Lufthansa Business Class, Short Haul, Europe

Update Review, May 2024 Travel

Flight Details:

• Route: UA 8766 / LH 1622, Munich to Krakow
• Departure: 11:25am
• Arrival: 12:45pm
• Seat: 1A
• Aircraft: A321

Standard inter-Europe flight, first class with middle seat blocked out, short flight, but still full meal service. Nothing notable or out of the ordinary. Note: no wifi available.

Food & Drink

Meal Tray.

I was seated in the first row, and had a meal tray in front of me within moments of when the FA could stand up.  No choice given, just, the tray.  On it was the main dish and dessert.  She very efficiently served the small cabin their trays, then came back with a bread basket, and then a cart for drinks.  The entire process was done in <3 minutes.  It was very impressive.

Main Dish.

The main dish was some kind of sliced meat (roast beef?), with a beet puree, roast beets, and creamy kraut.  Some mustard in there too.

The meat was tender, and even had a bit of pink, but I didn't care for the flavor.  Maybe it was veal?  

The rest was fine, very very flavorful components.  I brought a salad with me, and I mixed the kraut and beet puree in, and that was actually pretty satisfying.  Not an exciting meal, but it worked.  *** beet elements/kraut, ** meat.

No salt and pepper provided to go with, which I really wanted for my salad (luckily, I had my own of course).  Basic, a bit odd, but reasonably interesting and tasty.

Roll.

The bread basket contained a few different kinds of bread.  It was presented without tongs to get the bread, I was supposed to just reach in to grab one.  I was glad I was the first guest served?  I went for one that turned out to be cheesy and seedy.  It was warm.  It was fine, but not special.  **+.

Dessert.

The dessert was a bundt cake, with some kind of red fruit puree, and a bit of cream.  The cake was not particularly flavorful, but it was moist.  A blank canvas really.  I think the fruit may have been plum?  But completely pureed, no bits of fruit.  It was not too sweet.  The cream was fine.

Overall, not my style of dessert really, but nothing wrong with it.  **+ due to my own preferences, but it probably was a *** for most.

Original Review, September 2022

My first trip on Lufthansa, short haul business class.  It was a good experience. They blow domestic US airlines out of the water.

Flight Details:

• LH109, MUC-FRA
• Departure: 2pm (actual: 2:30pm)
• Arrival: 3pm (actual: 3:15pm)
• Class: Business

With a flight time of just 40 minutes, I absolutely did not expect a meal tray! The moment they could stand up, our flight attendants sprang into motion delivering trays within seconds. It was impressive, really.

Menu.

Our trays came with a cold snack-ish savory platter and a dessert, along with a menu card, advertising the "Tasting" featuring cuisine from Frankfurt. This is part of Lufthansa's new business class catering, featuring what is supposed to be local cuisine from different cities.

The menu came in several languages, including English, but I still wasn't quite sure what I had.

Meal.

"Smoked Tenderloin of Beef accompanied by buttered Wholemeal Spelt Bread with pickled Vegetables, Spundekas Quenelle and Pretzel Crouton."

This was a mixed bag. I love pickles, but the white pickled things on top were way too strongly pickled for me. I'm not sure what they were. The tiny baby zucchini was not pickled, and was fine, but mostly just a small baby cold cooked zucchini. Eh. The white thing also on top was crisp, tart (I assume pickled?) but I'm also not sure what it was. Fascinating stuff.

The beef was actually not bad, tender, sorta like corned beef. I liked the pretzel croutons, even though they were a bit soft. The flavor was good. The bread was kinda stale tasting, a kinda hard slice of spelt bread, that I didn't particularly care for. And buttered, with the beef? That was odd. Mayo, mustard, anything like that would have made more sense.

Then there was a lump that looked at first like tuna salad, but I realized was the Spundekas. I couldn't identify it at all. It sorta tasted like cottage cheese without curds, but, was strangely orange. I later looked it up to find out that it is quark with paprika. Ah. Anyway, I wasn't really into the flavor, but I liked the crunch from the seeds on top.

So, not awful, but not actually very good. The Swiss Airlines savory open faced breads on the same length flight (Zurich to Munich) were considerably better.

***.

"Frankfurter Kranz Kuppel with Almond Brittle".

Then there was dessert-ish.

Yes, this was the English translation. And no, there was no almond brittle anywhere in sight. I have no idea what this was really. It was decent, a mousse, fairly creamy, sweet. On top though was ... torn bread? Stewed plums? Definitely not almond brittle, that is all I know.

