Hackteufel, Heidelberg 11-2012

It seemed most appropriate to find a nice German bistro in the gorgeous streets of Heidelberg. All I really wanted was somewhere to try local cuisine. The region is apparently known for three things - black forest cake, wild boar and schnitzel. Wild boar was something I felt the need to try before leaving town.

I had read to try two of Hackteufel's popular dishes. Sauerkraut-Orgie for the hungry, Apfelstrudel for the sweet and luckily they had a Wild Boar dish also.

- Sauerkraut-Orgie - smooth mildly spicy sausage, slices of a pork loaf with chestnuts, lovely pork belly with crispy skin, a warm mess of fried pickled onion with some pork bits, and the standard thick starchy dumpling;
- Odenwalder Wildschweinsmedaillons - slightly chewy wild boar with delicious sauteed mushrooms, sweet cranberries, salad and a dumpling;
- Apfelstrudel - satisfying without being special, served with really great vanilla icecream and smooth vanilla custard.

I wouldn't say that any of the dishes were exceptional, but they were all hearty and filling. True to my previous opinion, German cuisine isn't known to be spectacular, more industrial to serve purpose and this certainly did that.

I would eat at Schnitzelbank at first choice, but since this is only open at night, Hackteufel is a safe choice for lunch.

Next time I would order any of the pork dishes since it is the most local. Of the meats I tried, the pork belly was probably the best and so Pork Roast Bavarian-Style looks like a good option for next time.