My personal highlight: Fingerlick’n crispy chicken wings deep fried in duck fat and fries fried 3 times!

Farm to table in Zurich country setting style

Fork & Bottle is spoiling our city since a while with their menu. It’s located a bit out of the city centre but easy to reach by car or bus. By bus get out at Brunau walk 2 minutes to Allmendstrasse 20.

If you love craft beer, great pieces of meat or a generous brunch you are right here. Choose from over 80 different craft beers, some are local, too. My heart beats for an Italian beer called Tipolis brewed from Birrifcio Italiano.

Meat and dessert lover

Try the 10 Hour House Smoked BBQ Pork Ribs with hand cut fries. Need a sugar love bomb and adrenalin boost? Go for the Chocolate Brownie Sundae. It’s a home made Daim ice cream with chocolate ganache and some exotic pieces of pistachio, on top a marshmallow fluff. Very sophisticated and worth every spoon. Come hungry or just share dishes, portions are American Style!

The food is prepared fresh, ingredients mainly from local farmers and suppliers.

The atmosphere at F&B is cozy, nice light and ambience due to the great space. Its open space invites to stay and have good conversations, it’s never too loud. Their beer garden is the biggest in town I guess, so absolutely inviting during nice summer days. The staff is lovely and happy to explain you the whole menu.

Try it, you will be satisfied.

www.forkandbottle.ch

My personal highlight: Hand made cakes with fruits, super soft and not too sweet – Marshmallow coffee!

For girls cake afternoon and boys Brunch

A very cozy atmosphere makes me feel like at my aunty’s home when I am at this place. The name itself says it, too. Coffee at home. You’re invited to feel like at your own home!

Sabinska and Geraldine put so much creativity in this place. I am not only impressed about the home made cakes and the super soft healthy cereal bread. It’s the love you feel in every little object hanging at the wall, placed at the bar and on the table, the sharks moving and disco lamp lightening the restroom of the boys.

If you are looking for the one and only marshmallow coffee or hot chocolate in town, find them here! I love the nutella Mess!

By the by the way, Kafidihei is famous for it’s delicious brunch, too. They have  a very good quality/price offer.

It’s located in kreis 3, at Zurlindenstrasse 231.
I always find a place here, also if I forget to make a reservation. It’s nice to sit outside, if the weather allows.

In the mood to discover my restaurant guide? Click here!

www.kafidihei.ch

My personal highlight: Seasonal brunch for good quality and money

A simple and tasty Brunch

For those living close to Bäckeranlage or Langstrasse in Kreis 4 this place may be well known already. You get a great choice of food, breakfast or brunch at Für Dich. Their lunch menu is seasonal prepared with lots of attention. There is  a good offer for vegetarian and meat lovers.

Are you looking for a room for your guests staying over night ? It’s a cozy B&B, too.

Enjoy!

www.fuerdich.ch

Get infected by the multicultural vibrant vibes of Berlin

I love to get inspirations about food and lifestyle in this city. Berlin has it all. The city is vibrant and full of hidden little places to eat and drink. What I admire is the multicultural vibes. They are in every angle of the city. The combination of cultural attractions, rounds off your city trip.

Honestly, I think we can let some of this colorful vibes flow into our Zurich food and coffee scene! It’s not only the atmosphere in a coffee, that makes you feel like Alice in Wonderland it’s also the way food and drinks are prepared and presented. There is no limits to creativity! The mix is fantastic, you have a high class coffeeshop with lots of luxury on one side, next to it a professional little pasta place that has it’s own manufacture in the restaurant where you can shop and eat.

