Ohhhhh Vienna!

For nearly five years I actually was constantly in Vienna. I can not count how many press trips I accompanied to this city, on how many business trips I was there and how many times I have been there just because I like the city. The famous Viennese humor is sometimes unbearable, and also to the peculiar language (yes, Austria is a foreign language even for Germans) one must be getting used to. But I had the best access to the city, you can only have (Bussarl & Thank you, Doris!) - And I certainly saw much more than other normal tourists.

SLEEPS:
There are many wonderful hotels in Vienna, in those I normally stayed for business, I could never afford privately. Here they are nevertheless mentioned: probably the best house in town is the fabulous Hotel Imperial, vintage, elegant, a grande dame, 5star service. In the hotel café Niki Lauda (my old boss) has his breakfast in the mornings and in the rooms, the hotel offers chic Bulgary amenities. Just across the street, one block away you’ll find the elegant, but no less beautiful Hotel Bristol, where I could spend the night once when we organised a press trip to one of the 180  Viennese balls. The trip will be memorable, the hotel also. It is situated directly opposite the Vienna State Opera.

A much more cheaper place to stay, but nevertheless nothing for backpackers is the “Hotel Alstadt Vienna” at Rennweg (near the Museum Quarter). Since years, the house is directed by an art lover who is a detail freak in a very positive way and wants his guests to feel at home. Each room has a different look. Some rooms even have a private terrace. The breakfast (there's no restaurant) is served in the stylish red lounge, where oce seated, you don't wanna leave. You cannot start a day in Vienna any better.

FOOD:
That's the real problem: the Austrian cuisine is so fantastic, it’s hard to choose. It is very rich at least if one stays with the classics. IF you spend more than just the ordinary weekend in the city, I bet you will gain weight.  Sorry, I' just saying.. so - bring your sneakers!

Best snack: the SAUSAGE. My dearest Käsekrainer, or as the Vienna people say "Oa Itreega". Which is the word for something really nasty – which you don’t wanna know. BUT: thing is, they fill the red sausage with cheese, so when you heat the sausage on the grill, the cheese melts, gets soft and runs out of the Sausage, when cutting it into pieces. Looks awefull, tastes just perfect. Our favorite sausage stand is located directly between Albertine and the opera. Here, you will meet well dressed people after the proms later in the evening. Cravin for a sausage. Another tip: if you also fell in love with the Käsekrainer you will get a big box of them in the supermarket at the airport (in the basement!) to take home!

Trzesniewski (pronounced Trashsnyevskee) Their motto says it all: "The Brötchen with the unpronounceable name." Brötchen in Austria is not the same Brötchen that are known in Germany. IN Germany, a Brötchen is a roll you have for breakfast. Brötchen in Vienna are tiny slices of bread, and at Trzesniewski they are served with all sorts of egg toppings. Because everything is so small you also order a tiny tiny beer ( 0.1 liter) in a tiny glass, which is called Pfiff (Pfeeff). Cuty! When you missed this spot in the city, you can also have a quick bite at the airport. My rating: second best snack.
Then there is the Beisl. Which is somehow a very down to earth restaurant with a focus on regional cuisine. My favorite pub is the “Immervoll” (Means: Always crowded). Again, the name is right. Everyone loves this Beisl, so it’s simply always crowded. You will find it on one of the most beautiful places in Vienna, the Franziskaner Platz. Not easy to get a table outside in the summer, if you get one: you are lucky! Everything here is uncomplicated, good and plentiful. : Weihburggasse 17 Phone: 0043 1 5135288

At the “Österreicher im MAK” a restaurant in a nice museum, you will get real Austrian home cooking, namely again Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz or a Goulash-but everything here is a little fancier. And much more. The MAK is located on the garden at the Museum of Applied Arts and has earned a quite good reputation in the last years.

At “Glacisbeisl” in the Museum District, you will also get a very good regional cuisine in a chic ambience.  Last time I’ve been there I almost ordered Blunzenröstl because I thought it sounded so delicious - but the waiter was so kind to remind me that this is blood pudding...didn’t I mention that Austrain is a foreign language, right? So be careful what you order!

If “kim kocht” (Kim is cooking), it will not come to any confusion. For the famous TV Chef Sohyi Kim heads probably one of the best and most famous gourmet restaurants in Vienna for years, which attracts foodies from all over the world. For a very good reason. It is really her every evening in the kitchen, which is hard for her fans to believe but always puts a smile on their faces  when she comes out of her kitchen to welcome every guest personally. The food is vegetarian, Asian, inspired by the five elements and everything is so good that the waiting list is long. Very long. It may take weeks to get a table, but it's worth it!

Tips to spend your time:
Of course you can shop till you drop in Vienna. It really is worth it to leave the Kärtnergasse behind and go to the Maria Hilfer-Strasse, where the Viennese shop. (A Trzesnewski is also very close) From there, enter the smaller streets where you will find designers from Vienna. The streets to the left lead eventually to the Naschmarkt, which is a market which is a beautiful old market just like in a picture book, a temptation for foodies.

