Birthday Breakfast Bonanza!!

[Eden Crown, Eindhoven]

The restaurant, ‘Simply Bread’, where we indulged in some serious breakfast action is also open to the public and it only open until 11.ooam. Therefore, it was incentive for us to awake bright and early to enjoy some Rooibos tea, hot or cold breakfast, and internet whilst discussing the night before.

Did I mention it was a BUFFET?? oh yum!!! oh sweet sweet yum!

[Images on the placemats]

I started off with what became my breakfast ritual:

* Fresh croissant
* Fresh tomatoes
* Brie
* Cumin seed cheese & swiss cheese
* Amazing bacon. [Seriously amazing lightly crunchy and the right amount of oil]
* Some kind of cold meat… still don’t know 😦
* Fresh fruit + yoghurt + honey

and for the bevvies, I always had a glass of water, freshly squeezed OJ and a delicious cup of South Africa’s finest Rooibos tea. YUM!!!

I fell in love with Rooibos tea a few years back when I was living in LDN, and a really good friend of mind [Shyam] had a Saffa roommate [who was so awesome!!] and he just LOVED the stuff, consequently got me hooked. I then moved back to Melbourne and couldn’t find it anyway, or rather…. my love of hot and iced Chai Lattes took over. It wasn’t until Eindhoven that Rooibos and I were once again reunited. Bless you Eindhoven :), so lovely in so many ways!!. 🙂

I write this as I reminisce one of the most relaxing holidays I’ve had in a while…and as I write, the snow in Trier has just started to fall. For a Melbourne girl living in Germany… this is truly magical. *sigh* Its like tiny pieces of fairy floss floating down from the heavens. At least if its going to be this cold, please let the roads be sugar-coated…

The Christmas markets/Weinachtsmarkt have begun, and the joyous spirit is all around…the snow just makes it that much more beautiful.

🙂

Hope you’re warm and cosy wherever you are…

. . .

Tastefully yours,

. . .

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Gauchos = Grouchos…

[Gauchos, Eindhoven]

There are few words to describe this place…

The food-it was ok.

The service-was truly the most terrible I have ever experienced.

There were tables around us that hadn’t been cleared for almost an hour, or more even! and our food kept being served even though the last course hadn’t been cleared. At one point we had to actually stack the dished up high in the middle of the table….

As you can see below, our dessert [of Icecream and sauce] was served whilst our main course was still alive and breathing… awkward.

It didn’t make sense. The staff were physically there, but not in any mental or serving capacity.

It looked like a restaurant, smelt like a restaurant…but it didn’t ‘taste’ like one.

Although the photos don’t look so bad, I must tell you sitting around for approximately 45minutes [felt like 10 hours] between courses… is well so NOT ok!..

Anyway, we ordered, we waited, we ate…we almost didn’t pay. Then we left to ‘coffee shop’ our bad experience away. 🙂

Menus are beautiful to look at… but buyer beware!!

Entree: Mushroom soup.
Tasted pretty good, but we WERE starving, and had waited for a billion years for it to arrive, it wasn’t until we politely inquired where oh where our dishes were a couple of times did they arrive.

Entree: Calabrese Salad. With olives and iceberg lettuce…. hmm ok! [tasted pretty harmless though]

Main: Steak… I heard it was good.

My sad and lonely Salmon with some green and 2 yellows was also just ok. All they really needed to do was SEASON the crap out of it and fluff around with some presentation, and it would’ve been ok. ahh sigh… 😐

Service, ambience, presentation… all the things that really have nothing to do with the taste [directly], all heavily impact on the satisfaction result.
All these very simple things.

Look, I dunno, maybe there was an accident in the kitchen and thats why all the staff were being so strange….We’ll never know, but I tell you what, I’ll never be going back there again. I hate to say, I’d be so much more satisfied with fish ‘n’ chips or Maccas, at least I know what I’m in for.

Maybe thats just it, maybe our expectations were too high?

They were ‘talking the talking’ of being a restaurant, but not the walk…

They lured us in with great decor and well presented waiting staff, then trapped us in for one of the top 10 worst meals I’ve ever had. Sucks to be me. ;)FML

. . .

Tastefully yours,

. . .

The ‘grass’ is always greener…

[pink, Eindhoven]

Eindhoven, Holland… what a pleasant surprise.

Having booked tickets purely on curiously/great price alone, the birthday weekend group really didn’t know what we were in for. The weather forecast looked gloomy, google searches brought a whole lot of ‘not much’, but a fair bit of info on Fritz Philips…

Almost as soon as we set foot in the country [Paul and I via train from Germany and the Londeners via Plane] we all sensed ‘a little something else’ in the air.

The air was fresh and the energy of the city was vibing and relaxed all at the same time!

