Eat Drink Man Woman

Eat Drink Man Woman - what an odd name for a place! I had always assumed this place was just a bar, and it is, but it turns out it's also a thai restaurant too! Important note - the menu has a section devoted to coladas! The bar area is very snazzy, and features one of the longest aquariums I've ever seen - very hypnotising too. So, onwards to the review...

Eat Drink Man Woman - 7.50 euros.

Appearance - 4.5/5 - Heart shaped pineapple chunk? A bar of chocolate resting on top?? I felt like I was sampling a pinas that had been plucked from my dreams! It's a refreshing form of presentation though - in the classic glass shape too, and great, after the recent bout of Ikea style glasses I have had to deal with. It took me awhile (due to gawking at the novelty) to realise half the glass was filled with foam...

Taste - 4/5 - I know I complain of pinas that taste too pineappley, but this could have done with more. I found it to be a 'grower'; was unsure at first how I felt on this...and then it blossomed into a beautiful flavour! A friend informed me the rum used was Malibu - well done Malibu, your contribution was much welcomed. There was a caramel taste to it, so nice.

Texture - 3.5/5 - Well, the foam was thick and lovely (reminded me so much of my mum's homemade pina coladas, back when I was 10...) but underneath it, it was very watery. I liked that there were no land mass sized chucks of ice bobbing in it though.

Finish - 4/5 - Lovely, smooth, and with a slight caramel aftertaste. Completely inoffensive. :)

Overall - 4/5 - A strange and unusual pinas from recent reviews, but well worth another visit! (Worth noting, that it took roughly 10-15 minutes for the drink to arrive, AND it arrived after the food had been served - don't you just *hate* that? : | Thankfully, it was worth the wait, so my feelings of rage subsided. :)

Karin

Karin - a newly discovered place that I had never ventured in before this date! Twas a bitterly cold Friday night after a meal, and a few of us were stumbling through Frankfurt's backstreets nearish Hauptwache, looking for any bar that would welcome at least 7 of us - that's when Karin appeared, tempting us in with its warm cosy lighting. Aaaahhh....BUT...how was the pinas?

 Karin - 7.40 euros (am I the only one that likes prices rounded up to .50 or a whole number?)

Appearance -  3/5 - I don't approve of the cheap Ikea-style glass - a pinas is more deserving of an elaborate style glass. However, adorning it was a cute slice of orange and a cherry on a stick...wait...orange slice? What's that doing there? Why orange and pineapple together? The two should not mix! A slightly 'weak' layer of foam also. Still, at least they tried, so +1 extra mark for effort!

Taste - 3/5 - Very pineapply, hits you like a slap. However it made it almost difficult to drink, causing me to squint and pull a face whilst drinking - slightly troubling for any onlookers, I'd imagine. And what's this...the orange slices flavour is infiltrating my pina....a stealth fruit. Other than that, not bad.

Texture - 2/5 - Watery, like so many pinas...why ice, why. It was thin...like my patience with this drink.

Finish - 3/5 - 'Normal' - very pineapply, as mentioned, no memorable aftertaste other than that.

Overall - 3/5 - Deeply average. Praise or insult? Both. :) But Karin is a nice cute little place.

Trinkhalle

Trinkhalle, a super-cool cosy bar, that's very dark and atmospheric, and even has a fireplace! I have attended many leaving parties here before, and was always greatly impressed by their white russians (my fave ever, in fact) One thing I will say - they allow smoking indoors (quite rare in most German bars these days) and I DO NOT LIKE that at all. 0/5! However....since it's so lovely there, I shall forgive it...for now.

So, on to the pinas review!

Trinkhalle - 7 euros

Appearance - 4/5 - Unique! A different shaped glass from the norm. There were 2 large thin slices of pineapple, bound by a stick, complemented with a sophisticated black straw. Classy! It was also filled to brim, with a thick foamy layer on top - I approve.

Taste - 4.5/5 - Oooh yes, wondrous! A great blend of pineapple and cream, and was also nice and chilled. Even better, it tasted nicer the more I drank of it, how brilliant is that? Not quite a 5, only due to a slightly odd aftertaste...pity.

Texture - 5/5 - Yes! The magic 5! Finally! I'm certain more exist, but this is a first for the pinas blog. :) It's thick and smooth, despite the ice content - they perfected keeping the drink thickness, without getting watered down, I was most impressed.

Finish - 4/5 - Very nice - it went down smoothly. There was just an ever so slight bitterness at the end, that made me frown with annoyance. I actually drank it so fast that I was left with a heap of ice...and bitter disappointment that it was all over when it had only just begun.

Overall - 4/5 - Almost, *almost* a 5!

But please, Trinkhalle, banish the indoor smoking and too-loud music, it does you no favours.

Casablanca

Casablanca - A mysterious place! Located a few stops away from Messe/the main station, in a giant courtyard surrounded by apartments, and not at all like the 'posh' bars of Bankfurt. I liked the atmosphere of this place (once we got to sit inside...) Beforehand, it was so busy we had to sit outside on big benches (it was freezing) which, it's fair to say, might have influenced this review somewhat. There's a cosy, 'local' feel to this place and a nice atmosphere; if only I could be so positive about it's pinas....

Casablanca - 4.50 euros in happy hour, 6.50 normally.

