Home made

At six am the ladies turn on the kitchen lights, set kettles to boil, heat the oven and straighten up the original Thonet chairs, wenge-framed marble tables (from 1880) and silver cutlery. “I like to start early so we can do things in peace,” says Herlinde. She’s been with the Greif for five years now, Sanae for more than ten; the youngest of the three is Anni. The trio are a close-knit team. They know their guests well, and make everything they enjoy for breakfast.

Italian cake or German?
Cappuccino, freshly pressed smoothies, fruit salad made with really ripe fruit, Bircher muesli … and yogurt with chia seeds, a recent addition. The Breakfast Ladies make at least six cakes in the early hours of the day. The recipes vary because Herlinde and Sanae are always coming up with new ideas. “Anything we think might fit at the time,” says Herlinde, then lists a few examples: Linzer, Pinoli cream, Italian crostata, waffles, Nußecken or an “Easter Crown” for Easter. They won’t be doing the camomile teacake again though. “That one wasn’t so good,” admits Herlinde.

An egg to remember
We’re rather proud of our soft-boiled eggs at the Greif. We serve them in a glass, with no shell and garnished with parsley. You can, of course, order them in their shells instead, in which case they come with an egg-topper. And if you can, sample our stracchino cheese with mint afterwards. Another of the Breakfast Ladies’ ideas.