Denise's Wonderland: EU Travels

EU Travels

Showing posts with label EU Travels. Show all posts

The weather was quite pleasant in the morning when I toured around the garden in Appledon palace. It started to drizzle in the afternoon and I decided to stop by the cafe for a cup of hot chocolate while waiting for the rain the stop.

The Renaissance style surrounding of the cafe induced me to stay a bit longer as it was way too pleasant, plus I have gotten a window seat!

Cakes and sandwiches sold in the cafe looked extra appealing here. Perhaps I was in good mood and was totally not being impacted with the weather. I ordered a slice of apple tart, an open sandwich with shrimps and cream fresh.

I was blown away by the apple tart. The crust and filling was super delicious. The apple chucks were well baked with crust at the outer layer, moist and soft inside. The cinnamon taste is just right, not over powering the freshness of the apple chucks. It was indeed a thumb up for me as it suited my taste bud perfectly as it was not overly sweet.

Het Loo Palace Restaurant (Paleis Het Loo)

Despite the great look, the savory shrimps open-face sandwich did not wow me. The bread turned a bit soggy which I suspected it was in the shelf for quite sometimes and the moisture from the shrimps and creams has soaked up into the bread. Perhaps I should have requested the counter to heat up the bread in the oven for a few minutes before serving.

Paleis Het Loo (Het Loo Palace Restaurant)

The hot chocolate and apple tart did make my day. The rain started to stop and I have almost done with my afternoon tea. I did a quick tour around the garden in front of the cafe. The surrounding was breathtaking with flowers and fruit trees blossom in full. After a few photo snapped, I then walked to the nearer bus stop and headed back home.

Paleis Het Loo, The Netherlands (Het Loo Palace Restaurant)

My Dutch colleague suggested me to visit Schiedam, a small city located 60km away from the Amsterdam. Lady luck was clearly with me as my visit coincides with the Annual City Open day which means all the museums in the town can be visited free of charge.

What attracted me most in this 'Gin Capital of the World' is the National Jenever Museum Schiedam. The century old building was once housed the Dutch malt wine distillery and distillery factory. The malt wine is distilled according to the Old Dutch method and recipes back traced in 1700.

The wooden barrels and tool used such as clay stove to distill the wine are well maintained. Visitors can climb up to the wooded stairs to have a closer look. No doubt the whole building is filled with the aroma from the aging wine and gin.

Upstairs, you may find a great collection of mini bottled wine and gin which comes in different shapes and unit label designs. There is also a section of different spices. Stored in the small drawers, you can pull out the drawer, take a smell and even a close look of them. Put the Master Chef's hat on and see how many spices you can recognized. National Jenever Museum Schiedam, The Netherlands

National Jenever Museum Schiedam, The Netherlands

The court yard is sometimes used for specially functions. For the open day Saturday, there was specially sit down dinning held in Jenever museum, where chefs and crews used the courtyard as the open kitchen.

Men dressed up in old fashion clothing complete with a hat and looked through the window from the century old building fascinated me most. It was quite a scene to be captured!

A visit to Czech is incomplete without tasting the famous Czech roasted duck and dumpling goulash. I first tasted the roasted duck in Pilsner Urquell Brewery Restaurant in Plzeň (Pilsen), a small town about 90 km away from Prague. If time allows, I recommend one to patron at the restaurant for a good taste of local Czech cuisine before/after the tour to Pilsner Urquell Brewery.

If Pilsen is not in your travel plan, not to worry as I know exactly where in Prague city you could get the delicious yet authentic Czech roasted duck. Located in a hidden alley in old town square, the Restaurant Mlejnice is easy to miss. The restaurant is usually packed and it is best to beat the crowd by either patron before noon or after 2pm.

Regardless of the great selection of food including streak and pasta, the Czech roasted duck and goulash are must try items. The 1/4 duck is served with sauerkraut and gnocchi pasta. The skin of the duck is fried till crispy while still maintain the tenderness of the duck meat inside. The duck meat is best to enjoy with sauerkraut as the sourness helps to reduce the gamy taste of the duck. I tasted no cheesy taste on the gnocchi which I suspected they could be a type of Czech dumpling, in gnocchi pasta shape. Nevertheless, the whole dish scored!

