Baba

Sunday day trip: short bus rip uphill from Hradčanská took us to Baba. Beautiful part of Praha 6 on a hill with magnificient views all around.  After a walk down to Podbaba, lunch at cosy restaurant Pod Juliskou with surprisingly good choices for a veggie as well. And an ice cream stall with an apt name. Not.

Mlsna Kavka

"Picky jackdaw" is a veggie restaurant in Karlin, Prague 8. After a long walk a tempeh burger with fries was just what I craved for. Juicy, big and tasty. Also I had one of the best home-made lemon limonades ever. M had falafel salad, which also was good. Falafels were fresh, moist and not dry at all. The restaurant employs people rehabilitating from mental problems and disorders, so the service can sometimes be slow or shy. Even more reason to support the establishment.

Wine Food Market

 last week we got acquintated with Italian food market and restaurant near Smichovské nadrazi. The grocery department stacks italian delicacies like olive oils, pasta, wine, cheese... Whatever your heart desires.

After filling your shopping basket you can start filling your stomach from bakery, restaurant, ice cream and cake counter. We bought antipasti such as cheeses, rustic bread and delightfully strawberryish rosé from the grocery store. The staff kindly cut the cheese for us, changed our wine bottle to a colder bottle and even rinsed tomatos ready in a bowl! Very nice. And the tomatos were to die for, so sweet and juicy. Oh, and we also had sizzling pizza slices from bakery. Yummy. I honestly thought that would be enough and I would not need a main.
How wrong I was...

For main dish I had salad with some Piemontese cheese, grilled aubergine and zucchini. And final touch was a scoop of capuccino icecream.

The food was delicious, simple but good as it should be. The service was fine too. One of the younger waiters seemed to be a bit lost with his plates asking around who oredered what but that was just cute. The place seemed to be laidback and informal, big tables and one open space to dine. On a Wednesday evening it was buzzing with people. Too bad that it closes already at 22.00, also on weekends.

All in all a really good experience. Though a meat and fish eater place mostly, there are vegetarian salads, pizzas and pastas available.

Definitely want to go again, maybe for lunch or for serious grocery shopping. Or bringing guests, or just taking a tram trip for gelato.

Food porn

This is it. I've reached the crucial point. It's getting really hardcore and rough. I eat out 3-4 times a day plus snacks in between. I'm not going back to Europe, ever. I'll stay right here near Fortune Centre chinese mall with at least 10 veggie/vegan restaurants, cafés, catering firms and grocery stores. Plus I can have my fortune read, my skin whitened, and my buddhist monk acquaintances can have their robes fitted there. Yesterday I hyperventilated over saree silks, today I cried like a baby seeing all the soy products, spice mixtures and dried mushrooms. Singapore has debauched me, totally.

Had lunch at 4th floor, New Green Pasture Café, which was probably the most expensive of the restaurants on site. But it has not only vegan but also organic stuff plus eco groceries and products, good good. I chose tofu rolls and peppermint-honey lemonade. On my way down grabbed two buns, one with blueberries and another one with matcha powder. Would like to say that I shared the buns with D, but I did not.

I've seen a lot of nice things here, so the next post will be abut smth else than food, ok? OK? Now I must end writing this because I need to google a place to dine today. OK?

Veggie Cottage, Singapore

Veggie Cottage is cute tiny european styled restaurant in Little India, serving both western and asian vegan food. The staff was really nice! I tried laksa, it was good and spicy (excluding weird mock fishballs). Obviousl laksa is only served on Saturdays, what a goo luck we had! My friend D had something milder with chunks of tofu. Little India was just adorable otherwise too, going again later to take a closer look at the beautiful fabrics and colorful veggie&spice markets.

edit: my keyboard starts to omit letters, like in singlish. Mayb time to buy a tablet??

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Unidentified dinner

Today I ate deep-fried somethings and green something, both I didn't recognize. Some beans maybe, water chestnut? Just pointed them with my finger at the food stall. It was a veggie one, so no worries, it wasn't pig snout. As dessert sweet sweet bananas with coconut cream as thick as gravy. Washed it down with jasmin scented iced green tea. Some fresh pineapple, longan juice and pandan-flavoured bun waiting in my fridge when I shall become hungry again.

One night in Bangkok, so far

Been here little over 24 hours, trying carefully not to get overwhelmed which is difficult here. Can't think of any verbs about Bangkok yet, here's adjectives to begin with: smelly, noisy, hot, poor, golden, cheap, smiling, indifferent, beautiful, ugly, tasty, pungent, chaotic, smooth, marvellous. An ongoing carnival.

