Tea hee🧋😆

I’m so happy that the center of Brno has so many bubble tea spots 🧋 It makes my heart happy!

One of the newest spots is called Gotcha Bubble Tea & Coffee Shop. What’s different from some of the other spots closer to the center is that Gotcha actually has extensive indoor seating, rather than just a takeout counter. This makes it a great study spot for students who want to enjoy a little bubble tea as they work.

I visited this summer and got myself a Watermelon slushy with Lychee Jelly which was perfect for surviving the July heat.

Additionally, the servers speak English, which as an expat helped alleviate a lot of my normal anxieties when trying out a new place.

As you may have seen from some of the other places I reviewed in Brno, a lot of these places are expat friendly and do not mind if you are not a perfect Czech speaker yet or even if you ask to speak in English entirely!

If you are a student new to Brno, be sure to check out Gotcha

☀️Let’s Go to the Beach 🏖

We spent every day (except maybe 2 days) at this place while staying in Marmaris, Turkey and it wasn’t just because of the clean and comfortable esthetics, the polite hardworking staff, or the free and high-quality sunbeds.

Vamos Beach has some of the best food in this touristy area. Whether you want some coffee and breakfast before you enjoy the water, some beach snacks and drinks in the afternoon sun, or a fancy dinner out in their beautiful restaurant, Vamos Beach has all that and more.

Besides the incredible service, I couldn’t believe how affordable and welcoming they were. While a lot of places on this area of the beach were trying to lock tourists in for the day, Vamos Beach seems to rely on business coming from Instagram and word of mouth. There was no streetside advertising, which I really appreciated, and they were also extremely organized once they got you seated.

I didn’t feel like I was being treated as a tourist who needs to be entertained. Rather, I was treated like a paying customer who was helped if needed and otherwise given space to enjoy the day on my own terms - which is exactly how you want to spend a vacation!

I also loved watching the servers interact with other customers - those that wanted to be engaged with were engaged with fully and authentically by the staff. For example, the staff would have nice casual conversations with families and would even play with the cute kids. It was a great atmosphere!

Anyway - let’s get to the important part.

Drinks:

Cooling Cucumber - cucumber juice, lime juice, elderflower liqueur, and gin. It tastes like a jolly rancher but in a refreshing way.

Melon Daiquiri - Frozen Daiquiri with cantaloupe flavor that just is the perfect beach vacation drink

Kiwi nelson - If you want a fancy kiwi slushy then order this

Iced coffee - Not the best (Fredonia Coffee is probably a better choice) but if you need coffee in the morning it is affordable and does the trick - I just found it had too much milk for my taste!

Food:

Crispy zucchini - By far my favorite dish that they have on their menu. It's literally just floured and fried zucchini over yogurt but so delicious

Salami Pizza - A great beach snack, Alex liked it!

Grilled Seabass - Great!

Calamari Fresca - Solid salad that I order a few times that satisfies that vacation part of you that wants fried food but also gives you some nutrients 😂

Can't wait to visit again the next time we are in Marmaris!

Nok Nok See SEE!

If you are looking for a great place in Brno for some local cuisine, Not Nok has you covered!

Alex got the Nok Nok dish that is famous in the region, which has the noodles, smoked meat, and sauerkraut, while I got the smoked meat dish that came with slaw, spicy mustard, and the best bread ever!

We also drank Cider and enjoyed the close proximity to Freedom Square.

We will definitely be back!

*Pro tip - even if you don’t speak Czech, ask for the Czech menu as it has the most current offerings on the menu. I have also learned that after visiting many different countries with different languages, reading the menu in the local language will help you learn the names of your favorite foods. And if you get stuck, you can just use the camera options on the Google Translate app.

Grumpy ☕️(🐈) is not at all grumpy…

On the day we arrived in Budapest, our four-hour trip was delayed to 6 hours and we were hot, hungry, and tired. So we set off in search of a place to grab a quick coffee and snack nearby our accommodation.

Grumpy Coffee is my favorite spot out of everywhere we visited in Budapest. Inside this cute cafe you will find at least one server - and they are all super friendly and accommodating - as well as the chef working in an open kitchen in the rear of the first floor (yes there are two levels)

We enjoyed our boujee pancakes with salmon (amazing) and single espressos and knew we had to visit again before the weekend was over.