This was kinda enjoyable, even if not identifiable. That said, the little pudding I had on the similarly short Swiss airlines flight from Zurich to Munich was much better. I also learned that "Frankfurter Kranz Kuppel" is a Frankfort "Crown Cake", a crown shaped bundt cake with cream filling, which explains the "torn bread", I guess that was the cake. It was light and airy, and I didn't actually like it much. Maybe the pudding was supposed to be like the buttercream usually found in the layers of the cake? Was this a deconstructed version? And the stuff that looked like stewed plum wasn't ... it was just a fruity gel.

So, definitely odd. I liked the mousse, the rest though ... eh.

***.

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Müller Dairy

Update Review, 2022

After several pandemic induced years of not traveling to Europe, I finally returned in May 2022 to Munich.  While I was there, in between eating all the Kaiserschmarrn I could, I also took the opportunity to try some more of the products from Müller, conveniently stocked in the microkitchens in my office.

Reis (Rice)

"Müller Rice gives you the power to get the most out of your day. Delicious creamy rice paired with delicious real fruit or indulgent, confectionary flavours such as Salted Caramel and Chocolate Hazelnut make for a delicious Rice pudding dessert. A delicious and low fat way to bridge your hunger gap, anytime, anywhere. Muller Rice Pudding can be eaten cold or heated up in the pot!"

Ok, I'll admit that I forgot that I had tried several of the Müller rice puddings when I was in London before, and found them kinda lackluster then.  So when I saw them in the microkitchens in my Munich office, I just got excited, as, well, I love pudding, and rice pudding in general.

In addition to plain, the rice pudding is available in several fruity flavors (apple, strawberry), plus cinnamon or chocolate varieties.  I didn't try a fruity one, but did opt for the others.

Schoko.

The first flavor I tried was the "Schoko", or, chocolate.  I had it cold.

I was quite surprised when I opened it up to see a pale white/yellow base.  For some reason, perhaps the chocolate forward label, I was expecting it to be chocolate pudding (rice pudding obviously), not plain.  Not that I have ever had actual chocolate pudding as a base of rice pudding, but that is what my brain was expecting for some reason.  The chocolate was there, just, as swirls.

Schoko: Top View.

The base pudding had a rather ... plastic and fake taste to it.  What you'd expect from a generic packaged product.  The rice was al dente, but not in a good way.  The chocolate swirl was at least decent?

This was certainly a letdown, but, perhaps expected for a generic packaged product?  I think with enough jazzing up - fresh fruit added, or perhaps cinnamon and chocolate chips, or perhaps heating it up it might be ok, but it certainly wasn't good as served.

*+.

Plain.

After the letdown of the chocolate, I'm not sure why I tried the plain version, given that the failure of the chocolate really was the base rice pudding.

The plain version was actually considerably better, although still not great.  The rice in this one was a bit softer, not mushy, but not oddly al dente like the previous.  The base flavor was still pretty fake and plastic like, and it was very plain, just, sweet.  Still, for some reason, without the chocolate (that wasn't bad on its own), the base bothered me less.

Overall, definitely not something I'd get again, but, I added fresh fruit and cocoa nibs and enjoyed it enough, unlike the chocolate, which I actually ditched.

**+.

Cinnamon.

Wow.  I seemed to have saved the best for last.  And, kudos to me for not giving up and trying more flavors.

The cinnamon flavor was everything the chocolate version wasn't.  While the base was still plain, and the cinnamon came in swirls like the chocolate, this one was loaded with swirl.  Soooo much cinnamon.  The cinnamon masked the slightly plastic flavor that was dominant in the others, yet wasn't overpowering cinnamon.  

The rice was well cooked (not too soggy, not too crunchy), it was creamy, it was sweet, it was just, well, tasty.  Topped with fresh sliced strawberries and whipped cream it made a wonderful treat.

***.

Update: I had another, and this time, I heated it up (in the toaster oven, because my oven was already hot and I had a ramekin handy).  It was even better!  The flavors balanced out, and it got a film on top that I really liked.  Soooo good warmed up.  I'd gladly have another that way. ***+.

Yogurt

Müller makes several yogurt lines, I only trie done.

Froop

"Perfect variety for sweet fruits: Müller Froop is now available in many new varieties and with a refined recipe. On your spoons, get set, go!"

The Froop line is available in 12 flavors, many of which sound great.  All are fruity of course.  All have a plain base, with fruit layer on top (rather than fruit on the bottom as we see in the US).  They also make a "botanicals" line, with fruit + botanicals, like orange ginger or apple elderflower. 

I wish I'd been able to find more of these, as I really enjoyed the one I had.

Mango.

"Don't be stingy with the charms: Müller Froop Mango doesn't care much about restraint, but seduces with a full fruity taste. It's nice that you can then sink into the fresh yoghurt."