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Ice Ice Baby!

In New York you can get everything. Above all, there are a lot of great eats and even more crazy people. Some of them meet regularly in Brooklyn to feed to their addiction, which is a craving for the perfect homemade ice cream! Jonathan Soma had a large ice machine, some great ideas and some questions: How does "Thai Pepper Chocolate" or "Candied Bacon" ice cream would taste like? The problem, he thought, was not the preparation itself, but the large quantities he always had to produce with his large machine. So, who for all sake would eat all his ice?

But Jonathan was smart and guesses that there maybe were other just like him - ice cream addicted and full of ideas. That's when he founded the Ice Cream Club. Everyone can participate. There are two types of memberships, the so-called social members that swap their homemade ice cream with other's homemade ice cream. Other members who do not produce any ice cream but still love it can just buy other community member's the ice cream. It is as simple as that. But such a great idea! Maybe others join in also in Europe, Germany, Cologne? Who's got an ice machine? :-)

Anyone who does not know how to make ice cream will also find help and advice on the homepage of the ICE CREAM CLUB. You will find recipes and detailed instructions -and can ask DR ICE an expert you can trust about any complicated ice cream issue....

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Der Promi-Post: Constanze Rick über ihr Rom

Constanze Rick, Moderatorin + Redakteurin der Sendung "Prominent!" berichtet seit 2006 über Stars und Sternchen bei VOX. Privat vermeidet sie den großen Rummel und verreist für ihr Leben gern  - am allerliebsten übrigens nach Rom. Mindestens einmal im Jahr zieht es sie in die Straßen und auf die schönen Plätze der ewigen Stadt - daher kann man zu Recht behaupten, dass sich Constanze hier besonders auskennt. Gut also für alle Reisefreunde, dass sie hier bei uns Ihre Lieblingsecken verrät. Und wer weiß, jetzt ist zumindest klar, wo man die schöne und sympatische Bochumerin in Rom treffen kann:

"Mein Traumhotel in Rom ist das Campo de Fiori (sehr hübsch aber leider nicht ganz billig) - das liegt großartig genau in der Mitte der Stadt, nämlich am gleichnamigen Platz und ist damit perfekt für die Erkundung Rom per Pedes geeignet. Hervorragend übrigens auch die herrliche Dachterrasse mit bester Aussicht auf die Stadt - siehe links. Ganz wichtiger Tipp: die Qualitäten des Hotels haben sich natürlich mittlerweile herum gesprochen. Für den Spontanbesuch ist das Hotel daher eher weniger geeignet. Aber für den, der seinen Romurlaub etwas früher planen kann: ideal!

Am Ende der Straße, in der sich das Hotel befindet, liegt ein ganz einfaches aber sehr römisches Restaurant, das mittags einfach klasse ist, das "Grotte del teatro di Pompeo". Allerdings sollte man hier unbedingt reservieren (wie überall in römischen Restaurants) denn die Modefuzzis, Pater und Shopbesitzer machen genau hier Mittagspause. Es gibt ganz einfache römische Küche wie: Fiori di zucca (frittierte mit Mozzarella gefüllte Zucchiniblüten), Carciofi alla Giudia (ganz knusprig gebackene Artischocken) und Bucantini all Amatriciana (Maccheroni in scharfer Tomatensoße mit Speck-yammy) oder Pasta e Ceci (Nudeln mit Kichererbsen) und als Dessert die klitzekleinen aromatischen Fragoline - Walderdbeeren mit Eis (und natürlich andere Köstlichkeiten) plus top Haus Frascati zum kleinen Preis. Und wer sich für römische Geschichte interessiert, der sollte den Kellner nach Resten des antiken Pompeius Theaters (auf dessen Stufen Caesar abgemurkst wurde) fragen, die in den hinteren Räumen des Restaurants zu bestaunen sind. Die ganze Häuserzeile am Campo de Fiori wurde nämlich in die alten Überreste des Theaters reingebaut und angeblich hauchte Caesar genau im heutigen Restaurant sein Leben aus! Allerdings behaupten das auch noch mindestens drei andere Läden ums Eck...

Als alternative Unterkunft für den kleinen Preis  - oder wenn das Hotel Campo de Fiori mal wieder ausgebucht ist - empfehle ich eine Ecke weiter eine Ferien-Wohnung in Rom - im "Palazzo Olivia", die mit ihrer Top Lage (direkt neben der Piazza Navona) und den verschiedene Apartment Größen wirklich ein Geheimtipp ist. Für jeden dürfte hier etwas dabei sein. Direkt an der Straße findet man auch gleich eine super Vinothek: "Mimi e Coco" - die ist ganz putzig zum draußen und drinnen sitzen und bestens geeignet um ein paar kleine Snacks und top Tropfen oder auch "Brachetto"- der roten Prickelbrause zu geniessen.