We came back on our last day for the bacon & eggs and a coffee before our five-hour bus ride home.

I usually find that the second time you visit a great place, it tends to be a letdown. Maybe you build up that previous experience too much in your head and elevate that experience in your memory to be more than it really was.

HOWEVER - Grumpee Coffee delivered AGAIN. And we loved the service from the staff and chef so much. You can tell that they enjoy their jobs and work, which, coming from the service industry myself, I’ll admit is very hard to find.

I apologize for not having any good photos of the food because I am bad at my job and literally started eating as soon as it arrived in front of me because it looked so good 😂

Fear not - both of the dishes I mentioned can be seen in their full glory on the @grumpy_budapest Insta page ☕️

I don’t know if it was because we had just been in Vienna the weekend before (which has a notorious cafe culture) but the service in Hungary was so genuinely kind.

No matter how busy it was, the standard script was always:

What can I get you?

Can I get you anything else?

How was your meal? Was it to your satisfaction?

Thank you so much!

I love the people here, and the food, and I can’t wait to visit this country again in the wintertime ☺️

Irani Confectionary Shop 🍰

I think every person who walks into this man’s shop has the same thought - you were walking by and the cookies and cakes in the shop window looked good enough that you stopped in to learn more.

Alex and I both looked at each other and said “Ooooo” at the same time when we walked by here 😂

There was something that felt familiar when we walked in and we were immediately greeted by the shopkeeper, though he gave us some privacy as we sorted out what exactly we were looking at. 

The stand out here was definitely the different types of Baklava. Once we were ready to order, the man came over and explained the other options a bit more. He also asked us where we were from and how we met, he was so inviting and lovely.

We decided to go with the classic baklava and another baked item that looked like an Italian butter cookie. For 3 items (we got two baklavas), it was a little pricy but we brought them back to the apartment we were staying at to try, hoping it was worth the money.

Alex - Balkan-pastry-eater-extraordinaire - who has had many baklavas in his life claims that this is the best baklava he has ever had.

I would say the same but of course, I’ve only had a few in my life 😅 It was light and airy not at all heavy. 

The cookie looked like an Italian butter cookie but was really soft and melts on the outside, but is crunchy on the inside.

I definitely recommend that you stop by this place if you find yourself in the Jewish quarter of Budapest.

👀 What restaurant or food shop have you visited that makes you feel like you are at home? Let me know in the comments ☕️

A Reason To Celebrate 🥂

If you are in Budapest’s Jewish quarter, chances are you have already heard about the famous ruin bars in the area. Known as one of the most famous ruin bars in the area, Mazel Tov definitely has more infrastructure than the category “ruin bar” would elude to.

From the outside, you barely get a glimpse into the courtyard, with vines hanging from exterior walls as the setting sun pours through the partially open glass ceiling. As you enter the arched entrance and are greeted by the host, it’s hard to look into the bar and main seating area and describe it as a “ruin”. 

As we entered the room off of the main, the elegance of nature taking over the industrial building faded away into a warehouse/loft style seating area with unique lighting and white brick arched ceilings.

Normally I would recommend getting a reservation if you want to sit in the main area, which has a great open feel and view of the bar. However, we were happy enough as Thursday night walk-ins that we were able to be seated at all. Though this seating area was a little less… breathtaking shall I say? - it was still a great experience thanks to the high-end service of the staff and the food itself. 🫶

The food is described as middle eastern cuisine. It felt reminiscent of the Israeli-style food I could get in Brooklyn.

We aren’t really drinkers, but with each drink order that walked by us, we realized they looked too good to pass up. Alex ordered the Opera GT, which was just like an Italian gin and tonic. Alex labeled this as “the good stuff” so I assume it was.

I was attempting to find a drink with mescal. When I asked our server to recommend something, I saw the familiar blank stare that I too would get when a customer asked about a drink rec for a liquor that would not go with any of the signature cocktails 😂 But, total credit to her, she kept it cool in recommended the most popular drink on the menu which was the Jewish punch. This is basically just a high-end college jungle juice, which I was totally happy with. Would I go and order this with mescal again in the future? Absolutely not. But it wasn’t bad.

For food, I got the hummus plate with falafel and Alex got the falafel sandwich. 