What is it about yogurt in other countries that makes it just so much better?  Or at least, I enjoy it so much more.  The base yogurt to this was smooth and creamy, not thick Greek yogurt, but not runny, a nice texture, clearly full fat, luxurious.  While it was sweet, it was also plain, and the flavor wasn't artificial tasting, like many in the US.

And then the fruit layer, which I honestly thought would be kinda gross, sorta an odd mango gel, but even that turned out delightful, vibrantly mango flavored, and again, not fake tasting.

I added chopped kiwi and fresh mango to this and enjoyed it as much as a pudding based dessert, but, for a mid-morning snack, and it didn't feel like I was going something rebellious.  I'd love to try more flavors.

****.

Original Review, 2019 Tastings

Last week I reviewed a few items from Emmi, a Swiss dairy producer that sells all over Europe.  This week brings another brand brand, Müller, the largest dairy producer in the UK.  Anyway, yadda yadda, Müller started in Germany, expanded rapidly, super successful, yadda yadda.  In addition to supplying 30% of the UKs milk, they also produce cream, yogurts, puddings and other dairy based desserts, and the like, along with butter.

When I was in London my office had some of their items stocked in the microkitchens, and I was pretty thrilled to have easy access to pudding at all times.  Really, why does my office have only yogurt here in the US?

Müller Corner

Müller Corner is a line of yogurt products, each with a separate side corner to mix-in (hence, the produce name).  The "Corner" range breaks down further into Fruit Corners (with the side corner filled with fruity compotes), Crunch Corner (with crunchy toppings like chocolate flakes, biscuit bits, and the like), Corner Creations (with not one, not two, but 3 different toppings to mix-in), and finally, Corner Skyr (made with Icelandic Skyr yogurt and granola mix-ins).

"Mmmh… Crunch Corner, that creamy yogurt you love, with a crunch on the side! Will you go for Vanilla Chocolate Balls? Or maybe Strawberry Shortcake? Actually, Banana Chocolate Flakes is yum too… Is it OK to try them all?!"

I only was able to try one Crunch Corner, but I love the concept, and would gladly try more. 

Corner: Dessert Inspired Banoffee Pie.

Banoffee!!!  I love banoffee, and definitely rarely get to enjoy it as its pretty rare in the US.  Even though I knew this product was yogurt, and not a real dessert, it was "dessert inspired" and had a mix-in corner filled with crunchy white chocolate balls, so, um, healthy yogurt this was not.

The yogurt itself was ... well, yogurt.  Runny style, very sweet, with a caramel banana flavor.  Not something I'd really want on its own.  The crunchy white chocolate balls however were awesome, much like crispearls if you've ever had those.  They added a creamy-sweet-crunchy element to it.

Was it banoffee?  Absolutely not.  What it lacked most of all was a whipped cream topping, as the banana and caramel were captured well with the yogurt flavor, and the crispy pearls did a decent job of mimicking the crumble biscuit base.  It was still clearly yogurt, not pudding or custard.  But for a yogurt?  It really was quite enjoyable, and what's to stop me from putting whipped cream on top of yogurt after all?

***+ for uniqueness and crispy things.

Müller Rice

Stepping away from dessert-pretending-to-be-yogurt, and closer to real dessert, is the rice pudding line, Müller Rice.  Müller also makes a protein enriched version.

"STOP grab your spoon and listen, when hunger is grabbing your attention choose Müller Rice it's nice and creamy, with fruit that’s light and dreamy. #RiceRiceBaby"

The rice comes in several fruity flavors (strawberry, apple, raspberry), plus chocolate or custard, in addition to a classic original.  I tried several.  All have instructions for serving chilled or warmed.

Creamy Dairy Rice with Vanilla Custard.

"This ones for all the custard lovers out there… .  Delicious creamy rice with an underlayer of bangin' Vanilla custard flavour sauce. Certified by Tasty B. It's the ultimate hunger-beating comfort food. "

The first one I grabbed was the vanilla custard version.  I was pretty excited for this, as I love a good rice pudding.

The rice pudding layer was good - really creamy, nice vanilla flavor.  The custard however was not very good, really quite runny.  Luckily it was all at the bottom of the pot, so I was able to avoid it for the most part.

So, great creamy vanilla rice pudding, but the part I was eager for, the custard, was a letdown.  I only tried it chilled, but I'd love to try it warmed up as well.

*** overall.

Strawberry Rice Pudding.

"Tasty B's number 1 hit is Strawberry Müller Rice. Delicious creamy rice with an underlayer of bangin' Strawberry sauce. Certified by Tasty B. It's the ultimate hunger-beating comfort food."

