My personal highlight: It’s as simple, a traditional easy Italian Streetfood from Emilia Romagna for vegetarian and meat lover

There are some days I don’t really feel a big hunger but I know I want something tasty, half warm, fresh and somehow healthy. The Piadina Bar located in the old part of Zurich in the Niederdorf is my choice. Here I come to have my Piadina. The atmosphere is cozy, you can stay for the snack or take it to go, the food is fresh prepared and of good quality. Who has ever visited Riccione or Rimini knows, that in that part of Italy Piadina is a much appreciated street food.

What is piadina?

A Piadina is a type of traditional flatbread found in Italy/Emilia Romagna. It is stuffed with every conceivable fillings. The Piadina bread contains lard, that it what makes the dough soft and tasty! Piadina bread is easy to make at home, too. Find a recipe here!

Get your Piadina with Bresaola, Prosciutto di Parma, Salame nostrano, Parmigiano, add some Rucola, grilled veggies as eggplants, peperoni, zucchetti or even olive or artichoke cream. Comes best also with cream cheese stracchino, pecorino or gorgonzola/mascarpone. You see, there are a lot of combinations possible. Try it, let me know if you enjoyed! You can find èiadina Bar also in Basel by the way!

Address: Piadina Bar, Niederdorfstrasse 2, 8001 Zürich, Kreis 2

Opening hours: Monday – Saturday 11.30 am – 11 pm, Sunday 3 pm – 7 pm

www.piadina-bar.ch

My personal highlight: Learning more about Munich’s history, the Bavarian Royals and their traditions in a modern, fancy and glorious interpreted way at 25 Hours Hotels Munich

How do you book your hotels? Which criteria do matter for your booking? How much do you know about 25Hours Hotels available in Germany, Austria and Switzerland? Let me introduce you to the new 25Hours Hotel “The Royal Bavarian” in Munich. Get more insights on other 25Hours hotels on my accommodation guide here (Zurich) or here (Hamburg)!

I experienced 25 Hours Hotels this year the first time in Hamburg. I have to admit, before traveling to a city after having had excellent experiences with them, I first check, if a 25 Hours Hotel is available.

The Royal Bavarian opened its doors just recently and is brand new in Munich. It’s located 2 minutes from the train station and offers all high level standards and services known from other 25Hours Hotels.

What makes The Royal Bavarian Hotel in Munich special?

Anne one of the hotel staff members guides me through the house and explains to me significant details that were used to create this Bavarian surrounding. I see myriads of ironic and iconographic allusions to Bavarian history and its royal legacy. I love the story, that the Managers and the architect went for a guided sightseeing tour through Munich, to best grab and understand relevant details of its history. The goal was to transmit them into the design concept and interior to make the place authentic and real. Special elements as the ancient sledge, the swan chair or the furniture in the Boilerman Bar feature selected, materials. They create affectionate nods allover the place. This is the signature experience of this hotels.

The hotel is situated in a ancient building from the year 1800 ca. a former Imperial Post and Telegraph Office on the forecourt of the Central Station. That is why for example you find some ancient original typing machines in the hotel alley. Hotel guests have the opportunity to type their own letter, feel thrown back in time, and mail it to the wished address afterwards.

The catchy topic of the hotel is the Royal Bavarian History. I notice lots of Swan and Elefant elements all over the hotel. These were favorite animals of farmer royals. King Ludwig II of Bavaria, also known as the “Fairytale King was one of them, he lived in the castle called Neuschwanstein. Neuschwanstein literally means “New Swan Castle” referencing of “the Swan Knight” one of the Wagner’s characters.”. King Ludwig was a great admirer and supporter of Richard Wagner, the world-renowned composer.

This is 25 Hours Hotel The Royal Bavarian in a glimpse

• 165 rooms in 6 room categories on 4 floors
• Price start as of 150 Euros
• meeting space for up to 20 people in the “Muschelkammer”
• NENI Restaurant with eclectic east Mediterranean meze inspired by Chef Haya Molcho
• Boilerman bar with fancy Highball drinks
• Sauna
• ue boom bluetooth speakers
• free of charge mini car and bike rental (bikes from Schindelhauer)
• a hearty and service oriented staff that makes you feel home away from home

Accommodation

Find 165 modern and stylish designed rooms. Every category has its own theme and design. It starts with the Single-Box-room, than the “Chambers” and the Grand-Chambers. There are two suites available, one is the Swan-Suite the other the Peacock-Suite. Natural materials as wood and fabrics are combined with warm colors and stylish, functional furniture. Find all details for booking a room here.