I will say, going with a plus one to the destinations that contribute to the food blog/account, is a helpful privilege. I am the worst at making decisions at a restaurant, so it is always so helpful to have a second person who can order something else on the menu that we can also review!

In this case, though the meals sound very similar, they actually were quite different. The only commonality is that they both had falafel.

The standout dish for us was a side salad we ordered. It was hands down the best beet salad I have ever had, though it was just beets, spices (I think cumin or zatar), and parsley.

***Unlike some major cities in Central Europe where tipping is really up to the customer, it is highly expected in Budapest to tip around 10% of the bill if you enjoyed your meal. A great way to see if this is something expected from the restaurant without asking is if you pay and are then asked “Did you have a good meal? Did we serve you well?” or something like this, it may just be genuine kindness 😂 but most likely they are also trying to sus out what they did wrong for you not to tip them. So if you are a tourist, do the right thing and give a tip 😁

A Quick Spanish Getaway 🇪🇸

A Coruña is a dream. A coastal city with small town feel and a big city all in one.

My favorite time here was walking around town with fellow foodie, Zack. We first stumbled into Grand Cru Cafe for a quick Cortado. This cafe is highly recommended by travel sites, but it really is worth a visit for its food and drinks, but more importantly its atmosphere. ☕️

As two Americans walking around mainland Europe for the first time in two years, we couldn’t help but find ourselves experiencing the novelty of walking into a random bakery and splitting a small loaf of sour bread on our walk to tourist destination (an old lighthouse that was actually really cool! ) 🥖

👀 What is your idea of a perfect day out and about? Let me know in the comments ☕️

Greek Getaway in Brno, Czechia 🏛

A new favorite haunt of mine is Mama Stella. It’s the first Greek Bakery in Brno!

This place is dangerous because there is not a single thing that I’ve tried that I haven’t liked, let alone felt “meh” for. It is all so good and each thing has its own uniquely delicious attributes. I can’t get enough!

Even the ever-present summer hornets seem nice - of course, those are always annoying when you are eating outside. But really, I just had one little guy annoying me - and on a weekday I had the whole multileveled terrace to myself!

Make sure you try their cinnamon bun - sorry you have no choice. It is so good 🥺

And if you are in the mood for something savory, the spinach or cheese pie, the focaccia, and any of their fresh baked bread are a must. 

Most people that walk in with a takeaway order leave with BAGS full of fresh bread and baked goods. I’m really not exaggerating. 

I will say if you love coffee, the freddo espresso and freddo cappuccino are really delicious ☕️

I personally prefer sugar in this kind of coffee, even though normally, I would probably order a normal cappuccino without sugar. I say this because the people at the counter make a point to ask - so if you are like me make sure you say yes to the sugar 😅

Make sure you check this out while the weather is still nice, and don’t worry, the inside seating area is equally lovely. They have board games, a kids area, and if you chose a table next to the window you half to pinch yourself to remember you aren’t in Greece!

Urliamo Tutti Per il Gelato 🍦

The only way to make a hot day not horrible is to use it as an excuse to get ice cream. While there were many places we could have stopped within walking distance from our diner spot, I’m so happy we chose to walk into Zanoni & Zanoni.

@zanonieis had so many flavors to choose from! And don’t worry, the long line goes super quick. Because they serve traditional Italian gelato, you can also speak Italian to the women working the counter, as well as English and German.

We both got two scoops: Alex got Maracuja (passionfruit) and Hazelnut, while I went pretty sweet with Kaffee and Karamel.

Of course, we ate and walked a bit before stumbling across the statue of Mozart and deciding to take this picture of our cones already halfway eaten 😂🍦

👀 What is your favorite ice cream flavor combination? Let me know in the comments ☕️  

Hot Coffee on A Hot Day 🥵

I think back to my first time in Vienna. It was last November, the day before Austria shut down again due to a spike in COVID numbers. When I think about it, I guess we were some of the last people to see the Viennese Christmas Markets that year 😔 🎄

While we walked around, I remember suggesting to Alex that we try to come back next summer and stop at some museums.

So we came in July 🥵

After a harrowing journey through the very, VERY warm Natural History Museum, we were desperate for a coffee and a sit. And water. 

That’s when we stumbled upon Gustav Emil Paula Paula - a part-cafe, part-hair-salon that is located only a few blocks from the museum entrance. Although, to be honest, I didn’t even notice that there was a hair studio until we were leaving.