We grabbed some quick but late dinner and wondered the streets of Eindhoven….seriously what a beautiful city.
Unknowingly, we had arrived during the final w/e of a Light installation in the city. It was cold, raining and grey, but the city was alive with bubbling friendly energy with truly magical lights to pave the way.

There was something about the place that reminded me of Melbourne, there was an energy… and ofcourse the cafes and restaurants. Eindhoven has a few over Melbs though…like the benefits of being in the Netherlands…two words: ‘coffee shop’

We went to a couple of places, Grasshopper and Pink. Pink was by far our favourite as it was a whole lot more friendlier and roomier.

We played cards and enjoyed the beauty of being in Eindhoven. As they say, the grass is always greener on the other side…. 🙂

Ps. they have delicious cookies here 😉

. . .

Tastefully yours,

. . .

Decadent, moorish Onion soup…

[Wirthaus zur Glocke, Trier]

The thought of warm, homestyle German food saved me from drowning under snotty tissues that weekend…

We FEASTED on some of the most delicious food in Trier. Paul and I had been there previously whilst his folks & Linda were down and it was a hit for all the senses!! So we thought only fit to present this little gem to the 2 out of 3 Ts that were down to celebrate Paul’s geburtstag [birthday] 🙂

The 3Ts opted for matching meals for a team bonding session : Cordon Bleu Veal from the ‘November Menu’

Cordon bleu Veal
filled with ham and mozzarella cheese,
to potato wedges and sprouts
€ 15.80

And I opted for the Onion soup from the regular menu, and Mussels from the ‘November Menu’

Mussels with White wine sauce

(500 grams)
served with Pumpernickel and mild salted butter 
€ 11.90

 

 

The soup missed its portrait shot as it went straight into my tummy… 😮 But the pictures of Mussels above don’t do it justice… THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY GIANT PORTIONS!!!

The soup was so good in fact, it shooed my cold away!!! Extremely delicious and creamy and…. I just cant praise it anymore.

If you’re wandering the streets of Trier, you must tuck yourself away for a real treat of the town!

do it! ☺

 

. . .

Tastefully yours,

. . .

Stack em up, stack em high!!

[Pfannkuchen, Trier]

before we start…
Pfannkuchen: Pancakes
Gluhwein: Mulled wine

Now, lets begin 🙂

Palaststraße 5-7 is host to the largest Pancake parlour in Trier…maybe a touch unnecessarily large, but the venue is equipped to seat approx 120 or so hungry hippos…

A number of variables can lead to ones opinion, so I will take that into consideration before I lash out.

Firstly, I think due to the weather, many customers were attracted into ‘warmer’ destinations…
Maybe this place is a buzz with hungry pancake lovers during the summer, but on this cold and cloudy with a touch of drizzle day, there were only ourselves and 2 other groups. When the decor is this ‘clinical’… the lack of people hightens the very lack of sound and energy…

Secondly, the decor… I dunno, there was some ‘diner’ appeal… but the lack of noise, and the interior combined…was reminding me of a dentist, or a 50s/60s themed Doctors office…something wasn’t right.

The menu is large, and the kitchen accomodating….but they all seem to work and do as they’re told. No-one is really enjoying themselves.. and this translates into the food and mood for the venue. We were enjoying ourselves, so no amount of silence and ‘nausiating’ yellow decor will stop us from enjoying our breaky… or will it??

*sigh*

Maybe, I had high expectations of fluffy, soft buckwheat pancakes that melt in your mouth drizzled with maple syrup making friends with puddles of rich vanilla icecream…. FAIL!

There was nothing moorish, creamy and decadent about it. It was a pan cake. Full stop.

I ordered ‘Zimt & Zucker’ [cinnamon and sugar]…I should’ve known better…it was ready even before I have time to sit down…frozen pancakes??? they wouldn’t would they??
It was so dry that I think it stuck to my tongue at one point. Obviously I did not get through this… too heavy, too dry, not enough pancake love!!!

On the upside, Tim, Tran and Paul seemed to enjoy theirs, which looked a whole lot more appetising than my sad little dish…

Tim’s ‘American’ style pancakes sang sweet stars and stripes tunes in his ear:

Tran ordered lil Danish pancakes, which were reminiscent of Queen Vic night market days in Melbourne…

And Paul ordered a rather phallic looking dish: Banana wrapped in chocolate flavoured pancake. It actually didn’t taste too bad.

