Free Dinner @Traube, Berlin

Yesterday, one of my good friends surprised me with a visit at work, and asked me to come and visit him at his workplace in return. Hm, what a strange request, I thought, but not to worry, I'd be there right after I'd finished my shift.

When I turned up at the Traube in the evening, I was in awe - it is a wonderfully luxurious, very chic place where you run into the rich and important ones - mostly politicians and bankers, but apparently people like Bob Geldof eat there, too. Or so I was told by the Maître. Anyways, as soon as I arrived, I was led to my table under the tree in the yard and brought a glass of lovely crémant rosé. Wow. A few minutes later, my friend came out of the kitchen - he had arranged for me to get the VIP-treatment. That included a waitress hovering in the background, waiting to refill my glass or take care of any other wish I might have. You won't believe how silly and important you feel (at the same time) when you stumble into that kind of situation unprepared, like me. I enjoyed every second of it, though :)

I especially enjoyed the dinner I was served by the Chef de Cuisine personally (!). He sat down with me (!!) and told me that he is very new to the restaurant and ever since he started to run the kitchen, he raised the standards of food and drinks steadily. I can only say that the food must have been superb even before he started, and was stunningly delicious yesterday. In fact, it was so good that I had to stop talking because I wanted to concentrate on the party in my tastebuds. That's great praise, believe me.

Now, two facts that make this great evening at the Traube worth a mention on the O.R.B.

• The prices are just as mindboggling as the cuisine, so if you're on a tight budget but don't want to miss out: Go there for lunch, the "Business Lunch" is great at only 9,90€. That's still expensive by Berlin standards, but heck, it's worth it.
• This sort of surprise is one good reason to ALWAYS look your best. I didn't expect to spend the evening with the rich and famous, but if I may say so, I was dressed impeccably anyways. A bright blue silk wrap dress and matching heels suited the occasion nicely - but I would have felt terribly out-of-place in worn-out jeans and a t-shirt. So make sure you're prepared for any surprise - by looking your best at all times.