Next I tried the strawberry one.  Somehow, the rice pudding layer was totally different.  It was runny and didn't have a very good flavor.  The vanilla one from the custard version was considerably better.

But just like the custard one, the weaker element lay beneath the rice pudding, in the strawberry sauce layer.  The strawberry sauce was just crazy sweet goo.  I hated the strawberry sauce.  Think of all the bad American yogurts you have had that have sauces you mix in, and, well, that is exactly what this was.

I tried to work around the strawberry sauce and just get some rice pudding, but even that was not very good.  Do not recommend!

**.

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Lufthansa Business Class Lounge, Munich

This was my first time visiting a Lufthansa Lounge, but my understanding is that they are all fairly similar.  This visit was in Munich.

Setting

Since I was connecting in Frankfurt my flight from Munich was just a simple domestic flight, which meant I had access to the Business Class Lounge in the G gates area, for Schengen traffic.  Not a huge lounge, but, decent.

Light filled.

The lounge was well light, abundant natural light from the windows, with nice views over the tarmac.  

Most seating was in arm chairs.

Work Cubbies.

For those who wanted a little isolation, there was a row of work cubes.

High Counters.

I appreciated the standing height counter (with power outlets!), so I could stretch my legs, long day of flying didn't make me want to sit more.

Food & Drink

I wasn't really in the lounge to work though, I was there to check out the food and drink offerings.

Candy & Snacks!

The moment I walked in, I found the thing I was most excited for.  The reason I made sure I had plenty of time at the airport.  Candy jars.  All kinds of sweets.  Savory snacks.  Oh yes.

I knew to expect these, and was thrilled to see them as soon as I walked in.

For candy items, there were gummy bears, some kind of chewy candy, m&ms, and some red chewy things.  Savories included pretzels, seasoned peanuts, chips.  There were also banana chips, little wafers of some kind, and ... zomg, peanut bamba puffs!

This was all fairly average quality, but I was happy to have candy and I do love peanut bamba quite a bit.  The chips were just plain chips. **** overall, *** for the chips/banana chips.

Fruit.

There was no cut fruit anywhere, but apples, oranges, and kiwi were available to grab.  Kiwi seemed like a bit of an odd choice to me, as that is kinda hard to just grab and eat, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

Salad.

The salad station consisted of a salad with interesting mixed greens and apple slices, roast cherry tomatoes, potato salad, and curry cabbage slaw.

The tomatoes were actually rather flavorful, juicy, just, a bit odd to have roast tomatoes rather than fresh.

The salad base was not the freshest, lots of brown bits, but I liked that it had frisee.  

The potato salad is a signature Lufthansa lounge dish, but I didn't care for it.  Too tangy and mushy for me.  German style, obviously.

The highlight was the flavorful curry cabbage slaw.  I mixed it with the green salad base and roast tomatoes and quite enjoyed it.

Not the strongest salad lineup, but, I was happy enough in the end.

***.

Beef broth with semolina dumplings. 
Pan-fried vegetables with small peas, pear wedges, and leeks.

Next came the hot foods.

Rather than a soup exactly, there was a broth with dumplings.  The broth had a reasonably good flavor, nicely seasoned, but the dumplings were basically just plain balls of mush.

The veggies looked pretty awful - like they'd been sitting there forever, were quite mushy, and, um, why was there pears in the mix?

**.

Paprika Chicken with Spinach Gnocchi.

The other hot item, a bit of an odd pairing, were you supposed to put the chicken stew on the gnocchi?  I tried the gnocchi, but they weren't particularly flavorful and were rather gummy.  About what you'd expect from a buffet.

Eh.

**+.

Later in my stay this was replaced by a chicken and noodles dish.

Pretzels!

Besides the candy station, there was another that I was on the lookout for.  The other signature Lufthansa lounge feature: a pretzel wall!

Hanging on hooks were salt or plain pretzels when I arrived, and later it had sunflower seed ones too.

I had a lot of mediocre pretzels in Germany, and I was shocked by how good these were.  Definitely the best I had during my entire stay.  Great crust, nice chew, well salted.  Really, just nice pretzels.

***+.

Rolls, Cheesy Pretzels.

And then there were ... cheesy pretzels!  These were even better.  Sooo much cheese melted on, and really really tasty.  Again, best pretzels I had in Germany, no question.  ****.

There were also some rolls that I didn't try.

Cheesecake cream red berries and biscuit.

I also knew to expect two desserts, one was just a bundt cake that I didn't try, and the other seems to always be some kind of pudding, one of my favorite types of desserts.  

