On our travels we have discovered some restaurants, pubs, bars and snack bars. We would like to introduce you to those who liked us very much.
A little tip from us for your travels!
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I admit I am a chocolate lover. I believe there are hardly any chocolate flavours that I don’t like. Add marzipan or nougat into the mix and I will have a hard time saying no. This leaves no doubt whatsoever that going to confectionary café Viba in Erfurt was exactly the right activity for both my soul and my tastebuds. And I also got to make chocolate lollipops myself.
Continue Reading about A first for me: Making a chocolate lollipop at Viba in Erfurt
There is nothing worse than having different preferences for eating times than the locals at your destination. Whenever we became hungry, most restaurants were closed.
I have to admit that the times we like to eat at are a little bit different than they would be for normal travellers. But we are not normal travellers as we are working on our trips. That means that we get up at 7 the latest, work for 3 to four hours, explore our surroundings and then work for another couple of hours. Normally, we like to eat breakfast at around 10 am, our main meal at around 4 pm and another snack in the evening, like fruit or veg. And exactly this pattern failed us in Barcelona.
We made our own breakfast in the apartment – no problems here. But when we were out and about in the city and felt the appetite coming it became more difficult. We didn’t want to eat in the tourist areas as prices are higher there than they are elsewhere. We ventured into the little side streets and found ourselves in front of closed doors. Many restaurants in Barcelona are closed between 15.00 and 20.00. So we often times had to look a little bit harder to find food.
In the beginning, it was also hard for us to see whether the shop we found was a bar, a snack bar, a fast food store or a restaurant. Many shops had big signs at the door with pictures of their dishes, like the ones you find almost exclusively at the doors of snack bars in Berlin. Or they had pizza boxes by the door so that we assumed they were a food delivery or takeaway place. Only very slowly we warmed up to the idea to be a bit braver and just try something new. We ate where other guests sat and ate or where the prices were reasonable. We never really failed with this tactic. With the exception of one tapas restaurant that didn’t really win us over, we were always happy with our choice.
vegan Pizza
Sangria
We tried wonderful tapas in many different, small tapas bars.
We found a vegan pizza restaurant where I had the best pizza in ages and also found a great burger place that wasn’t only quite stylish but also had delicious burgers.
My wishes for paella and sangria were granted in a little bar that was only frequented by locals.
The highlight was the meal at Jamon Enrique Tomas, a ham speciality shop, that also serves food. We observed how the waiters cut the ham. I also ate ham that actually tasted of something. The price was a little bit on the higher end of the scale and for many a little ham with bread would not have been a sufficient meal. But that was exactly what brought us back three times to enjoy the food there.
I would have liked to take some ham back home with me but it was rather bulky.
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Food and drinks are some of the things in Serbia that always need to be both good and plentiful so that one can get lost in it and that one should allow enough time for.
We didn’t see any really pricey restaurants like the ones in other bigger cities. Keeping the cost for food and drinks low is not rocket science in Belgrade.
Travellers should be prepared to increase their meat consumption in Serbia as meat is a staple food. I ordered a salad once and was immediately asked which meat dish I wanted as a main.
We went to a variety of restaurants in Belgrade and tried many different dishes. Prices were so low that we never paid more than 15€ in total for two mains and at least two drinks, even in the fancier restaurants on the Skadarlija which are swamped by tourists.
We were invited to a typical Serbian meal by the Tourist Organization of Belgrade on our first day. There is a restaurant in the Kalemegdan Park (Kahvana Mali Kalemegdan) which is not only visited by tourists but also highly valued by locals. They serve sizeable portions and prices are surprisingly low.
We were lucky to have found a nice little spot in the shade on a day where temperatures surpassed 30° Celcius. The glimpse that we caught of the food on the neighbouring tables already told us that this is going to be more than an ordinary meal.
First, we were served a starter platter. Different deli slices, sheep cheese, Ajvar (Bell pepper and aubergine mix), Kajmak (some kind of sour cream) and Tschvarci (pulled meat that looks a bit like frayed wool), as well as an overflowing salad bowl and the characteristic flatbread, were placed on the table. Good thing that we were warned that these are only the starters. It was delicious and the amount of food was easily enough to fill the three of us up. This course cost just under 10€. I am especially sold on the taste of the Tschvarci. It looks a little odd but the taste of meat is intense.
Soon after we displayed the first signs of a full stomach, the second course was served. Bowls were set out and a waiter with a tureen came to our table. He used a ladle to serve the soup directly at the table. I managed to stop him right after the first scoop otherwise I think even more of the well-seasoned meat soup would have found its way into my bowl. Only on a few occasions, I have had such a high-quality meat in a soup. It almost melted in my mouth.