Meine Empfehlung für abends, wenn man ein besonderes Restaurant mag (auch typisch römisch) und etwas nobel: Das "Piperno" im jüdischen Ghetto. Mit klasse hausgemachter Pasta, Fisch und ausgefallenen Fleischgerichte. Wer sich nicht entscheiden kann, sollte sich unbedingt beraten lassen, um die typischen Schätzchen zu schmecken. Hier gibt es auch sehr ausgefallene und leckere Desserts wie "die Bälle vom Opa" - hört sich jetzt eigenartig an, ist aber Stracciatella Creme in knusprig heiss frittiertem Teig gebacken. Und wenn man dann noch draußen auf der winzigen Piazza sitzt - echt romantisch.  

 Tagsüber sitzt man zum Leute gucken und Aperitif trinken großartig in der Bar "Ciampini" (Piazza S.Lorenzo in Lucina- geht von der Via del Corso ab). Da treffen sich am Sonntag vorm Mittagessen die Reichen + Schönen Roms- sehr spaßig- vor allem mit nem "Negroni" oder "Mimosa" in der Hand. Tja und abends flaniert man dann einfach durchs Veedel- schön hinter der Piazza Navona zur "Bar del Fico" oder in die "Bar della Pace", wo die Römer in lauschigen Nächten draußen feiern."




Herzlichen Dank an Constanze, ci vediamo a Roma!

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Our 7 links

Thanks to Yvonne from JustTravelous to nominate us for this funny adventure! "My 7 links" has one goal, to unite bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavor to share lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again. There are rules, but they are quite simple: Rule no 1: Blogger is nominated to take part Rule no2:  Blogger publishes his/her 7 links on his/her blog – 1 link for each category. So take a little tour through our seven links — and below please find our nominations!

Our most beautiful post:
A culinary trip to Singapore
When we went to Singapore in February 2011 to follow Anthony Bourdain's footsteps, it was a trip full of joy and tons of great food. Everything was just perfect: the flight was on time and we could sleep, the hotel was even more than we expected. So, maybe it's because we fell in love with Singapore, its people and its food so much, maybe its because we love the colors in the photo (more pictures here on Facebook) so much — we really don't know why but we think that this post is damn good!

Our most popular post
Berlin's Supper clubs
Ok, maybe you know it already, we are a kind of food addicted. When we heard about new supper clubs in Berlin, we knew this would also interest many others. So, we first wrote about Thyme's Supper club (Only in German)  and soon heard from another supper club. By then, we already decided to also write some posts in English, as obviously, the English blogger community is much more bigger. Now, analyzing the stats on Facebook and on Blogger, we realize that maybe we should also open up a supper club, but not in Berlin - about those Supper club we published several post — but in Cologne. As every day, we have visitors on our page looking for supper clubs in our city, Cologne. Let's see...

Our most controversial post
In Bed with Reisefreunde

What a tacky headline, shame on us! But guess what: sex sells — and we could attract lots of visitors on this post although they might have left a little disappointed as their expectations might have been missed.... But hey, at least we really showed a picture of our bedroom! (See left!) But to get to the point, thing was, as we always write about other cities we have been to, hotels we stayed in and food that others made. So why not give a little back and show YOU how we live!? See? So, click on the link and visit us at home!

Our most helpful post
Berlin's famous Wurst
Tourists! You shall be warned! You can get better a Currywurst! At every corner of Germany's Capital City, tourists run into really bad Currywurst traps. Those evil people who sell that crap might call those sausages Currywurst but surely they aren't. It took me a couple of years of living in Berlin to find out the best places that keep their high quality on the same level over all those years. So whenever you are in Berlin you know where to go and what you'll get. 

A post whose success surprised us

Germanys most beautiful christmasmarkets
UNbelievable, christmarkets are only up and running four or five weeks a year!  Some only one single weekend. OK, we really are giving only the top addresses here, but are you all really so much into this??? That came as a surprise! But this is one of our most successful posts ever! We do hope that it helped all of you to find a really nice christmasmarkets to visit. Because honestly, you can forget those big once you can easily find next to any German train station. We prefer real romantic and smaller markets... if you do too, check out our post ( ok, we know its summer!)

A post we feel didn’t get the attention it deserved
Tour through South Africa
Actually, we planned our blog as a place for friends to share their recs about traveling. Naive little Jenke and Angie thought "Hey we tell all our friends our recommendations, they can share theirs". What we didn't consider was that many people find it quite hard to write down their experiences. That is why we are always so happy when friends offer guest posts. Katrin, a colleague of Angie, just loves Africa and has been there many many times. She sat down, wrote this great post with all these fantastic picture, and only so few people read it. Such a shame!

The post that we are most proud of

The great food of Zanzibar
Sorry guys, but so far, this post is only in German. As we both have kind of time consuming jobs, it is taking us a really long time to translate all our posts into English. But I promise, when we are on vacation this summer and I am sipping my ice tea on my sun bed in front of our rented house, I surely find the time to keep up.... But to give you an impression: We enjoyed our stay on Zanzibar so much, spend nearly the whole time with locals and found paradise. Everyone was so incredibly friendly to us, open minded and hospitable that after a couple of days, we danced, played Bao and ate supu with Massai warriors, taught them how to swim and were invited to home made food from a kind Zanzibar woman. We think it is easy to read between the lines that we fell in love with the Zanzibar people, their kindness and optimism....


