Use promocode “LOVEFOODISH” and get a delicious Engadine Aperitive plate with your booking.
This hotel offers different packages for every budget and need. Discover their offers here
Marina Lovefoodish
My personal highlight: Waking up early in the morning at Lake Staz observing the mist moving mystical & magical around me – This is a must experience hideaway in the Engadine
When it comes to travel to the Swiss Alps, Engadine is the destination of my choice. This region is not only famous for its Swiss Indian Summer in autumn. Here you enjoy hospitality on a phenomenal and very personal level.
On top, the food and dishes you get are of excellent quality. Coming here during autumn you encounter colorful pine and larch trees that are unique in Switzerland.
What to expect at Lej da Staz
The surrounding is unique at Hotel & Restorant Lej da Staz. The house is embedded in a protected natural area not accessible by car (7 minutes by car from St. Moritz main station) directly at the Lake of Staz. Enjoy absolute privacy and tranquility in the middle of a forest surrounded by the alps. The peak you admire from the terrace is the Mountain Piz Julier (3380 m). The hotel is managed by Anja & Hans-Jörg Zingg and a lovely super friendly staff.
Use Promocode Lovefoodish to get a delicious Engadine Appetizer plate with your booking!
Accommodation
The hotel offers 10 cozy bed rooms. All rooms are decorated with an authentic alpine style and offer good standard comfort. Obviously the room facing the Lake is the first choice of the house, book it if you have the chance! The view over the lake brings you to a fairy tale you have never been before.
Walking inside and outside the house you recognize that there has been put a lot of attention to details. The surrounding is maintained with love and make you feel like home. Take the advantage of being out in the middle of the nature, stroll through the forest and observe the squirrels swing from one tree branch to the other.
Getting spoiled at Lej da Staz Hotel
- The staff is there to spoil you with attention. Use the included transfer that picks you up in St. Moritz.
- Use their e-bikes or mountain bikes to discover the fabulous woods.
- Are you planning a seminar or a family party for a weekend? Rent the whole house and have it all on your own. They have special rates. Get in contact with the hotel or visit their website here to find out more about.
- A cozy sauna house just a few steps distant from the Lake is a must when you stay there.
- The terrace invites to relax. Lean back in one of their sun basket and enjoy the sun going down after your hike or bike day.
- Get special rates when the weather is cloudy or rainy, find more about these special rates, here.
- The hotel offers a big play ground for kids and is vey family friendly. Special spectacles and entertaining programs are available. On the stage kids can listen to fairy tales.
- Are you planning a hike to the alp and want to see more of the Engadine? Absolutely stop by at El Paradiso alp restaurant. This restaurant belongs to the same management and offers exceptional alpine atmosphere up at 2181 meters. Their food choice is excellent, try the Paradiso Cremeschnitte! A dream all made of vanilla cream and puff pastry. They’re baked fresh every day!
Food at Lej da Staz
Great local and home made prepared food choices are available at Lej da Staz. Choose out of three food places: The restorant, the Stazer Club Stubä ( a cozy private room) or the Take away kiosk Quickquito located outside (available during sunny days).
Enjoy local hand made dried Engadine meat specialities or goat cheese specialities from their local cheesemaker.
I absolutely recommend their risotto. It comes with fresh mushrooms and local alp cheese that makes its taste intense and creamy.
The cheesecake is a must try and signature dish on the menu, it’s made of goat cheese. Their Saazer Moorechopf – sticky sweet chocolate marshmallow kisses are finger licking.
Want to spent more time in the Engadine?
Explore the region for great hikes, biking, sailing or skiing in winter.
A must do to get the whole picture of the Engadine Lakes is to visit Muottas Muragl. The view up here is astonishing, you can reach it by cable car or hike up/down.
Find more information and travel suggestions on this region on the site of St Moritz Tourism www.stmoritz.ch. Or get inspired in an other blog story of mine discovering the region by mini cabrio.
My personal highlight: Probably the most tender deer scallop and fluffy home made Spätzli of my autumn 2017
Rubina is a cozy place located at Universitätsstrasse 56 that serves local Swiss food with a French accent. Their products are all selected from regional suppliers. I love the romantic interior design with the long wooden table and the beautiful candle lights.
