Saturday, June 15, 2013

Italy - Milan, To Eat (La Piccola Napoli, Ristorante Bilacus, La Locanda)

Milan - To Stay
Milan - To Do
Milan - To Eat
Milan - To Buy
Milan - To Eat
*Free Wifi Available. Ask Staff for password*

Ordered:
Artichoke, Olive, ham pizza (Pic L)
*Good if you like the stronger flavors fromartichokes*
Margherita pizza (Pic C)
Sea food pizza (Pic R)

*Never seen a seafood pizza done with shell fish in such a manner before. Aesthetically pleasing but not big on flavor.*

Calzone (Pic L) 
*A folded pizza of sorts tasting very similar to the margherita*
12 half lobster pasta (Pic C) 
*Second batch of lobster pasta came late due to miscommunication seemed rush.
Noodles were undercooked. Lobster was cooked perfectly, fresh, succulent and juicy.*
Baked Seabass 
*A strong fishy taste to it. Skin was bland and lacked seasoning.*
Lamb served on vegetables (not pictured)
*Char on lamb tasted more of burnt than caramelization.*
1 Salmon pasta (not pictured)
Fed 14 €26 each 
 Some hits and some misses, but close proximity to hotel may tip the scales.


Grom IL Gelato Come Una Volta
(Gelato Ice Cream)

Ordered whatever the house recommended:

Maybe good ice-cream melts relatively fast, but the ice-cream was so good that it had little chance of getting that far. Creamy, and bold, strong flavors. Definitely worth a try. Minimum double scoop order at €2.50. Click here for ABBA details of Grom Ice-cream

Ristorante Bilacus
(Located in Lake Como)
Situated beside the many walkways, Bilacus had an outstanding outdoor piazza, for diners to enjoy terrace dining. These were their specialities recommended.

Spaghetti Alle Vongole - Spaghetti with clams (Pic L) €12.00
*A very generous, large, heaving serve of super fresh clams. Excellent*
Pappardelle Alla Francescana -
Pasta with Bolgonese Sauce and Mushrooms (Pic C)  €11
*Mushrooms had a deep woody flavor to it and was well balanced against the meaty Bolognese sauce*
Penne All'Arrabbiata (Pic R) €9
*A simple aglio olio which was done well*
~Pictured below some of the other dishes ordered~
Click here for ABBA location of Ristorante Bilacus Located Salita Serbelloni 32, 22021 Bellagio Province of Como, Italy 



La Locanda
(Crew Joint)
*Free Wifi Available. Ask Staff for password* 
 Complementary serve of tomato flat bread as well as lemon liquor shots with biscotti to end the meal.

Ordered On:
19July2016
Lobster Spaghetti 16Euro
Its been a long 3 over years since I was last here, and in all likely hood it'll be my last with so many other options available. Although its all thumbs up in the picture but that was before checking out what was served.

Lobster serving was so scrappy as pictured and really a rip off. My other two comrades had decent sized ones and staff were quick to do a re-fire of the lobster.
 Fried Calamari
 *The batter nothing much to scream about, but the worst thing was that there was hair found in the batter of one of the squid rings. They did however strike this dish off the bill*

Tiramisu
*The tiramisu is pretty good. Nice, creamy and not overly sweet.*
Spinach*Okay only. Nothing special*
Beer x3
Each approximately 25Euros with Tip
It'll probably be another be 3years to never for a personal return back to this place. The only possible draw would likely be for comrade purposes. The pasta and other dishes are okay only. The only thing that is good, or decent really are the freebies, like the made-to-order complimentary margaritas and their free flow of chili flake condiments as well as Parmesan cheese. The tiramisu is pretty good and beers are served nice and cold. Other than that, the freebies and bread alone fills you up and nothing really screams at you for a return.

The place still draws lots of locals, but its probably due to the large serving size that comes with. 