And Here Are Our Blogger Nominations:
#1: Before I am 35
#2: Simon Oliver /Tales from a rural Expat
#3: MSMarmitelover
#4: TourismusEr
#5: PauletPaula

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Bon dia, Barca! Hello Barcelona!

If you really need reasons to visit Barcelona, here they are. The city is.... Ideal for shopping, dining (PINTXOS!) and "Sitting-outside-enjoying-20°C-in-November-wearing-just-a-t-shirt-while-the-Spanish-girls-are-already-proudly-walking-around-in-their-new-winter coat!"


More? OK, here we go!


Sleeps

If you want to stay in the well recommended Hotel Banys Orientals, you need to book very and we mean very early. Make sure to at least book half a year before you actually want to go because it's the best deal you will get in probably the whole city. The house was one of the first design hotels in Barcelona and still is really beautiful. It is also very cheap and therefore incredibly quickly sold out. The location is perfect, between the Passeig de Born, and the old town, right next to the tapas mile. 


Also worth to mention is the Market Hotel, which is also very central, very stylish and chic, yet affordable. The staff is friendly, courteous, always helpful. 

The last time, we've been in Barcelona we stayed at Hotel Chic and Basic Born, which as the name says, pretty much in the middle ofthe fantastic area of El Born. The whole house is different from any other place we have stayed in before. The hotel is part of a design hotel chain, but actually offers completely different architectural views. The shower was in the middle of the room, strangely lit in changing colours. The rooms are categorised according to the sizes S, M, L or XL. S and M will be quite small, according to other guests. We had an L-room and that was big enough for our stay of three days. 


Food 

Tapas are fine - but we think that pintxos (the Basque equivalent to tapas) are even better. Last time in Barcelona, we spend hours standing around in Pintxos Bar, grabbing a bite here, grabbing a bite there. Awesome!  Especially in the Bar "Pintxos Golfo De Bizcaia" freshly produced pintxos came in dozens from the kitchen and seduced us. The atmosphere is young and loud, especially on weekends. As tabeles are few and quickly taken, most people have to eat standing up - but then that's what the little sandwiches been made for anyhow. 




El Quim de la Boqueria 

Oh dear, you really can skip the Ramblas, unless you are looking to contact handbag thieves or want to buy tacky, overpriced souvenirs. BUT:  there actually is one exception to this rule and that is the Boqueria market. Everyone who calls himself a foodie will never ever want to leave this old market hall. At the sight of the fish stalls, we vowed to hire an apartment with kitchen and balcony with grill on our next visit to Barcelona  .... Also, you will find many stands with really fantastic qualities of all different Spanish hams/ jamons. If you want to eat delicious local food, go to El Quim and strive for a place because even old regulars have to wait for the homemade traditional Catalan tapas, such as: Boquerones, Chipirones or Jamon Iberico - it's worth it! 


La Paradeta 

La Paradeta is a true paradise for fish lovers - there are several places of it in and around Barcelona. The concept is simple, low priced andthe place  has a friendly atmosphere. When entering La Paradeta, your eyes will be caught by a huge market like fish and seafood counter. Here, you can make a choice and select your style of preparation. So you can say it's some kind of self-service here. Barcelona people love these places so much that there are long queues on the weekend - as La Paradeta offer no reservations.  However, if you are not dining when the Spanish do, and arrive before nine in the evening, you will surely get a table. 


Can Majó 
Also a fish restaurant, but long-established and rather known for its business lunch because of its views of the harbour. Prices are significantly higher than in La Paradeta. But I've eaten an outrageously good lobster paella (okay, I was invited - what can you do?) And the fish entrees were simply fantastic. 

In the end, a word about El Xampanyet (C / Montcada 22, also from the Passeig de Born outgoing) which is probably the best in whole Barcelona. Authentic, Spanish, full. A classic. Since 1921 it is run by that family and passed down from generation to generation. No frills, just fine little tapas and great drinks. They serve homemade cava/xampanyet (some kind of sweet sparkling wine). If you don't know what to order, put yourselves at the mercy of the waitress to choose tapas. You will not regret it. The tiny place is closed in August, as then the whole family is on vacation. 

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Willkommen im Schlaraffenland

Quizfrage: Was haben Parmaschinken,  Parmesankäse, Piadina, Aceto Balsamico, Tortellini, Mortadella und Pasta von Barilla gemeinsam? Und wo wurde der Filmklassiker Don Camillo und Peppone gedreht? Und woher kommen die heißen Schlitten von Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati und Ducati? Die Antwort: Aus nur einer Region- der Emilia Romagna in Italien. Die Region ist auch sonst reich beschenkt. Mit der Adria und ihren Badeorten kann die Emilia Romagna eh schon mal ordentlich angeben, dazu aber kommen noch die vielen schönen Städte und gleich zwei Naturparks und ganz generell eine malerische Landschaft. Kein Wunder also, dass hier viel Gutes gedeiht.