I'm not sure after not sleeping properly for several days/nights (what time and date is now?) but I think I like this exuberancy. It is too much of everything, but in a far-out, enjoyable, surrealistically kinda too much.

On my way from the airport to the hotel without a map I got irrevocably lost. I didn't mind it at all, it felt nice. I've had the same feeling in some other first visits, and that usually tells me I'm about to like the surroundings. After walking in the heat for dunno how long, asking for contradictory but friendly advices, I finally took a tuk-tuk and bartered intensively about the price.

This is a sentence I thought never would escape my mouth, but I feel a little bit disadvantaged here, being a sensitive-stomached vegetarian. There's SO many weird weird thingies on the street vendor stalls and BBQs to taste! Settling for fresh fruits and veggie restaurants is ok but still... Ok, that's the end of the whining. Today I ate fried rice (not the sticky one yet) and sesame balls (made from sticky rice!) in green ginger tea. Now a siesta and in the evening wandering around Pratunam street market. Maybe durian fruit, jellied coconut or some fruit that I've never seen before. The pic is from my hoods, albeit the hotel is on a quiet side street.

How to spend your Sunday properly

I'd like to share and present the guidelines for a perfect Sunday. Not sure if I can repeat it myself following the instructions, but being a one-off maybe makes it even better.

Start with going to Dzban beach (the muddy pond I referred already in earlier posts) and take a nap under the birch. Do not mind the bugs biting your pale skin. Notice that slight hangover, aquired the day before, makes the heat and every sensation even more intense. Eat some liquorice to get your blood pressure up.

When revived enough, have luncheon at Grazing Daysi veg(an/ggie?) restaurant across the pond. The place is just too good to be true, like a spanish hacienda. The interior was ultracool from handwritten menus to lampshades made from aluminium and pallet tables, views and everything. I had salad with kohlrabi, strawberry-orange lemonade and spelt pancake. Lunch companion had beans (sorry, can't remember more precisely), watermelon-mint lemonade, pancake and tulsi tea. Google tulsi.

Only negative things I can come up with was that I didn't see a dog meandering around at the establisment. There should be a dog!

After lunch relocate your towel to the other side of the pond, the one you need to pay. Take another nap. Swim, eat liquorice, nap, count the clouds... Repeat this until it starts to rain sometime in the afternoon. Retreat just before the thunderstorm. Lie doggo in the metro tunnels until the rain ceases. Go home, be happy.

Raw food and forest at Krymska street

Yesterday conquered the hip ulice Krymska. Raw food at Plevel was good and filling enough for me (the carnivore had to have some fast food later in the evening). Only problem with raw food is my nut allergy as nuts are widely used. At Plevel they omitted the nuts from my dish, but there was only one dish I could have as the others had nuts too fundamentally as basic ingredient. All in all the raw food menu was short, there was also interesting vegan menu which can be tried some other time.

After pizza, spaghetti made of zucchini, apple strudel and weird potato drink that tasted like army or coffee being stored over winter at moist summer cottage, we mooched along Krymska to V Lese (=in the forest) which was a very comfy bar indeed. They have gigs at the basement and the ambience is really cozy. On the way home we found several pieces of furniture from the street, some of them designer stuff, so it was a very productive evening!

Newest Dhaba Beas - cool veggie place!

Latest addition to Prague veggie restaurants is Dhaba Beas at the inner arcade of theatre Archa, Na Poříčí. It is brand new and it looks cool! Nothing like shabby threadbare eateries that veggie places - excuse me - sometimes are. It has a huge terrace facing the tranquil yard.

The food is basic tasty Dhaba Beas quality, we were there at 6 in the evening and the dishes could have been a bit warmer. I especially liked the Thai curry with coconut. Echoing emptyness, let's hope not for long. Open daily until late, nice!

Eräänä päivänä Karlinissa, Praha 8 | One day at Karlin P8

 

Karlin Florencin takana on yksi tuntemattomimmista kaupunginosista mulle. Oon käynyt parissa kivassa ravintolassa (The Gate, Krystal Mozaika bistro)  ja yhdessä vege-paikassa (Mlsna Kavka, josta kuormalavojen näköisistä puista rakennettu terassikuva), mutta muuten en tunne Praha 8:n tätä reunaa. Sieltä löytyy näköjään neulottua puistoa, värikyniltä näyttäviä toimistorakennuksia ja kivoja kujia, mutta myös vilkkaasti liikennöityjä ratikkakiskoisia katuja. Kirjastoautokin pysähtyy joka tiistai!

