Without further introduction, here is a list of my travel tips for Vienna (and especially for the area surrounding Karlsplatz):
- La Norma (authentic italian food and very friendly service. Another place worth visiting, Das Kleine Café is just around the corner on the Franziskanerplatz)
- First Floor (a smoky, dimly lit cocktail bar. rather classy, but also suitable for serious drinking.)
- Anton Heldwein (one of the best jewellers on Graben)
- Opera (don’t bother if you can’t get proper tickets for seats with good visibility though.. the peddlers near Stephansdom will usually try to sell you cheap ones in the back. you can get good tickets for the less popular operas online exactly one month before the show)
- Haus der Musik (a music museum)
- Sisi museum and royal apartments (consider skipping the silverware section and heading straight to the apartments.. they are much more interesting)
- Local Heurigens (take a tram and a long walk around the vineyards and then sit down for an hour or two to enjoy the wines. Try Zadowsky to see an authentic vineyard instead of a inner atrium only)
- Puma Store (on Mariahilferstrasse which is a good street for shopping in general)
- Brunch at Naschmarkt (it’s a bustling food market with many nice restaurants. gets very busy on Saturdays, also a flea market)
- Flakturms (there are three old air defense towers in the city. all of them are impressive sights to behold)
- Vintage fashion (right next to Babette’s)
- Specialty tea shops (it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a few around the city center)
- Palmhausen (it is run by the same people as Volksgarten)
- Fresh Soup and Salad (the name says it all, it’s a franchise, but the concept works well)
- Podium (an unhurried, relaxed and friendly atmosphere)
- Fratelli il Gelato (one of the many great ice cream bars in the city. fast service, the orders are transmitted wirelessly to the kitchen)
- Uhrenbörs (a store specializing in old and antique wrist watches)
- Babette’s (bookstore specializing in cooking books)
- Musik Kiosk (a must see club that can be summed up in three words: sausage, mustard, music)
- Tiberius (slightly less discreet souvenirs for that special someone)
- Volksgarten (an institution in the clubbing scene.. some say it’s one of the best in the world)
- Stadtpark (a pleasant restaurant pavillion right next to the u-bahn station. the park is rather compact, there is a grass field reserved for sun bathing and just lying around at the north part of the park)
- Aroma.at (a cozy little place suitable for chatting and drinking)
- Breakfast club (a restaurant that sells only breakfasts)
- Badeschiff (a floating restaurant around the very nice Schwedenplatz area)
- Sunday brunch at Marriott (lavish and expensive buffet, worth trying at least once in your life. we were lucky enough to get gift vouchers for it)
- Kunsthalle Wien Project Space (another great option for a brunch or a breakfast.. they are open until 2 am)
- Schloss Schönbrunn (there is a zoo and a nice palm house in the area. Plenty of walking opportunities)
- Belvedere (A Baroque residence complete with a nice park. there is also a botanical garden right next to it)
- Kohlmarkt (a shopping street with Chanel, Prada and other luxury brands)
- Museumsquartier (including museum of modern art)
- Donau Insel (rent a citybike or rollerskates, register your credit card on the internet site of citybikes before the rental)
- El Español (a members only tapas club on most night, but try making a reservation for Tuesday)
- TwinCity liner to Bratislava (it’s a nice way to see the river on a boat)
- Cafe Sperl (a great example of the highly refined cafe culture around here)
- Parndorf Outlet Park (Helly Hansen, Levi’s etc)
- Prater amusement park (the ferris wheel is worth visiting, so are some of the wilder rides, several outdoor restaurants in the area)
- Bergfuchs (mountain equipment store)
- Alte Donau area (a tv tower and a big field suitable for playing soccer, I didn’t try the huge chinese restaurant)
- Danube Trail (if you are fitness orientated, you could cycle up or down the river for a few days, we’ll be doing the trip with this company)
- Sababa (perfect for late night snacks, for a drink try the nana limo.. a type of non-alcoholic mojito)
- The public transport works like a dream. The easiest way to get around is the U-Bahn. Get a weekly ticket for 12,50 euros. Taxis are relatively cheap as well.
That’s all for now.. comments and corrections are welcome! I’ll be travelling in Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia for the next few weeks, so don’t expect too many updates to this blog in June.