Food & Drinks

As in every 25Hours Hotel the NENI Restaurant spoils its guest also in Munich with the food philosophy of Haya Molcho and her 4 sons. Find an eclectic east Mediterranean cuisine inspired by a Street food style from Telaviv and the world. Get a variety of light and flavorful lunch and dinner menus.
Try the Balagan style, which means that you order several plates and share them together! Enjoy the open space or the tranquil private room. Enjoy some hand made sandwiches or other food to take a way at the NENI Deli.

The house bar Boilerman offers a sociable and cozy atmosphere. It’s an inviting place to linger and relax. Find delicious highballs – precisely mixed short drinks that are stirred and not shaken.

Thank you for using the Lovefoodish food and travel guide.

I had the great pleasure to cooperate with the Australian Magazine Threepence to create a personal story about my passion for food blogging. Britta is the publisher/Editor of the magazine that discovers stories of people with passions around the world.

In this article you will learn a lot about how I came to my blogging and how traditional home made tomato sauce is made! I thank Britta for the story!

SwiTalian: Discovering my identity

Italians speak with the heart and the hands. They are temperamental and proud when they talk about their culture and habits. They forever seek to pass on their passion. I realise now that growing up in Switzerland as a child in a south Italian immigrant family gave me the ideal cultural mix in life.

From the Swiss side, there is humility and an honest attitude. Swiss people may not show their hearty character from the beginning, but they are the most open-minded and respectful people I have ever met. They care about their neighbours and love to create surrounds that are welcoming and comfortable.

It is so akin to me when I reflect on the special combination of a reliable and humble Swiss attitude mingled with a temperamental, creative and enjoyable Italian Dolce Vita style. I am SwiTalian, as someone once described me!

Following the unknown

Calabria is a beautiful region located at the toe point of the Italian boot surrounded by the splendid crystal blue Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas. It’s a land of strong and intense emotions.

Despite its beauty and picturesque lifestyle, many south Italian regions experienced economic stagnation for many years. Hence, my parents immigrated from Calabria to the Swiss canton Baselland in the 70’s to find luck, love and a better future for their children. They heard about Switzerland offering work and support for families and business alike. They decided to take a risk and follow an unknown path in search of a better future.

My mother and father taught me much about life and food, about never giving up and following my dreams. I admire the fact they left their home for the unknown with only a few coins in their pocket. They may have been penniless, but they held a rich history of heritage and tradition.

My father worked many years as a mason then later as an operation employee in an industrial company. My mother took care about us kids.

My food and travel journey

I have always been thirsty to discover the world, to travel and discover different cultures. This passion keeps me enthusiastic about life every day. It flows in my blood. Thanks to my parents, growing up in Switzerland with a solid education in marketing  & communication offered the perfect base to realize my dreams. I worked as Marketing & Communications Manager in the healthcare area. So, I was fortunate enough to be part of a challenging and interesting working field.

Why traveling captures my heart

Venturing through unknown places allowed me to intimately experience and understand the food and culture, and how these bind people together no matter where from. I may not know the local or native language in a country, but this is no barrier when you share food and life by your gut instinct.

Today I communicate with the language of love and appreciation, usually through the currency of food, smiles, hospitality and hugs.

These experiences led to my blog, Lovefoodish. It makes me ultimately happy to have the chance to share my food and life stories with a curious community throughout the world. Blogging opens the door to local and international places. I encounter lovely people full of passion. They motivate me by sharing their knowledge, and listening to their personal stories fills me with joy.

Gifted with sharing cultural heritage

Although I traverse the world in search of great food and culture, it is my family roots that I cherish the most. I often think back to the time where I would accompany my father to the local Swiss farmer to buy fresh vegetables, fruits or meat. My father’s German was a bit sketchy so he would also gesture with his hands and feet to communicate, which was very entertaining! Having learnt German at a Swiss school it wasn’t long before I was very fluent in German and I helped my parents learn to adopt the language more comfortably.

What makes Calabria special?

My father transferred to me the view to always question the origin of food and how to select quality products, and to really appreciate food from the land.

A tomato isn’t just a tomato.

He loved to explain to me what makes Calabria special. I still feel pride for him when he reminisces. But he also taught me how to appreciate delicious Swiss ingredients, such as potatoes or seasonal juicy apples and cherries. Living in a small village in the countryside gave us close accessibility to the farmer. This made him feel more at home and serene, since in Calabria he also lived on a farm.