This ... didn't really match my expectations.  "Cheesecake cream" really tasted like, um, yogurt?  It was smooth and creamy, and very tangy.  Not bad for yogurt, but, not really sweet enough to be dessert for me, and, definitely not cheesecake.  I wonder if this was a translation thing, really, more like quark ("cheese")?

The "red berries" was a fruity compote, which was sweet enough to be dessert, but also worked well as a breakfast yogurt parfait, as this really was in my mind.

Finally, the base layer, "biscuit".  Fairly soft, just mush at the base.

I really do think that as a breakfast yogurt parfait I might have enjoyed this, but, it certainly was not a cheesecake to me.

**+.

Drinks.

Self service bar area had two red wines, some sparkling and white, and basic spirits line up.  I didn't try any.

There was also a coffee machine, tea bags, beer on tap, and sparkling water on tap, along with fountain drinks.

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Restaurant Irmi, Munich

The last time I was in Munich was in 2016, and back then, the hotel I was staying at, Le Meridien, had a restaurant called Le Potager.  I remembered quite liking the breakfast buffet, although, to be fair, it was long before I had discovered just how good a breakfast buffet could be (I'm looking at you Feast @ The Sheraton Grand Sydney, or, really, any in Asia ...).

Fast forward to 2022, my first international travel since Covid, and I was back at Le Meridien.  Somewhere in the years since I had stayed there, the restaurant rebranded as Irmi, pivoted to being a “Modern Munich Kitchen” (in the evening), but still seemed to offer the same breakfast lineup, more or less.

I again did enjoy my breakfasts, and yes, ate far more meat at breakfast than I'm used to, but, some of the magic was lost this time around. Still, I'd happily eat it again, and even after 1.5 weeks, it didn't really get old.

Setting

Seating is available in a number of styles, small little tables, giant communal tables, high tables, bar seats, and even outdoor dining.  At breakfast, it is self-seating, in the evening it transitions to a more formal restaurant with reservations and a hostess.

High Tables.

I always opted for one of the high tables with stools, but I rarely had anyone else near me.  These weren't popular for morning diners it seemed.

Regular tables.

Most opted for the regular mid-size tables along the sunny windows.

Courtyard.

When the weather is nice, there is also a considerable amount of seating available in the courtyard.  I didn't get to take advantage of this during my visit, as the morning springtime weather was a still a bit chilly.  In the evenings though, this area was lively.

Drinks

Welcome Shots.

Every day features a fresh juice shot, located right at the check in register.  I'm not really one for juices, so I didn't try any (also, I have a severe melon allergy, and I never trust juicers to be cleaned between fruits!)

Sparkling Wine.

I wasn't up for it, but if you wanted to start your day (weekends only) with some sparkling wine or a mimosa, the making were there, self-serve.

Coffee Maker.

Staff sorta circulate the room asking if people want coffee, but most just come to the machines and do it themselves, which I did.

The espresso was actually pretty good.  I made an Americano every morning, double shot, and it was many notches above most hotel coffee.  No decaf available in the machines - I'm not sure if they had instant somewhere if you asked?

Tea Station.

The tea station featured Samova brand tea, decent lineup.  It was amusing watching people struggle with the hot water tap safety lock.

Continental

The buffet is quite extensive, with generous continental items to start.

Cereals, Dried Fruits, Nuts.

My favorite station most days ended up being the cereal station.  Very boring I know, but, something about jetlag in this direction just leaves me not hungry in the morning, and yet I know I need to eat breakfast to get my metabolism going and day set off right.  Cereal does the trick, and, I do enjoy trying cereal in other countries.

Soy, oat, and regular milk were on offer to go with cereal.  The milk was always kinda warm though (clearly, the buffet didn't keep it chilled all that well) so I asked for a cup of ice each morning to chill it down, while I assembled the rest of my breakfast.

I give one bonus point for the nice presentation too, so much more useful than those dispensers that never work!

Mixed Cereal.

The corn flakes and mini wheats I ignored, but I did enjoy making mixed bowls of muesli, granola, and whatever the fun chocolate based one of the day was (sometimes it had chocolate chunks, flecks, crispies other times it was large curved chocolate pieces like you see here, which I think is Choco Moons?). Sometimes the one with cocoa puffs got soggy fast though.  Some days I also mixed in nuts.

I really enjoyed my cereal creations.  ****.

I wished for fresh berries to add however, and after a few days, starting bringing my own.

Breads.

There is a large lineup of rolls and bread you can slice yourself.  I found most of it pretty dry, not stale exactly, but just dry.  They say it is baked fresh daily.

There were some raisin and walnut rolls I really wanted to like, but, again, kinda hard and dry and had a sourdough taste to them.  *.

Pretzels, Spreads.