Ordered On: 
15June2013
Breaded Veal
*lightly breaded and incredibly juicy and tasty.
However, meat was undercooked near the bone.*
Seafood risotto

*Nothing incredibly outstanding, or perhaps not having
the palette to recognize good risotto.*
Salmon Pasta
Clam Pasta
Tiramisu
Side orders of:
Crispy Calamari*a Light golden crisp. incredibly tasteful and batter not oily.*
Mixed Salad
*does not come with dressing. Do your own with vinaigrette and olive oil on hand*
Boiled spinach
*apparently a European staple dish to have, with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Incredibly simple, refreshing and delicious .*
Fed:7 €15 each.
For the Free WiFi, service and food, a place of good value.

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Saturday, June 8, 2013

Germany - Cologne, To Eat


Früh
 Ordered:
Fruh Beer

White Aspargus Soup

*A tad on the salty side, but what I assumed was melted cheese did add
a welcomed contrast to the soup. Tender morales of cut white asparagus contributed,
contrasting textures and a sweet note.*

Schweinshaxe
(German Pork Knuckles)
*Pork here has a more gamey flavor to it. Skin was not crispy, but a chewy, fatty pig-skin.
The potatoes were fragrant and had good caramelization with smokey flavor
derived from the fresh fried bacon cuts.
A very hearty and heavy dish too much for one to finish.*
Total Bill Aprox 20EURO

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Germany - Cologne, To Do

Cologne - To Do
Cologne Cathedral
Simple amazing. Think scenes from Lord Of Rings, brought to reality. No CG, but be in awe at these sky reaching pillars and beautiful stained glasses, marble carvings and mosaics flooring, lining every inch of the cathedral.
Apparently one can climb the 500+ steps up the towering spires. Entrance apparently was from the outside of the church, so do not miss out on that opportunity.
Click here for ABBA Location of Altstadt Nord from Köln HBF (Cologne Main train station)

Museum Ludwig
Bizarre, weird and strange. Perhaps the artist on display that month was beyond my artistic eye. There was a video art piece, where which, agreed between a collector and artist to make love in a hotel room, with that love tape Pre-bought. Be in amazement, while standing in a 8m by 8m room with a TV screen, airing the video, of the 'love' making. That's Art...

Individual taste required to find a visit here worth while.

Schokoladenmuseum Koln
(Chocolate Museum)
Located along the picturesque river bank, the Schokoladen Museum is a step by step tour of how coco is processed to its commercialized form as well as historical influence.
 

Special mentions are the customizable, chocolate bars visitors could make, as well as the beautifully crafted chocolate dispensing units and packaging from yester-years. Also on hand is their 5m tall Chocolate fountain and their climate control enclosure, housing the coco tree. 
A family friendly attraction, with a great bistro located on the ground floor by the river which one can enjoy their selection of cakes and coffees. 

Senfmuseum
(Mustard Museum)
Not really much of a museum, but more of a speciality shop selling mustards and jam mustard mixes. Guided tours avaialble but only in German. I had chanced upon this place from across the Schokoladenmuseum.
With their original, cold ground recipe from the 15th century and from 1820s, have allowed for them to be the recipient of 5 golds and a silver meda, as well as the admission into the international convenience, top ten companies.

Purchased their original recipe @ €7.50 mustard, which are sold in their original salt-glazed stone pots with a shelf life of 2yrs.
Click herefor ABBA Location of Senfmuseum: Holzmarkt 79-83 50676 Koln
Click herefor ABBA details on Senfmuehle

Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln
(Museum of Applied Art)
A small-medium sized collection of luxury items, categorized by mediums used, are displayed in this two storied museum. Works span from porcelain, ceramics, to wood carvings and metal works.
Not much in applied art I felt, and seemingly only the last section of exhibit was a last ditch effort to suit the theme with art movements incorporated into furniture and day to day utilities.