P.S. If you are also going to Berlin, check out my travel tips fo Berlin
Posted by api at 12:08 - No Comments »
Last night I tasted one of the best Riojas I have ever tasted. There’s a little Tapas joint down the street called El Español. They have a non-smoking buffet night on Tuesdays. I can’t remember the vintage, but the 25 centiliters of Marqués de Riscal Grand Reserva I had was simply divine. The Tapas were super delicious as well.
The grand reserva was being served from miniature half liter bottles. That is actually a really convenient size for fine wines like this.
Here’s what an australian wine site had to say about Marqués de Riscal Reserva 2001.
Tasting notes
Strong dark colour. It smells of black and red fruits but mainly the black ones - blackberries, cherries. There’s also coffee, mineral, earth and spicy vanilla oak that is beautifully applied to the lush dark fruit. On the palate medium to full bodied and still pretty tight. There are flavours of blackberry, spice and again those earthy minerally flavours. The oak adds a layer of cedar and vanillin flavour. The tannins are really what I like here though - mouthcoating layers of powdery firm tannins that reach into every corner. Long finish that makes you think -’ooo this really is a most excellent wine’. At the moment this is a Reserva showing some reserve so give it a few more years if you are lucky (or smart) enough to own a few bottles.
EDIT: The small bottles are actually 0,375 liter ones. I managed to get the last two from their current batch.
Posted by api at 12:49 - No Comments »
The Macallan Elegancia
The Macallan Elegancia is selected from a unique combination of sherry casks, which have previously contained both fino and Oloroso sherries.
This expression is an exclusive release through Duty free and travel retail stores round the world.
Colour:
Bright Gold.
Nose:
Light citrus with vanilla, sweet toffee, spice and oak.
Palate:
Spice and citrus, balanced with a nutty maltiness.
Finish:
Sweet toffee, with spice and light oak.
I’m almost pathologically jealous of my friend Philipp for many, many things: he speaks several languages fluently, he is a doctor of philosophy, he can play drums quite well, his wife looks a bit like Claudia Schiffer, he has a family signet ring and he has a great collection of 80’s heavy metal albums.
He also has a formidable collection of single malt whiskies. It was his birthday yesterday and, as always, a treasure chest of these rare liquid treats was opened around midnight. After tasting a couple them (including the hard to find Redbreast) I still thought that the sherry oak Macallan Elegancia was simply supreme. It was rather light and delicate, but it had a citric kick that made it just perfect. I’m not really even a whisky aficionado, but I plan to get a bottle as soon as I see one for sale.
Posted by api at 10:46 - No Comments »
Running a restaurant can be a surprisingly demanding task. Marketing, logistics, human resources, product design.. they are all there just waiting to be accomplished every single day. I’ve visited quite a few franchised or semi-franchised joints in Helsinki. Most of them are huge disappointments. The atmosphere and the food leave a lot to be desired. Sometimes you feel like you are visiting an establishment that’s just one small step above from a fast food restaurant.
Fortunately there are exceptions. Kuurna is one of those places where things just click together. The night out at the restaurant can be a satisfying experience on many different levels. Their concept is to serve a supper to two different “rounds” of clients. The first round is at 6 pm and the second round is at 8 pm. The wine list is delightful, although a bit pricey. Food itself, on the other hand, strikes just the right balance between being a sophisticated and innovative gourmet meal while still being straight-forward and familiar enough for most people.
Highly recommended. I give it five stars out of five.
Posted by api at 10:12 - No Comments »
After a sweaty 1500 meter approach climb I’m staying overnight at the lovely Bushline hut in the Travers-Sabine circuit of the Nelson lakes national park. Tomorrow I’ll head off to the remote lake Angelus along the Mt. Roberts ridgeline if the weather is good.
My dinner tonight is Backcountry Cuisine’s Thai Chicken Curry. These dehydrated meals can be surprisingly tasty if you just let them stand for a while. Stay away from their Cooked Breakfast though. Adding boiling water to egg powder and freeze dried bacon just doesn’t work.
Posted by api at 23:19 - No Comments »
unsicht-Bar Berlin
Sight is without question the most important of the five senses. In this fast moving world, our eyes are constantly working overtime. Throughout the day, our eyes have to comprehend, process and evaluate thousands of visual messages. Hence the other senses have unwillingly become less important.
