Döner in Berlin: Gourmet?

It's inevitable that at least one of my entries would be about the wonderful Döner Kebab that is utterly and deliciously prevalent in Germany, especially in the city of Berlin. Not only is it yummy and fast, but it's (arguably) good for you, as it's a cheap way to ensure the regular consumption of veggies.

And of course, since the stuff is pretty standard fare, some places have taken the deliciousness to the next level. Located in Charlottenburg at Wilmersdorferstr. 134 (according to Google Maps, as I was too busy munching to look for the street number) is Karavan, a lovely chicken Döner shop that throws in a few extra-special things. I've only been twice so far as the price is somewhat higher than the usual fare, with a Dürüm costing 3,30 euros, and both times the product came out a bit different, but in a good way.

The first time was a few weeks back when I ordered a chicken dürüm with scharfe Soße (spicy sauce), and I very, very much approved. Their 'Salat' consists of an abundance of cucumbers that you can really savor, as opposed to the usual dominanting effect of iceberg lettuce and red cabbage that you'd get at other places. Also, they threw in just a bit of goat cheese, which really made the difference. Moreover, I really like their scharfe Soße. Granted, I don't often order schafe soße and therefore lack much experience to compare with other places, but usually I prefer scharf on chicken (I do now anyway) and Knoblauchsoße for lamb Döners.

I had a craving today, and nearly got distracted by another really cheap Döner place nearby (see next entry), but no, I felt for all the craziness I went through this week, I ought to splurge just a little. This time, however, there was no goat cheese, which was a downer at first, but then after the first bite I realized they threw in a bit of this mixture with potatoes and eggplant. Oh, joy!

So yes, if you feel like going for a little bit of luxury, this is definitely a place I would recommend.

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There are definitely other places that present a different twist on this delicacy, including a different subset of sauces such as mango and sesame. You can definitely find these with a simple Google search, or you could just as well and more easily stumble about late at night through the city and see what comes up in your quest for dirt-cheap sustenance.