During my blogging I had the chance to try the seasonal wild menu. There are different specialties available as sausages, deer or duck paired with delicious autumnal veggies and chestnuts. My deer scallop was super tender, cooked just to the point. It melted on my tongue like butter.
A typical Swiss wild menu comes with Spätzli, red cabbage and chestnuts.
A secret hint that makes their red cabbage really tasty
Observing the food preparation in the kitchen I talked to the Chef and found out, that the red cabbage has been pickled and prepared with some slices of oranges, spices, red wine and fresh herbs as juniper. Its taste is not too sour, exactly as red cabbage has to be. The Spätzli are super fluffy, guess why? They add a bit of curd to the dough.
A signature dish of their Autumn card is the Jäger Salad. It’s a corn salad with grapes, Crôutons and a tender deer-Bresaola. It comes with a cowberry Vinaigrette for veggies with a poached egg.
A complete 3 course menu is available for 57 CHF (veggie) or with meat for 68 CHF. Find the wild menu here.
Discover a variety of seasonal and local dishes on the menu of Restaurant Rubina.
Encounter a very friendly and very helpful staff. By the way, the place is ideal for a quick lunch menu, too.
My personal highlights: 1. Experiencing the Sahara desert feeling like a little girl playing in a huge sandbox – 2. Joining local women for an authentic Hammam experience
This blog story invites you to dive into my first Africa travel. I experienced the south of Morocco starting in Marrakech and going all the way through the High Atlas Mountains, the Sahara Desert down to the Atlantic coast.
All of that mainly travelling in a mini-bus with an excellent local guide and a group of 15 passionate travellers.
On this trip I learnt about the beautiful real Moroccan way of life, Moroccans or better Berbers are a unique hearty folk that captured my heart. Berbers are a Moroccan pre-Arab culture that ruled unperturbed and unconquered for hundreds of years. They are craftsmen, you get to see that in every village you pass by. Interested in knowing more about these amazing people? Visit the blog www.journeybeyondtravel.com and dive into that fascinating history.
I can absolutely recommend exploring this country. As a passionate traveller having a heart full of love I am very much pleased to have left a piece of it out there.
Travelling alone? Consider an organized group journey!
I’ve chosen a group trave. with the company Intrepid. Happy to have booked them for a trip to Brazil and South East Asia back in time I knew what expected me. One benefit of choosing this kind of travelling is to have all accommodation and transfers organized. You move smooth, efficient and safe. Another advantage of intrepid is, that they use local guides. They bring you to spots you would never have access to by yourself. This makes the experience authentic. That is how we got to buy the world renewed Safran or got to eat seafood as locals do for example.
Find the detailed itinerary of the South Morocco trip here and get the whole picture. My blog story includes personal moments and highlights and skips some of the itinerary spots.
Let’s start in Aroumd and drive through the High Atlas Mountains after 1 night in Marrakech on my own
One of my highlights is the village Aroumd situated in the High Atlas Mountains. By the way: the High Atlas rises in the west of the Atlantic Ocean and stretches in an eastern direction to the Moroccan-Algerian border. After a 1 hour light hike, we reached the village situated at 1900 meters. I am ready to discover the village populated by ca. 1900 inhabitants. I spend an afternoon making Moroccan doughnuts from scratch. A local girl teaches me a delicious, simple recipe. I feel so honoured to have this chance to be in her house.
Food blogger maniac interested to know more about Moroccan Food
My curiosity for food brings me directly into the kitchen of the Riad we stay. I get introduced to the preparation of a Tagine.
Tagine is named after the earthenware pot in which it is cooked for hours. It comes with seafood, beef, lamb, chicken or with only eggs. Every Tagine has veggies included, too as pumpkin, zucchetti, potatoes or even prawns. Besides Tagine couscous is one of the excellent dishes you get all-around Morocco. The preparation procedure and spices used are the same.
Cooking Moroccan food at home following the blog mymoroccanfood
I found a very lovely blog about moroccan food called mymoroccanfood managed by Nargisse!
