Herman Ze German, Old Compton Street
As usual it was up to me to find a venue, but initially I wasn’t reviewing. We needed somewhere central to meet and discuss work projects without any pomp and ceremony. Oh and with ‘proper beers’. So I suggested Herman Ze German straight away as it’s definitely a place where boys drink beer and eat sausage. The only issue I could think of was that it might lie in the unbookable camp.
Twitter reliably informed me that the Soho branch (the other one is on Villiers St) does take bookings. So, the deal was done: we would meet, drink, eat, work and then drink some more. And I would also review.
beer was on the agenda at last night’s board meeting
beer (board) meeting
With my online consultancy hat on, I had my nearest and dearest round the table. The web boys, I call them. And they’re fun ESPECIALLY when they drink beer.
web boy
and another
We sat downstairs which felt like a good idea simply based on the fact that upstairs feels a little transient. Grab a sausage before it grabs you, type place. Herman Ze German, if you haven’t heard of it before, is THE new German dog place. On the wall behind our table, an episode of Bayswatch was being projected and, along with the 80s sound track, it all felt pretty kitsch.
Baywatch backdrop
We ‘worked’. Exciting future plans were discussed and then we ordered more beers (Paulaner Helles lager on tap). That’s when the ideas really started flowing along with some less impressive humour. It seemed food was required: 2 of us had the Bockwurst in a roll (£4.95) while the others opted to have their sausage chopped with chips. Actually, Herman’s pommes frites were SILLY delicious. I presumed they must be triple fried to taste that good but it turns out the Germans have a proved themselves to be geniuses once again by steaming and pressure cooking these beauties.
Herman Ze German’s dog
Noone’s iPhone left their hand, as we flitted over social platform updates, the latest in subtle brand sponsorship and a whole new concept in socialising with social tools. The rest is a blur. A message popped up on my screen; a friend of mine, in Soho, was offering a lift home. Saved by a tweet, I jumped ship before it got messy.
The web boys gave Herman Ze German’s food a rockin’ 7.5 out of 10.
Herman ze German, 33 Old Compton Street, W1D 5JU
