Holiday Foodsteps: The Treat Trail

I think that no matter where you go in Europe, you'll find something to satisfy a sweet tooth - this is just a little collection, a photo trail, if you may, of where I took my sweet tooth when my family came to visit.

Macarons in Paris

 
 Absolutely gorgeous, aren't they?


Little tubs of joy in Switzerland

 
Those guys over at Movenpick really know how to make espresso flavoured ice cream. Amazing.

Ice cream for breakfast in Vienna

Zanoni & Zanoni

Burgring  1

Wien, 1010

 

Because being on holiday means you can do whatever you want.

Iced coffee at a 72 year old cafe 

  

Cafe Hawelka

Dorotheergasse 6

1010 Wien 

Pricey, yes, but there will always be a special place in my heart for my very first Viennese iced coffee.

Holiday Foodsteps: Ribs of Vienna

After getting a taste of ribs on our very first day in Vienna, the brother wanted just one more round of ribs before saying goodbye to Vienna. That meant consulting the all-knowing guidebook again. It was one of those "Bingo!" moments - there's no better outcome than actually finding a place called "Ribs of Vienna" when looking for a place for a place for ribs in Vienna

Ribs of Vienna

Weihburggasse 22

1010 Vienna, Austria




We started off with a platter of three different kinds of spareribs - ribs of Vienna (naturally), hot and spicy Diablo ribs and Dijon ribs. The ribs of Vienna became a favourite very early into the meal and we ordered a serving of just those ribs even before we were done with our mixed platter. The other two types were good but at the end of the day, the simplicity of the Viennese-style ribs kept us coming back for more.

Barbecue platter for two persons - spareribs, pork, turkey, mushrooms and two dips. It's a barbecue platter for two that can feed four or five. The pork and turkey were very much like schnitzels but without the crunchy breadcrumb coating with the breadcrumbs choosing instead to appear on the mushrooms.

It wasn't all meat for us, we had a large mixed salad and a variety of soups to make us feel just a tiny bit better about all the meat that we were ingesting. Out of the trio of soups that we ordered (Hungarian goulash, French onion and a simple Bouillon), the French onion was my favourite.

I think ribs are the perfect thing for a family meal - the whole concept of sharing and being comfortable enough to get your hands dirty. Ribs of Vienna definitely has satisfying ribs, spareribs with a bit of bite and a lot of flavour. I must say though, that after a meal made up almost entirely of spareribs, I'm still partial to baby back ribs, something that Ribs of Vienna unfortunately doesn't have on their menu.

The little brother, with a satisfied grin.

Holiday Foodsteps: Gulaschmuseum, Vienna

"It's a Goulash Museum!"

I couldn't help but exclaim as I came across the name in our trusty guidebook. Having had both the Hungarian and Czech versions of this dish earlier in the summer and finding them to be quite different from each other, I was eager to experience the Viennese interpretation of the popular dish. I thought - where better to sample goulash than at an eatery called the Goulash Museum.

Gulaschmuseum
Schulerstraße 20
1010 Vienna, Austria
   
The restaurant is located a short walk away from Stephansplatz - the great thing about is that it's situated on one of the smaller, quieter streets so it's got great accesibility and a pleasant, less touristy atmosphere. Armed with our map, we found the restaurant with no trouble at all and soon, we were comfortably seated outdoors, skimming through the menu and enjoying the lovely weather. 

A nice variety of rolls arrived at our table soon after we placed our orders and it took quite a bit of willpower not to completely devour our little basket of rolls before the main dishes arrived.
My personal favourite was the sesame seed-topped brown roll, but then again, I'm always partial to sesame seed-topped anything.





Goulash of pork mixed with sauerkraut, "Szeged style. The first of our two goulash dishes arrived and let me tell you, holding off on the rolls is worth it - they are the perfect vessel to get all that flavourful gravy from the plate to your tastebuds. 




Goulash of turkey with boiled salted potatoes. This was my favourite of the two, another one of those dishes that hints of curry power. We all know that's the key to any Malaysian's heart.