You will be so much inspired cooking the dishes by yourself, give it a try! My favorite is the Quinoa and shrimps stuffed squid tagine.
A traditional hammam experience in a local village – Sitting scrubbing my skin with prestigious argan oil
My adventure in Aroumd continues to experience a very special wellness program. I am fascinated by the simplicity and authenticity of a local hammam. Entering the stone house a woman asks me to keep my underpants on. They guide me to a room where two ladies sit with their daughters on the floor washing each other’s bodies & hair. There the lady asks me to sit down. The girls bring me two buckets with water and a pot of black soap made of artisan argan oil. Sitting there on the floor beside them I enjoy my first traditional hammam experience, as an Aroumd local. I am again: fascinated.
Driving through the Tizi n’Test pass to the Game of thrones village called Ait Benhaddou
The trip is packed with a full program (10 days), be prepared for a lot of driving. This is mostly done with a comfortable minibus. The scenery you get out of the window is breathtaking and makes the drive entertaining. The drive passes through the Tizi n’Test pass (2092m) still the High Atlas Mountains. This is one of Morocco’s most challenging roads, but the most exhilarating and overwhelmingly drive ever.
Arriving in Ait Benhaddou my eyes are again wide open to admire the houses and landscape. This Mud Brick city on the edge of the High Atlas Mountains is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and featured in many films. Game of Thrones fans: The city is used to represent the slave-trading city of Yunkai in episode 3. Today it is still home to 8 families. We walk through the whole village and I feel thrown back in time.
Continuing towards the Sahara Desert: Pure adventure on a 4×4 car
The second highlight of my trip is the Sahara Desert. I am surrounded by dunes, silence and a tremendous infinity. A feeling I cannot describe in words. It is like playing in a big sandbox when my feet touch the ground.
In the desert, a perfectly organized camp waits to spoil us with comfortable tends and delicious Moroccan Tagine. We stay for one night only. A place to definitively come back for some desert hiking for example.
The desert trip includes a fun camel ride. My personal exciting journey is the 4×4 ride through the desert and the dry lake called Ikiri. The car sliding and bumping on sandy and stony paths is pure adventure. Our driver Mustapha is a professional Rally driver of the Maroc Dakar Series. The scenery encountered here is unique in the world.
A beautifully laid-back city called Essaouira on the Atlantic Coast
The trip coming to an end we reach the Atlantic coast. Essaouira is a little pear loved by plenty of surfers and kiters due to its perfect wind conditions, too. It’s the coastal getaway in Morocco, away from mass tourism and the hectic lifestyle of the major cities of Fes and Marrakech. This charming town fits the bill perfectly. The city offers fantastic sandy beaches, authentic culinary experiences, gentle Moroccan charm and just enough sophistication to make the destination unforgettable.
This is where I discover the best street food: fresh fish, figs to go, bread, and bakeries with handmade sweets. By strolling through the streets you pass by hip young Moroccan designers, cosy coffee shops and live street music. The diverse ethnic groups such as Arabs, Africans and Europeans enrich it with good vibes.
Recommended: Visit the rooftop terrace called Taros for great dance and drinks.
The culinary highlight of my morocco trip:
- Buy the fresh fish at the market
- find the spices or side veggies you like and home made bread
- bring everything to a special restaurant that grilles it for you
- enjoy it and lick your fingers!
A secret hint about where to sleep in Essaouira
Dar Lazuli Bed & Breakfast is a modern Riad with attention to detail. It’s located in a tranquil zone close to restaurants and nearby souks. I like the ambience with a contemporary and traditional design. The staff is friendly, too.
Find more Morocco deals here:
Booking.com
5 things to do and see in Marrakech
My trip started and ended in Marrakech. I discovered the city mainly on my own. I got lost in the medina, of course. But people are friendly and help you to find your way back to your Riad. Marrakech has this atmosphere of 1001 nights with its rose-purple sky in the evening.
- Try the local food stalls at the main square of Marrakech called Djemaa El Fna. There is a mass of people insisting to stop at their stall, taking your time and choosing what you like.