Now as some of you may know, there is a well-known Viennese Cafe Culture that usually consists of having to flag down an annoyed waiter, order fast, and then expect your coffee practically thrown down in front of you as the server runs away never to be seen again, especially when it is time to pay 😬

However…

The service here was great! A very friendly gentleman server treated us like we were at some upscale NYC restaurant. He even answered Alex’s question about not knowing what iced coffee was, which I was laughing at, but this man totally kept his cool and described the drink as if it was their signature cocktail. ☕️

The decor was lovely, and the place had remained cool during this very hot day despite being very well lit, so sitting inside was very comfortable without feeling that we were missing the sunshine.

I was going to order an einspänner, which is one of the many kinds of coffee orders you can find in Vienna, but I chickened out in my heat exhaustion and ordered….a HOT single espresso??? 🧐 

I can’t be trusted when I’m tired…

And next time we go I will definitely order a pastry from their front counter 😋

When in Vienna, You Drink Beer 🍺

So I had heard about Bier & Bierli from some YouTubers I follow and I have to say, this place DOES NOT DISAPPOINT 😎🍺

From the outside, the place looks like a local tavern - it's pretty unassuming. But then you walk in and the design of this place is super open and not cramped like you would expect from a stereotypical tavern 👏

The ceilings and walls are decorated with coasters, which I thought was a fun touch, yet although it is packed with them, it's not overwhelming or messy. In fact, it's pretty upscale. The room still feels nice and airy.

For beer, Alex got a Gösser Märzen and I got the Edelweiß Hefetrüb (3L) 🍻

For food, you can see the Wiener Gulasch Kleine as the first image of the post. Alex ordered this and had a lengthy review: “Satisfying.” 😂

I got the Schwein Schnitzel - I’m not really into Veal, so I didn’t try the OG, but I’m happy with my order ☺️ It was surprisingly light and the vinegary potato salad was refreshing. You have the option to order from a range of sauces for an extra euro, but I didn’t find that it was needed. 

It’s already a tourist favorite, but I also enjoyed it as it was tourist-friendly, but did not feel touristy at all. The atmosphere was extremely easy going and they had friendly staff. I also felt totally comfortable ordering in German. 

On a side note, about feeling comfortable speaking German:

Often times on this trip to Vienna - and of course, foreigners will experience this in a lot of cities in Europe - people will hear you speak their language (or in this case, an accepted dialect in the region) and as soon as they hear your accent they will switch to English. Something I really appreciated at Bier & Bierli is that when I didn’t know something and we switched to English for a moment, the servers and staff would switch back to standard German. I think I’ll make a post about language soon to expand on why this was so awesome, but for now, I’ll just tally another positive point to an already lovely experience at Bier & Bierli..

I Love This Place 🍽

Sometimes you go to a restaurant without any expectation of having some sort of life-altering experience. But then, there is Buddha.

Buddha is a Nepalese and Indian restaurant located in a basement space right next to Náměstí Svobody in the center of Brno. 🇮🇳🇳🇵

⏰ Back on my first visit to Brno in the fall of 2021, I was lucky enough to live in the same building as a lot of students and ex-pats from different parts of India and one person from Nepal. Visiting Buddha was actually recommended to us a few times in casual conversation, so we decided to give it a try.

I expected good food, maybe even great - but this food was really outstanding. There is not a thing off the menu that isn’t a stand-out and you will find locals and foreigners frequenting the Restaurant. 🤩

Logically, when I got back to Brno after 6 months away, I forced my boyfriend to go out with me to this magical food paradise 😂

Brooklyn 🏠

While I’m giving shoutouts to places throughout Europe, I can’t forget to include these places that feel like home! Each of these places got me through some of the hardest times while I was living in Brooklyn during the pandemic and filled my soul (at least once a week 😅…sometimes more)

🧆 Batata - Windsor Terrace

Israeli inspired falafel and tahini experts, with out-there dishes such as chicken and waffles to classics like falafel sandwiches, schnitzel, and AMAZING hummus. The last time I was home, they even had burek! I could eat that menu every day. (Killer breakfast pitas also)

🍕La Villa Pizzeria - Park Slope

My go-to comfort food. I recommend the Zucchini Pizza, and, of course, the Caesar salad with grilled or fried chicken. This portion is probably meant to share, but the Cae Sal here is something I get all for myself and spilt between the night before and lunch the next day. I think of this salad every day I’m away from the U.S. 😂

🇮🇹 Piccoli - Windsor Terrace

This will forever be the best idea for a take-out restaurant. I’m talking full-on FANCY meals to go. Standouts are the polenta, risotto, mushroom pasta, and the salmon plate(s). Honestly, you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.