The extra-virgin olive oil, wines, bergamot liqueurs, liquorice, citron, herbs, honey and jams from Calabria are incomparable. They also offer a famous red onion called Cipolla rossa di Tropea which is mild and a bit sweeter than other varieties. There are special types of homemade pasta, one is called maccaruni, still made today using the traditional methods.
Maccaruni are made using a thin long squared wire. The technique used goes back to my grandmother, and beyond. Another one is gnocchi. Calabrians celebrate food that is made as a family and there are some classic meats, cheeses and breads amongst the fresh produce.

Italian immigrants in Switzerland

A typical thing that immigrants have here in Switzerland are rented gardens allotments where they spend much of their summer days and evenings planting and tending to vegetables. My father was no exception. He planted his edible garden to replicate the farm where he grew up in Italy. It gave him the “freedom” to be in nature and do something he loved.

What about Italians loving Swiss food?

When my parents visit me in Zurich they crave a Zürcher Geschnetzletes. It’s a veal steak cut in little slices with potato Röschti and a champignon cream sauce. We love to go for lunch at the Restaurant Kronenhalle. The place is historic and famous for serving this dish since 1924. Artists like Picasso, Strauss and Coco Chanel used to come here for a drink and food. This history somehow makes it so much more enjoyable.

Zurich has a lot to offer besides traditional Suisse Cuisine. You can find good quality, creative and multicultural food in every corner of the city. These multicultural vibes give me the feeling of traveling whilst still in my hometown. I invite you to stroll through my blog and get a picture of the culinary offerings in Zurich.

The humble tomato – making Passata 

There is nothing like producing tomato sauce from scratch, particularly when it is shared as a family tradition. Handmade and flavoursome, one of the tastiest things you will ever try. It is the highlight of our summers, when the family comes together spending hours sorting, peeling, and boiling tomatoes while chatting. Once you understand that good food is about simple, basic quality ingredients you won’t hesitate one minute to invest time in preparing it yourself.

How to prepare your own passata

My mother talks to friends and parents to find the best tomato supplier at a decent price. We use around 100-150 KG of tomatoes which produces sauce for up to a year and is shared amongst my brother, parents and myself.

Despite the volume, home is where our tomato sauce is produced. Once the tomatoes are ordered, we drive at least 2-3 times to get all of the boxed tomatoes back home. Today mostly it’s my brother, his wife and some aunts and uncles that all produce the sauce together. 

The tomatoes are carefully washed. My parents are perfectly equipped with all the material and instruments needed as big pans, manual mincer/sifter, Plenty of empty jars with a matching lid, big pans, cookers (gas).
After we wash the tomatoes they are cut into half pieces. The seeds, spotted or blotted pieces are removed. Than we add water in the pan and they cook for several hours (covered up) in a huge container over the gas until they are mushy. Once they are cooked, we leave them to cool. After cooling  a sifter is used to eliminate the tomato skin and the seeds. 

Now the beautiful red liquid is filled into the washed and pre-prepared jars. As a nest step the jars are sterilized for few hours on the fire in a huge aluminum pan. And of course before everybody leaves, the highlight of the day is to eat pasta with the fresh made sauce all together.

Recipe of a traditional Italian Tomato Sauce (makes 4 serves)

500 ml pot of tomato passata 1 red onion, chopped 1-2 spoons of olive oil handful basil leaves salt/pepper

Preparation

Roast the onions with the oil, add the tomato passata, bring to boiling add salt and basil, let boil on little temperature for 30 min. ca. Adjust it with salt/pepper to your desire.

The marvel of life’s pantry staples

Alongside taking care of the administrative tasks, my mother is an excellent pasta maker. On occasion she loves to spoil us with homemade maccaruni, tagliatelle or gnocchi. It’s a skill passed down from my grandmother.

On a classic Sunday in my family’s home the family comes together to enjoy food and energetic discussion. It’s not a cliché, we really do speak very loudly to each other. It’s how we express our emotions and feelings.

For this occasion, we often make pasta from scratch. It is a way of playing with ingredients, getting the feeling on how texture and shapes are created. While writing this post I shared this tradition with my niece and nephew. There is no other experience like eating homemade gnocchi with home-produced tomato sauce. It is no doubt the cherry on the cake, except it’s tomato sauce and pasta.

Recipe for gnocchi (makes 4 serves)

General rule of thumb:
1 medium-sized potato per serving or person. For every potato, use approximately 1/2 cup of flour.