- Visit the Berber museum inside the Jardin Majorelle and the Botanical Garden. It’s a perfect spot to take typical Moroccan design photography.
- Visit or stay at a palace: El Badi Palace is the sprawling 16th-century sultan’s home. Sultan Ahmed el Mansour spared no expense adorning the more than 350 rooms of his palace with marble, gold, onyx, ivory, wood and semi-precious stones.
- Relax in a typical Riad, enjoy fresh brewed typical Moroccan hot tea and lean back.
Most of these traditional Moroccan houses are built around a central garden or courtyard. They are as much a part of the city as the snake charmers of the main square. Many of them have had a modern makeover.
Recommended: Riad Alboraq is located in a hidden corner absolutely away from the crowded streets you find a modern, clean and very comfortable place to stay. Their terrace is lovely to enjoy breakfast. The infrastructure is sophisticated and makes you feel like a princess. -
Get lost in the backstreets. Walk around to discover every angle of the old medina. Feel the vibes of the Marrakech. Find classic local souvenirs such as djellaba robes, spices, babouches (Moroccan slippers), old carpets or colourful ceramics.
Recommended: La Porte d’Or — an ancient two-level bazaar rammed with rugs and antiques.
Want to know more about Lovefoodish travels? Check some other blog stories here.
My personal highlight: Super fluffy Pancake – probably the best in Zurich
Lotti is located in Kreis 1 just behind Bahnhofstrasse at Werdmühleplatz 3. The place is located ideally for a coffee or lunch between shopping. The ambience is cozy and idyllic. Choose a random table and get into a conversation with your neighbor, the atmosphere is ideal to do so.
Its pancakes made it all the way to my top Zurich brunch dishes. You find a selection of home made cakes, too. A signature dish is their Zurichfladen baken in the wood oven. It’s similar to a pizza but offers creative ingredients as goat cheese, figs and hazelnuts from the Piemont region for example.
Brunch
Their signature dish is the blueberry pancake (only available on Sunday).
Try their typical breakfast plate called “Frühstücksteller” that comes with croissant, home made stewed apricot sauce , cheese and ham. Want to discover more brunch places in Zurich? Get them here.
Discovering a special pop-up restaurant in Zurich close to heaven on level 31 of the Swissotel – Next chance to book it: December 31, 2017!
Studio31 pop-up restaurant took place from 8. – 17. Sept. this year. It’s one of the food places I suggest to go for a special occasion. Invite your special friend, your love or your mother. The atmosphere up here is really unique. Admiring the sun going down reflecting the food art on the plate made this moment memorable.
Up on level 31 of the Swissotel in Zurich Nord, Sascha Friedrichs, Executive Chef of the hotel restaurant Le Muh (15 Gault-Millau-Points) and his staff prepare real genuine food art.
Fresh and local ingredients are used for every dish and prepared with an eye for detail. Every course is accompanied by a delicious wine. Here you eat with your eyes, too. The food does not only look good it offers an authentic and intense taste in every course.
Explore the menu
At the bone matured filet of Charolais cattle with celery, passion fruit, reed beet, nut butter and valle maggia pepper
Char with pea cream, caviar, speck crem and finger limes
Duck breast from the Appenzell with bio egg yolk confit, chanterelles and smoked duck jus
Toblerone Dessert with black currant sorbet, popping sugar crisps (that reminded me my childhood), montélimar nougat and honey cress
The ambience is modern and stylish but not too noble, you feel comfortable.
Enjoy Silvester 2017 close to heaven at Studio31
Since the pop-up is temporary you have to be patient until its next opening. I felt really privileged to be a guest here.
You can book your table and plan your Silvester night over the roofs of Zurich right now. The spaces are limited and well requested. The menu has 7 courses, incl. wine, welcome Champagner for 269 CHF p.p. Find all details here.
I hope to have Studio31 back for further food exploring next year. For more food inspiration check my food guide here.