Next in the menu is the famous Czech beef goulash soup in crusty hollowed bread. This is by far my favourite goulash. The gravy is flavorful, thick and creamy. The beef chucks are stewed to perfection, tender and moist. It is hard to stop after the first spoonful, so addictive indeed. Enjoy the goulash by tearing the crusty bread and dip into the gravy. Yum! If you are not mind with soggy bread, the inner bread should not be missed as they packed with great flavor after soaked up in the rich gravy.

Another restaurant I would like to recommend is the Hlucná Samota located in Praha 2, a highly recommended pub restaurant by my local Czech colleague. It was where I usually held welcome dinners for visitors (especially colleagues) from homeland.

I had tried quite a number of dishes and the most memorable one was the gigantic salad platter with delicious hot wings. I yearning for it but could not figure out which one was the item listed in the menu. I ended up order the hot wings with ciabatta. An average dish I would say. On the contrary, the beef goulash and sausage dumpling with bacon strips did wow me, especially the dumpling. Unlike the dumpling served in Restaurant Mlejnice, the dumpling served here is the classic Czech dumpling with meat filling. The bacon strips added the salty and crispy dimensions to the dish. The dish did have the classic flavour i am searching for.

Although I am not a 'meaty person', I do like Czech food a lot. Perhaps I have acclimated to it after spending few months in this beautiful country. I love Prague !!

My visit to London was rather brief, but it did not stop me from having a list of food I would like to taste in London, for which the famous Nando Chicken was top of my list. I somehow had a 360 degree change of dinner plan when I spotted Chipotle Mexican Grill logo at Charing Cross Street. I was so excited with my "discovery" as I never thought I could get Chipotle restaurant in London. How lucky Londoners are...

For a first timer, I did not exactly know what to order despite the simple to understand menu. Hence, I did a quick online check on how to order and what best to order for a first timer. Burrito Bowl is the highly recommended option as the portion is generous and it is definitely value for money as compare to other options like Burrito, Tacos and Salad.

I opted for a Barbacoa Burrito Bowl (shredded beef braised in a blend of Chipotle chili adobo, cumin, cloves, garlic and oregano) with coriander-lime rice, pinto beans, roasted chilli-corn salsa, romaine lettuce, tomatillo green-chilli salsa and guacamole. It literally blown my head away at the first bite. It was so so so good. The shredded beef was so flavorful and paired absolutely well with all the sides especially the tomatillo green-chilli salsa and guac. Creaminess of the guacamole, spiciness of the green-chilli salsa, the fragrance and zestiness of coriander-lime rice, made every spoonful so satisfying.

The online reviews suggested not to order the Tacos due to the small portion. For comparison wise, I did order a chicken Tacos. Yes, the portion was indeed 2x or 3x smaller than the Burrito Bowl. Judging from the images, it is a no brainer to my fellow readers which is the better option given that the Barbacoa Burrito Bowl costs £6.95 and the Chicken Tacos costs £6.70.

Despite the recent 'Chipotle food poisoning crisis' in US, my love to Chipotle Burrito Bowl is unshaken. I am preparing for my next Chipo-Run either in Frankfurt or Paris.

For those who are new to Chipotle, this are the 4 steps to order your Chipotle.
Step 1: Choose either Burrito, Burrito Bowl, Tacos or Salad
Step 2: Pick the meat (steak, carnitas, chicken or barbacoa)
Step 3: Add rice, beans or fajita veggies
Step 4: Choose the toppings
You are free to choose any of the topping available at the food counter ranging from tomato salsa, tomatillo red-chilli salsa, sour cream, tomatillo green-chilli salsa, roasted chilli corn salsa, romaine lettuce, cheese and signature guacamole)

Chipotle Mexican Grill Address:
114-116 Charing Cross Rd.,
London, UK WC2H 0JR
T: 020 7836 8491
F: 020 7836 8468
Mon-Tue: 11:30 AM - 10:30 PM,
Wed-Thu: 11:30 AM - 11:00 PM,
Fri-Sat: 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM,
Sun: 11:00 AM - 10:30 PM

Berlin is perhaps the best city on earth to walk you through the history of WWII. It was once the administrative center to the Nazi and also where the war ended.

There are quite a number of historical sites which are opened to the public for free. Yes you read it right, admission FREE. You may also expect exhibitions at some of the sites. You will never get disappointed visiting Berlin city as it offers a true history excursion of WWII, the most cruel war in human history.

Here are some of the sites you could visit for free.