 
Dad regaled us with stories of how he used to dunk hot, crispy fries into goulash and how they made the perfect pair. The little brother was so taken by the yummylicious descriptions that he decided the meal wouldn't be complete without a serving of, yup, you guessed it - fries. Fries and goulash are definitely a guilty pleasure, terribly addictive whether quickly dunked and taken out to retain crispiness or left in the gravy to soak everything up.

I love the concept of a goulash - just simple, hearty, comfort food. The ones that we had at Gulaschmuseum were exactly that, great for a family meal. I have to say that out of all the goulash dishes (and soups!) that I tried over the summer, these ones were my favourite. Perhaps it was the hint of curry spices, or the fact that they fit my idea of how a goulash should be - whatever it is, Vienna did the trick for me.

Holiday Foodsteps: Aida Cafe, Vienna

Think about Vienna and images of classical music, history and beautiful architecture get conjured up. It really is all that they say it is and if you love music from days gone by or if one of your favourite composers is Mozart or Schubert (like me), it's an absolute haven. My favourite spot in the city, though, isn't Stephansplatz or The Schonbrunn Palace, it's a huge pink cafe right by Stephansplatz. 

I remember walking past the cafe on our way to lunch and being immediately attracted - I put it down to the girlish pink that called out to me. We fueled up at Wienerwald and asked the waitress for a recommendation on where to go for dessert. 

"Aida! Many, many, many types of cakes!"

I was sold.  

 

Aida Cafe

Singerstr. 1
1010 Wien
Neighborhood: Innere Stadt

If you've never sat at a counter at a bakery or patisserie with too many cakes to choose from right in front of you, I highly recommend that you try it sometime - trust me, it's fun. We sampled a variety of cakes and pastries and these are some of my favourites:



Mozart Cake. Created in memory of the musical genius on the 250th anniversary of his birthday, this is a simple chocolate cake made intruiging by the layer of pistachio marzipan in the middle. I noticed that all confectionery with Mozart's name on it had this common pistachio-marzipan theme running through, even the little chocolate balls in the supermarket. As much as it is a novelty, you probably can't go to Aida without ordering a slice of this. 

 
Apple strudel. I'm always a bit apprehensive when it comes to apple strudel - there has been far too many a time when the strudel pastry has been rubbery and rather unpleasant. This one had nice layers and could easily be cut with a fork, always a good sign!

 

I'm a nutty nut-lover so when mum picked out a walnut-topped hazelnut slice on one of our visits to the cafe, I was thrilled. I had high hopes for this one, and I wasn't disappointed. Light, fluffy, and yes, nutty - it was the perfect foil to all the choclate that we'd been having.

 

This is why Vienna will always have a special little place in my heart - iced coffee. Say "iced coffee" anywhere else in the world and you get well, coffee and ice but in this city, you get 2 shots of espresso and a generous amount of creamy vanilla ice cream. I daresay that out of all the iced coffees that we had while we were there, my favourite one was Aida's. You'll probably recognise it as affogato and really, that's the only form of iced coffee that the Vienna knows. My dad attempted to order a glass of black coffee with ice and our poor waiter was rather confused at the concept. I'm all for iced coffee being just the way it is in Vienna. In fact, I think they should make a little amendment in the dictionaries: iced coffee = affogato!

The cafe also serves some light savoury snacks but you'll know at once that the cakes and pastries are the real stars. Oh, and the coffee, of course.

Holiday Foodsteps: Wienerwald, Vienna

Settling into Vienna didn't go exactly as planned - checking-in involved a construction site for an entrance and a bathroom that started flooding so yes, not great. We left the apartment in search for lunch, with hopes that we'd return later in the day to find that everything was sorted. While we eventually had to move to a hotel (situated right on the shopping street so it really was a blessing in disguise for us), we did manage to sit down to a nice lunch right by Stephansplatz.

