Oysters

Berlin might be a long way from the sea, but there's no shortage of seafood making its way to Germany's capital. If it's oysters that tickle your gullet, the city has some fine gourmet locations, and if you prefer eating these noble crustaceans at home, check out the specialist stores.

Restaurants

A railway station might not sound the right place where you'd find haute cuisine, and Berlin's Berlin-Hauptbahnhof is certainly not short on pretzel stands and burger joints. But tucked away to one side, near the first class lounge, you'll find Dieckmanns Austernbar. Inspired by the Grand Central Oyster Bar in the eponymous New York station, the bar run by Josef Dieckmann has 6 varieties on the menu: Belon, Fine de Claire, Papillon, Irish rock oyster, Sylter Royal and Tsarskaya which can be combined to your own taste or as a set menu "Austernrundreise" for €15. The more daring can also try a special Australian recipie with ham and Worcester Sauce.

Fresh seafood of all kinds is delivered daily to the Westin Grand's Lobster House, where the staff really know their crustaceans. They don't go in for "complicated" oyster dishes here - the chef says it spoils the taste, though you might be able to get them to make you some oyster soup. The range of oysters available varies, but they always have Fine de Claire in stock.

Western Berlin is also home to an oyster location: the Austeria Brasserie on the Kurfürstendamm - Ku'damm has been in the business for more than 20 years and is run by afficionado Walter Schuber. Schuber recommends oyster "natur" (raw) with a splash of lemon and a little pepper, and claims this is the style most preferred by Berliners.

Stores

The obvious choice for exotic foods of all kinds is KaDeWe - Kaufhaus des Westens, where they have a large selection of oysters on their famous food floor. As well as the usual suspects such as Belon, Tsarskayas, Emerald Rocks and Loch Fynes you'll find the only native German oyster, which are cultivated on the North Sea island of Sylt.

More North Sea oysters come from Holland, from where Dutch company Koninklijke Prins & Dingemanse imports both deepwater and shallow bed oysters. Particularly recommend are the Zeeland Oysters, which are firm with a fresh taste. Available at Barlu Cash & Carry in Tempelhof (Ringbahnstraße 6-8, Tel. (030) 667 65 60, website: www.barlu.de/shopindex.html.

Continuing westwards towards the Atlantic, but eastwards through Berlin, where else to buy Breton Fines der Claire fresh from Cancale (famed as Europe's oyster capital) than the Galeries Lafayette in the Friedrichstraße.

And finally, for truly well-travelled oysters, try Frischparadies Lindenberg in Charlottenburg's Morsestraße, which also has Australian Oysters on offer. (Morsestraße 2, 10587 Berlin; Tel. (030) 390815-0; website: /www.frischeparadies.de.