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| Carneval at Luzern (Switzerland) |
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Luzern, Switzerland
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| view on Hof Church |
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| beautiful view on the Jesuit Church (from the Chapel Bridge) |
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| Musegg Wall |
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| isn't that an awesome mountain scenerey? |
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| the Water Tower (and some mushrooms crossing the bridge ^^) |
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Les Gourmandises de Miyuko
Miyuko is a little cake/tea/chocolate shop in Zürich with a touch of Japanese style. It is cosy and dreamy and attracts a lot of different people that sit down and relax for 10 minutes or an hour. I was really surprised to not only see young girls chatting away over a nice piece of cake, but to see old business guys enter the store as well as elegant ladies and tourists with their kids - which got really excited over the promise to be able to pick the cakes for all their relatives ^-^
The service is really friendly and professional. They adress people the way they think would go the best - so I was greeted with a cheery "hoi!" whereas the guy next to me received a more 'formal' "grüzi" (but it turned out he is a regular and very close with the guy working there).
The first thing i got was a cup of water and a smile - even before i opened the menu. The cup got already refilled after i drank half of the water - very attentive.
I ordered a latte macchiato (CHF 5.50) - it came with a Cantuccini, both tasted really nice and i would have loved to buy a box of the Cantuccine immediately (or the recipe ^^).
Miyuko also offers quite nice selection of tea - ranging from CHF 5 (for a cup) to CHF 12 for a pot of more special types of tea.
Cake starts at CHF 5 and are also available as a whole and on order.
For people who like to come and enjoy a somewhat longer chat - Miyuko offers special sets: the 5-o'clock-tea for around CHF 29 and the chliine-Kafi-Tratsch (coffee, cake, praliné) for CHF 12
Les Gourmandises de Miyuko
Beckenhofstrasse 7
Zürich
http://www.miyuko.ch/
The service is really friendly and professional. They adress people the way they think would go the best - so I was greeted with a cheery "hoi!" whereas the guy next to me received a more 'formal' "grüzi" (but it turned out he is a regular and very close with the guy working there).
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| Latte Macchiato |
I ordered a latte macchiato (CHF 5.50) - it came with a Cantuccini, both tasted really nice and i would have loved to buy a box of the Cantuccine immediately (or the recipe ^^).
Miyuko also offers quite nice selection of tea - ranging from CHF 5 (for a cup) to CHF 12 for a pot of more special types of tea.
Cake starts at CHF 5 and are also available as a whole and on order.
For people who like to come and enjoy a somewhat longer chat - Miyuko offers special sets: the 5-o'clock-tea for around CHF 29 and the chliine-Kafi-Tratsch (coffee, cake, praliné) for CHF 12
Les Gourmandises de Miyuko
Beckenhofstrasse 7
Zürich
http://www.miyuko.ch/
Café Zähringer
Finding a chilling place in Zürich that doesn't kill my monthly allowance immediately (come on, i'm from Vienna!) and offers a divers audience with young as well as old people and an atmosphere where staying for some hours to chat or study is totally okay - is really hard! But not impossible :)
We decided to go for the two (seasonal) Tagesteller (CHF 23 and 25) and were pretty satisfied. The Saitan Plätzli were vegan and came with a mushroom sauce and pumpkin. I still don't know what the Plätzli are made of but i'm guessing it is Tofu. The taste was nice and everything went well together - a salad or any other side dish with a little sour note would have added positively to the taste though.
The second dish was the Indian Plate - coming with dhal, spinach, mint raita, apple chutney and rice. The apple chutney and the mint raita were really nice (although a little bit less mustard seeds in the chutney would have lead to an even more balanced taste), the spinach was lacking a little bit of salt for my taste and the Dhal was a catastrophe. Anyone who ever tried to cook with Indian herbs knows that the balance and amount of herbs used is really important and that less is always more - as the strong taste of the herbs can kill the flavor of the whole dish. Well the dhal had quite some problems with that. Adding too much ginger, cardamom, koriander and probably jeera as well made the dish unedible. In the end this was the only part of the dish that was left over at my friends plate - and i can see totally why.
The service was very friendly but too stressed out as there was only one servant for the whole place - and the place was overly full. Some people had to leave as they couldn't find a seat and we saw a couple drinking their coffee outside in front of the entrance on the window ledge (but then again that's a reason why i like this place, it is really relaxed).