Where to go and what to eat in Berlin

Getting around

• Get a paper map or download a pdf of the map on ooohBerlin They have a selected choice of places to eat and shop divided by “Kiez” or let’s say areas of Berlin. Small places you wouldn’t find by yourself.
• Book an airbnb, there are many! Choose Prenzlauerberg if you like a more quite area, but it’s full of great coffee shops and vintage lifestyle shops. Berlin Mitte is great, to stay, too. It’s obviously more central. But lot’s of shopping and food around here, too.
• Go visit the East side Gallery  and the Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer and get involved into this important part of Germany’s history. Get also to the Brandenburger Tor, it’s worth.
• Go visit die Hackeschen Höfe. They are in the historic “Scheunenviertel” or “barn district” in the Spandau suburb of Berlin-Mitte and represent the largest courtyard area of Germany. They are under a preservation order since 1972. The courtyards located across from the Hackeschen Market  a great street market. Find cool lifestyle brands and great food stores in the building complex. The famous coffee shop Ben Rahim is there, too with it’s amazing specialty coffee.

Coffee shops, drinks, food

• Get your breakfast at Suicide Sue. Their spreads of fresh red beet or avocado peppermint are amazing. The bred is fresh and absolutely tasty. Find also a great selection of pancakes. It’s located at Prenzlauerberg.
• An other place to have breakfast is the Bekarei also located at Prenzlauerberg. An absolute must try if you love pies and cakes and fresh bred. All is homemade and absolutely excellent.
• For drinks in the evening I absolutely recommend the bar Chaostheorie Berlin also at Prenzlauerberg. The ambience is super fancy, colorful and crazy kitsch. Their selection of drinks has it all. Order your Pussiedrink without feeling ashamed.
• My absolute favorite place to eat is the pasta factory and restaurant Tosatti also located at Prenzlauerberg. You can watch how pasta is made live and after 10 minutes you have it on your plate. All fresh made and with lot’s of love.  Get introduced to the many types of Italian pasta and shapes! The ambience is very cozy, you feel like eating at Mama’s house. Order a coffee and get it in a small moca pot all for yourself. Absolutely recommend it! The staff is lovely and makes your food experience unforgettable.

What else to discover…

• Visit the Food Market Markthalle neun at Kreuzberg. On Thursdays is the street food day where you get international food from all over the world as well as a great selection of traditional German food. It’s absolutely worth exploring. Once you are there, explore the Kreuzberg area!
• Get a currywurst! It’s a must, I love it! If there is a long queue in front of the shop it’s a good sign, go for it, there are plenty in the city.

Why do I love blogging for food & coffee in Zurich?

We are surrounded by a dynamic world of culinary offers. All of these international people and expatriates living here bring a great influence and trends to our city. It is absolutely inspiring. I have the feeling that every moment either online or offline I am getting in contact with new coffee and food places.
It’s like Alice in wonderland. By talking to people I find out, that we all get more and more sensitive to really good quality food or coffee. Consumers want to know more about where the products come from. It goes even further; we love to have the knowledge of preparing all of this at home, too.

Bean Bros & Beats introduce me a bit to the topic of filter coffee

My first reaction as an Italian is scepticism since I like coffee dark and strong. But I admit, after tasting this coffee at their coffee place I feel completely taken into this new coffee culture. I love the idea to have 2 coffees a day, a flat white in the morning and a filter coffee in the afternoon.

What is really good filter coffee and what is a flat white?

Two complete different coffee experiences! A flat white consists of a double shot espresso and has microfoam on it. It comes in a smaller glass (1.8 dl) to make the taste more intense; it can be nuttier in taste. Here I refer to the Fifty Fifty blend used at Bros Beans & Beats, roasted by Henauer. There are blends that have a taste of chocolate, too. A different machine is used to brew the coffee.

Filter coffee has an other preparation procedure. Coffee is brewed with water, using the right temperature it draws out fantastic flavors and aromas. A real coffee pleasure for your tongue. It is more aromatic and pure, if I may say it this way. The coffee from „vertical coffee” that Bros Beans & Beat prepare as filter coffee is fruity in the taste.

Let’s get a bit more into filter coffee, I researched some topics for you

First: you need some equipment

• Good quality coffee beans. Find some online here
• Buy a French press to start. It’s a cylindrical pot with a plunger and built-in filter screen that presses hot water through ground coffee.