Wienerwald

Goldschmiedgasse 6,

Vienna 1010, Austria

We found a whole row of restaurants on Goldschmiedgasse, all promising a good, traditional Viennese Schnitzel. We decided on the brightly (green) coloured Wienerwald. Hungry from our travels and from the drama that came with trying to check-in, we found a table on the lively terrace and quickly got down to the business of ordering.

 

Our first encounter with the Wiener Schnitzel in the city it was named after was a good one. The dish is a simple one, equivalent to Britain's fish and chips but breaded, less greasy, served with slim fries and not fish, of course. The dish seems unassuming but I suspect that there must be a great deal of  skill involved to making sure that the flattened meat is even so that it's perfectly cooked.

Roast pork with gravy, dumplings and sauerkraut. The pork was moist and flavourful - paired with the sauerkraut (which I always absolutely love) and you've got a winning combination. 

 

Wienerwald also gave us our first taste of Viennese Ribs - nicely roasted and served with those curry-flavoured potatoes that I fell in love with at the German pub in New York City, we knew that we'd have to have more ribs before our holiday was through. 

Wienerwald is located right in the heart of the city, close to a lot of the spots that you're likely to end up in if you are a tourist. Sure, the prices are not to lowest in town but food is satisfying and with a location like that, it's hard to complain.   

Holiday Foodsteps: Going Fudge-Crazy in Edinburgh

We arrived in Edinburgh not knowing that fudge was such a big part of their food culture - if not for the joys of mobile internet, we probably would have missed the fudge altogether. The weather had been rather unkind to us all morning and the thought of possibly having to brave more rain to get to the fudge store was a little daunting. Still, we took deep breaths and went for it - the fudge was so good that we ended up going to not just one, but two different stores.

A Lesson at the Fudge Kitchen

Fudge Kitchen
The Royal Mile
30 High St
Edinburgh EH1 1TB

A batch of sweet fudge concoction was enjoying its last few moments of being stirred over a hot stove when we walked into the store. While the stove area seemed like a good place to be on a gloomy, rainy day, I'm pretty sure constantly having to stir the fudge is no easy feat.

The liquid fudge is transferred from the stove onto a table with a marble top to cool. We were told that relative temperature is key in the cooling process - as such the temperature at the store has to be kept very low in winter, so much so that even with the huge stove in the main area, the staff have to bundle up for work.

The fudge is allowed to set a little before any extra little bits, like nuts or raisins, get thrown in. The mixture seems to gain a little elasticity as it sets, which is interesting because the finished product is far from elastic.

After our little lesson, we moved on to where to the treasure trove of goodies, eager to sample the fudge. We paid for our fudge, a block of rum and raisin and a block of chocolate-orange, stepped out into the cool air, contemplated saving the fudge for the train ride back to Carlisle for all of three seconds and gleefully took our first bites.

It's difficult not to fall in love at first bite. Crumbly but incredibly smooth, it was the texture that completely blew me away. I always thought that fudge was a synonym for toffee or caramel, meaning that it would share that soft, sticky, pliable texture - I couldn't have been more misinformed. Both flavours were rich, creamy (but in a non-creamy way, if that makes sense) and very, very yummy. We couldn't believe what we'd been missing out on.

What's funny is that as we were strolling along the streets of Edinburgh, enjoying our chunks of fudge, the skies cleared and the day became a lot more pleasant. You may put it down to unpredictable weather but I say that there's just a tiny bit of magic in fudge.

Fancier Fudge

We continued exploring the area after our first fudge-stop and stumbled upon another fudge store. A little fancier than the first one, this store had a display counter reminiscent of a French patisserie with the carefully arranged, smaller chunks of fudge sitting in long glass cabinets.




The Fudge House of Edinburgh
197 Canongate, Royal Mile,
Edinburgh EH8 8BN

We had a little more trouble deciding here as they had a sightly larger range of flavours and everything looked extremely attractive. I finally settled on the house special, coconut-chocolate and for easy comparison, the orange-chocolate.