All in all it is a really nice place to go and have a chat with friends, to read a book or (who doesn't get disturbed by the noise) to study.
If you are looking for a young and bustling place where everyone and every style is welcome - this is your place to go in Zürich!
Café Zähringer
Zähringerplatz 11
Zürich
http://www.cafe-zaehringer.ch/joomla/index.php
Prove me wrong but i also couldn't find any blogger that specialises on what to do in Zürich, where to go, the must-have-tried places. The places-to-go that were recommended on the tourism page (
http://www.zuerich.com ) could be practically found in every other guide as well ...
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| Café Zähringer (Zürich, Switzerland) |
So i'm really happy we found Zähringer. And if i would live in Zürich, I would definitely go there more often!
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| really cool painting on the wall |
The interior is pretty basic and has an old touch - but the wall paintings in the back rock! There also is a small selection of books on offer - just in case someone comes alone, has time to kill and wants to know more about the taste in literature of the owner.
The prices are okay - nearly considered cheap for Zürich - and come in big enough servings.
We ordered a lemon balm tea for 2 which came in a huge teapot and costed us CHF 8.50. Just for the calculation: A glass of tea adds up to CHF 4.80 and a single portion of tea to CHF 6.
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| Saitanplätzli with mushroom sauce, pumpkin and raisin-almond rice |
We decided to go for the two (seasonal) Tagesteller (CHF 23 and 25) and were pretty satisfied. The Saitan Plätzli were vegan and came with a mushroom sauce and pumpkin. I still don't know what the Plätzli are made of but i'm guessing it is Tofu. The taste was nice and everything went well together - a salad or any other side dish with a little sour note would have added positively to the taste though.
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| Indian Plate |
The service was very friendly but too stressed out as there was only one servant for the whole place - and the place was overly full. Some people had to leave as they couldn't find a seat and we saw a couple drinking their coffee outside in front of the entrance on the window ledge (but then again that's a reason why i like this place, it is really relaxed).
All in all it is a really nice place to go and have a chat with friends, to read a book or (who doesn't get disturbed by the noise) to study.
If you are looking for a young and bustling place where everyone and every style is welcome - this is your place to go in Zürich!
Café Zähringer
Zähringerplatz 11
Zürich
http://www.cafe-zaehringer.ch/joomla/index.php
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
BUBBLE TEA mania
BUBBLE TEA is the new word in town. Never heard of it? Come on! Vienna is more and more becoming an international city, offering lots of exotic food and drinks you normally wouldn't get around Europe ... but wait, hasn't that been the case for centuries now? Living in Vienna I sometimes tend to forget how international it is - and how open people are to try out new and unknown things. Like Bubble Tea.
I made my encounter with Bubble Tea on my first visit to Asia - to be exact: In South Korea. A friend told me about his love for Bubble Tea. I had no clue - and got laughed at. So he described: It is a fruit flavored tea with pearls. To be honest, this just confused me even more and definitely didn't lead me in any way to rock up at the next tea shop to order some. But destiny has it ways and finally I tried my very first bubble tea on Yonsei campus in a little coffee take out shop. It was awesome! And ... already more like an evolved version of the traditional drink. To be exact it consisted of cookies, Vanilla, milk and ice - crushed together to form the perfect summer drink that would cheer you up after a hard day in school.
But: What exactly is Bubble Tea?
Take some black tea and some milk - shake it till it is full of little bubbles, add sirup or honey and some tapioka pearls - and voilà! You have the beginners version of Bubble Tea. Its taste is sweet and creamy and makes you wanna have more with each sip you take - and after finishing your cup you feel like you just had half a dinner - you are pretty full.
I, for my part, never liked black tea with milk up to the day when i tried my first bubble milk tea in Taiwan - which was totally different to any other black tea I've ever had.
Bubble Tea is not that old yet - it should be in its 30ies now as it is claimed to have been invented in the 1980s in Taichung (Taiwan) - and the legend wants it that, of all things, a boring meeting lead a woman to pour her taiwanese dessert with tapioka into her cold tea.
If more of these great inventions would happen at boring meetings the world would definitely be a happier place! :)
Having experienced this nice drink in Asia - I was missing it alot when I came back to Vienna.
So, how much luckier could I be than with the first real Bubble Tea shop opening in Vienna around that time: Tealicious.