Find some instructions here for your perfect cup of coffee:

• Best French press brewing guide
  or stop by at Bros Beans & Beats and get some professional advice!
• If you like a more professional machine: go for a moccamaster, it’s about 250 CHF. This works all automatic but needs a bit of knowledge. This brand is used at Bros Beans & Beats. A valuable website to find your ideal espresso coffee machine is available here.
• Grind your beans with a manual grinder! You smell an explosion of flavours when you grind the beans. There are two manual grinders I suggest, the commandante C40 nitro blade it is not only fancy in the look but works fantastic or the Hario Mill bit cheaper but good. Both are burr grinders, so they’ll produce a nice, consistent grind, and they’re relatively compact.
• You need to weigh your coffee, so get an electronic scale
• For the Moccamaster you need a paper filter.

Buy this equipment either on amazon or on coffeecircle.com. Get a great choice and good price ranges.

After you have your equipment get familiar with some more information on coffee preparation

• How fine or rough should the coffee be ground?

For the French press or the moccamaster, you would want a coarse grind. Using a simple Moka machine you go for a fine grind. Somehow, find your grinding and play with it!

• Some insights about the roasting of the coffee beans

Dark coffee beans display a lot of visible oils, this is typical of your dark roast and espresso roast blends. The oil simply means the beans were roasted longer than their less oily counterparts.

• Light or dark roast for your coffee?

Darker coffees have less caffeine than lighter roasts. Lighter blends still contain oil, however, the oils are “lighter” and are not as visible since they are contained inside. These blends are roasted for shorter periods giving them more caffeine. For filter coffee use light roasted beans.

• How much coffee do you need for your cup of coffee?

About 3 tablespoons per 3dl water. But play around with how much you use in proportion to how much water you use and you’ll end up finding the perfect combination for your taste.

What else to say? Let’s start playing and explore this world of coffee together. And if all of this is just too complex, stop by at Bros Beans & Beats and order your coffee there!

My personal highlight: Hot Zopf with Banana and peanut butter

Combining excellent coffee with creative food

Bros Beans & Beats are new in town at Gartenstrasse 24 in Kreis 4/Wiedikon. Beside having nice quality coffee they also have healthy fresh food on their menu. The specialty coffee has a chocolate and nutty flavor of their fifty fifty coffee is roasted locally by Henauer in Höri/ZH.

As a snack try the oriental tabuleh lentil sticks with a tasty zatziki or a fresh swiss ham and parmesan bread with plenty of rucola. All is prepared à la minute for you.

Filter coffee with a fruity flavor

Explore a complete new coffee culture! Try their filter coffee, it smells fruity and super delicious, a new exploration for your tongue. The filter coffee they brew is from the company verticalcoffee roasters. Forget the outdated filter coffee machines used back in the 90s. Today we talk about high class mocca machines. The one Bros Beans & Beats uses is the moccamaster.

The ambience is cozy and peaceful, they have a comfy lounge, too. In the evening the place is nice for a drink. Summer terrace is perfect spot to hang out after work for a cold coffee.

Once there I like to have a chat with the staff, they are relaxed and love to introduce you to their place with plenty of attention.

www.brosbeansbeats.ch

My personal highlight: The seasonal craft beer selection and the bieramisu that gives a special note to the dessert

Craft food and craft beer experience in Zurich

Every course is paired expertly with a selected craft beer. That is why it is called the “Grain craft experience”.

At Grain’s you find a great selection of craft beers. Choose the local brewer Bachweg from Zug or an international brand as the Grimbergen Blanche from Belgium. Try some clear fruity craft beers, dark aromatized ones with vanilla or special saisonal ones where you taste roasted pumpkin.

The food is super tasty, Chef Patrick Leuenberger brings you to an other level of food experience. He uses different techniques as sous vides for example to prepare an tender chicken breast. Craft beer is used for food preparation, too, this to give a special note to every course. The team is happy to spoil you with a real craft experience.