This summer I discovered a new way of enjoying cocktails. There is a Schnapps, or let’s call it Eau-de-vie branded Williamine from the company Morand. It’s made of Swiss William Pears originating from the region of Wallis. My first thought when hearing that Schnapps can be mixed into a cocktail was bit skeptical. After having tried it with different sweet components as for example home made lemon/orange sirup I got fascinated from its mild and fruity taste.
On tour through Zurich Bars to find Summer Cocktails with Williamine
A Zurich blogging tour through some Cocktail Bars showed me how to combine this delicious schnapps best. My tour started at Kronenhalle Bar where Christian, an experienced Barkeeper in town, mixed Williamine in a simple way with some Lemon skin, Bitter lemon and a flower flavor called Blütenzauber of the brand The seventh sense. By the way, Restaurant Kronenhalle has probably the best Zürich Geschnetzletes in town. Get more on my foodguide here.
I continued the summer cocktail tour at Tales Bar located at Selnaustrasse. Here Jakob mixed Williamine with egg white, fresh lime juice, home made lemon/orange sciroppo, orange bitter and maraschino. This combination was super sweet and my favorite I have to say.
My last stop was at Cinchona Bar at 25Hours Hotels Langstrasse. Here Sebastian mixed the Williamine with Ginger Beer and some lime juice. Their signature cocktails are with Highballs. I stopped by here in the afternoon to follow their philosophy of Daydrinking! I absolutely enjoyed that one, too!
Which is your favorite way to drink Williamine? Do you prefer a sweet, dry or sour cocktail?
Win a bottle of Williamine!
I have one bottle of Williamine for you. You can perfectly enjoy it at home, too. Maybe even pure for cold winter days in a hot tea.
Here is the question:
I enjoyed Williamine as a Cocktail at Tales Bar. The Williamine Cocktail is called LeeLoo. This name is of a caractere that plays in a movie, do you know which one it is?
A) Lord of the Rings
B) Games of Thrones
C) The Fifth Element
Send me your answer at marina@lovefoodish.com or comment below by September 22, 2017 and enter to the price drawing. Follow me on instagram !
Leave your comment here!
Who is Williamine and how is it produced?
A premium Eau-de-vie produced in the Swiss region of Wallis made of the Williams pear AOP. In this area of Switzerland the climate is just ideal to give these fruits an intense, harmonic fresh taste. The William pears are picked green. They mature in crates until they reach the ideal maturity level, then they are sorted out, crushed and fermented. After they are distilled and stored at least 6 months before they are sold on the market. The company Morand is a well experienced distiller, get more information on the company and its product selection here.
This is a sponsored article in collaboration with Morand.
Which coffee type are you? Coffee at the bar, coffee to go or coffee at home?
On the occasion of the launch of the limited edition barista and the brand new machine created by Nespresso I was invited to taste their coffee and get the feeling of how to prepare a latte as a barista with the new machine Creatista Plus.
If you get to try such high-class products the chance that your coffee preparation fails is quite small.
This experience made me think about my coffee habits since I take into consideration buying a coffee machine at home for quite a while. Today I use a small bialetti moka to brew my coffee.
What about discovering our coffee habits?
- Did you ever try to do a really great coffee with microfoam at home?
- Do you have the right equipment to make a proper milk foam?
- Maybe you are just a bit lazy to be concerned about it and prefer to go for an espresso or flat white at your favourite bar on your way to work?
- Or you don’t have the budget to buy an expensive machine?
I questioned these topics for myself and would like to share with you my thoughts in this article. Further, I want to give you suggestions on available options to find the best coffee choice or equippment for your habbit.
One of my previous articles was all about specialty coffee and where to find it here in Zurich. I share content about grinding coffee beans at home. This plays an important role when making coffee at home. For those who did not get the chance to read it, get it here.
Coffee beans are the base of all that comes after. I love the taste of a flavoured, strong coffee. l want to know where my coffee comes from and how it is roasted and processed.
What speciality coffee is…
Coffee that scores 80 points or above on a 100-point scale is graded „specialty.“ Specialty coffee grows in a special and ideal climate. They are distinctive because of their full cup taste and little to no defects. The unique flavours and tastes are a result of the special characteristics and composition of the soils in which they are produced.