1) Topography of Terror and Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall was constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) to separate Berlin’s Eastern and Western sectors. Berlin Wall stood at 3.6 meters height and 150km long. This is one of the surviving fragment of the Berlin Wall, border between the districts of Mitte (East Berlin) and Kruezberg (West Berlin). The remaining wall is merely 200 meters long with clear traces of destruction occured between year 1961 til 1989.
Address:F-4, Niederkirchnerstraße 8, Kreuzberg

2) Berlin Wall Memorial Grounds
This is a Must-Visit historical spot to learn about the history and consequences of the Berlin Wall on three different levels: artistically, factually, and spiritually. The memorial grounds consists of the preserved border fortifications, form the core of the memorial on Bernauer Strasse, Chapel of Reconciliation and Window of Remembrance. On this preserved ground also stands the 1.4km long monument, the last piece of Berlin wall.
Address: Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall Memorial) F-2, Bernauer Straße 111&119, Mitte

3) Nordbahnhof S-Bahn station (border station)
Next to the memorial ground is the infamous Nordbahnhof S-Bahn underground station, also known as the "ghost station" in West Berlin between 1962-1989. This was a deserted station in East Berlin as trains (S-Bahn line) came from the West were not stopped at this underground. Worth a visit to get a glimpse of this East Berlin's underground station which was once its passenger platforms guarded by many transport police and border soldiers to stop any planned deserters.

4) Berlin Friedrichstraße station
This station was once the terminal and a border crossing point for travelers from both the West and East of Berlin in August 1961. Today, the facade of the station has preserved (as much as) its original looks to serve as an important historical reminder of the formal border crossing. You can experience getting your "passport" stamped here by passing through the East Berlin immigration border.
Address: Tränenpalast, Reichstagufer 17

5) Checkpoint Charlie (Checkpoint C)
This famous crossing point between West and East Berlin, was once maintained by the US Army. With great influence from Western Allies, you may spot American flag flying in the sky to signify the American sector. Today it is one of the favourite photography spot for many tourists. Along the street, there are open-air exhibition, museum and bookstores to re-trace the history of Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin Wall and even WWII.
Address: Friedrichstraße 43-45

6) Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Holocaust Memorial)
Built in 2003 with the construction cost of €25 million, the memorial is built to commemorate Jewish victims of the Holocaust in Berlin. The grey concrete slabs arranged neatly on a sloping field and made the Holocaust Memorial a peaceful spot to commemorate the victims to the WWII. Remember to visit the underground exhibition area.
Address: Cora-Berliner-Straße 1

7) Remnants of Hitler's bunker (Führerbunker)
The bunker has been destroyed by the Russians right after the end of the war. The site has now being transformed into a residential area. In case you are curious about the location of Hitler's bunker, it's actually under the garden of the Reichskanzlei (1), which was at 77 Wilhelmstraße. The location is marked with a plaque explaining the layout and construction of the bunker.

Führerbunker, Adolf Hitler suiside underground bunker

There we go, food hunting at the infamous Borough Market, London.

No doubt, Borough Market has gained popularity among Asian tourists especially in the recent years and has been listed as one of the Must-Visit location. It was a cloudy Saturday afternoon. Despite the gentle drizzle, the market was bustling and fully packed with people, mainly the tourists.

The first stop - Pie & More, the beef pie with mashed green peas. Compare with the pie and mash green peas in A-Pie-Thing in PJ, this pie definitely scores big. The beef were well cook (tender) and the pastry was fluffy and did not turn overly soggy even though it was submerged in the brown sauce. The green peas were not overly mashed, so you can still taste the peas chunks. For only €4, this is really value for money. Not to mention, there were really filling.

African Ethiopian cuisine is not common is South East Asian and we really tempted to give it a try. The dishes looked absolutely appealing. For €5.50, the meal box came with 3 types of side dish of your choice to go with the flavored rice. We opted for spicy chicken, spinach and yellow split peas mash. The meal box tasted as good as it looks especially the split peas mash. The down side of the African meal box is the carbo overload after-effect. You would get very thirsty after the meal.

After a plus size freshly squeezed strawberry and apple juice, I was totally satisfied and called it quit. The light snack, pan fried Gyoza ended the food hunt in Borough Market for the day. There are more things I would like to try in my next visit, such as seafood paella, scallop burger and panini cheese toast.

Danish are well known for their distinguished Danish pastries. However, there are much more great Danish food that you should not missed when visiting Denmark.

1. Open Faced Sandwich

Traditional open faced sandwich, also known as smørrebrød in Danish is actually a single slice of bread (often whole-grain rye bread) with different toppings including spreads, cold cut, cheeses, eggs, roasted beef etc and complemented by leafy greens, herbs or pickles.

