Right now at Der Keller, a German restaurant located in the iconic Jumeirah Beach Hotel, they’re running a Wurscht Fest (that’s a Sausage Fest to me and you). The Fest got under way a couple of days ago so, ignoring all HILARIOUS innuendo from friends, we went along to see what it’s all about.

Der Keller is not the type of restaurant you would expect to come across at this iconic five star hotel. Filled with classic oak furniture, bunting in Bavarian colours (Bavaria is an area in the southeast of Germany famous for their brews) and music you’ll recognise if you’ve ever visited Oktoberfest or any of the other famous hops festivals in the region; this is an authentic German eatery through and through. Here’s what we tasted and a couple of reasons why we liked it…

Note: We visited on a Saturday evening, which is usually a quiet night for restaurants in Dubai. Every Thursday and Friday from 7pm an accordion player livens up the venue, so if you’re making the trip, do try and get a spot during the weekend.

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1. The sausages (the main event)

This is a no-holds-barred absolute sausage FEAST. We tried 11 different types of sausage; everything from the weisswurst (a Bavarian sausage that we dipped in curry sauce) to our absolute favourite; the Kaesekrainer, (you NEED to try one of these) a small bite will reveal oooozzzing cheese, we went back for seconds of this one. 

There’s also a chorizo sausage, a lamb sausage, a poultry sausage and traditional blood pudding. We tried these with the multitude of sauce options; from different strength mustard’s and veal and peppercorn jus, to a fantastic currywurst sauce. YUM. 

2. The sides

Potato lovers get excited; this is potato in every way imaginable. Mashed, fried, fries, made into a salad…you name it, they’ve got it. Special mention should go to the mashed potato; it was creamy, delicious goodness that we won’t forget anytime soon.

3. The drinks

A beer is to the Germans like a baguette is to the French. As classically stereotypical as it sounds, the French make good bread and the Germans make very good beer. Served in a mass, (that’s a full litre serving) we ordered a Paulaner weissbier, which is a Bavarian wheat beer. Of course, they do serve smaller servings but, in the name of research, we went with the larger glass. It was the perfect serving that saw us through our entire meal including desserts, and we drained the last drop as we were ready to leave. 

4. The desserts

What better way to finish off a bang-up meal than with some traditional German desserts. We had the shredded pancakes served with a plum compote, and apfelstrudel (kinda like a warm apple pastry) with vanilla ice-cream. The shredded pancakes unfortunately weren’t as good as they looked, but we LOVED the strudel; warm and cinnamon-y, we totally devoured it (which is saying a lot considering the meal we had just finished). 

The important bits

The Wurscht Fest at Der Keller is available everyday until May 7th.

Packages range from AED 110; which includes three portions of German sausages, 2 side dishes and sauces to AED 345 for Die Schlachtplatte; ‘The Butcher’s Platter: A massive selection of 11 different sausages with 4 sides and 4 sauces.

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