I couldn't do other than try it - and was a little disappointed. Ordering a normal milk tea bubble tea (black tea) - it tasted far too much like powder (which was kind of weird) and not sweet at all - it was a pretty boring taste ... I never finished it. Sad thing was that my friend made the same experience with his choice and I haven't been there to try another tea again. This was a one time experience and ever since I heard newspapers and blogs talking about how nice this shop is - and when articles are written about Bubble Tea - this is always the first shop they mention. So on my lists of things to do stands to give it a second try. Everyone else should go out and make up his mind of which shop they like best!
My favorite Bubble Tea shop in Vienna is BaBuRu.
It just tastes like the regular Bubble Tea in Taiwan - making it my first stop every time I arrive at Schottentor. The service is really nice and next to the regular menu is a board telling you the specials of the season. The tea is comparatively cheaper than other shops - if you order Tapioka pearls as topping. Every other add-on costs 0.50 cents - and they are really worth trying. The new sensation is Aloe Vera Jelly - very nice.
I brought lots of friends to this shop and so far no one went home disappointed. Especially taiwanese people love to go there and claim that it tastes exactly the same as in their home country.
Chacha Bubbletea Bar
This little bar opened in Lugner City and offers pretty nice Bubble Tea as well. A little bit hidden away, it is found next to the running sushi bar upstairs. For my taste, a little bit too much milk is added (like in Starbucks) which dilutes the taste. But all in all it is okay and can be considered as a nice dessert to go for after eating at one of the buffets right next to it.
Ginza
- is actually a sushi shop - offering coffee and bubble tea to-go as well. The Bubble Tea section is pretty small, offering only 5 flavors: Taro, papaya, strawberry, peach and pineapple. The taste offers no overwhelming experience but it is okay and a good investment for everyone who has time and a little hunger to kill at Praterstern.
Bubble's Tea Bar
This is a new shop at BahnhofCity Wien West - and I have to admit I didn't try it yet. This shop is part of a German chain which started out in Berlin and now exports their concept to Vienna. It remains to be seen how people will like it. :)
tea-licious Bubbletea Boutique
Margaretenstraße 22
1040 Wien
tea-licious Bubbletea Bar
Donauzentrum - Wagramer Straße 81/2/3
1220 Wien
http://www.tea-licious.at
baburu to go
Schottentorpassage
1010 Wien
baburu living room
Naschmarkt - Kettenbrückengasse 22
1040 Wien
baburu shopping center
Millenium City - Wehlistraße 64
1200 Wien
www.baburu.at
Chacha Bubbletea Bar
Lugner City - Gablenzgasse 5-13
1150 Wien
http://www.chacha-bubbleteabar.com/
Bubble's Tea Bar
Bahnhofcity Wien West - Europaplatz 1
1150 Wien
http://www.bubbles-teabar.de
Ginza Running Sushi
Bahnhof Praterstern
1020 Wien
I made my encounter with Bubble Tea on my first visit to Asia - to be exact: In South Korea. A friend told me about his love for Bubble Tea. I had no clue - and got laughed at. So he described: It is a fruit flavored tea with pearls. To be honest, this just confused me even more and definitely didn't lead me in any way to rock up at the next tea shop to order some. But destiny has it ways and finally I tried my very first bubble tea on Yonsei campus in a little coffee take out shop. It was awesome! And ... already more like an evolved version of the traditional drink. To be exact it consisted of cookies, Vanilla, milk and ice - crushed together to form the perfect summer drink that would cheer you up after a hard day in school.
Coffee Take Out at Yonsei University Campus, Seoul
Take some black tea and some milk - shake it till it is full of little bubbles, add sirup or honey and some tapioka pearls - and voilà! You have the beginners version of Bubble Tea. Its taste is sweet and creamy and makes you wanna have more with each sip you take - and after finishing your cup you feel like you just had half a dinner - you are pretty full.
I, for my part, never liked black tea with milk up to the day when i tried my first bubble milk tea in Taiwan - which was totally different to any other black tea I've ever had.
Bubble Tea is not that old yet - it should be in its 30ies now as it is claimed to have been invented in the 1980s in Taichung (Taiwan) - and the legend wants it that, of all things, a boring meeting lead a woman to pour her taiwanese dessert with tapioka into her cold tea.
If more of these great inventions would happen at boring meetings the world would definitely be a happier place! :)
Tealicious, Vienna
So, how much luckier could I be than with the first real Bubble Tea shop opening in Vienna around that time: Tealicious.
