Traveling in Prague

April 5, 20142 Comments

Here are some tips for those of you traveling to Prague! First, we arrived by plane and we decided to take an Airport Express shuttle to the city for around 60 CZK. In Czech, they have their own currency, although we found that some places would accept euros. We just took out some money from the ATM machine at the airport, and the rate wasn’t too bad. Anyways, the Airport Express dropped us off at a location close to a metro line, but we decided to walk the rest of it to our hostel. We got lost along the way, so it took around 30 minutes by feet. For accommodation, we stayed at Mosaic House, which I swear was one of the best and cheapest places I stayed on all my trips. I believe I paid around 5 euros a night, which is unbelievable. I still remember when K told me that we would be paying around 10 euros for 2 nights, I gave huge doubts on whether K had chose a sketchy, dirty hostel. Not at all. It was basically a hotel or even better than some hotels I’ve stayed at. The only difference is that you don’t have queen beds, but bunk beds, which is totally fine with me. I can tell you for a fact that I’m a clean freak and hostels are not my thing, but Mosaic House was perfectly clean and I’ve never been happier. They’re also Eco-friendly, so they had really cool technology in the rooms with lights shutting off with sensors and such. For around 5 euros a night, we had a 4 people room with a private bathroom. I swear the bathroom was better than the one I had back in Barcelona… I’m not sure if the rooms are still as cheap now, since when we had visited, the hostel had just opened for around a month so everything was brand new. Also, it’s located in a great location in Praha 2, and we basically were able to walk to tourist spots. We didn’t take public transportation at all during our trip, since Prague is actually quite a walkable city! At night, we went out to see the Christmas market, which was only around a 10 minute walk from our hostel.

The next morning, we decided to take a Walking Tour. If you’re lazy or just don’t want to fuss about planning where to go, these free walking tours are a really good option! They have these tours all over Europe and basically a local will take you around the city, teaching you a bit about the history and also provide you with local tips. All they ask for is a tip at the end of the tour and as students, 5 euros is already a good tip. Our hostel had organized one these tours, so a group of us, mostly young adults were led by this young woman to tour around Prague. I wouldn’t say she was the best tour guide I’ve had, since she was fairly quiet and shy, but she knew a lot about the history of Prague. It’s always great to go one these tours, since a lot of times, unless you have a tour guide book, you won’t really know the history or significance behind some tourist spots. First, she took us into the Old Town, where the Astronomical Clock was located. It was built in 1410 and is the third oldest clock in the world. What’s even more significant is that it’s the oldest clock that is still running in the world! Impressive! Other must see sights were the Tyn Church and Powder Tower also in Old Town. We then went to New Town, where we saw the Wenceslas Square, the National Museum and National Theater. The tour was great, but the fact that we often stopped so she could talk about the history of the landmark was a problem since it was very chilly that day!

She also took us to the famous Charles Bridge. Named after Kings Charles IV, this bridge crosses the Vltava River and connects the Old Town and Prague Castle. It was an important trade route between Eastern and Western Europe.

The bridge is decorated by statues on the side all along. After the tour, we walked along the bridge, which is actually a short walk. We were going to go visit the Prague Castle!

Along the way, we came across these colourful buildings. It was at a uphill slope too, but wasn’t too bad to walk on. The sidewalks are paved, whereas the road is still cobblestone.

We had to constantly go into souvenir shops to warm up a bit from the cold. One of the shops was named the “Gingerbread Museum“. I’m not sure if it’s really a museum, since it seems more like a gingerbread shop with a huge variety of decorated gingerbreads. Some of them were super intricate, but they were also quite pricey.

We just wanted to get a taste of the gingerbread, so we bought these mini ones, that weren’t decorated as nice, but were much cheaper. Not bad!

Finally, we got to the top of the castle. The view from here is beautiful! Love the orange-red rooftops. Extremely windy up here though, since it’s pretty much open space at the top of the hill.

This was the entrance to the castle. I didn’t know that they also had guards here, similar to what they have in London. The Prague Castle is the residence and office of the President of the Czech Republic. It’s also the largest ancient castle in the world! We decided to pay for a guided tour since you get to learn more about the history and also enter some areas which aren’t open to the public for free. However, we went on the last guided tour of the day, so the tour guide seemed to be in a rush. Apparently, the security people try to clear the buildings as quick as possible when they close.

This was St. Vitus Cathedral, which is a Roman Catholic Cathedral and seat of the Archbishop of Prague. It’s owned by the Czech government and dates back to 1344.

The interior showcases the beautiful Gothic-style architecture. It also houses the tombs of many Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors.

We were then taken into the Old Royal Palace where the Vladislav Hall is. It’s a large room used for public events, such as banquets, receptions and such for the Bohemian monarchy. Another room in the palace held reproductions of the Bohemian Crown Jewels. I believe the real ones are stored in St. Vitus Cathedral. The jewels include the Crown of Saint Wenceslas, the royal orb and sceptre, the reliquary cross and St. Wenceslas’ sword. The gems on the reproduction look pretty spectacular and I could only imagine how beautiful the real jewels look!

Near the evening time, St. Vitius Church looks beautiful!

