is astounding), my most notable eating food experience was on the top two floors of KaDeWe, another Berlin institution situated in the upmarket Kurfürstendamm (Ku’Dam for short) area, and one you shouldn’t miss. Opened in 1907, it’s the largest department store in continental Europe.  Its food hall on the sixth floor is a gourmet mecca, offering 34,000 gourmet items – and leaves Harrods Food Hall in London for dead.  I suggest you set aside half a day here just to look around: it boasts over 2000 types of cold meat, 1800 different cheeses, 1200 kinds of sausages and hams and 400 different breads. Food items can be purchased from the deli displays or you can sit at various ritzy food stations and sip champagne and eat caviar,  sup on bouillabaise or try a Paul Bocuse dish. And that’s not all: on the seventh floor is The Wintergarten, a buffet restaurant under a glass canopy with stunning views over the city. This is a good place for lunch though once again the choice is overwhelming, so you’ll need to take your time.  I especially recommend the salads – and the roast pork was absolutely delicious. Wine by the glass and beer are also available. And you mustn’t leave Berlin without sampling a Berliner.  Now wasn’t it John  F. Kennedy who made this jam-filled doughnut when he declared “Ich bin ein Berliner“…? Apparently the The day after President Kennedy made his famous proclamation, Berlin cartoonists had a field day with talking doughnuts. Note: for more up-market dining suggestions, see here for a recent New York Times article that mentions Hartmanns, a Berlin restaurant which exemplifies what’s often labeled the “new German cuisine,” plus a few other more contemporary restaurants. I also enjoyed a few delicious, simple meals at the Art Otel, where I was staying – and the breakfasts here are sensational.