Day 188: Oh...de...Cologne!

The town of Cologne is a charm. It is a place worth seeing, tasting, experiencing. I visit Cologne for work every now and then, and even though I have a hard time walking at the end of the day, I love going out for dinner. So far I've found a few places I can recommend. This last time I was staying in a pretty central location which saved me some hurtful walking in high-heels (I know, it was stupid, but they just feel so nice at first...). That's why I went straight into the first couple of places that caught my eyes. All of them are on the left side of the Dom Cathedral in the heart of Cologne.

My first recommendation goes to....Früh am Dom! This is an authentic German style restaurant, where they bring you draft beer as soon as you are seated even though you didn't ask for it....they just know you eventually are going to ;) That's a place where you can see a guy carry around more than 20 beers in a metal kind of tray made especially for that purpose. Amusing :))) Food is great, too, by the way :D

Second recommendation goes to............Chicago Steak House! Friendly staff, friendly atmosphere, friendly customers....all in all - friendly place! Steaks are delicious, deserts are worth a try as well :)))

My third and last tips go to................Barrios! A Spanish-style cocktail bar that saved me from getting a cold by serving me a warm and oh-so-nice potato soup and tacos with cheese...of course, Spanish wine included! I like this place a lot, maybe because of my endless affiliation to Spain and all things Spanish, or because of the warm feeling I got as soon as I entered the place. I just like it so much that I wanted to take it back in a suitcase and put it somewhere in Sofia so I can go whenever I feel like it.

Oh...de...Cologne!

Oh.....and I almost forgot....Oh HARIBO ♥

Nokia E72: Photos 1, 7, 9
Nikon D60, 18-55mm: Photos 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8

Day 174: Days of summer...Blueberry-Pistachio Cheesecake!

Say cheeeeese!

Now, say cheeeeeesecake! And say no more :)

I made my very own first trial on the making of a cheesecake a couple of weeks ago. And it was surprising even to myself when everyone who tried it said "whoa!" I started the preparation at about 10p.m. one night and finished it after midnight, because it was my gift for my grandma's birthday the next morning. I'm such a last-minute person sometimes, I know!

The recipe was borowed from Yoli 's fantastic cooking blog, and I adjusted it to my own taste and the available products at hand. I used blueberry jam for the top coat and I also added some dried blueberries I have from Detelina, that serve me in situations of sugar emergency and this time they really added up to the taste. I couldn't find Ricotta cheese at the local store so I substituted it with Philadephia cheese instead, and I also allowed myself to add some raw pistachio nuts for the biscuit bottom layer. It turns out it's not such a complicated thing making a cheesecake, I have no idea why I didn't try making it before, but anyone out there contemplating on that I would strongly encourage you - JUST TRY!

I am making some more once I get back with time in my watch and space in my fridge :))))))))

Nikon D60, 18-55mm.

Day 119: Taste of Vienna

Food is important, okay? So don't underestimate that. Don't overdo it either.

Life wouldn't be the same without food. Often times when I come back from a place that really impressed me, and I liked it so much that I would love to come back at least once more....oh well, almost every time it's because of the food! You know how it works - all the senses should be happy and satisfied.
That was the case last weekend in Vienna. I can absolutely recommend you go for the famous chocolate Sacher cake, or an Apple Strudel, both offered at the Sacher Hotel (www.sacher.com), just next to the Vienna Opera. The perfect place to spend a typical Austrian night at is Plachutta restaurant (www.plachutta.at), where they cook Austrian dishes and serve them with great care. Definitely try some kind of boiled meat, it's so good!
Here's a couple sneak-peaks of what we tried and loved...

Sacher chocolate cake

Apple Strudel

Home-made vanilla ice-cream with caramelized pumpkin seeds

Boiled tongue with vegetables

Nikon D60, 18-55mm.

Day 97: choco-sushi

I know, it's genius, right? It's sushi and it's made of chocolate and other cool ingredients like coconut, dried fruits, waffles...if you haven't yet, just go to Happy Sushi Restaurant (http://www.happy.bg/bg/our_restaurants.html?restaurant=sushi) in downtown Sofia and try for yourself :)))))

And here's some from me...

Nikon D700, 50mm.