(c) Katja

The best restaurant in Paderborn is invitation-only. The proprietor cooks herself ...

(c) Katja

As a test of your courage there will be one hot chilly pepper among many tasty mild peppers. It will make your mouth feel like you bit into a hand grenade. 

Cranky admits they were not quite as tasty as the little clams found in the Northwest. This Maxwell Centre variation will however put a sharp end to any bouts of constipation one may be suffering from. The photo of adventure eater Anthony Bourdain on display next to the menu should have been a good indication.

For those times when you don't have access to Opa's home-grilled Thüringer Bratwurst the wares from ubiquitous mini-BBQ stands make a good substitute. Cranky prefers vendors that specialize in one item - such as these perfectly made pork belly skewers on Thalang Road. Each one is cooked to perfect juicyness and all the burnt bits are carefully trimmed away with scissors. You get four for 20 BAT (66 cents), take that Biwa!

These pots and stoves once fed 7000 monks and are still being used for the remaining 700.

The things you discover after spending three or four days in place make it worthwhile to stay long enough to see beyond the surface. On our last morning we met the owner of this impeccably run German bakery. What an opportunity for locals to learn German baking and perhaps set off to run their own business one day.

Sometimes a small misunderstanding can have surprising results such as this delicious albeit entirely excessive eight course meal. Somehow 'Can you recommend something?' came across as 'We'd like to order for us and our six friends who are about to join us'. It was so ridiculously that a Chinese tourist took a picture of us.

We especially recommend the mushrooms, squash and chicken. The local carp from Er lake is delicious but you need to work around the bones. Remember not to use your fingers to get them out of your mouth, spitting them on the ground is much more proper.