Foodie tips, Gothenburg

Last September, Mr.A and I took a leisurely three-hour train ride to pop into Sweden‘s second biggest city, Gothenburg. It’s a lively, vibrant city with a great food scene. Here’s what we enjoyed…

# Breakfast at Scandic No. 25

We stayed two nights at the Scandic No. 25 during our stay and very much enjoyed their scrumptious breakfast which was included in the room tariff. The spread is impressive, hearty muesli, dainty sandwiches, flaky croissants, fluffy pancakes, it’s all in there. The lobby and dining area are pleasant to lounge around in. There is fika of tea, coffee, cakes & biscuits all day, too.

# Lunch at Feskekôrka

Feskekôrka translates to Fish Church, an indoor marketplace for seafood. We had an excellent lunch sharing a plate of grilled fish, a fish pasta in hot sauce & a delicious fish soup at the restaurant housed within the building. Seating is available both indoors & outdoors by the water. Although there is all kinds of raw fish being sold in the same premises, surprisingly there is no unpleasant fishy smell at all. The structure is unique in itself, standing there since the late 1800’s. Gothenburg’s fish harbour used to be across the canal – the men would bring in fish & women would sell the wares right where the fish church is. The building was built to give the fish sellers a place to sell fish during the colder winter months. It was very nice to be able to visit and eat at a place of historical interest. Plus the food and service were simply great.

# Fika at Cafe Husaren

By evening we wandered into Haga Nygata in Gamla Haga, the oldish part of town. The street itself has a quaint old town feel & Cafe Husaren complements that perfectly. The decor takes you back in time with those chandeliers hanging off a tiled ceiling and the beautiful tiles on the ceiling. The coffee is great, there is a splendid array of savoury pies, delectable cakes, and the unforgettable “queen of the kitchen” – a giant kannelbullar or the traditional Swedish cinnamon bun. Of course, if you can’t finish it, you can ask for a bag to take it with you 🙂 If I were living in Gothenburg, I’d be going there all the time!

Hope you enjoy the post! Have a great weekend!!

Anniversary Teppanyaki

Two words, but quite a mouthful, right?! See how punny I am 😉 So tried out the new teppanyaki restaurant in town, Budda Khan at the Mall of Scandinavia, Stockholm. Mr.A had had teppanyaki before when he was in the U.S. & he was so eager for me to try it. Lucky for us, the joint opened its teppanyaki section just in time for our anniversary, our 6th year as a wedded couple, yes, time flies! As is common at this kind of grill, we shared the table with two other couples. They were such happy souls, the best strangers I could have asked to share our evening with. We ordered king prawns, scallops and rib eye, all prepared with flourish right before us. Seeped in garlicky goodness with flavours of soya, vinegar and some special sauces, each dish was a pleasant surprise. The dinner was accompanied by a fresh mango-rucola salad, some mixed fried rice and a velvety green tea ice-cream served on a bed of fried plantain. The food was absolutely delicious, but of course, half the fun was also watching the ‘show’ being presented by our super friendly Chinese chef. If you haven’t tried it yet, I do recommend going to a teppanyaki restaurant, where dining is supposed to be a complete experience. 

P.S. This post shares my own opinion of the restaurant and is not an advertisement.

Foodies in Budapest

Mr.A & I love good food, it’s one of our common denominators 😃 On our latest weekend getaway, Budapest pleasantly surprised and pampered our tastebuds. My favorite places, you ask? Here you go…

#1 The Bigfish Seafood Bistro

Mr.A & I were completely wowed by the excellent quality of the food here.We are seafood paella and fried calamari and vegetables. Both turned out super! The portions were quite hearty. The restaurant’s decor is quite neat. You could also choose fresh a la carte seafood from a glass counter if you fancy. The location is very close to Oktogon, right on Andrassy Avenue. If you are in the locality, give it a go.

#2 The Book Cafe

What a gorgeous cafe! This is one of the most elegant cafes I’ve been to. The ceiling and chandeliers are so luxurious, I couldn’t stop looking & clicking pictures. The food is mostly cafe style sandwiches and cakes. We tried some & liked them. They serve both alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages. It’s a very nice place to feel fancy without having to spend a lot!

#3 Cafe Gelarto

The speciality of this gelateria is that they fashion roses out of your dessert. Delicious and pretty at the same time. You can choose two to four flavours – I picked chilli chocolate with lime sorbet, a brilliant combination. It’s surprisingly cheap, two euros for two flavours! This place is right in front of St. Istvan Basilica.

#4 Kozmosz Vegan Restaurant

It was my first visit to an exclusively vegan restaurant & I was glad to be here. Both gyros plate & Mexican plate were delicious. Although Mr.A thought the bean dish extra garlicky, but I was happy with it. The best & pear juices were absolutely fresh. It wasn’t much crowded, they played nice music & the waiter was so polite. I’d recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to give vegan a go.

#5 Cafe Vian

This was our first meal in Budapest. We had the local goulash, that was good enough the and chicken paprikash, which was better. They served pálinkas with honey, and the Hungarian red wine was smooth. The Hungarian sponge cake dessert was decadent. Though the waiters seemed a bit clumsy, I heard three crashes in the couple of hours we were there! I guess it just means they are quite busy 😉

Date night with Jamie Oliver ;)

Yesterday, on date night Mr.A and I finally tried out a new restaurant that we had our eyes on for a while. It’s called Jamie’s Italian. And yes, that Jamie’s last name is Oliver. Yay for JO! I love his foodie shows on television, and generally he seems such a cute & nice guy. If you are reading this, Jamie, then know that I’d love to hang out with you 😀

Anyway, back to the restaurant. Since we left home on a sudden plan, we didn’t have a reservation, but we tried our luck and it turned out the waiting was only about 25 mins. Perfectly doable. We got a couple of drinks at the bar. The menu looked promising, and the bartender surely knew his stuff. By the time we got our drinks, our buzzer rang out, ten minutes short of the waiting time. Nice.

We ordered their day’s special, a delicious towering burger with fries. The other order was a fish plank which served a combination of fish preparations on a wooden plank, much like how you’d serve a salami or meat cut platter. Looked fancy, I can tell you that, and the taste lived up to that. We also asked for a side of freshly baked artisan breads, drizzled with a heavenly concoction of dressing and herbs.

We skipped dessert, though I admit I was in two minds about that. But Mr.A reminded me of the loads of ice cream I had had the rest of the weekend, so I meekly declined 😛 But even without a sweet ending, it was a great place to dine and I’m definitely going back. Highly recommended 👍

** Note to Jamie Oliver: Don’t forget my offer to hang out with you. Anytime! 😉

Must eat in Madrid

Remember that time I told you about binging in Barcelona? Well, I have resolved – when in Spain, just focus on the eating. I confess I am a foodie and I’ve found my match in Mr.A! When we travel we like to get a taste of the local cuisine, and Spain in particular never disappoints us. On a recent weekend getaway to Madrid we treated ourselves to the must-eat trio of Spanish cooking.

What trio, you say?

#1 Paella

#2 Churros with Hot Chocolate

#3 Tapas

P.S. Special mention to Sangria, of course!