We were granted a short breather but then they brought out the mains. We were served a platter to share between the three of us. The thought alone of filling this amount of food into our stomachs seemed like a hopeless endeavour. Ribs, pork, beef and chicken were balanced on a mountain of chips. Everything was fresh from the grill and of an impeccable quality.
Another quick glimpse over to the other tables revealed that most of the guests struggled with these quantities of food and had the leftovers packed up to take them home.
The finale of the meal was a characteristic Serbian coffee. The coffee grounds are doused in hot water directly in the mug. With that came a very sweet slice of cake.
After eyeballing the menu, we guesstimated that the cost of this opulent meal came to 25 – 30€ each. To me, this is a reasonable price for a very good meal in Belgrade.
There is another way to do it and that is even more cost effective.
We ate ¼ of a pizza with ample toppings in a little snack bar near our apartment for only 85 cents for example. The snack bar was always busy whereas another pizza place only three shops further down was practically empty. Especially the youth of Belgrade kept coming in to eat Pizza (with cold ketchup) no matter what time of the day or night it was.
There aren’t very many supermarkets in the city. Fresh produce can be found on smaller markets across the city (Green Markets).
One of the markets was close to our apartment so I made use of that one of course and went looking for cheap food.
One kilogram of cherries was offered for 1,20€ and raspberries (500g) were sold for 1€ on the market. We ate a salad with tomatoes, cucumber and onions for under 2€. We also bought bread for 50 cents.
A visit to one of those markets is a very justifiable bullet point on the itinerary even though communication is sometimes difficult as the old ladies on the markets often don’t speak English. It still works using hands and feet though and sometimes you are lucky enough to bump into a young vendor that explains in his finest German that he used to live in Dortmund.
We were invited to take part in a beer tour by the Tourist Organization of Belgrade. This experience is just the thing for us craft beer fans. A good opportunity to see a bit of Belgrade together with someone who actually is from Belgrade.
We met our guide at the Square of the Republic. We headed off together. Our destinations were three different bars, some of them with in-house breweries. They were all within a 15-minute walk from one another.
We sampled 7 beers in total. We had everything from pils to dark beer to wheat beer. The tastes of all the beers were distinctly different. They catered to all tastes and ranged from fruity to bitter. We had a little more beer than what I would have fancied. 7 beers, each in a 0.2l glass, is far more than what I would normally consume. The runtime of the tour is limited to 3.5h and that doesn’t leave much time to try the beers at each individual stop.
During the tour, we were fed many interesting facts about brewing, Serbian beer culture and the history of beer by our guide. Since we were the only ones participating in the tour we also got to have lovely conversations about the life of a student in Belgrade.
The tour is optimal for beer fans to discover a part of Belgrade that isn’t frequented by many tourists, the bars we went to were tourist free. We went back to one of the bars a few days later and the beer was still great!
It is a little disappointing to visit the Old Town of Riga and stumble on KFC, McDonald’s, Costa Coffee and all the other chains that one doesn’t really like to go to. Our tourist guide in Riga had a few recommendations for us about where to eat in Riga.
Our question about traditional foods in Riga was answered with a grin. Our guide said that he had heard this question so many times and he still doesn’t have an answer. He said there is nothing that is traditional or typical. But, he said after taking a deep breath, the Letts love garlic and also like to consume foods that are regionally sourced. And Riga is well known for chocolate, he said. Now, that’s something. Then he sent us on our way with a few special tips about culinary pleasures in Riga.
Many cafés offer hot cocoa, but only a few offer real hot chocolate. Hot chocolate is not the chocolatey powder that gets mixed in with milk. Hot chocolate is in fact pure chocolate. In liquid form.
We treated ourselves to white hot chocolate and we were not disappointed. The little mugs were filled with viscous, white chocolate that had to be spooned out. A symphony of calories, an insanely delicious sin, an indulgence and delicacy! To be honest, I was quite happy that I resisted the temptation of the confectionaries that looked oh so tasty. That would have been sugar overload.
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Aspazijas Bulvaris 24
Riga 1050
Latvia
Monday to Sunday: 9.00 – 21.00
We visited Restaurant 3 for dinner. The restaurant is on a smaller side street and looks rather pricey from the outside. But this particular recommendation was really good. The prices were indeed upper middle class but the value for money was 100% accurate.
We ordered a mixed platter of starters for two. Different sorts of bread, cheese, cold meat, jam and pastes were very tastefully arranged on the plate. That was a pleasure for the eyes. Let alone the taste buds.