I couldn't do other than try it - and was a little disappointed. Ordering a normal milk tea bubble tea (black tea) - it tasted far too much like powder (which was kind of weird) and not sweet at all - it was a pretty boring taste ... I never finished it. Sad thing was that my friend made the same experience with his choice and I haven't been there to try another tea again. This was a one time experience and ever since I heard newspapers and blogs talking about how nice this shop is - and when articles are written about Bubble Tea - this is always the first shop they mention. So on my lists of things to do stands to give it a second try. Everyone else should go out and make up his mind of which shop they like best!
My favorite Bubble Tea shop in Vienna is BaBuRu.
It just tastes like the regular Bubble Tea in Taiwan - making it my first stop every time I arrive at Schottentor. The service is really nice and next to the regular menu is a board telling you the specials of the season. The tea is comparatively cheaper than other shops - if you order Tapioka pearls as topping. Every other add-on costs 0.50 cents - and they are really worth trying. The new sensation is Aloe Vera Jelly - very nice.
I brought lots of friends to this shop and so far no one went home disappointed. Especially taiwanese people love to go there and claim that it tastes exactly the same as in their home country.
Chacha Bubbletea Bar
This little bar opened in Lugner City and offers pretty nice Bubble Tea as well. A little bit hidden away, it is found next to the running sushi bar upstairs. For my taste, a little bit too much milk is added (like in Starbucks) which dilutes the taste. But all in all it is okay and can be considered as a nice dessert to go for after eating at one of the buffets right next to it.
Ginza
- is actually a sushi shop - offering coffee and bubble tea to-go as well. The Bubble Tea section is pretty small, offering only 5 flavors: Taro, papaya, strawberry, peach and pineapple. The taste offers no overwhelming experience but it is okay and a good investment for everyone who has time and a little hunger to kill at Praterstern.
Bubble's Tea Bar
This is a new shop at BahnhofCity Wien West - and I have to admit I didn't try it yet. This shop is part of a German chain which started out in Berlin and now exports their concept to Vienna. It remains to be seen how people will like it. :)
tea-licious Bubbletea Boutique
Margaretenstraße 22
1040 Wien
tea-licious Bubbletea Bar
Donauzentrum - Wagramer Straße 81/2/3
1220 Wien
http://www.tea-licious.at
baburu to go
Schottentorpassage
1010 Wien
baburu living room
Naschmarkt - Kettenbrückengasse 22
1040 Wien
baburu shopping center
Millenium City - Wehlistraße 64
1200 Wien
www.baburu.at
Chacha Bubbletea Bar
Lugner City - Gablenzgasse 5-13
1150 Wien
http://www.chacha-bubbleteabar.com/
Bubble's Tea Bar
Bahnhofcity Wien West - Europaplatz 1
1150 Wien
http://www.bubbles-teabar.de
Ginza Running Sushi
Bahnhof Praterstern
1020 Wien
Lunch Break
That's what I call a nice lunch break: Comfortably eating a sandwich right below Rialto - with Mary watching every single bite of yours :)
Rialto Bridge, Venice, Italy
Finally ... snow came to Vienna
I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked out of the window today in the morning: Everything was white - a winter wonderland?
At days like these I just can't stay inside - even though the warm bed was more than tempting me.
Storming out with my camera to picture all the romantic sceneries in the inner city under a cover of light sugar coating ... i got really disappointed. The snow got muddy and even muddier the more I came close to the center and when I reached Graben - I couldn't see anything but trucks. One lined up after the other ... blocking the whole pedestrian area. Where normally tourists are strolling legerly, passing by the plague column ... there were cars driving - remembering me of pictures from some 50 years ago when there actually was a street going through Graben.
My winter wonderland phantasies being destroyed, I was more than eager to
return to my cosy blanket and the nice view from my window - where the
snow still looked white and wonderful - and the trees whispered:
"Vienna became a winter wonderland ... just look at the little side streets".
At days like these I just can't stay inside - even though the warm bed was more than tempting me.
Storming out with my camera to picture all the romantic sceneries in the inner city under a cover of light sugar coating ... i got really disappointed. The snow got muddy and even muddier the more I came close to the center and when I reached Graben - I couldn't see anything but trucks. One lined up after the other ... blocking the whole pedestrian area. Where normally tourists are strolling legerly, passing by the plague column ... there were cars driving - remembering me of pictures from some 50 years ago when there actually was a street going through Graben.
"Vienna became a winter wonderland ... just look at the little side streets".
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