There are also pretzels, both regular and rolls, packets of Nutella and peanut butter, and a honeycomb to complete your roll.  No alternative nut butters.

The pretzels I actually like, strangely, and I like them more than most others I had in Germany both times I've visited.  They are soft, I like the crust, I like the flavor of the outside.  Just, decent, really.  ***.

Sweet Bread.

My second to last morning (Sunday), there was a new item in the bread station, a sweet looking bread.  I obviously snatched it up immediately.

It was better than the other breads, not quite as dry/hard, lightly fluffy, lightly sweet.  It had a few raisins in it, and almonds on the exterior.  It was very lightly glazed, but not really enough to make it as sweet as I hoped.

I nibbled a little alongside my coffee as I waited for my waffle and I suspect that toasted with copious butter & a drizzle of honey it would be good, but otherwise, it was not the sweet breakfast loaf I was hoping for.

***.

Honey, Jams.

In addition to a fresh honeycomb to harvest honey from yourself, there are several fancier honeys, and a slew of jams.  The honeys are quite good, perfect to add to yogurt/granola or muesli.

I love these jams.  I am never sure exactly what flavor I am getting, but all are fruity and delightful.  I liked mixing them into my cereal, or on muesli or yogurt, or with sausage/meatloaf.

**** for this whole, quality station.

Pastries: Day 1.

I remember the baked goods not being great before.  I did nearly grab a donut hole, but I had plenty of treats in my room, so I mostly skipped this section the first day, taking only the iced top one of the right.

Iced thing:

I'm not sure what it was exactly, but it was a light base, with an odd taste to it that I didn't love, and, the icing on top.  Definitely not my thing. *+.

Pretzel croissant:
Another day I was drawn to the pretzel croissant. This was ok.  Slight pretzel quality to it, slight croissant quality, but basically less good than the pretzels and not laminated as well as a good croissant.  Eh.  **+.

Pastries: Day 2.

Another day there were some new additions to the pastry lineup, and I couldn't help myself from grabbing one of the tats in front, even though I don't usually like tarts, a tart is an odd item for 7:30am, and .... why the gooseberry on top?

Tart: 

The shell was very soft, and broke apart instantly.  Eh.  It was a tart shell.

The filling I couldn't quite figure out ... was it salted caramel?  Chocolate?  Smooth, creamy, sweet, but not distinctive.  Would be better with whipped cream, and the gooseberry was a bit of an odd thing to have perched on top.  Still, smooth and creamy, not bad.  ***.

Muffin:

I also grabbed a muffin.  I know, buffet muffins, buffet muffins I didn't like before, but the paler muffins had a glaze-like topping that looked interesting at least.  It was not interesting.  Just a plain muffin, kinda airy like the iced thing I had the day before, just, glazed.  Not very good.  **.

Donut.

If at first you don't succeed ...

Or really, if you are Julie and you love pastries no matter how lackluster they seem to be ...  Yup, I tried the donut.  I hoped it was stuffed with something (it wasn't).

It was fine.  Soft, fluffy, nicely coated in sugar.  Fairly average.  Although it wasn't stuffed, I could easily do that myself with the amazing jam lineup, or Nutella had I been in the mood.  Definitely nothing special, but no bad, and probably my top pick if I wanted something sweet and carby.

***.

When I later read my review from many years prior, it was exactly the same.

Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut Scone-eque.

One morning, there were these triangle shaped items, with chocolate along the edges and covering the base completely.  I have no idea why I grabbed one, but I'm glad I did!

This was actually pretty good.  The texture was almost like a scone, and it was heavily hazelnut flavored.  The chocolate coating was generous (the entire base was en-robed).

It did go great with a cup of coffee, as a breakfast pastry if you were in the mood, or equally well as a mid-morning coffee break snack.  I'd get it again if in the mood.

***+.

Raspberry Plait.

I remember not really caring for the danish style items last time, but one morning I woke up very late (phone crashed overnight, it is where my alarm was!) and the pickings for pastries were quite slim.  So I grabbed one of these.

I did like how crispy the top was, and it was stuffed generously with sweet raspberry filling, but, it wasn't a particularly great item.  Average buffet quality.

**+.

Almond (?) Snail.

I kept trying my way through the pastries, 1-2 a day, because, well, sometimes they were hits.

This one was not really.  The driest of the pastries I tried, not flaky.  It did have a nice glaze over the top, and seemed to have a little bit of almond paste between the folds, but, otherwise, dry and flavorless.  My least favorite.

**.

Nutella Croissant.

The croissants looked reasonably flaky, and I was in the mood for chocolate, so I grabbed this one.  It turned out to be stuffed, very generously, with Nutella, not chocolate.  Smooth, rich, creamy Nutella.  The pastry itself was ok, a bit flaky, but not really all that well laminated.