Shopping Street
It's not hard to find the main shopping street which is just past Altstadt Nord Cathedral. All major big brand names and fashion names line the street.
Special mention shops are, RIMOWA, which is attached to Dom Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in Europe. What makes this shop unique is that it dedicates an entire level to the history of RIMOWA.
Click here for Dom Hotel, Domkloster 2A, 50667 Köln, Germany
The next shop is Lego. I did not get to verify prices, but according to some, prices of lego here is up to 40% cheaper than full retail any where else. What was intriguing was that they had an entire wall of Lego pieces for customers to pick and choose for purchase.
Click here for ABBA location of shopping street, Hohe Straße
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Austria - Linz, To Do

Linz Township by the River

Linz is a quaint township with relic buildings, dining bistros and limited shopping.



Not to be missed is the torture devices 2Euro 'tour' in the mini catacombs of Burg Linz, and the array of beautiful blown glass in the retail stall, located above.

The entire township can be explored within half a day. Retail shops seemed repetitive after a while, with the very few speciality stores offering wines and oils. 

It's is often said in traveling that the journey is more important than the destination. This statement suits Linz to a T, with great joy derived from the river ride from Bonn to Linz than at Linz itself. Getting to Linz from Bonn Approximately+2hrs via river cruise. A Round trip at €17. Tickets maybe purchased on board.
Click here for ABBA details on Bonn - To Do and the Rhyne river cruise experience

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Germany - Bonn, To Eat

Bonn - To Stay
Bonn - To Do
Bonn - To Eat
Bonn - To Eat
Brauhaus Bonnsch

Ordered
 White Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce and Boiled potatoes

*A seasonal special. Tender and with a light sweetness and the tips.
Too much hollandaise may overpower the subtle sweetness.
It serves more as an appetizer than an entree, though prices don't reflect as such*

Aprox €14

Sausages, with sauerkraut and mash potatoes
Aprox €10.50

Self brewed beer €2.50/glass

*Cold, crisp, refreshing, light and a hint of fruity. A great tasting beer from this micro brewery which from plaques seem to have been recipient of brewing awards.*

Argentinean Steakhouse
What makes Argentinean steakhouse unique? It uses only Argentinian beef, free of diseases. After being processed they are instantly chilled, vacuum packed and flown to the restaurant. The cooking techniques uses only specific woods from south Africa/Argentina to add their distinct smoky flavor.


Ordered:

400g Ribeye €32.50

*Great, crisp, caramelized char marks. A hefty and a very respectable thick cut.

A little light on the seasoning but it is down to individual taste.
Meat cooked a perfect medium rare, however other Steaks seemed to have insufficient resting time,
with some individual orders having its juices all over the plate. Meat was tender, and delectable.*

Corn on Cob €3

*Corn was sweet and smoky flavor from the wood shown through*

Fried Onion €3.50

*Oily and greasy. Boarder line unpleasant.*

2 Cokes 400ml €7.80

Total: €47.50

A complementary shot of port came with the meal. Maybe it was because we were a big group at that time, but still a great way to end the meal.

Click here for ABBA location of El Tarascon Das Original Argentinische Steakhouse

Clemen-August-Ste. 2-4 53115 Bonn


Roses
 Ordered:

Pink Roasted American Beef Strips €13.80

*A simple vingerette which a touch of creaminess and citrus to cut the bitterness from the endives.
Beef slices had a strong gamey taste not usually found in beef, but was still enjoyable.*

Fresh Tagiatelle with Fried Goat Cheese €12.90

*A fried up wadge of strong, strong, goats cheese in cream sauce. The type that makes you see the goats go by. Very filling and very, very heavy, The fresh Tagiatelle was excellent and tobasco sauce helped to cut through the heaviness and bring some heat to the dish.*

ABBATIP:

- Mon to Fri 1200-1500hrs, pasta dishes for €7.95.
Click here for ABBA location of Roses  Martinsplatz 2a, 53113 Bonn (Nearest Train station, University Markt)
Click here for ABBA details on Roses
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