Appearance - 1/5 - ....What is this? Seriously - where is the effort and love that should be put into crafting a fine pina colada? This was the most unimpressive looking pinas I have seen in awhile. A foamy surface, akin to the scum that collects at the edges of rivers, finished with a sickly yellow colour.

Taste - 2.5/5 - Something tastes unnatural. There's an odd bitterness...It's by no means really bad, but not great either. I found it slightly hard to drink = bad.

Texture - 3/5 - Fairly ok actually - the first good mark! But...a bit thin due to the high percentage of ice. A common flaw, it seems.

Finish - 2/5 - Again, the unnatural flavour didn't depart after the sip. I think it was possibly the cream that was odd somehow. It also left me wanting to cough (Cafe Klatsch, all over again!) A fitting uncomfortable end to a below average pinas.

Overall - 2/5 - I couldn't finish the drink, I'm afraid. Maybe because my fingers were so cold from sitting outside that I could scarcely hold the glass? Who knows. I feel bad being so negative with this, as I actually really like the bar/cafe itself, and will certainly return for the Krusovice dark beer! Just no more pina coladas. ;)

Chicago Meatpackers

Chicago Meatpackers - I only recently discovered this restaurant in central Bankfurt, near the giant euro! It's a pretty touristy American themed restuarant, and mega-busy, with cheesy decor but still a nice atmosphere. Reminded me very much of the Yours American bar in Bornheim, but less gloomy (I shall of course do a pina review there :) We were seated near the entrance though, providing entertainment for all the queue-dwellers, waiting to be seated...Very fancy looking bar, but was it a fancy pina colada?

Chicago Meatpackers - 7.20 euros (What? Why the 20 cents? How bizarre...)

Appearance - 4.5/5 - Now that's what I call a pretty pina colada! The typical shaped glass with a fair chunk of pineapple, complete with cherry and neon green straw! How a good pina should look - never subtle, always attention-grabbing. I spotted a high ice content though...

Taste - 3/5 - The tanginess hit me immediately - very pineappley, no doubt due to the pineapple slice. Couldn't really taste the cream so much (which is actually one of my fave things about coladas...)

Texture - 2.5/5 - Not bad, but rather 'bitty' if you follow me; they must have used pineapple juice with the 'bits' in, as we say in England. Also watery towards the end - oh ice, why do you ruin so many a good pina?

Finish - 3/5 - Good, I didn't really taste anything afterwards...hmmm...is this actually a good thing though? Is it not better to be reminded of a good pinas?

Overall - 3/5 - Spot-on with the presentation, just let down in other areas. I see potential though!

Cafe Klatsch

Cafe Klatsch - a beautiful little place, with a friendly atmosphere and strange decor (good strange, mind you, not weirdo strange) Great place for a chat and to eat some tasty food - buuuut...how does it's pina coladas fare?

Cafe Klatsch - 4.90 euros happy hour, 6.90 normally

Appearance - 3/5 - The glass is fitting for such a fine drink, and large too...just how I like it. ;) There's coconut flakes sprinkled along the surface of the drink, selling the coconut aspect of a pina (which leads to its slight downfall..more on this in a moment) There was a slice of  orange perched on the rim of the glass. Somehow...I do not like this. An orange has no business in a pina colada.

Taste - 3.5/5 - The sharp tangy pineapple taste hits you immediately, almost confusing you into believing it's not alcoholic. (A Deceiver!) Very very sweet, but this is a good thing in my book. (Well, at least for this particular one)

Texture - 2/5 - Thick and creamy to start with - like a dream pina! However...due to the coconut flakes that so sweetly rested atop the drink, they soon sank into the lower levers of the drink, giving it a slight grainy texture, leading to an actual coughing fit. Unacceptable! The coconut really is a nice touch, but it betrayed the drink in the end.

Finish - 3/5 - Adequate - not much of an aftertaste (can be a good thing), but left me slightly thirsty (not a good thing).

Overall - 3/5 - A solid rating, well done Cafe Klatsch. :)

Pinas Number 1

Oh my, the very first pinas entry...! And so it begins in Frankfurt, where my Pina Colada obssession grew to fruition. I sampled them all across the city, often saying how I was going to form a blog and rate them...that was nearly 4 years ago, oops! Well, better late than never, eh? So, here we are - onwards!

Nacht Leben - 7 euros, 5 in happy hour, and 4 on a Sunday (excellent!)

My local! Often frequented as it's literally across the street from me, sometimes hosts great bands...and does a mean Pina Colada! Let's get down to rating this pinas.

APPEARANCE - 2/5 - Despite being so wonderful, it's totally letdown on it's appearance...very plain. However, it's in a large glass - misleading! It's filled with a high percentage of ice..too much. One small lonely piece of fruit bobs on the surface.

TASTE - 4/5 - Fantastic taste! Not so pineappley, and I couldn't really taste the alcohol (a good thing, in my opinion) Creamy, but not in a sickening way.

TEXTURE - 4/5 - Nice and thick! Not too thick as to be difficult to drink though, even with all that ice.

FINISH - 3.5/5 As mentioned, thick, but does eventually water down due to the ice if you don't drink it fast enough - no time for savouring! Is this acceptable? I would say no..but then again, with such a great taste you'll be wanting more!

OVERALL - 4/5 Impressive...most impressive.