Average buffet quality. ***.

Apricot Croissant.

On the weekend, there were considerably more pastries, and at least 5 kinds of croissants.  I took a gamble with the powdered sugar coated one, thinking it might have something interesting inside.

And ... it did!  Inside was sweet apricot jam.  I quite liked the jam.  The pastry was fine, again, not flaky fresh high end bakery quality, but slightly crisp, not spongy, not stale.  The powdered sugar on the outside was quite tasty.

One of the better items from the lineup, and honestly, better than the fresh donut I had the day before at the famed Schmalznudel Café Frischhut.

***.

Turnover.

One day, there was a new item!  A turnover-danish thing!  I grabbed it out of excitement to see something new.  

It was ... eh.  Standard buffet quality.  Not particularly flaky nor great pastry, barely filled at all, just a little berry preserves, but nicely glazed on top.  Overall though, meh.

**.

Full Size Muffin.

My final morning brought one novel item ... a full size muffin.  It looked plain, but, hey, I'd tried everything else at that point ....

It did have a nice glaze on top, but otherwise, yup, just a very, very, very plain muffin.  No flavor at all.  One of the worst baked goods they served. *.

Cold Cuts / Salmon.

The sliced cold cuts and cheeses lineup had quite a few choices, very European.  Only one kind of smoked salmon this year, previously there were several.

Nothing here was labelled, so not quite sure what all the meats were, but certainly ham, many styles of bologna-like loaf, prosciutto, salami ... I tried most of these, and found them all to be pretty decent quality.  The smoked salmon really had a deep smoky flavor, and the proschuitto was a regular favorite.  I don't really wake up craving sliced meats, but, I think I would like them in a pretzel roll, with cheese and mustard, at lunchtime.  Above average cold cuts, ****.

There were two kinds of sliced cheese.

On the side were lemons, seaweed salad, and horseradish.

I really appreciated the garnishes.  Again, seaweed salad not really what I want at 8am, but, I liked it all the same.  ***+.

Cheeses.

Every morning the cheese platter was a bit different.  It usually had 5-6 cheeses to cut yourself.  They were rarely labelled.  There was two fresh cheeses, I think something feta like and something mozzarella like?  Sometimes it had dried fruit and nuts to garnish.  The cheeses, like the meats, were above average. ***+.

This section also had butters (including vegan) and cream cheese.

Fruit.

Fruit however was sad.

No berries.  Melons, stewed fruits, really not a great fruit line up.  Whole bananas and apples also available.

**.

Yogurts.

Several large format white yogurts were available.

The signs list natural yogurt, and quark, yet there were three different yogurts available.  I'm not sure which was which, but, I actually really liked them all. 

The thinner one I suspect was the "Natural", it was my least favorite just because I prefer thicker, but it was nicely tart.  All were clearly full fat yogurt, so creamy and rich.

  

I wish there were berries or better fruit to go with the yogurt though, although some fancy honey and granola from the cereal area made for a nice little treat.

****.

Milk & Yogurt.

In addition there were soy and regular yogurt pots in several flavors, plus actually tasty bircher muesli that I liked.  It was loaded with shredded coconut and apple, and among the better bircher I had on this trip, although I really wished for berries to go with it. ***+.

The milk jugs contained soy, oat, and regular milk.  All full fat.

"Salad"

I remember really craving vegetables by the time I left Germany last time, and this station reminded me why.  This was the entirety of the salad station ... yup, no base greens at all, just cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers for fresh veggies.  There were pickles, olives, and hummus too.  I did really like the different pickles (they changed nearly every day), but, yeah, not much for veggies. ***.

Hot Food

The hot food selection was less impressive than the continental.  I found it interesting that a few cuisines were entirely missing - no hot carbs like waffles/pancakes/crepes/bread pudding, and also no Asian cuisine (congee, dim sum, etc).  The focus was basic American and German.  The German offersing however were pretty decent.

Hot Veggies.

First up, hot veggies: roast tomatoes, hash browns, mushrooms.

These never changed, and I never tried them.

German Meat.

Next up, meat.  Two kinds of sausages (traditional white are hiding inside the earthenware vessel), meatloaf, and meatballs.

I tried the regular breakfast sausage (not the German white one) and it was really greasy, kinda grisly, and not enjoyable.  *.

The white sausage I know is traditional, and it was much better, but it also wasn't my thing.  At least, not for breakfast.  It was juicy, plump, filled with herbs, flavorful, but, at least at the time, not what I wanted.  Still, a fine sausage. ***.