1 Kg of potatoes, 1 egg, 300 g of flour,  salt

To serve : Grated parmesan cheese Basil Leafs

Making the gnocchi

• Boil the potatoes in a large pot for 20 minutes until fork tender, put just enough water to cover them, leave the potatoes’ skin on. The skin helps the potato not too absorb access water. Over-boiling will cause potatoes to become mushy and too wet. 
• Drain potatoes well, remove them from the pot. Allow them to cool. 
• Peel potatoes 
• Rice the potatoes by using a potato ricer or simply a fork, this is how my grandmother did. 
• Mound riced potato on the middle of a clean, dry countertop, create a little vulcano and top with flour. 
• Add salt 
• Add the egg, break the egg into the centre of the well. Beat the egg with a fork.
• Incorporate all ingredients by using the fork.
  Start to pull in flour and potato to mix ingredients. Use your hands to combine all the ingredients. Start to form the dough. 
• Knead the dough until it has a smooth surface. Be careful not to over-knead. Be aware of adding flour at this point, careful: too much flour will give you hard gnocchi. 
• Shape dough into a long, wide rectangle for cutting. 
• Cut the dough into several pieces. 
• From this piece, you start to roll the dough into ropes. Make an evenly-distributed rope. 
• Cut little cubes out of the robe and start forming the gnocchi either with a fork or a wood gnocchi roller or even by using the tip of your trigger and middle finger. 
• To prevent the gnocchi sticking, keep gnocchi in a cool area and tip them with flour.

The cooking:

• Shake away any superfluous flour.
• Place the finished gnocchi in a large pot of salted boiling water.
• Cook the gnocchi until they float to the top. Usually 2-4 minutes. Gently remove them with a slotted spoon.
• Drain them well.
• Toss them in the tomato sauce pan and cook together for about 2 minutes.
• Put your grated parmesan cheese and basil leaves on top. 

In the mood of a good Italian restaurant in town where to find home made pasta? Check my online food guide here.

My personal highlight: Understanding that Japanese Curry is a real traditional food cooked at home, it brings the family together at one table

I am glad I found this cute little Japanese Takeaway in Zurich. It is located at Stauffacherstrasse 101 very close to Langstrasse. The place is a real Japanese bijou. Stepping inside the typical fancy Japanese Design stands out. Their charactere named “putput” is a cute chick in the manga style. You can admire it all around the shop. There are fancy putput objects as home made mugs or bags to purchase, too.

The owner Nao Shirato explains to me, that the food they serve is inspired by the recipes of her grandmother. That’s Japanese cuisine her family used to eat at home.

The curry base is a home made paste. Its taste is not comparable to a spicy Indian curry with coconut milk. I found this curry mild, thicker in the consistency.  The Potato inside where fingerlicking, a real value to my curry experience.

The choice of menu is simple. Different menus are available for vegetarians and non.

Try the super tasty home made Japanese Curry (veggie or chicken), the Gyudon bowl with beef, the Onigri (rice sandwich with meat, fish or veggie) or different buns filled with veggies, meat or azuki (sweet beans).  The home made ice tea is recommendable, too.
The miso soup tastes very authentic and comes with the main dish if you like. Choose the salad instead if this doesn’t match your choice.

Menu are available for 11.5o – 15.50 CHF. Get a bun for 6 CHF,  Gyudon 13.50-15.50 CHF, Onigiri 5.50 CHF

Opening hours

Monday 11:30 — 14:00
Tuesday — Friday 11:30 — 21:00
Saturday 14:00 — 21:00

http://putput.ch/

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

Zurich Blogging for the most creamy, tasty and yummy Gelato! Get inspired by my top 5 list – Have you tried them all?

What happened in Zurich the last year makes every gelato fan thrilled. Zurich has a fantastic selection of artisan gelato! For your convenience, I’ve compiled a list of the top five gelato stores in Zurich. If I’ve missed one, please feel free to add it!

Criteria that make the gelato land on my top 5 list

• fresh ingredients
• homemade, not artificial in the taste
• no food additives, no concentrates, no syrups or food colourings
• low sugar content/cream taste
• light in the belly
• creative flavours

Here are my favourite gelati shops in town

• Gelateria di Berna, at 3 locations in Zurich: Weststrasse 196, Frau Geroldsgarten, Zollstrasse 117, Zürich
• Hasta Ice Cream Zurich, Zwingliplatz 3, Zürich
• Rosso Arancio, Stauffacherstrasse 37, Zürich
• Eisladen (new since April 2022) at Birmensdorferstrasse 101
• Tellhof  (Their ice cream mobile at the lake is a must-stop on your Zurich bucket list!) the shop is located at Tellstrasse 20!