Are you the type that loves to brew your coffee at home or take it at the bar?
If it comes to my coffee habits I know, that I am a mix of both. I am a coffee at home brewer and coffee shop drinker. Waking up in the morning and smelling the coffee notes from the moka machine is how I grew up. The sound of the coffee bubbling is something I cannot think out of my dayly routine. That is why, I personally think, that I could not replace having my coffee at home in the morning.
What I tried out, too, is the nespresso milk foam maker called Aeroccino, (which costs ca. 89 CHF). This product is a perfect alternative to buying a complete machine and making a latte or cappuccino at home.
At weekends I love to stop by at a bar where I know they have specialty coffee. I let my barista prepare the delicious thin microfoam with latte art on my coffee.
Barista corto, barista chiaro, barista scuro – Creatista Plus by Nespresso
Nespresso just previously launched new Limited Edition coffee blends called barista corto, barista chiaro and barista scuro. These blends were specially crafted by Nespresso experts.
The Barista corto creates a Ristretto Nero with an extra-intense taste, thick syrupy texture and marble dark crema.
The origin: Monsooned Arabica from India, washed Robusta from Guatemala amongst other origins.
The Barista scuro is meant for a dark Espresso Macchiato. It keeps its strong, flavourful, full-bodied coffee character when combined with a gentle touch of milk foam.
The origin: Washed Arabicas from Costa Rica and the Cundinamarca region of Colombia amongst other origins.
The Barista chiaro is ideal for an indulgent Cappuccino Dolce or a flat white. It has a smooth, creamy taste and round, exceptionally delicate biscuit notes.
The origin: Unwashed Arabica beans from the Cerrado region of Brazil and washed Arabica from Kenya among other origins.
With these coffee sorts comes a new machine called creatista plus that is designed to help you out at home and give you the barista feeling. The machine is simple in use and the microfoam is really as enjoyable as at the coffee bar. The price of the machine starts from 579 CHF.
This mixes up my habits now! Should I make my flat white at home or go out and drink it at the bar?
Ideally, I would have both options available, but what about the coffee smell that my moka machine giftes me?
You see, I cannot really find a solution to my coffee dilemma.
Anyway, there are options, and that is always good in life, so let’s keep it open.
Depending on the type of coffee habit you have, you will find the right choice for you!
*not sponsered article
My personal highlight: 10 random chosen people feeling like a family on a 15 meters long yacht enjoying the beauty and power of the Balearic sea.
When it comes to choose how to spend summer holidays I love to go for an adventure trip on a sailing boat. I experience the sea as a space to feed my soul and mind with fresh energy.
A journey on a sailing boat offers all the unexpected you desire. You have tranquility on one hand, while out in the middle of the sea listening to the sound of the waves. You follow the sun and admire the huge red glowing ball setting down at the horizon every night. It’s my favorite live TV channel on board! On the other hand, you depend on the power of the weather and nature deciding the intensity of the journey. This combination gives you the extra portion of excitement if the sea gets rough.
On top of that you have the crew. We were 10 people on our yacht. Sounds a lot but worked perfectly. Taking care about each other felt like being on a trip with a family.
Our boat was a solid, comfortable yacht from the boat-builder Jeanneau, SUN ODYSSEY 509 with a length of 15.38 meter, 5 cabins. 2 cabins even had an own toilet!
How 1o random chosen people manage well together on only 15 meters
I guess what united our spirits on board was the pleasure of enjoying the moment of peace out in the deep blue sea. Everybody detached from the daily routine left at home very fast.
Sailing can mean anchoring in a bay, staying away from busy harbors, sleeping on deck admiring a sky full of stars or waking up in the morning for jumping into the sea before breakfast on deck.
When all of this is given, you don’t really have arguments to feel stressed. And yes, the chemistry between people can even contribute to a relaxed atmosphere on board, too.
What you need on board is good music and good food. This gives the extra chilling feeling!
How to find a sailing boat?
Back in 2014 I walked to the Marina of Bali and found my crew directly there. This option requires time and flexibility. An other option is to get a yacht by having a skipper friend.