Aber ganz von Anfang an: das unserer Meinung leckerste, was aus dieser Region kommt, ist der Parmaschinken - der, wer hätte es gedacht, aus der Stadt und Region Parma kommt

Prosciutto di Parma ist nicht irgendein Produkt. „Parmaschinken“ ist eine geschützte Herkunftsbezeichnung – unter diesem Namen darf nur in Parma hergestellter Schinken angeboten werden, der aus im festgelegten Gebiet aufgezogenen Schweinen hergestellt wurde. Wird er geschnitten und abgepackt, muss dies nach einem Urteil des Europäischen Gerichtshof ebenfalls in Parma geschehen. Über die Einhaltung dieser Vorschriften wacht das strenge Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma. Echter Parmaschinken trägt als Stempel die fünfzackige Krone des Herzogtums Parma auf der Schwarte.

Haben wolln? Nichts leichter als das: einfach ab dem 7. September  bis 16. September 2012 nach Parma düsen und den Lüsten freien Lauf lassen. Denn dann feiert die Stadt Parma und auch die nah gelegene Stadt Langhirano ihren Schinken. Die Produzenten öffnen ihre sonst verschlossenen Tore und bieten hier und da auch einen Happen an. Das Programm ist schier unfassbar groß und wirklich jeder findet hier etwas leckeres oder spannendes.

Aber wir sind noch lange nicht satt. Parmesan Fans kommen in Bibbiano und Reggion Emilia vom 22. bis 30. September voll auf Kosten.  Mortadella Freund sollen sich vom 4. bis 7. Oktober 2012 a auf nach Bologna und Zola Predosa machen. Ach ja und wer es ganz exquisit mag, der finden Feste rund um den edlen weißen Trüffelden ganzen Oktober Monat über Sant' Agata Feltria in derProvinz Rimini.   Wer jetzt glaubt, das wäre es gewesen, der irrt. Diese Fress-Parties gehen das ganze Jahr weiter. Weitere Infos gibt es hier!

Bis dahin: Buon appetit + buon viaggi! 

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A culinary trip to Singapore

To write this post, we had to jet to Singapore - and spared no expenses or efforts! Nonsense ....  We were in Singapore, but for an entirely different reason: just to eat. We both are in fact big Anthony Bourdain fans. And when we had saw his episode about Singapore, we were thrilled and one thing was for sure: at some point we have to go there as well. So we went there! Singapore is a city-state, just south of Malaysia. The fascinating thing about Singapore is its cuisine, people from nearly every Asian nation found a home here and brought their food with them. You can eat excellent Chinese, Indian, Malay, Indonesian or Japanese. That is precisely why we were there!

Sleeping:

If you wants to live in a fancy hotel in Singapore, say from 4 stars, expect to spend pretty much money. Generally, the prices are not at all comparable with those of other large Asian cities. But what the heck .. for such a once-in-a-lifetime experience we wanted something nice and treated ourselves in the wonderful New Majestic Hotel. The design hotel is just one thing: differently. Certainly, you can spend your Singapore nights in one of these interchangeable large chain hotels - but the New Majestic Hotel is simply different. From start to finish styled - with funny ideas (Peepholes in the pool located beneath the restaurant) and a stunningly friendly and helpful staff. We were excited and felt really at home in our room. We had a Lifestyle Room, a mini-duplex, the bed on a gallery above, below, a small living area with Nespresso machine and the bathroom (the shower also with a peephole), with chic Kiehls products. Our eyes wandered out the back, on the said pool, so it was wonderfully quiet at night. We had breakfast at the hotel only once - and that very well. The selection including cheese is indeed unusual for Asia, but we preferred country-typical breakfast Kaya Toast in a Café two blocks away. Also worth mentioning is the location of the hotel: it is located at the southern edge of Chinatown, in probably one of the most beautiful streets in the area. In the vicinity many Chinese clans own beautiful old buildings, finely renovated and colorfully painted. We were very lucky to live in this neighborhood and not around the Orchard Road where most hotels are located.

Food:

We were clear on one thing: we wanted to taste the same stuff that Anthony Bourdain had also eaten. First, Chicken Rice Soup Tulang. But not just anywhere, but in exactly the same restaurants and at the same hawker (small cooking stalls, which have usually specialized in one to three dishes) our hero went to. But this was not so easy. As we were in Singapore around  of Chinese New Year, many Chinese Hawkers had closed over the holidays. Including Tian Tian at Maxwell Hawker Centre just around the corner from our hotel, where probably the best Chicken Rice dish would have been served. Even on the day Tian Tian should have re-opened, we were faced with the lowered blinds.

But then .... on the last day of our stay it was finally time to dig in: Tian Tian had opened and we finally got our long awaited Chicken Rice. And it was soooo delicious. The chicken is cooked in a broth with myriad spices and coconut milk - and in the same broth they cook the rice later. Everything is refined individually with different sauces (ginger, chilli, soy). Such a dream!