🍝Pasta Louise - Park Slope

It offers a fresh pasta-of-the-day, a few staple sauces to add to your pasta, and different add-ons such as burrata, prosciutto, arugula, and much more. They also always have a special of the day and have great wines to choose from.

☕️ Day Time Coffee - Windsor Terrace

This is one of my favorite coffee places of all time (and was conveniently located across the street). Along with great coffee and chai, daytimes food is brilliant. My recommendations are the breakfast sandwich on brioche or the BLT on whole grain bread.

🍴Krupa Grocery - Windsor Terrace

Last but anything but least, this lovely bar and restaurant with patio seating in the back and front with an amazing menu. My favorite is the appetizer plate of shishito peppers and their holiday specials for couples and large groups! And of course, the owners are the best 😉

If you ever find yourself in Park Slope or Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, make sure you check out these awesome local businesses!

Bakery Heaven 😇

For my last stop in Norway, I decided to highlight Sirkus Renaa Sølvberget - a pizzeria and bakery. I am not very familiar with the area, but it seems like this location of their restaurant is in a community center and library in the center of Stavanger. 📚

The decor was sort of vintage-inspired, with older lamps and photos on the wall. 

Even though pizza seemed like the way to go here, I decided to go with their pre-made poke bowl and a cardamom bun, which seems just like the kanelsnurrer that I had had before. 

How strange that I can have an amazing baked good and fresh fish in the same place? 😎

I was super hungry, so I was not worried about this being too much food 😅 

I almost got a sandwich instead of the poke bowl because they all looked amazing. But so did the pastries, and I definitely wanted one of those, so I had to compromise somewhere. 

I’ll confess I have no idea what cardamom is…but when I tried it, I felt like it was a bit too overpowering. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Comparative to other locations in Norway's metropolitan areas, the total cost for this meal was 18 euros, which for fresh food like this compares to NYC prices.

All in all, I would go back to try more of their baked goods and try a pizza! 🍕

Some Coffee for the Journey ☕️

Sometimes working on a Cruise ship or even as a frequent traveler, you will find yourself dropped into an unfamiliar place with a lot of time on your hands. ⏳

When I first looked out from the ship and at the city of Alesund, it was a sleepy Sunday. There was nothing really open, so I looked up things to do and found that there was a hiking path that began at a lookout point. To get there though, you either had to ride a bus to the top or take a little journey up 400+ steps. 🥵

Since I had a lot of time, I decided the journey would be worth it.

As I walked to the base of this staircase - which was located in a nearby park - I walked through a cute little town, with a canal that cuts right through its center.

Nearing the park where the base was located, I walked by the only working (and quite busy) cafe, Racoon Coffee.

I decided to go in and naturally found my colleagues there despite it being a far-ish walk.

Before my big journey up the stairs, I decided to stop for a quick snack: I went with the pesto cheese horn and Cortado (I’m trying to mix it up for you guys because I always get a cappuccino or caramel latte)

The cafe had a lot of food options and the decor was very inviting. I highly recommend this stop before climbing to the Aksla Viewpoint in Alesund.

COLOR ✨💅🏻

This cafe and catering house does a good job of convincing you that it is part of a large chain with expensive corporate backing. I say this as a compliment, as the decor is highly curated and designed while being extremely functional. And just like a franchise, there are always a lot of people working the front counter, even if the place isn’t that busy. 

Imagine my surprise when I did a little bit of research and found that it was a family-owned business!

My original intention was actually to attend a different cafe on this day, located a few doors down. However, they ran out of espresso right when they opened…which I have a lot of thoughts on, but I don’t need to go into detail on that…especially since it is one of the highest rated cafes in town 🧐 It just shows that there is more to a good cafe than location and the esthetics of the place.