If all of that is not the case, here is the solution: Book your holiday with Join the Crew. They are experienced in organizing this kind of trips, great people included. Their choice of sailing destinations is excellent.
Caribbean Sea, Seychelles, Thailand and plenty of destinations in Europe as Greece, Spain, Croatia, Italy, France and the Baltic sea. Find more details here. They have access to modern yachts and skilled skippers.
Sailing from Palma to Formentera and back
Our trip started in Palma de Mallorca. We sailed to Ibiza and Formentera where crystal clear waters waited to be discovered . The longest leg From Palma to Ibiza was about 12 hours. Kind of challenging but for sailing lovers a real adventure. For your first sailing trip it may be more ideal to choose a destination with a less long sailing leg. On our trip we anchored in marvelous bays. If we wer in the mood of touching a bit of land it was fun to take our dinghy boat and get a refreshing cocktail at a beach bar!
What about the costs?
A week of sailing in the Mediterranean Sea costs around 800 Euros. (food on board and diesel incl., excl. flights).
The sailing week in a glimpse, useful hints
- Check in advance how strong your stomach, try a day trip on a lake or sea. Bring some seasick medicines or use the sea band, they seem to work well. More details on that product here.
- Bring your favorite music playlists, you will get home with new followers!
- Bring life stories to share with your friends on board
- Share your recipes and cooking skills, keep it simple.
- Once at the harbor, create a shopping list with your crew and go shopping together for your week on board. Create teams and focus on your strengths! Buy some junk food, sweets and alcohol, you are on holiday!
- Be prepared for the unexpected, bring patience and flexibility. Sometimes you have strong winds, and you are active on the boat. Some days you have weak wind and you enjoy chilling on deck.
- Bring your sleeping bag if you love to sleep on deck. It can get chilly at nights.
- Don’t forget your rain jacket, yes, it can get stormy!
- Adapt to the natural move of the waves and let yourself swing into sleep.
Need some inspiration on what to cook on board? Read my article of Greece sailing 2016!
Find more stories about my travels here and get inspired. See you out there somewhere.
Zurich blogging at sake shizuku Store – handpicked corns of rice processed to an exquisite drop of joy. Sake is pure life.
My personal highlight: Finding out that sake is more than a drink, it’s an integral piece of Japan’s culture reflecting a multifaceted life full of traditions.
Curiosity for blogging in Zurich brings me all the way to the Letzigrund area in Zurich Kreis 9, where Marc Nydegger since September 2013 is running his company shizuku GmbH and since October 2016 the sake shizuku Store. In Japan shizuku GmbH is supported by J. Kobayashi Co., Ltd. to guarantee a personal and immediate contact to the local breweries.
shizuku means “the first drop falls”. That is why here you discover premium drops from Japan. Find more than 30 different sake, from classic premium drops up to modern interpreted sparkling sake. There is a large selection: A sweet umeshu (plum wine), a shochu (distillate) or Japanese rum. shizuku supplies to private and gastronomic consumers and offers also an onlineshop (www.shizuku.ch). In any case I suggest stopping by at the sake shizuku Store to get all of Marc Nydegger’s professional advices to find the type of sake you like the most.
I for example learned that sake pairs perfectly with grilled meat or a Cheese Fondue beside classical dishes such as Sushi. Some sorts are enjoyed with food, some are ideal as an aperitif or digestif.
Find here a suggestion of sake brands to be found at the shizuku Store
Inatahime Ryokan: Salty and leathery nose. Aromas of lime blossom and soja mix withnotes of dark chocolate, coffee, tobacco and nutmeg. Price: 37 CHF, moreinformation here.
Karaku Amakuchi: Intense and vivid Junmai Ginjo. Fruity, sweet with notes of lychee and fresh strawberries.
Price 39 CHF, more information here.
Kachiumamai: Gentle, sweet and slightly fruity Junmai Daiginjo. This premium drop has won 3 Golden Stars by the iTQi (International Taste & Quality Institute). Price: 72 CHF, More information here.
