Enjoy Food & Travel

26/10/2019

To send s pizza back to the cook to bake for five more is hardly the job for a hungry lunch guest. A good pizza should be deliciously crispy, both crust and topping. Mine had neither.

20/10/2019

The French love cheese before a sweet dessert before they leave a good meal, but you can easily combine the two.

Top a whole camembert or brie cheese with jam and chopped nuts. Here they used orange marmalade and almonds.

Heat the cheese in a microwave until quite runny and serve. Guests can use crackers to scoop up the delicious creamy cheese.

19/10/2019

Roast duck is one of my favourites of the Central European cuisine. At Dresden Altmarktkeller it is accompanied by red sweet and sour cabbage, gravy and cooked potatoes, nearly in the same way as the Danes serve their traditional Christmas duck.

Duck and goose meat is darker, and fatter than chicken meat, and has so much more flavour. So what is better than a cold beer and a Maltesercreutz, a German aquavit to digest this rich meal.

We Norwegians, however, have only quite recently, got the taste of this delicacy, preferring the dick breast, to the whole bird.

I have had great success roasting a whole duck in a "Schlemmertopf" a German clay pot, on a very low heat (100 degrees Celsius / 215 degrees Fahrenheit) for 5-7 hours, depending on the size of bird. Increase the temperature to 225 degrees Celsius / 430 degrees Fahrenheit for the last 30 minutes to crisp up the meat.

12/11/2018

Quentin Hotel in Xantenerstrasse is one of the best hotels I have stayed in, in the German capital. Good design, great location, fabulous bed, at a great price. And excellent free wifi. Who can ask for more.....
UPDATE: I managed to get a price per night at € 62, a bargain indeed, but the rate of the same room per this date is € 169.

11/11/2018

Schloss Sanssuci in Potsdam is a monument to Wilhelm the Great of Prussia. A pavillion, compared to other palaces of the 18th century, but so much more alive, organic and delicate as lace. It has been a joy walking through these rooms of beauty, on this day, 100 years since the end of World War I, or the great war, as the Britons call it. If any war could be great.

11/11/2018

Berlin is a Mecca for foodies. A wide range of restaurants from all over the world, serve inexpensive and high quality dishes. And do remember to visit the gourmet department at KaDeWe. There you find exclusive saffron, beluga caviar, and white truffles as well as less high end ingredients, all of the best quality. Here are photos from my culinary Berlin.

09/11/2017

Delicious grub at Hitch Hiker at Oslo Food Hall. From right to left: Mexican waffle with confit duck and mole, steam bun with pork rib and hoisin sauce and Korean style lambs rib, steam bun being my favourite - wicked, salty, sweet, crunchy, and soft as a duvet!!

31/10/2017

My review of Hotel Birger Jarl in Stockholm at booking.com: 9.6 out of 10

Comfortable budget living in downtown Stockholm

To be improved: Wifi: I had to log on quite often. Would love to log on once, and then be in. Wifi did not manage a good skype connection. Price of breakfast a little steep (145 SEK)

I had a decent sized room at Hotel Birger Jarl. Great bed. Very quiet. Ioved the fact that it was hardwoord/laminat flooring and not carpets. Great plus: Water kettle, but look for it. It was "hidden" in the closet, by the safe. Would love to have a little more coffee, so I could make another cup.

29/10/2017

Halloween and All Saints eve are celebrated on Tuesday and coming weekend here in Stockholm, Sweden, hence this pumpkin cake on display in a patissierie, close to my hotel, in Vasastaden.

29/10/2017

There are non-stop flights from Oslo to Doha and Dubai, but I do not find these destinations tempting. You may be branded as a criminal for completely acceptable behaviour. For those of you involved in a relationship, but still not married, you will not be able to share a room, and no one are allowed to kiss publicly. G**s, le****ns, and transgender individuals may be punished as being the one you are. And if you are r***d, they do not punish the perpetrator, but the victim for having s*x before marriage. So Norwegian and Emirates may fly back and forth with tourists, but I am determined never to visit these oppressive states.

28/10/2017

Tall burger, as served at the restaurant of Hotel Birger Jarl in Stockholm. Served medium topped with smoked chili mayonnaise, bacon and gruyere cheese on a brioche, with crispy fries and more of that delicious slightly hot mayo. A good end to a day in the Swedish capital.

02/07/2017

Gramignia con salsicchia e piselli. Long maccheroni with sausage and peas. Worth waiting 50 minutes for.

02/07/2017

I am lost for words, for one. After visiting three early Christian monuments (at least 1500 years old) I discover that the famous mosaics of Ravenna look new, even though they been seen by people in three millennia. Look at these pictures and get captivated!!!

02/07/2017

I have arrived in Emilia-Romagna, where I will stay my final six days of my journey. My base will be Ravenna, but I hope to visit Bologna to explore food and culture. Here are some snapshot of food offered me in Emilia-Romagna from 1st to 6th July 2017

01/07/2017

The best dish I enjoyed in Genova. Creamy aromatic pesto sauce provided a contrast to the delicious squid, crispy, and still tender inside.

Lunch: Antipasto. Fried squid in a rich parmesam sauce. So much taste.

01/07/2017

https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/cit-hotel-britannia.en-gb.html?aid=304142;label=review_am;appvl_email=1;rurl=040d9a4c7c7c4f53;tab=4;type=total&

I rated CIT Hotel Britannia to 6,3/10. It partly delivered, as my room was dark and oddly decorated. Read my review here.

Set in Genoa historic centre, Cit Hotel Britannia is just a few steps away from Genoa Piazza Principe Train Station and from the cruise ships terminal.

30/06/2017

I have learned to love this fantastic city between Venice and Verona. Going back two thousand years it is still going strong being one of the wealthiest city of the whole of Italy, due to its textile, steel and jewelry businesses. And you are not drowning in tourists. Here are some of the beauties of Vicenza

30/06/2017

Bigoli a l'anitra - hul spaghetti med en aromatisk stuing av andekjøtt, en klassiker fra Veneto. Nydt med et glass Blauburgunder Pinot Nero.

29/06/2017

http://negozio.gastronomiailceppo.com/it/pagina/bistrot Highly recommended if you ever visit Vicenza. And if you do not like codfish, do not despair. There are so much delish on the menu.

Un luogo incantanto dove degustare piatti tipici vicentini, tra cui il famoso Baccalà de Il Ceppo.

29/06/2017

Back in Veneto, a region with so much to offer those who enjoy food. My base will be, as last time, in Vicenza, but I hope to visit Treviso and Padova to explore food and culture. Here are some snapshot of food offered me in Veneto from 24th June to 1st July 2017

28/06/2017

Today I visited the Orto Botanico di Padova, a botanical garden in Padua, in the northeastern part of Italy. Founded in 1545 by the Venetian Republic, it is the world's oldest academic botanical garden that is still in its original location. The garden, affiliated with the University of Padua, currently covers roughly 22,000 square meters, and is known for its special collections and historical design. The Garden of Padua was founded upon deliberation of the Senate of the Venetian Republic. It was devoted to the growth of medicinal plants, the so-called "simple plants" (Orto dei semplici) which produced natural remedies, and also to help students distinguish genuine medicinal plants from false ones.