@lutchfood looks like it was transplanted into this misty sleepy town from Candyland-bubblegum-city 😅 and while they know how to decorate 🥳 they also have quality goods and great service.

So what did this establishment do right?

🍩 Besides the goods they are known for as a catering company, the window display is packed with a fresh variety of different sandwiches, cakes, and donuts.

🍩There are a huge variety of different types of coffees

🍩 They are selling coffee and cooking accessories - this to me is what made me think of a franchise like Starbucks or the like, and actually made me assume the place to be more… 'professional' is the word maybe? It just made me want to take the place more seriously, despite the bubblegum esthetic

🍩 the decor. It is highly curated, and Instagram-able. At the same time, I noticed a lot of families with little kids coming into the place. So I guess you could say that the decor was able to draw a lot of different types of customers into the place.

I’m definitely reviewing this place far more in detail than other places I’ve been to so far, and it is truly because (coming from restaurants and catering in NYC) this place is REALLY smart. And it was started by a woman, so I have to give it huge support because this is a hard industry to survive in as a woman 👏👏👏

I ordered a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, a classic staple if you are a New Yorker 😎 

It was served cold, which I was a little cautious about trying since we would normally eat a sandwich like that heated up, but it was actually so good.

And of course, with all of the sweet decor, I also needed a sweet caramel latte (I know, I’ve been on a kick with this one in recent posts…but I found in a lot of locations in Norway that they know how to make a kick-ass caramel latte 😅)

At one point I was surprised to see some American businessmen sitting inside - the contrast of the suits in front of the wall of rainbow donuts made me giggle 😂

The donuts are decorated really cute, with bright colors and toppings, but I don’t think I have the stomach for the amount of sugar that will fly out of them. However, this was one of the most purchased items I observed while sitting in the place. So I probably missed out on something good. 🍩

This group knows how to do details. Even the dishware was nice - the plate had a marble pink pattern with gold lining. And they served the coffee in a double-pained plastic cup that they also sold on their retail shelf.

The glass was too big for my hand, which is kinda weird. But then I saw a kid drinking…maybe coffee? Probably too young for that so maybe it was coco... anyway, he also had to hold on to it with two hands. He was also 12 and wearing the same outfit as me: Adidas pants, a jean jacket, and a black shirt… Maybe I’ve just confirmed that I am a child with child hands and child fashion? 👶

But I digress...

If I had a chance to go back to this place, there are so many different things on the menu that I would like to try! So if you find yourself in Haugesund, make sure you stop by this joint or check out their catering 🤩

👀 What is your favorite local family owned business? Let me know in the comments ☕️

Picnic in the Fjords 🧺⛰

My favorite days in this year of traveling have been the picnics my friends and I have put together. There is something about a picnic that just feels so authentic and classic.

For this particular event, we went with our usual grocery lists - all items that we can’t have on the ship. 🍞🧀🥒🍅🍇🫐🫒🍣🌭

We obviously had to stop at the best place in town, the Vik, for their cheesecake, fresh bread loaves, and as many other goodies we could lay our hands on (we definitely politely bought out the entire stock they planned on selling to their coffee-time crowd 😅)

We also had to stop at the local grocery as well for some other ship-prohibited goods like chicken salad, smoked salmon, veggies, and fruit.

There is a popular walking path that leads to the base of a hiking trail in Eidfjord. At the base is a lake formed from the mountain’s run-off water. We decided, ran or shine, that this would be the perfect place to spend our mid-day picnic.

It’s so fun to me how people can come together in the most random twists of fate. This group is hands down my favorite group I have ever worked with 🥺 

We are a group of 20+ people from all different backgrounds and artistic disciplines, yet we all crave a hunk of fresh bread to share on a Tuesday over an intense game of charades 😂 

These shared moments where all of us were on the same wavelength, the same string of laughter brought on by the bad joke we all took the time to hear, are the pictures in time that you remember forever. We may never all be in the same place at the same time again, but I know I will look back on days like this with a breathtaking “Wow, I am so lucky to have experienced a beautiful expression of true LIVING” 

Sappy I know….but it's important to take the time to express gratitude for the love you experience and the privilege that got you to that moment in time. Ugh…I’m so sentimental I could go on for ages. Instead, I’ll just do what I do best and eat my feelings 🤣😎 