The Final Verdict

Those huge blocks of fudge from the Fudge Kitchen won my heart. The ones we got at the Fudge House were pretty good but they just weren't quite up there with the ones from the Fudge Kitchen. The ones from the Kitchen also got some bonus points for surviving the journey back to Carlisle a lot better - the ones from the House were sticky, melty and looked a little worse for wear when we arrived.

 

You know how when you were 5 and your mum told you not to finish the whole bar of chocolate but you did anyway and felt sick after that? Well, fudge makes me feel like that kid again - it get's a little sickeningly sweet after awhile but you can't help yourself anyway. It probably also helps that all that sugar leaves you happy, giggly, and yes, feeling like a 5 year old.

Holiday Foodsteps: (Not so) Little Novelties in Budapest

Part of the fun of being a tourist is being able to get lost in the novelty of things. As a tourist, you're usually up for something different, especially if you get to come away with an interesting story to tell. To me, these two spots in Budapest had that element of fun - afterall, how often do you get to sample cakes from a 153 year old establishment or have a food tower come to your table?

Gerbeaud Cafe

Gerbeaud Cafe

1051 Budapest

Vorosmarty Ter 7, Hungary

I had read about this iconic cafe on the train-ride to Budapest. Expecting a tiny shop tucked away in a little corner, I was completely blown away by the sheer size of the actual Gerbeaud Cafe. Perhaps it's the Malaysian in me that automatically associates anyhing old and famous with something tiny and tucked away. The strategically located cafe is all elegance with its ornate chandeliers and old-school charm but it wasn't the beautiful interior that caught our eye, it was the large "50% off with the purchase of 5 slices of cake" sign that immediately got our attention. We picked out our slices of cake, hopped on our bicycles and rode carefully back to the hostel with our precious cargo.

The display counters are full of pretty, yummy looking desserts that aren't cheap so the 50% off promotion really helped keep our cake shopping within the student budget. Not quite knowing which cakes to go for, we picked the ones that had the most interesting names and came away with a variety of cakes including the famous Dobos and Esterhazy Tortes. My favourite, though, was a lemon basil slice that I thought was absolutely divine even if my holiday pals didn't share the same sentiment. I don't often come across basil in desserts but I'm a convert - I thought the herb lent a lovely flavour to the otherwise common dessert.

I have to admit that while the cakes were well-made and quite delicious, they didn't quite live up to our expectations but I suppose that's that thing about expectations - it's always nicer to go unprepared and be pleasantly surprised. Still, it's a must-visit for every tourist - it's not often one gets to enjoy a taste of traditional opulence and in a place that has seen the likes of Franz Liszt, no less.

Fatal Etterem

Fatal Etterem

Vaci utca 67., Budapest 1056, 

Hungary

We had walked passed the restaurant many, many times on our way out of the little lane that our hostel was located on but it wasn't until we saw a huge platter of food being delivered to one of the tables that we thought it might be worth a visit. It was our last night in Budapest and we wanted something quick but memorable before we set on on our cruise down the Danube. 

Vetrece soup - cream of chicken with tarragon, served in a crusty bread roll. As you can probably gather from the picture, the bread roll isn't really a bread roll at all but more like a loaf of bread. I love the use of herbs in soups in this part of the world and this soup was no different - the clever use of tarragon cut through the richness of it.

The Fatal platter - for the child in all of us. Made up mostly of sinful, indulgent, deep fried chicken, potatoes and mushrooms, this isn't for the faint-hearted and definitely not to be tackled alone. The greasiness of it all gets to you after awhile but it still doesn't stop if from being a "wow" worthy, fun platter to share between friends. We saw couples trying to tame the beast of a platter, envying their skill and stomach capacity - we struggled between the four of us and were ultimately defeated by the mountain of potatoes.

The restaurant isn't all about their humongous portions (though I can imagine that to be part of the attraction), they serve up some nice traditional Hungarian dishes as well. The key is just to share, share, share.