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Kaleju Street 3
Riga LV-1050
Latvia
Ground floor: THE EARTH
Monday to Friday: 12.00 – 23.00
Saturday to Sunday: 11.00 – 23.00 (Brunch 11.00 – 16.00)
First Floor: THE SKY
Tuesday to Saturday: 18.00 – 23.00
And what’s so special about that?
On the Christmas Market around the Cathedral, we found a seller that offered freshly caramelized almonds. But not like the ones that we know with a lot of sugar. These ones were made with onions and garlic.
Our first thought was that it is absolutely impossible that this combination tastes any good. But we happily ate the little sample we were handed. The surprise followed right after: It tasted great. The almonds were not sticky and sweet, they were savoury and salty. We bought a portion and snacked on it for the next two days.
Our tip: Store in an airtight container. The smell of garlic in our hotel room was so intense that we had to apologize to the housekeeping for it!
Riga Black Balsam is THE Latvian drink. It is a liquor made of herbs, flowers, oils and berries with an alcohol content of 45%. It gets its name from its black colour.
We picked up two bottles at the airport without trying it before. That, we did at home on our couch. It came with a little leaflet with different suggestions of mixes and recipes, but we tried it on its own first to see what it actually tastes like. Things didn’t get much further than trying it. It tasted too bitter for us, too much like medicine and too strong. What we did instead was mixing the hippest drink of the Riga clubbing scene – Riga Black Balsam with Cola. And that tastes really nice!
All those people who like M&Ms wouldn’t want to miss it – the M&M Store London! But also those who aren’t fans of the little chocolate balls shouldn’t give it a miss but rather come to the store and have a look at what’s going on.
It is right in the centre of the city, the M&M Store London, and it doesn’t only make kid’s hearts skip a beat.
We didn’t want to miss this shopping attraction and so we jumped in head first into this busy shop. On three floors it offers t-shirts, mugs, hats, … everything one can fit an M&M logo on. Almost every item was turned into M&M merch. And regardless whether they need it or not, people buy M&M dispensers, mousepads, cell phone covers, bedsheets… consumerism-madness is king in this shop.
But also those who are here for the chocolate will not be disappointed. M&Ms can be personalised in the shop. Individual greetings and designs can be put together on a computer for you to buy then and there.
My personal favourite was the M&M filling station. Giant, clear plastic pipes hold the sweets for you to take away, colour coordinated of course. No matter what kind of chocolate ball it is, everything has the same price and can be packed into little plastic bags. The price is a little higher than it would be in supermarkets, but no one really seems to care – everyone is filling their bags with excitement.
M&M Store London
M&M Store London
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M&M Store London
Swiss Court 1
Leicester Square
London W1D 6AP
United Kingdom
Monday to Saturday: 10.00 – 24.00
Sunday: 12.00 – 18.00
Who travels to the UK is going to notice it: “THE” typical street food is Fish and Chips. Be assured that we had it on our list, too and on our day trip to Brighton we picked one of these greasy sins up at the pier.
Fish ’n’ Chips is a fish and potato dish. Traditionally, it is made with codfish, but also haddock and pollack are often used.
The fish is deep fried in batter made with beer or ale, cut in stripes and then served with chips.
The chips are potatoes cut into stripes, washed and then deep fried. They get a lightly browned, crispy outside and are seasoned with salt. In different regions of the country the chips are served with different sauces like vinegar, brown sauce or suet. Also sides differ between regions and you can have anything from mushy peas or pickled onions to baked beans with your Fish ‘n’ Chips.
It is rare that this meal is prepared at home, it is a classic take away. However, today it can also be found on the menus of Pubs and even fancy restaurants. But honestly, I think, it is far more authentic to eat it off a paper plate with your fingers.
We had Fish and Chips for the first time in Brighton near the Pier. We shared one portion between us as a snack. That was quite enough for us. The fish was really tasty and also the chips, a little unusual with the vinegar to me at first, were very good.
Our second Fish ‘n’ Chips experience was in Salisbury. We found a takeaway place in a pedestrian area that specialised in Fish ‘n’ Chips. They offered three different serving sizes. We didn’t have anything to eat that day and they told us that the small portion wasn’t going to be enough so we both ordered the medium size. Oh, what a mistake! A huge paper bowl was filled with chips. And then – maybe because we looked like we were starving – some more were piled on. A big piece of fish was then balanced on top of the mountain of chips. We bravely tucked in and it was really good. But we didn’t even manage half of the portion.
But we will definitely do it again!