 

Karlin is one of the least known city parts of central Prague to me. I've visited only a few nice restaurants/bars and veggie place Mlsna Kavka (pallet-looking terrace pic from there), otherwise nevim. Small alleys, parks with guerrilla knitted trees, crayon colour buildings but also busy streets.  And mobile library stop!

Alce Nero Caffé, Bologna

Luomuelintarvikkeita, -kosmetiikkaa, viihtyisä luomukahvila ja -ravintola  Alce Nero Caffé Bolognan yliopistoalueen sokkeloisella pikkukujalla Via Petroni 9. Mitä muuta vastuullinen kasvissyöjä voisi toivoa? No ehkä luomuparmesaania, mutta sitä ei taida saada direktiivien mukaan valmistaa. Harmi ettei ollut nälkä enempään kuin kahviin ja pizzettaan, ravintolan puoli näytti viihtyisältä ja täydeltä pääsiäislauantaina suunnilleen lounasaikaan. Yksi munakoisoannos lisää tällä italianreissulla.

Ecological groceries, cosmetics, cozy café and restaurant in Bologna university area. Nice stop for a cappuccino and aubergine pizzetta. Restaurant looked nice and full too, too bad I wasn't hungry enough to try it.

Mitä tästä pitäisi ajatella -uni | Dunno what to think dream

Uudenvuodenaaton suunnitelma oli selvä ja viimeksi eilen juttelin ystävän kanssa illasta. Näin unta ja heräsin aamulla täydelliseen varmuuteen siitä, että suunnitelma ei toteudu, en mene ravintolaan jonne olen suunnitellut meneväni, mekko silitettynä ja kynsikorut liimattuna. Tunne ei ollut positiivinen tai negatiivinen, vain täysi varmuus siitä että näin ei tule käymään. Intuitioni on ollut hiljaisehko viimeiset vuodet (vuosikymmenet?), joten on sitä varmaan kuunneltava. Katsotaan päivän mittaan mitä tapahtuu.

I've been planning to spend New Year's Eve in a certain restaurant with friends. I had my dress ironed and nails polished and everything. Last night I dreamt and woke up knowing that it's not going to happen. It wasn't neither positive or negative feeling and nothing like a hoaxy disaster premonition, just complete certainty. My intuition has been quiet fot a long time, so I guess I have to listen to it. Let's see what happens during the day.

Zucchini, Helsinki

Vihdoin onnistuin löytymään Zucchiniin Fabianinkatu neloseen lounasaikaan! Paikka oli täynnä, mutta istumapaikka yhdelle löytyi jonottamatta. Päivän annos oli kantarellirisottoa kasvishöysteellä. Palan painikkeeksi kulautin lasillisen luomu-pinot gris'ia Alsacesta.

Annos oli tosi reilun kokoinen, joten hinta-laatusuhde 9,30€ lounaalle oli ok. Lisäksi tarjolla oli leipää, kivana vaihtoehtona myös rieskaa. Risotto oli hyvää, juuri niin al dente että jos olisin tehnyt sen itse, epäilisin sen olevan raakaa :)

Zucchini is counted into top veggie restaurants in Helsinki (not that they are very many of them all together). Had chanterelle risotto with veggie stew, also a glass of organic pinot gris from Alsace. The risotto was just perfectly al dente, all in all a great lunch. Zucchini is open just lunchtime until 4 pm and only weekdays.

VegeHop, Zagreb

Kolmannella yrittämällä osuin vegaaniraflaan sen ollessa auki. Appelsiinilassi ja biosalaatti olisivat riittäneet, varmuudeksi tilasin vielä kokojyvämuffinsin siihen sivuun. Syömättähän se jäi, vaikka hyvää olikin. Ei erityisen edullinen, mutta viehko pieni ravintola. Harekrisna-musa ihan lievästi ärsytti. Osoite Vlaska 79.

Small restaurant, only 16 seats! Ordered bio salad (grain, tofu, leek, carrot etc) and a wholewheat muffin just in case. The muffin was too much. Orange lassi wasn't the best I've ever had but ok. Accepts credit cards, not open on Sun.

Green Point, Zagreb

Osoitteessa Varsavska 10 kiva pieni pikaruokapaikka. Ihanan pitkä smoothie- ja shakelista. Valitsin banaani-mansikka-appelsiini-inkiväärismoothien savutofuburgerin kaveriksi. Kohtuullisen edullinen, vaikka Zagrebin hintatasoon nähden fast foodiksi kallista. Ei auki viikonloppuisin.