And finally, the meatball.  It was seared on the outside, which was nice, but that is about all I have positive to say about it.  It was dry, and it tasted like fake meat, not real meat.  It reminded me of seitan.  I really did not like this.  *.

Meatloaf. 

I remember discovering the meatloaf late on my trip last time, so this time I was determined to try it early this time, as I had loved it before, particularly with a bit of sour cherry jam.

I still liked it, particularly the flavorful crust, but the magic was slightly lost.  **+.

American Station.

No chicken nuggets this time, just baked beans, chicken wings, bacon.  Again, never changed, and I never had any of these.

Eggs.

Not sure why, but I tried the scrambled eggs the first morning.  They were whatevs. **+.

Made to Order

There is also a made to order egg station featuring mostly omelettes, and, as I discovered far later into my stay, the ability order other items from the kitchen.

"1 Egg Over Medium with Mushroom & Onion".

I tried to order a poached egg.  "What is ... poached?" the egg chef asked.  So I said ... "No problem, how about over medium?"  He pointed at the sunny side up already fried eggs laid out in the buffet.  And then made a motion like flipping.  I thought he was on board with the "over medium" and said "yes!" Then he gestured at the toppings, asking if I'd like things.  I wasn't planning to get toppings, but, why not?  I thought I ordered mushroom and onion to go with my over medium egg.

What I got?  A ham & cheese omelette.  Lol.

I didn't like it at all (exactly the over cooked, tough, style of omelette that I don't ever like) and, um, totally not what I wanted.

*.

"1 Poached Egg."

The next day, there was a different staff member working the egg station, so I tried again to order poached eggs.  He was *far* more helpful, and told me to just order those from a waitstaff, as they'd be prepared in the kitchen.  I found a staff member circulating the room, and asked for one poached egg.

A few minutes later, this was brought out.  I was expecting literally just a poached egg, but, got a little side salad, buttered toast (with crusts removed!), and two eggs ... quasi poached.

The salad was actually fine, just mixed baby greens and grape tomatoes, and not really what I crave at 8am, but given that they don't have any greens anywhere in the buffet, and my vegetable consumption, besides potatoes and white asparagus, was quite low on this trip, it was much appreciated.  It was heavily dressed with olive oil.

The toast was unexpected, but good.  Lol that removing the crusts, but, it was actually just lightly toasted, well buttered, simple but good white toast.  

The eggs though ... eh.  I'm not quite sure how they cooked them, but, not really poached as I was expecting.  The yolks were medium-set, a tiny bit of ooze to them.  I had hoped that the eggs would taste more like Australian eggs (where I love them!) but alas, they tasted no different than American eggs.

It all needed some salt & pepper, which strangely there is none of in the restaurant (not on tables, not in buffet).

I wouldn't get these again, but good to know there is the option.

**+.

Liege Waffle.

I remembered there being great liege waffles in the buffet one time during my last stay.  Every morning I was on the lookout for them.  And yet, I never saw they show up.  One morning, I saw one person with them at their table.  I hung around a while, hoping the buffet would be replenished with them, but alas, nope.  

On my second to last morning, I saw the chalkboard behind the omelet station said something about pancakes or waffles.  I tried to order one at the station, and was told to order from waitstaff.  I tracked one down, and did so.  He asked how I'd like it ... I asked options, and the only one I was given was "with some maple syrup on the side perhaps?"  I said sure.

I went to gather my other things, and when I returned, a waffle was waiting for me.  Liege style, just as I hoped. It was very coated in powdered sugar, and garnished with a single fresh raspberry.  Finally, berries! Er, berry.

It was a good, generic, liege waffle.  Nothing extraordinary, but, frozen and heated liege waffles can be plenty satisfying, and this was.  Crispy outside, good flavor, just, overall, good.  It was barely warm however.  

It didn't need syrup with it since so sweet from the powdered sugar, but I did really want whipped cream and fresh fruit with it.  I have no idea if that was an option?

Anyway, quite good, and I wished I had discovered it sooner during my stay.

****.

Liege Waffle.

My final morning I ordered another waffle.  This one came without syrup (although there was a dot on the plate, not what looked like intentional plating ...), and tons of powdered sugar, no fruit garnish.

It was also very overcooked.  It didn't look it, but it was crispy to the point of being nearly impossible to eat, and, burnt (super dark) from the inside out.  I honestly don't know what they did to it to make it come out like that, as the exterior, while dark, didn't look quite a burnt as it really was.  This one also seemed to maybe have pockets of caramel or syrup baked in?  But so hard to tell as it was so burnt.

This let me down greatly, and I'm glad I at least got to experience one good waffle.  Had this been my first one, I certainly would not have ordered another.

**.

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