(Sake types from left to right)
Why a Swiss guy decides to bring the heritage of Japan all the way to Zurich
Marc Nydegger left the country for an exchange year in 1997/1998 at Minami Highschool in Nagoya and 2005/2006 at Waseda University in Tokyo. His fascination about Japan brought him to study Japanology beside Economics/International Law.
Talking to Marc makes me understand, that today one of his motivations is to pass over his personal Japan experience with unique traditional heritage through a product that incorporates these values the most. The sake. It takes only a few minutes to catch that his knowledge about sake is remarkable and full of personal dedication. Marc is a Certified Sake Professional that lives the passion through his veins. Besides sake he loves to cook Japanese Cuisine, too.
The history behind sake-from a beverage of the gods to a drink for the common people
Getting in touch with the Japanese culture is enriching for me, too. I knew there is more behind the production of sake. Sake is Japan’s traditional alcoholic beverage. It is so persuasive that in the Japanese language, the word for alcohol is simply “sake.”
I found out about the existence of a god of sake. The same god of rice growing and harvesting. Many centuries ago, when people prayed for ideal growing conditions they used to thank the god for the successful harvest. This drop of alcohol linked everybody to their gods and brought people together in congeniality. That is why, sake took on a vital role in religious festivities, agricultural rites, and many different ceremonial events, from marriages to funerals to business achievements.
Marc suggested me a movie called “The Birth of Sake”. If you are interested to see the whole picture of sake including the production and what it means to Japanese culture I absolutely recommend it to you, too. Watch the trailer here!
Some technical facts on how sake is produced
The techniques used to make sake are unique in the world. Rice is milled to a fine white grain and steamed, and then two simultaneous processes occur. The rice is broken down into sugar through the action of koji microorganisms, and at the same time the sugar is fermented into alcohol through the action of a natural yeast.
In general, there are five basic types of sake. Each requires different brewing methods and a different percentage of rice milling. For example, there is rice which is unmilled (100%), there are grains where 15%, 40% or 65% are polished away.
The grade of polishing can somehow influence the quality of the sake. The husk, or outer part of the rice grain, contains kind of nasty impurities. By grinding them away the husk and move toward the kernel, the impurities become fewer and fewer, until the pure starch is hit.
Some important facts about available types of sake
(source http://www.shizuku.ch/index.cfm?action=content.displayKnowledgeContent#28 and www.esake.com/)
- Junmai-shu (pure rice wine; at least 30% of rice polished away; no adding of distilled alcohol)
- Honjozo-shu (at least 30% of rice polished away; a tad of distilled alcohol is added)
- Ginjo-shu (at least 40% of rice polished away; with or without alcohol added; if bottle is labeled Ginjo, it means distilled alcohol was added; if labeled Junmai Ginjo, it means no alcohol added)
- Daiginjo-shu (at least 50% of rice polished away; again, with or without added alcohol; if bottle is labeled Daiginjo, it means distilled alcohol was added; if labeled Junmai Daiginjo, it means no alcohol added)
- Namazake (special 5th designation for unpasteurized sake; incorporates all four above)
Did you know that?
- sake differs from other alcohols. It’s created out of three major types of microorganisms found in the natural environment: fungi, bacteria and yeast. Popular alcohol, whether beer, whisky, brandy, vodka, gin, tequila or rum, use only one type of microorganism – yeast.
- sake brewers use three components: koji spores to make the koji mold, lactic acid bacteria to stabilize the mash, and yeast to ferment the mash into alcohol.
Sake cheese pairing September 12, 2017, Store, 7 pm
Are you interested in getting to know more about these delicious drops of Japan? Marc and I are planning a sake cheese pairing on September 12, 2017 at shizuku Store.
Save the date and or send me an email to get more information.
Useful links for your next Japanese Travel
- Where to drink and eat in Japan
http://www.japanvisitor.com/restaurantsbarsclubs - Authentic Ryokan Accommodation in Japan
https://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/ - Japanese Books and Travel Guides
http://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-books/books-food - German books: injapan.ch – A practical guide for Japan travelers. Author: Jan Knüsel
- German Blog: asienspiegel.ch – News from Japan including stories and personal experiences. Author: Jan Knüsel