Tiny, busy, healthy fastfood joint. A lot of yummy shakes and smoothies made according to clients wishes. I had banana-strawberry-orange-ginger smoothie with a tofu burger. Not the cheapest in Zagreb but for a Finn very decently priced. Not open Sat-Sun.

Cornucopia

Koko Dublinista (saati sitten Limerickista) ei löytynyt islantilaisen Hagleikur Dagssonin kirjoja. Onhan jutut aika härskejä, ehkä ne on katoliselle maalle liikaa. Kirjaa metsästäessäni eksyin Temple Barin alueelle, löysin scifi- ja sarjiskaupan ja kävin Cornucopiassa (19 Wicklow Street) illastamassa.

Ajatusvirheen vuoksi söin kikhernesalaattia JA hummusta, mutta hyvää se oli silti. Aikaisemmin syömäni patonki vain oli repinyt kitalakeni verille, joten ruoka oli melkein verellä höystettyä vegesafkaa. Hummus oli ok, mutta edelleen parasta olen tehnyt itse.

Hyviä oliiveja, ilmaista vettä ja innokas + ystävällinen henkilökunta. Luomuviiniä ja -olutta tarjolla, pitkät aukioloajat.

Vegetka

Dejviceen on harvoin asiaa, ellei ole tulossa tai menossa lentokentälle. Kafkova 16:ssa on vegaanirafla Vegetka, joka tarjoaa aasialaista buffetlounasta edulliseen kilohintaan.

Ei todellakaan mitään erikoista, samaa mättöä kuin muissakin vastaavissa paikoissa mutta hinta kohdillaan ja ruoka ok. Paljon munakoisoa, dobre. Aasialainen hlökunta ei puhu englantia, mutta mullehan se ei ole ongelma. Heitin kevyttä tsekinkielistä läppää valintajonossa edellä menevien kanssa kun yhdessä ihmeteltiin mitä nimettömissä astioissa on. Osoitin läskinnäköistä köntsää ja sanoin: maso, ne? Huono vitsi mutta tsekiksi kuitenkin. :)

Bio Zahrada

Vinohrady on mukava kaupunginosa, siellä on monta pientä kivaa raflaa. Luomua myyvä ja tarjoileva Bio Zahrada (Belgicka 33) on uusimpia tulokkaita kätevästi Namesti Mirun metroaseman likellä.

Osuin paikalle puoli tuntia lounasajan päättymisen jälkeen, joten vegeburgeri jäi maistamatta. Tarjolla oli soppaa, leipää ym., päädyin valkosipulikeittoon ja tempeh-hummusleipään. Keitto oli hyvää, niin kuin se aina on, mutta sitä kasvissyöjä voi syödä missä tahansa ravintolassa. Hanavesi oli kädenlämpöistä (plääh), mutta leipä ok ja miljöö. Ja syöjän fiilis.

Nuori henkilökunta puhui sujuvaa englantia, wifi oli käytössä ja takapihalta löytyi se zahrada. Kaikki elementit kohdillaan, kun seuraavan kerran olen huudeilla niin koetan olla lounasaikaan liikkeellä. Pahoittelut valjusta valokuvasta, miten siitä nyt noin huono tuli.

Toisen kerran Café Blossom

Koska tykästyin ruokaan ja paikan ilmeeseen, houkuttelin I:n ja K:n Upper West Sidelle Café Blossomiin viimeisenä NY-iltana. K tilasi lasagnen, I saman caesarsalaatin kuin minä lounaalla ja mulla oli pizza bites + sweet potato fries.

Pizzapalojen pohja oli ihanin koskaan syömäni: pannupizzan olemus mutta kevyt ja rasvattoman oloinen. Pizzapala ei painanut haarukassa juuri mitään. Vegaanijuusto oli hyvää, sopivan venyvää ja sopivan rasvaista. Bataatit menivät melkein jälkiruoasta, niin makoisia ne olivat.

Varsinainen jälkiruoka oli suklaakakkupala jota ei kolmestaan jaksettu syödä kokonaan! Järkyttävän suuri ja hyvä! Moussekerroksia tahmean suklaisen kakkupohjan välissä, päällä mokkakuorrutus. Soo good.

Illan sitcom oli laskun maksu, kahdella oli luottokortti ja loput maksettiin käteisellä. Itse kunkin osuuden laskemiseen tippeineen meni ainakin 10 minsaa ja sen kakkupalan verran. Tarjoilijakundin kärsivällisyydestä plussaa loistavan ruoan lisäksi siis...