Gelateria di Berna

Gelateria di Berna is a term for everybody that has A. been in Berne already and B. loves homemade organic ice cream that is not too creamy but genuine and pure in the taste. Get Gelati di Berna now in Zürich at Weststrasse 196, Brupbacherplatz close to Lochergut.

Between Livorno and Follonica, where all began

The history of Michael, David and Hansmartin is lovely. They used to eat Gelati as they were kids during their camping holidays somewhere between Livorno and Follonica in Italy. The desire of having this summer moment back home motivated them to create their own artisan Gelati in Switzerland. That’s how Gelati di Berna was founded in Berne 2010. That’s where I had my first best “Berna” Gelato back in time!

Their recipes follow ancient Italian Gelato traditions. They trained gelato-making in Verona from artisan Gelato makers. This is to create their ice cream as authentic and tasty as possible. Find 30 creative flavours to choose from. Vegan and lactose-free.
Creative gelato combinations such as strawberry sorbet with Aceto Balsamico, seasonal rhubarb ice cream or a scoop of Fior di Latte Lavender, wait for you.

More than fair is the price. 3.50 CHF for 2 scoops.

www.gelateriadiberna.ch

Hasta Icecream Shop

This company produces ice cream out of a family passion, too. Paulo’s father Rolf is a passionate food lover since ever. That is how he started producing ice cream 20 years ago in Argentina. Back in Switzerland, he wanted to make this delicacy available to the Swiss folk. The first shop opened in Sion/Wallis 15 years ago, now they are in Zurich at Zwingliplatz 3 in the Niederdorf.

Hasta stands for Heladeria Argentina-Suiza Totalmente Artesanal

The whole family loved this ice cream and motivated Rolf to start running an ice cream shop back in time. Paulo is running the shop in Zurich. His brother contributed to the company, too by drawing the logo at the age of 6! I love the drawing!

Their Gelato is 100 % natural, fresh and mostly seasonal ingredients are used. The selection of fruity flavours is creative and variegated. My favourite is the bergamot flavour which is a crossing between an orange and a lemon. For the chocolate flavour, you get the best Swiss chocolate from Felchlin.

Price per scoop: 4 CHF.

www.hasta.ch

Gelateria Rosso Arancio

This ice cream shop is offering traditional homemade Italian ice cream since 2017.

Close to Stauffacher here you can choose from their traditional and seasonal flavours made of 100% natural ingredients.

Pistacchio, hazelnut or Fior di latte? Watch at their ShowLab how the artisan gelato is prepared!

Price per scoop: 3.50 CHF.

www.rosso-arancio.ch/

Tellhof

You probably have seen that long queue when walking down to the China Garden at the lake? That’s the most famous gelato stop we have at the Zurich lake, I bet! And for the little kids: there is a little cute plastic animal on top of the ice cream as a little gift. The flavours are fresh and the selection is classic. I love their berries & yoghurt and cinnamon flavour a lot!

They also have a shot in Kreis 4 at Tellstrasse 20.

Price per scoop: 3.50 CHF.

www.gelati1998.ch

Eisladen Wiedikon

This gelato shop just joined our hood! Their ingredients are all local they told me and several vegan options are available. The brownies used for the cookies & cream flavour are home-baked and a true highlight is their chimney brad stuffed with gelato you need to give a try, too.

Do you remember having spaghetti ice cream as a kid when visiting German cities? You have to know, a lot of Italian when immigrating to Germany started their own business with a gelato shop and so they invented this delicious way of eating gelato. That’s a must-try, too.

Price per scoop: 3.50, Spaghetti ice cream: 11 CHF.

www.eisladen.ch

Want to have a look at my Zurich Coffee Guide, too? Get inspiration on Specialty Coffee here!

Travel with a free spirit

No please, I don’t want KFC food

Where to sleep  and have Yoga in Malaysia & Thailand

• airbnb in Penang Georgetown. Kimhaus, www.kenhuntfood.com
• Super nice Yoga place in Langkawi: Yoga with dorothy at Ambling Ambling Resort, www.langkawi-yoga.com
• Food place with propabely the best Crèpes in Malaysia made by a French/Malaysian in Langkawi: The crepérie myfrenchfactory

Lots of super delicious street food wherever you walk! For these no link is available, you walk on the streets and follow your nose.

Want to get inspired by more Lovefoodish travel stories in Asia? Get them here!

Yes, it is possible to travel with little money or even stay for free in an absolute tranquil and cozy ambient

Feeling like visiting friends