Our blind waiters explain the placing of objects using a clock analogy, so that you can act in the dark. The
spoons are found at twelve o’clock.
When having dinner at the unsicht-Bar dark restaurant Berlin your eyes will finally be able to take a well-deserved break. By voluntarily abandoning your visual impulses you will be able to experience what wonderful work your other senses are capable of. Feel a gentle breeze. Feel the things on your table. Let your nose explore unknown horizons and experience pure taste without any visual pretence. You will feel the presence of your table partners and will be pleasantly surprised how the simplest conversation will magnify in importance. A genuine sensory rush!
I’ve been to unsicht-Bar once and it was a truly enjoyable and memorable experience. It felt very much like a normal evening out at a fine restaurant, except that we couldn’t see anything. The ambience with lively conversation, waiters walking by, the sound of the cutlery and people laughing and toasting… it was all there. The waiter guided us to our table and explained where everything is and how to summon him. He snapped his fingers and approached us every now and then to ask if everything is alright. The food was quite delicious as well and the fact that you had to eat it “blind” really made a difference as far as taste is concerned.
The payment was made after the meal in an elegant lounge lit by candles.
I believe there are dark restaurants in many big cities these days. One opened on Sunset Boulevard recently.
Posted by api at 09:51 - No Comments »
Now this is really something! I found a little package marked “Wonderkeep” among these Wasabi Coated Green Peas (which are extremely delicious by the way). After a little googling around I found out what the function of this package is:
Wonderkeep
Wonderkeep is pioneered from the iron powder production technology as an oxygen absorber. Wonderkeep extracts the oxygen from the interior of a sealed package in a short period of time and the normal atmospheric oxygen level of 21% drops to less than 0.1%. With the elimination of almost all the oxygen in a package, the freshness and quality of food is maintained for a longer period. Wonderkeep is a fast-acting quality product with a wide range of applications.
This stuff is a great invention. It helps to keep food fresh without additives. I have previously considered getting a manual household food container vacuuming system such as the one from Vacuvin. These little Wonderkeep packages would be really handy on extended camping trips to preserve leftover food. Obviously one needs an airtight container to make them work, but such containers are readily available. I bought a few Lock’n'Lock boxes just last week.
Most of the pre-packaged meat sold in Finland is either vacuum packed or packaged in “protective gas” which is just regular air with the oxygen removed.
Posted by api at 00:01 - 1 Comment »
Antiokia Atabar has to be one of the best Turkish restaurants in Helsinki. We’ve had some exellent dinners over there once or twice. I spotted this unique mirror ball above their belly dancing area.
There is also an excellent Turkish restaurant called Kilim in Tapiola.
Posted by api at 13:43 - 1 Comment »
I’ve visited only two vegetarian restaurants in Helsinki. One of them is Zucchini which is just a few blocks away so I visit it quite frequently for lunch. They have a single choice for lunch (8 euro) and an optional soup which costs only 1 euro, so I usually take the soup as well. The picture above is of a typical example of a portion you get at Zucchini. Around lunch time this lively restaurant is usually filled up with workers from the many bank offices that surround it, but there is quite a bit of other regulars as well. The food is good and I like the atmosphere well enough to keep going there.
Another restaurant called Vege is on Uudenmaankatu. I’ve been there only once, but it was a nice place as well. A lot bigger and the atmosphere is more airy with more ambient light etc. The third place is called Silvoplee. It’s run by a semi-celebrity turned all new age and vegan.
Posted by api at 10:14 - No Comments »
History - Diners Club
The legendary story of how it all started:
In 1949, Frank McNamara schedules a business meal at a New York restaurant called Major’s Cabin Grill. Prior to dinner, he changes suits. After dinner, the waiter presents the bill. Frank reaches for his wallet . . . and realizes that he has left it in his other suit. McNamara finesses the situation, but that night he has a thought, “Why should people be limited to spending what they are carrying in cash, instead of being able to spend what they can afford?” In February 1950, McNamara and his partner, Ralph Schneider, return to Major’s Cabin Grill and order dinner. When the bill came, McNamara presents a small, cardboard card - a Diners Club Card - and signs for the purchase. In the credit card industry, this event is still known as the First Supper.
After a year, the company was making $60000 profit, but the inventor himself, Mr McNamara thought the whole thing was just a passing fad and sold his shares for $200 000.
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