The second meal which had to be on our menu was Soup Tulang. The lamb bones are slowly cooked in a sweet and sour tomato soup - and you are supposed to suck the marrow out of the bone with a straw!!!! On TV it was already a mess and looked more like in an operating room.... so on our way, we are already some kind of scared. But on our first attempt we  somehow could not find the Golden Miles Food Center, opposite the Golden Mile, namely Tower Center - where we in vain searched for the hawker stall of Haji Kadir + M. Baharudeen (Booth # B1-14). On our second try, we found it.  Purportedly, those guys  are said  to have even invented the dish "Soup Toulang"! All around they showed pictures of Anthony Bourdain - and again we felt like what we were: eating tourists. But who cares, when that plate with that special dish is standing in front of you, a spicy hot sweet blood-red bone in sauce?  Ok, we have to admit that we hesitated a little to try it, but after the first bite was clear: Soup Tulang is a fine thing! But let us give you one simple advice: don't wear anything white when eating it and get yourself plenty of napkins. Knife, fork or chopsticks find no real use in this mess.

Another specialty of the city that you should not miss and a similar mess like Soup Tulang are Chilli Crabs. Which is a giant crab cooked in sweet and sour, tomato and egg sauce- The good thing: you will find it just about everywhere in town. But - it is only between three restaurants that the global blogging scene can not choose (ie who has the best chilli crab). You have really good chances to get a decent Chilli Crab in the East Coast Seafood Centre right on the sea. Here you will find the best seafood restaurants in the city - including Jumbo Seafood, Long Beach Seafood and the Red House Seafood Restaurant. With a few starters the 900 grams of chilli crab was enough for the both of us, plus there is are so called Dumplings, small fried yeast buns which you probably get addicted to just as we did. The food was fantastic, great, yummy... so guys, PLEASE OPEN UP A RESTAURANT IN EUROPE! ;-)

As usual, the Internet was our friend for researching the best eats. And by chance, we found the info that in Singapore, they have Soft Shell Crab Burger, whose shell is so soft that it can be eaten. "Burger Bench + Bar", was the place which had it, a tiny burger shop in a cinema/shopping center called Cathay Cineleisure near Orchard Road. They only use the freshest ingredients for their burgers. The owner Willin Low is and he surely has a reputation to loose as  he is one of Singapore's famous chefs. His other restaurant is on a more higher level .... but also our burgers were really outstanding. 

Jenke has already seen the world and eat all kinds of weird stuff (German readers of our blog may remember his visit to a Penis Restaurant in Beijing, just to give you ONE example) and as curiosity may have killed the cat but never had stopped Jenke from trying strange things, also in Singapore he found something crazy. It happened when we were out on our first night at the Marina Bay, on a huge New Year celebration, with all kinds of cotton candy, funny colored rodents (this year is the Year of the Rabbit!), merry-go-rounds, a colorful show stage with all sorts of Asian artists and lots of food stalls. We tried to catch a glimpse of food one stall sold, but what we saw from afar, we could not really classify. Even as we stood in front of the bowl it was not clear to us what they offered: we saw small, crispy fried brown creatures, about two inches long and quite thin. Somehow, the parts looked like deep fried Mini Martians. Only a native could help us with our question and started to make funny duck noises. Excuse me? "Ducktongue, Ducktongue. When you eat, you speak like duck." Aha! Duck tongue. Politely we asked if we can  try only one tongue (for a proper portion they wanted to have 25 Singapore dollars). The cook took pity on us ignorant long noses and gave us a duck tongue. Taste? Well, yes. Much tendons and small bones, little meat. Much fat. Nothing more. At the locals were happy about our nibbling...

Again, the web –it can be heaven and hell…. We read about one place far off the city center. The store has been praised exuberant by various bloggers who swore that they had simply the best Peking duck in the world. After about 25 minutes taxi ride to the far north, we were nearly in Malaysia and finally there. Only: the duck was sold out! Disaster! So now what? Next door we found a Thai restaurant, "Sawadee Thai Cuisine" - and what we saw on the plates of other dining guests looked really good, so we went inside. What a Hello! The nice service spared no efforts to convince us of their specialties, and so we ordered, like there was no tomorrow. Little spring rolls, chicken cooked in banana leaves, chicken in coconut milk, spicy prawns, kebabs, fish balls, and and and .... A wonderful evening, even without duck.

And a great trip, we will surely go back to Singapore. To see more photos, become a Reisefreunde Fan on Facebook here!

