My dream: eat dimsum in Hongkong

on 22 November 2016 by Marina Lovefoodish add comment

Visit China once in my life, this I had on my bucket list and guess what, it came true.

Strolling through the streets I notice calm vibes, peace, birds singing! I really enjoyed following little paths that suddenly take you into parks hidden up on a hill, markets with fresh fruits, bakeries selling delicious egg tarts and of course plenty of bars coffee places and restaurants. My prejudices of Hong Kong all gone. This city is not only busy and full of traffic!

What to do in Hongkong

Take a ferry over to Kowloon (6 Min. only) to see a Symphony of Lights never seen before, a spectacular sound-and-light show involving 44 buildings on the Hong Kong Island skyline. Go at night, it’s amazing. During the day it is a busy shopping area from sneakers road to girls market, you will find plenty of tourist stuff to buy! This is a city where you walk a lot so be prepared. Steep hills up as much you want, some electric stairs in between give your legs a rest.
The Peak is something you have to see. The view up there is amazing. You see the skyline of the city in a unique way! Try it by night! You will be speechless for the second time, I promise!
Very athlete ones can run through a park up to The Peak. The heat and level of humidity did not allow me to do that! I took a local bus which takes you about 30 minutes a ride. Alternatively you can take a touristy tram that brings you slowly up, too.
A touristy attraction to do: ride the Ding Ding, its a double floor tram that brings you easy around the city when you’re tired of walking!

Where to sleep

For your overnight I recommend the Soho area, its of course a more western corner but getting around from there was great and so easy for me. A hotel I recommend is the Boutique Hotel Butterfly on Waterfront (around 50 USD with special offer) or airbnb of course.

Coffee place to stop by

In soho I recommend a cute coffee place called Corner Kitchen Cafe at hollywood road, the salted caramel cake I had there are unforgettable, bombastic delicious!!

What to eat

The best Dim Sum ever in my life I found in a typical Chinese restaurant in soho. A must try! Its name is Monchu China . Did you know that Dim Sum means “touch the heart”? They completely did!
Wesley from Wesleys Kitchen in Zurich told me, that I gonna eat the best Dim Sum ever here, and so it was!

And for the ride to the airport: uber, what else! My driver was just awesome! He made a stop to buy me some delicious Chinese biscuits he wanted me to try before leaving HK.

Europe Travel

Waterlove: back to sealife in Greece

on 21 November 2016 by Marina Lovefoodish 2 comments

Sailing boosts me with energy. It opens horizons and gives me mental freedom

How easy is it to find a sailing boat without reservation?

After all of my city exploration in Asia I knew my next journey would be on a boat.

How easy is it to find a sailing boat? Very easy of course. You need positive will, fantasy and good communication skills.

I created an account on www.crewseekers.net after a few emails and a bit of research the right boat found me.

Naguib from Egypt hosted me 10 days. We were 5 people on board, the skipper, his girlfriend a friend of Naguib and an other guy from crewseeker.

The boat was a IMX 40, a racer named baraka! Looking back to my experience I have to say, that I appreciated much the time spend on that boat, it’s a school of life. Of course my main reason to be there was sailing.

I love following the wind

I love colorful sunsets, everyone seems different and particular. Cooking on board is challenging but great fun, too. You learn to mix everything that you find in your board fridge!

On such a small space you get to know people very fast, I enjoyed the great talks and philosophizing about life and made experiences.

Once in a while you also get to dance on deck or listening to someone playing the guitar.
The highlight of the morning is waking up with the sunrise and jumping into the fresh water to get awake.

Isn’t this sounding dreamful?

Some easy recipes to cook on board:

avocado bread
fresh fruit salad
greek salad
nuts as snacks in between to give you power
risotto
spaghetti à la empty the fridge

plus: dine out and explore the fresh seafood of the area!

Sailing in Greece

Greece is an astonishing destination for sailing. You are surrounded by islands with turquoise clear waters, memorable bays to anchor, lovely local people and excellent fresh seafood.

We sailed around Rhodes up to Cos, this is all around the Aegean sea. What I absolutely recommend are the Cyclades Islands and the Ionian Islands, too. Plan at least 2 weeks!

Thank you baraka and team for the safe journey!

Asia Travel

Kuala Lumpur you are magic!

on 20 November 2016 by Marina Lovefoodish add comment

What better welcome as a thunderstorm to get startet in Kuala Lumpur?

This city welcomed me with a thunderstorm and a deep black sky! Loved it because it’s one way to express deep emotions! After settled down in my airbnb, a lady dorm in a luxury business building on the 27 floor (12 Euros per night) I spend 5 minutes on the terrace. The voice of the muezzin, the sun going down, the lights of the buildings starting to shine in the dark, a cemetery with thousands of graves, wow.

I feel good here. My travel continuous to be rich of experiences.

Simple delicious food, modern buildings (Petronas Tower) and hearty people all over!

While waiting at the monorail station I talked to two local girls inviting me to dinner at their home. I felt so much honored!

By the way, in KL you can easily move with the monorail.

How to get around in KL best: use UBER

I absolutely recommend to use UBER as much as possible! The UBER driver were my personal city guides! And since it was obvious that I love food they brought me to places I would never find by myself.

I recommend china town, central market, go up to the KL tower at night and stand on the glass platform, feel freeeeedom with a touch of safety under your feet ! magic!