👀What are you grateful for? Let me know in the comments ☕️

You Ask, I Deliver 🥗

So the other day I posted on my Instagram story asking if there was anything new people wanted to see - I had an overwhelming response for original recipes, so here you are! ⭐️

I’m not going to pretend like I am some genius chef, so I’ll start out easy…

Here is a great summer salad made from your august garden harvest 🍅 🥬🧀

For the Burrata Tomato Salad with Fresh Pesto, you will need…

🌱From the Garden:

• Fresh tomatoes (any kind, I like cherry tomatoes)

• Fresh Basil

• Arugula

• Spinach

• One small red onion or shallot

• Garlic

🧀 From the Pantry:

• Dried spices (oregano, salt, pepper)

• Burrata or Mozzarella

• Balsamic

• White wine vinegar

• Olive oil

• Pine nuts or pistachio

• Freshly grated Parm

• Flaky salt (Optional)

Making the salad is easy, you just put everything together!

Dress Arugula with a little olive oil and white wine vinegar.

Combine chopped tomatoes and shallots with olive oil, dried spices, shallot/onion and white wine vinegar.

Create pesto using a food processor - combine basil with spinach 4:1, salt and pepper and minced garlic. Toast the nuts and add once cooled. Add grated cheese and olive oil.

Top with the burrata. Dress the burrata with balsamic, olive oil, pepper and flaky salt.

👀Let me know what other types of recipes you want to see - I have some deserts, more salads, soups and mains….☕️

My Happy Place 🥰

The Vik Café & Restaurant was one of my favorite stops when sailing around Norway 🤩 

Eidfjord has some of the most beautiful nature spots and lookouts that I have ever seen. 

However, though it was already June and many European countries were going through heat waves, the temperature around here tended to hover somewhere around 15°C (59°F) 🥶

Therefore, this tourist-packed B&B cafe was much called for a warm cup of coffee and a pastry.

The mood inside is calm, with soft jazz music playing in the background as you glimpse into the valley of the fjord from any window inside. 

This quiet hideaway - disrupted and busy once the cruise ship passengers realize it is only one of two cafes in the town - supplies a comfy shelter from the almost constant misty rain. And when it’s not raining, they have an outdoor seating area on the grass and also on the deck.

That being said, like the rest of Norway, the place has, what I would call “NYC prices” 🤑

But I promise you that any price for a meal or snack here is totally worth it. While they serve proper meals off the menu, they also offer an a-la-carte-serve-yourself table of baked-on-site pastries, as well as a display case of cakes and open-faced sandwiches. 🍞🥪🍰

My favorite popular Norwegian pastry is the kanelknuter (sometimes known as kanelsnurrer). In addition to the classic version(usually cinnamon and cardamom), the Vik sometimes serves different varieties with fruit or vanilla custard.

My usual go-to was a caramel latte and the vanilla kanelknuter.

No matter how busy or quiet this place gets, it's a must-visit for anyone traveling through Eidfjord.

👀Have you ever come across this pastry before? For me, it was a first. I’d love to know if when you tried it you had the classic version or something different… Let me know in the comments ☕️

🎶Daddy, Daddy Cool…Daddy, Daddy…’s Donuts 🍩

The name of this donut shop is definitely unique, which is why I think some of my colleagues decided to stop by. Though, however funny the name may be, the inside of this place is clean, upscale, and classy. 

Its owner, Harald Kristoffer Boldersløw-Kværnø, opened the shop after a career as a chef. His last job before moving to the world of pastry was on the team that earned a Michelin Star at Bare Restaurant. So you best believe these donuts are the real deal! ✨🍩✨

Daddy’s Donuts serves gourmet donuts, with flavors such as crème brulée, oreo, apple and pineapple, rose, and different candybar-inspired flavors, as well as a selection of vegan donuts.

I went with the fun and colorful passionfruit donut myself. I had joined about 7 of my friends who had arrived before me at the cafe. Their favorites were the creme brute and oreo. And although we were loud and rambunctious (probably high off of sugar) 😅 the woman working the counter was really patient with us and even offered to help move the tables around so we could all sit together.

From what I could tell, there wasn’t a flavor you could go wrong with. But if I had a second chance, I would probably still pick the passion fruit again because it was so so so good, and also I am a creature of habit 🤷🏼‍♀️