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"Fare una spaghettata"- ein ganzes Dorf feiert eine Sauce

Seit nun mehr 45 Jahren wird in Amatrice, einem kleinen Dorf an der Grenze zwischen Latium und Abruzzen, immer am letzten Augustwochenende eine großes Fest zu Ehren der aus diesem Ort stammenden Spaghetti all’Amatriciana gefeiert. Amatrice in der Provinz Rieti liegt am Fuß der Monti della Laga. Schon auf dem Ortsschild ließt man den Zusatz „Stadt der Spaghetti all’Amatriciana“, so stolz ist man auf das Gericht. Das Dorf mit knapp 2.800 Einwohnern steht während der zwei Festtage regelrecht Kopf. Große Töpfe und Pfannen werden auf den Marktplatz geschleppt, Gasflaschen aufgestellt und Tische und Bänke aufgebaut. Denn jeder, der was auf sich hält, will hier kochen und dabei sein. Am 27. und 28. August ist es in diesem Jahr soweit - wer also an diesem Wochenende noch nichts vor hat und endlich mal wieder gut essen will, dem sei dieses Fest empfohlen.


Für die berühmte all’Amatriciana wird aus Guanciale (eine Art Speck), Tomaten, Pecorino, Peperoncini und Olivenöl eine Sauce hergestellt und mit Pasta vermischt serviert. Zusätzlich kann das Gericht mit Zwiebeln und Weißwein (allerdings: den Puristen in Amatrice geht das zu weit!) verfeinert werden. Das Rezept ist uralt, einst war das Gericht eine einfache, sättigende Mahlzeit für Schäfer und hatte den namen Gricia. Nach einigem Hin und Her und dem Europa-Einzug der Tomate wurde die all'Amatriciana Symbol für das Essen in Zentralitalien und zur Lieblingssoße vieler Italiener. Sogar Queen Elizabeth soll das Gericht schon gekostet haben und ganz entzückt gewesen sein.


Das Programm der "45ª Sagra degli spaghetti all'Amatriciana":


Am 27. und 28. August 2011kann ab 17:30h gekostet, geschlemmt und gefeiert werden. Vorher steppt natürlich auch schon der Bär im Dorf. Aber erst am Abend ist die Pasta fertig. Dann können die Gäste sich von einem Topf zum nächsten durchschlagen und später entscheiden, wo es die beste all'Amatriciana gab.


Ab 21:30h, wenn man sich wieder bewegen kann, darf getanzt werden!

Hier noch ein kleiner Hoteltipp: http://www.agriturismoamatrice.com/


Sagre (singular: Sagra) nennt man so etwas in Italien, eigentlich ein Brauchtum, um in einer festlichen Prozedur die Heiligen zu ehren. Mittlerweile werden als Sagre auch Volksfeste bezeichnet - und da das Essen in Italien eben eine göttliche Sache ist, widmen sich unzahlige Sagre den kulinarischen Spezialitäten der Regionen. Eine tolle Möglichekit, besonders für kleinere Dörfer, die Gemeinschaft zu feinern, alte Streitigkeiten der Vormonate beizulegen und auch neue Freundschaften zu knüpfen. Vielleicht ja auch mit euch als Touristen.


Rezept Spaghetti all' Amatriciana
Zutaten für 4 Portionen
500g Spaghetti
500g geschälte Tomaten (aus der Dose)
150g Guanciale (Speck, ggf. Frühstücksspeck)
100g Pecorino-Käse (natürlich am besten den aus Amatrice!)
(1 Zwiebel)
Olivenöl
Etwas Peperoncini
Ein halbes Glas Weißwein
Salz und Pfeffer


Zubereitung
Das Öl in einer Pfanne erhitzen und den in kurze Streifen geschnittenen Speck darin knusprig braten und entnehmen. Nun werden die gehackten Zwiebeln und die Peperocini angedünstet, ohne dass sie Farbe annehmen. Mit dem Weißwein ablöschen und aufkochen. Die Tomaten hinzugeben und mit Salz und Pfeffer abschmecken. Bei nie­dri­ger Hitze die Sauce etwa 15 Minuten köcheln lassen.


Wie üblich die Spaghetti in einem ausreichend großen Topf mit reich­lich kochendem Salzwasser "al dente" kochen.


Nach dem Abgießen die Spaghetti mit Sauce und Speck vermischen und mit dem geriebenen Pecorino bestreuen.

Buon appetito!

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Ein "lekker" Ausflug zu den Nachbarn

Ist ja alles waffel-zuckersüß hier. Die kleinen roten Backsteinhäuschen mit den weißen Fensterrahmen und den gepflegten Vorgärten. Die lustige Holzschuhe hier und da. Die wippenden blonden Zöpfe der kleinen Mädchen.... Die Niederlande eben. Und dann erst Maastricht selbst, mit seiner hübschen Innenstadt und den vielen kleinen Boutiquen mit allem, was Frau glücklich macht: Schuhe, Schuhe, Schuhe, Klamotten, Deko und dann gleich noch mehr Schuhe. Wir waren aber nicht zum Shoppen nach Maastricht gekommen, sondern um einen Abend besten Fisch und Meeresfrüchte zu schlemmen.