Absolutely must stop at upton danau kota for really good local food and a fancy chaotic night bazar.

Asia Travel

How to meet locals in Jaffa Tel Aviv

on 18 November 2016 by Marina Lovefoodish add comment

My personal highlight: Following my nose to an airbnb in the middle of the arabic area where the best hummus in town is just close to it

While walking along the harbor without any plan I crush into a group of locals. They invite me to a fancy place for food and drinks. This are my first 15 minutes in Tel Aviv. This people tell me all I needed to know to discover the city the next few days.

My favorite place to hang around

Plan time in the old town area around the harbor. The port is 4,000-plus-year-old. In Jaffa ancient and bohemian collide in ever more creative ways. Think: a hive of new galleries, makers’ spaces beside bars and restaurants.

Accommodation

Book your room with airbnb. Choose YAFO creative house. As the name says, their home is full of art in every corner of the house. The owner are a group of lovely, creative people. They host art and live music events and you are always welcome to meet new people and friends of them. Take the chance to taste fresh local food, too.

Tel Aviv Streetfood – best hummus ever

Just around the corner of their home is the best hummus place in town! It’s named: Abu Hasan / Ali Karavan.

Where to go for dinner

Shila – www.en.shila-rest.co.il
I think it’s the best Mediterranean Restaurant. The restaurant serves delicious locally-sourced meat and seafood. Check out their tasty a la plancha dishes of seafood and vegetables. The waiters are friendly and dedicated to every wish you have.

Want to enjoy a good coffee?

Cafe Xoho – www.cafexoho.com
Laid back deco, delicious healthy vegetarian home-made food and good strong coffee. This place is a favorite hangout amongst local and international crowd in Tel Aviv. Be sure to try their delicious all-day breakfasts and their famous cookies.

I absolutely recommend a visit of this metropole. You will love the mix of history and modern life of happy smiling people.

Europe Travel

Juicy and green, natural power of Bilbao

on 5 November 2016 by Marina Lovefoodish add comment

My personal highlight: Getting used that every little thing you can eat will be served on a tiny piece of bread!

These are pintxos

I wish I could write this article in Spanish, so many emotions running through my mind in this place!

The first hours are kind of cold and unconnected. The city appears slow and isolated to me. Is it because it is summer?

Everything changes when I got in contact with the amazing nature, the harbor and the waterpower at the sea. The waves are loved by world wide surfers and I understand why, once I see the waves smashing at the coast.
I realize once again that people also in Bilbao have their siesta from 2-5 pm. Bilbao is located at the Bay of Biscay.

What are pintxos

From a culinary point of view the must tries are the pintxos. Everything you can imagine comes on a little piece of sliced bread. Fish, meat, eggs really everything.

They serve pintxos in every bar. It comes with your wine or a cerveza, maybe also comparable with the Italian aperitivo.

tapas & friends in Wiedikon (www.tapasandfriends.ch) serve the pinxtos, too, if you don’t like to travel so far.

What to do beside admiring surfer

Beside the beautiful beaches of Plentzia which is a great spot to surf and the touristy area of Casco Viejo, I absolutely recommend a stop at the imposant building designed by Frank Gehry. The Museum of Modern Art, the guggenheim museum. As an art lover you must experience this.

Asian Food GUIDES Restaurant Guide

Sala of Tokyo

on 5 March 2016 by Marina Lovefoodish add comment

My personal highlights: Authentic Japanese cuisine prepared from Japanese Chefs. A 4 course dinner with Wagyu-Beef or a sushi variation for lunch

Japanese delicacies since 1981

Sala of Tokyo exists since 1981 and is one of the most authentic and traditional Japanese restaurants in Switzerland. It’s located at Limmatstrasse 29. It’s famous for offering quality and fresh dishes created by only Japanese Chefs.
Getting these Chefs to Switzerland is a big administrative challenge says Manager Lorenz Muster, but considering the aim of offering a memorable Japanese food experience, having such a setup is essential. Once at the restaurant you immediately feel the authenticity of sala of tokyo.

What to choose

Start with an appetizer as the Tempura. Experience an artful plate of sushi or the excellent Japanese Kobe Wagyu Beef prepared on charcoal grill. The Tokubatsu-Kaiseki Dinner or the classical shabu shabu dinner invite to be explored, too.

Lunch-Bento boxes to go or special Sushi-Lunch offers

The ambiance at Sala of Tokyo is ideal to spend a tranquil dinner. Watch the Chef preparing the sushi and get fascinated by their knife skills!
A sake after dinner will round your meal off, they have a great selection!

www.salaoftokyo.ch

Coffee Guide GUIDES

ViCAFE Espresso Bars

on 5 February 2016 by Marina Lovefoodish add comment

My personal highlight: One of the most flavorful take away coffee. Don’t be scared from the long line at Bellevue, it’s worth waiting 5 min.

One and only Espresso Bar Take away in Zurich with Specialty Coffee

ViCafe is a great spot for Specialty Coffee to take away. Get coffee with high quality arabica 100% beans. Their coffee is available at Bellevue, Goldbrunnenplatz and at Geroldsstrasse. I recommend the flat white which boosts up my day.

For ice coffee lover, try the Ice Cappuccino, the flavor is fantastic, no extra cream just real coffee flavor.

Find a detailed story on ViCAFE here and get to know more about their coffee philosophy.

www.vicafe.ch