Sadly, they neither stacked em up, or high. It was a bit of a disappointment, but maybe I shouldn’t have such high expectations of pancakes… WHAT? NO WAY!!! pancakes are supposed to be lush, and creamy and moorish and a bit cheeky to have in the morning/arvo with some ice cream.. maybe dabble in some bacon and somewhat ‘semi-drowning’ in maple syrup…

Apologies for lovers and fans of this pancake prison, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea…

We did however drop into Zum Domstein for some red and white Gluhwein [mulled wine] and THAT was heavenly for all the senses. ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ five BIG FAT SMILES AT THAT 🙂

That just about made my day, pfannkuchen nightmares were out of sight, out of mind. And as they say, a gluhwein a day, keeps the doctor away… hmmm maybe not 😉

Enjoy your breakfasts, wherever you are…

 

. . .

Tastefully yours,

. . .

Zuppa : the answer to the common soup…

[zuppa, Trier]

As the autumn weather starts to kick in, or rather full steam ahead… and the colder climate starts to dominate, there is nothing more delicious than ducking into to the local soup cafe for some interesting and hearty homestyle soup options.

The atmosphere is warm and inviting, and very German [clean and organised]

The soups change everyday, depending on what ingredients are available and what mood the chef is in I guess :).. there didn’t seem to be a clear ‘theme’. One thing is for certain, there are about 6 soups on offer daily, and they are always going to sell out!!! fast!

I had bumped into Dili in the innenstadt and we decided to try this new soup place…
The moment we stepped foot, we enjoyed the warmth that filled our bodies and souls with the magic of a good soup cafe.

Soup options included: [from what I could understand]

Mexican style
Indonesian style
Lentils & beans
Pork & Plum
Creamy Potatoe
Chicken….and something [it looked good, but I had no idea what it was] I think it was dates. I do not fancy dates…

The place is small, but it makes it cosy and you often share your table with a few people….there is something nice about that, especially when enjoying warm soup.

and that was it, whether it was a good day or a bad day, Zuppa was the answer to the common soup!! [yes, I have been watching too much Mad Men ;)]

. . .

Tastefully yours,

. . .

Sunday breaky & beats

[Jahreszeiten, Petrisberg]

Jahreszeiten spüren – drinnen und draußen
Ob Sommer oder Winter, Frühling oder Herbst – jede Zeit hat ihren eigenen Reiz. In der Sommerzeit können Sie auf unserer großflächigen Terrasse entspannen, in den kühleren Jahreszeiten bieten Ihnen unser großer Holzgrill in den modern gestalteten Räumlichkeiten unseres Restaurants und der Holzofen im neuen Pavillon eine gemütliche Atmosphäre.

English Translation:
Seasons feel – inside and out
Summer or winter, spring or fall – every era has its own charm. In the summer you can relax on our large terrace, in the cooler seasons offer our large wooden barbecue in the modern area of the restaurant and the wood stove in the new pavilion has a cozy atmosphere.

If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of Trier for a moment, and take a deep breath of crisp fresh air, head to Petrisberg…

Perched on the hill near the Town’s university, tucked away in a quiet residential area is the Jahreszeiten Restaurant that serves a breakfast buffet with a side of Jazz on Sundays. You can enjoy a relaxed vibe and friendly international crowd from the ‘newtown’ whilst overlooking the oldtown below.

Opening hours:

Monday to Saturday from 11.00
Sundays and public holidays from 10.00
Kitchen open daily from 12:00 to 22:00

seven days a week

The name roughly means 4 seasons, and that is their main aesthetic focus/theme. As we are in Autumn, the theme heavily revolved around warm oranges and chocolates and chesnuts.

The word ‘buffet’ always springs to mind a rush of people in transit piling up food like there’s no tomorrow…. much like me – eyes are way bigger than my stomache…ROOKIE ERROR…
However, this was a civilised, calm and relaxed venue coupled with amazing prompt service and a wide selection of delicious breakfast options that we enjoyed with Maria and Alena one sunny Autumn sunday.

I WAS IN HEAVEN!!!

Sweet, savoury, liquid, solid… you name it – they had it. They even had a wide selection of cereals for the kids/and big kids.

Poached eggs were missing – my favourite, but that was only natural as it was a buffet…

Breakfast comes with OJ and you can enjoy it in or out. We sat in for the breakie and out for the jazz and post breaky coffee.

So, given my eyes-are-bigger-than-my-stomache syndrome, I mixed all sorts of food together …on. the.same.plate.
I normally really hate doing that as it just confused my tummy and overloads my eyes… but today was a delicous exception 🙂

Plate 1 :

Plate 2:

Plate 3:

Plate 4:

Plate 5:

hello little piggy :@)

so… after that I was pretty much stuffed up to my head, and only Jazz in the sun enjoying a coffee would make the post buffet pain bearable.

I’ll have to go back in the winter to experience snow tip peaked and warm breaky to fill me up.

. . .

Tastefully yours,

. . .