Vorher bummelten wir aber noch durch die kleinen Gassen von Maastricht und blieben verzaubert vor dem Schaufenster des Chocolatiers Friandises in der Brugstraat stehen. Leider haben wir (ok, vielmehr Angie) nicht so starke Nerven oder gar einen eisenharten Willen, so dass es unmöglich war, nicht hineinzugehen. Ja, gut - ein paar Pralinchen zum Kosten haben wir dann natürlich auch bestellt. Zucker! Es heißt, die Pralinen wären speziell in den USA bei Reagan und Clinton so gut angekommen, dass seitdem Friandisesdas Weisse Haus beliefert. Egal ob Obamas nun auch en masse niederländische Süßkrams essen - wir waren bescheiden und probierten zunächst mal nur zwei süße Stückchen.

Das "Les trois Seaux" (die drei Eimer!?!) gehört wie sein Schwesternrestaurant Le Bon Bassin zu den besten Fischrestaurants der Umgebung und serviert die frischesten Meeresfrüchte. Und das ohne viel Schischi, eher bodenständig und in rustikalem Ambiente. Zunächst gab es kleine Mondvermaakjes, also einen Gruß aus der Küche. Mit frisch und selbstgeräuchertem Lachs, geräucherter Makrele und fein säuerlichen Anchovis. Der junge Kellner sprach übrigens (wie sehr viele hier) ein sehr gutes Deutsch. Warum sind nur wir Deutsche so sprachfaul? Ich kann leider gerade mal "Danke", "Bitte", "Hallo" und "Auf Wiedersehen" auf Niederländisch sagen. Als Vorspeise hatten wir die Fischsuppe provenzalischer Art gewählt, eine sehr gute Entscheidung. Die feine, sämige Suppe mit Fischfilet- und Muscheleinlagen war fein gewürzt und schmolz geradezu im Mund. Dazu gab es leckere Croutons, die mit hausgemachter Rouille daherkamen, zum Einweichen in die Suppe gehören und sofort glücklich machen. Die Portion war allerdings so groß, dass wir auf eine kleine Pause hofften... Die gab es auch und wurde kurze Zeit später durch unsere Hauptgänge  unterbrochen: Jenke hatte großen Appetit und sobald eine umfangreiche Meeresfrüchteplatte vor sich, samt Muscheln, Schnecken, Riesengambas und einem ganzen Hummer. Dazu ein bisschen Brot und drei Dips. Vor mir dampfte ebenfalls ein ganzer Hummer, in köstlichster Trüffelsauce nebst Pasta, die ich aber aufgrund des üppigen Tiers links liegen lassen musste. Selten so gut gegessen, lautet das kurze Fazit. Danach noch einen kleinen Espresso, der erstens gar nicht so schlecht war, und zweitens von einem Minischlückchen Advocaat Eierlikör mit Sahnehäubchen begleitet wurde und so gut war, dass wir noch einen nachbestellen mussten. Für ein Dessert war dann allerdings kein Platz mehr.

Mit vollen Bäuchen verbrachten wir die Nacht im Hotel Beaumont, allerdings im Nebenbau - und hier in einem Zimmer, das von einem anderen nur durch eine recht dünne Schiebetür verbunden war. Dummerweise haben wir das nicht beim Beziehen des Zimmers bemerkt, sondern erst in der Nacht, als das Kind der neben an schlummernden Familie in Schreikrämpfe ausbrach. Nicht so schön. Ansonsten ist das Haus aber recht nett und modern mit einer Tendenz zur Designvorliebe eingerichtet. Es liegt im Wyck Viertel, also auf der dem Shoppingzentrum gegenüberliegenden Maasseite.

Am nächsten Tag ging es ein paar Kilometer weiter - und schon waren wir in Belgien. Ach, Europe ist so toll! Die Sonne schien und es war der perfekte Tag für ein Bummel über einen Flohmarkt. Tongeren, die älteste Stadt Belgiens, deren Geschichte von 54 v. Chr. begann, ist nicht nur deshalb wohl bestens geeignet, um Antikes über den Tisch zu bringen. Die gesamte Innenstadt verwandelt sich jeden Sonntag in einen riesengroßen Flohmarkt. Allerdings nur für Frühaufsteher, die etwa 360 Händler packen spätestens um 13 Uhr wieder zusammen. Stärkung findet man danach in einer der schier unzählbar scheinenden Frituurs, also Frittenbuden, in denen es dicke belgische Pommes, Frikandeln und allerlei ungesundes Frittiertes gibt. Aber: Man lebt nur einmal.

Übrigens - anbei noch zwei Anmerkungen über Maastricht, so ganz ohne weiteren Kontext, die aber dennoch wirklich erwähnenswert sind: Maastricht bietet dem karnevalsmüden Rheinländer keinen Unterschlupf während der tollen Tage, denn auch Maastricht ist Pappnasenhochburg und drei Tage lang außer Rand und Band.

Und: entweder ist der Walzerkönig André Rieu in seiner Heimatstadt Maastricht nicht so beliebt, oder es gehört zum guten Ton, dass der Veranstalter seiner Konzerte schon auf Tischen neben der Eiskarte für ihn werben. Das nur mal so am Rande! Tot ziens!

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