Check it out, it’s at Zürichbergstrasse 71, just behind the tram stop Kirche Fluntern. Explore the very cozy and warm ambience in a bar setup. For a more romantic ambience choose the elegant dining area and try a complete menu.

How to explain in few sentences what you can experience at this new craft beer and food place in town?

Let’s dive into the craft beer & food experience

I am bit new into craft beer and craft food, so for me what I tasted was indefinable magic. An aromatic explosion! Every course is paired expertly with a craft beer. That is why it is called the “Grain craft experience”. I confirm. It is a very tasteful experience prepared and served with plenty of love.

Amy welcomes guests with a surprise, a delicate craft beer. The “Ichabod Crane Pumpkin Ale” from Bachweg Brewery in Zug contains a juicy fresh flavor of roasted pumpkin, Butternut squash and a light cinnamon aroma.

Starter

To start the food component of our Grain craft experience Chef Patrick Leuenberger sends out a starter of tangy cured Arctic Char accompanied with the light and fresh craft Belgian beer Grimbergen Blanche. The beer has a light yellow color, fine bubbles and aromas of fruits, citrus, cloves and coriander. The arctic char is house cured in sea salt and sugar, the hazelnuts and the fresh radish are the cherry on top of the fish. Absolutely amazing combination!

By the way: this is the little secret here at Grain’s, beer is used to give the certain touch to every menu, even in the dessert!

The main course

A Coq au Biere, with a fantastic Italian couscous called “fregola sarda” and yummy duxelle of mushrooms and coco beans, aromatized with Zwickel beer. The chicken breast is brined before, than prepared sous vide and then pan seared to crispy perfection. The chicken leg is salted overnight with fresh herbs and then cooked confit with goose fat for a few hours. This Coq au Biere comes extremely crispy and incredibly tender and super mouth-watering. I just love it!

The beer that comes with this course is a special edition from the brewery Bachweg named: Sweet Brewby Jesus Jubilee (their Winter Ale). The flavor has hints of cinnamon & clove… what a holy taste.

The dessert

Get a Bieramisu super refreshing and light. The combination of coffee ice cream and mascarpone mousse melts on your tongue once in your mouth. I love the decoration of this plate including the little jelly drops made with Bachweg’s Porter House craft beer. The matching beer: a porterhouse vanilla porter with an intense vanilla aroma and dark chocolate and coffee flavor.

I hope you are hungry and thirsty now! It’s time to stop by at Grain’s. The chef and his team will offer you a one-of-a-kind culinary experience you will not forget.

Food blogging in Göteborg – What makes a Kannelbullar unique?

Swedens signature dessert

This famous cinnamon bun is my favorite sweet in winter times. Go for a cozy authentic coffee place named Café Husaren. These Kannelbullar are the most giant and soft ones I ever tasted in my life.

Göteborg is a fascinating city with many handcraft shops. The area I love to walk and stroll around is called Haga. I absolutely recommend it if you like little hand craft shops, no tourist crowds and authentic local products. I bought myself a handmade soap called HÄRLIG!

Where to go for dinner

• The Taverna Averna, absolutely delicious good local food, fresh fish. At the bar you get great cocktails
• For traditional food or good drinks go to the restaurant Le Pub.
  I had a tender piece of beef with smoked bacon, mashed potatoes with a tasty red wine sauce.

My personal highlight: Barista like to share their knowledge with you, love to be at the bar and watch them working

This place is in the bank district just behind Bahnhofstrasse at Kappelergasse 16.

When I come here I enjoy sitting at the bar and talk to the barista. I observe how he prepares the coffee for me and get explanations about the variety of coffee flavors they offer.

The perfect spot to stop early in the mornings or Saturday’s for a quick coffee as in Italy!

Milchbar changes its specialty coffee frequently. Ask for Matej! The foam and temperature of the milk are exactly my taste at this place.

The place offers good meals for lunch. The dishes are fresh and seasonal. Their Schober Brunch is famous in town, too.

www.milchbar.ch