Smoked salmon and caviar (sometimes with shrimps) smørrebrød and liver pate smørrebrød are commonly served in Danish cafes. Cafeteria in Fotex hypermarket serve affordable smoked salmon, shrimps and caviar smørrebrød. For DKK49 (USD7), you can enjoy fried fish fillet version too, quite a deal to be honest.

2. Hotdog: Danish Hotdog Stands

Hotdog stands dotted almost every city around Denmark and they are easy to spot. Stop by and pick your favorite hotdog or sausage at the stand. "Hotdog" is universally recognized as hotdog comes inside a bun. However, the Nordic version is more than that. You may have Frank Hotdog which the hotdog is stuffed inside a hollowed out baguette with the sauce of your choice i.e. ketchup, tangy mayo or mustard. Hotdog and Ristet Pølse on the other hand are served separately with the bun.

Check out the various type of sausages available for your selection.

3. Liquorice Candies

"Denmark has a particular love affair with everything liquorice - liquorice chocolate, candies, ice cream even beer" " ... very true statement instead. Liqourice candies are perhaps the most popular one among children and adults. There are huge selection of liquorice candies sold in most of the Danish' supermarkets. Comes in vibrant colors and various flavors, be prepared to be spoilt with choices. Colorful gummy candies and marshmallow are available too. Liqourice is an acquire taste to some. Tip for first timer, instead of buying a big bag, you may get the liqourice stick for DKK3 (per stuck). Remember to bite and chew. Enjoy!

4. Sunset Boulevard - Danish Fast Food Chain

Sunset Boulevard (fastfoodrestaurantkæde)

Same concept as the US sandwich chain Subway, Sunset Boulevard is the Danish home grown fast food chain serving freshly made sandwiches and burgers. Thick and juicy patty coupled with fresh lettuce and tomato slices, the hamburger is a winner (sorry for McD's fans).

Sunset Boulevard, Danish fast food chain)

The sandwich is equally good, freshly grilled chicken pieces pair with secret yellow sauce that could beat the sandwich from Subway. The crusty fresh baguette made the great difference. The herbs blended fries is also a highlight. They taste so good and you can eat it on the own without any dips. One more thing is they don't turn soggy easily.

The fried chicken wings is a Must-Try too. Not all the Sunset Boulevard outlet have it in the menu, perhaps it is only for limited time only. Well seasoned, full of flavor and you will be blown away after the first bite.

Tea with Dutch butter cookie

For almost a year, I have always mistaken Garoeda Indonesian restaurant as a western restaurant although it is indeed an Indonesian restaurant. Neither the exterior nor the interior correspond to the typical Asian restaurant feel (maybe a little giveaway by the wood carving). Perhaps you will have the same thought too if you happen to pass by the restaurant at the corner of a busy shopping street.

The restaurant serves a wide array of tasty yet affordable Indonesian cuisine, nasi rames, bami, rijsttafel etc. However, what sets this restaurant apart from other Indonesian restaurant in town is its unique ambiance.

The whole restaurant is brilliantly illuminated by natural sunlight, thanks to the wide window panels around the restaurant. Wooden yet not too bulky furniture, complete but not too elaborate table settings make the restaurant extra cosy and comfortable. Even if I am not here for food, I could spend a relaxing afternoon here, sipping through a cup of tea while enjoying a novel.

The afternoon when we popped by for lunch, there was a TV shooting going on in the restaurant by local TV production company. I was pretty sure it was the great decor that brought them here.

It is indeed worthwhile to check out the restaurant even if you are not keen to try out the food. A pint of Bintang beer or a glass of wine at the bar corner will surely light up your evening.

Address: Kneuterdijk 18 A, 2514 EN Den Haag, Netherlands
Phone: +31 70 346 5319

Denise's Wonderland

Paleis Het Loo Cafe

National Jenever Museum at Schiedam, The Netherlands

Famous Czech Food Roasted Duck & Beef Goulash

Chipo Run Chipotle Mexican Grill London Review

Free To Visit Berlin World War 2 Historical Sites

Food Hunting at Borough Market, London

Interesting Local Food You Should Try When Visiting Denmark

Garoeda Indonesisch Restaurant @ The Hague

Interesting Youtube Videos

About Me

Popular Posts

Interesting Ads

Labels

Blog Archive

Globally available. Easy cash out via PayPal from 1 USD

Total Pageviews