One tip when traveling in Prague during winter months is to plan most of your sightseeing early in the day. By around 5 pm, the city was already dark and many tourist attractions that have specific opening times are often closed. We found that we had to squeeze most of our activities in the day time to make the most of it, and for the evening, we could explore the city on our own and go to the Christmas markets. It was also very cold, and although it’s similar to Vancouver weather, it’s not as ideal. In Vancouver, we wouldn’t be walking around the city for hours. However, when traveling, we want to walk around to see everything, so staying outdoors for hours in the cold isn’t the best feeling. The Charles Bridge is beautiful at night though, and I would advise to see the bridge during both the day and night. Here is a statue of John of Nepomuk on the bridge at the spot where he was thrown into the river. He is known as the national saint of the Czech Republic and you will spot him with a halo over his head with five stars.

Overall, I felt like Prague was a city with such deep history and you could really get a sense of the medieval feel. Beautiful bridges, castles, and architecture. The views you get from the top are breathtaking. I would highly recommend just walking to the sites as you get to really see the whole city. As for language barriers, we actually didn’t find it difficult to communicate. Although their official language is Czech, everyone seemed to understand English and was able to speak it well.

Na Zlate krizovatce (Closed?) – Prague

April 4, 2014Leave a comment

I was responsible for looking up places to eat and within our budget. Since Europe doesn’t use urbanspoon, I’ve been relying on Tripadvisor. I found this top rated restaurant that was at a reasonable price range called Na Zlate krizovatce. No idea how to pronounce it, once again. The interesting thing was that the restaurant was well known for being gluten-free. I’ve never really had gluten-free food other than gluten-free bread, but my friends were excited to give it a try. I mean, it sounded like a “healthy” meal! The restaurant is located pretty far from where we stayed. It was dark at night and the streets were pretty quiet. The restaurant wasn’t situated in a lively area, and it was a little hidden, especially in the dark.

The interior is very fancy looking and very quiet. There were around 2 other tables of diners when we arrived. It’s definitely more like a place to bring your date to since it’s got a bit of the romantic ambiance to it. Actually, we found a table later with a couple meeting the parents which was interesting.. So yea, that type of setting. Well, we were a group of friends and we kept our voices low and it wasn’t that awkward and bad after all. The prices are actually quite reasonable too, which our whole meal being under CAN$20. But then again, the cost of living seems to be substantially less compared to Vancouver.

Zatec Beer

Again, U and I decided to try out some Czech beer. Whenever we go on a trip together, we seem to be determined to try some local beer. Zatec is an old town in the Czech Republic and apparently this beer’s brewery is now situated in the Zatec Castle. Pretty cool! Anyways, I’m not a huge beer person, so I don’t know much about beers, but to me, it wasn’t very bitter. That’s basically all I care about.

Complimentary Bread

Again, we got complimentary bread, and the owner said it was their homemade gluten-free bread. D didn’t really like it since she thought it was too dense, which is true because it’s more difficult to get soft and fluffy like normal wheat bread. It definitely didn’t taste as good as wheat bread, but I wouldn’t say it was terrible. The texture is a bit gritty too. Again, it came with two spreads – a butter and some sort of fat mixed with herbs. I guess using fat as a spread is really common here! K and I actually really liked this herb spread, although I don’t know how healthy it is…

Roast Pork with Dumplings

I wasn’t sure which entree to get, so I asked the server for suggestions. He suggested the Roast Pork with Dumplings. This was average. The roast pork wasn’t super moist and I found it a little dry. The sauce was really good though. The dumplings were good at first, but after a while, I found that they were really dry and I really had to dip them in the sauce to moisten them. Not sure if it’s because they’re gluten-free, hence that texture. It’s sort of like eating bread pudding, or those German bread dumplings. A little chewy, but I found these much more gritty.

To be honest, I found that most of the food on the menu was gluten-free anyways. Like if you order the roast pork or duck or chicken, the meat is gluten-free. Only the sides have a chance of having gluten. So basically, I felt like I was just eating typical food and nothing too special. On a side note, I visited their website, and it says that they have closed due to some health concerns. Not sure what happened, but it sounds like they’re permanently closed.

Prague Christmas Market – Potatoes, Trdelnik, and Old Prague Ham

April 2, 20141 Comment

After saying farewell to my friends, the next morning before the sun even rose, I was out heading to the airport. K, U, D, and I were off on one of the longer trips I’d been during exchange. We were to attack 3 cities (and 3 countries) in around 6 days. Actually, we ended up going to 4 cities and countries really, since we made a transfer stop in Milan. We had around 3 hours of transfer time, which now that I think about it, was terrible. Obviously we didn’t leave, since it takes around an hour to get in the city. We literally napped at the airport on these terrible chairs, and it was not a comfortable experience for sure. Cost over comfort. Sad life of a student. Anyways, by around noon, we were able to take our next flight and from Milan, we entered Prague in the Czech Republic. To be honest, I didn’t know much about Prague, but it seemed like a city most exchange students visited. Now that I’m back, I can say that Eastern Europe is quite different from the rest of Europe. I find it very medieval with lots of history and the culture is generally quite different. Oh, and one huge change was the weather. It was freezing during December, and although Vancouver can get to the same temperatures, I guess I was just used to the warm, sunny weather in Spain. By the time we found our way to the hostel and dropped our bags off, it was already pretty dark. We got lost on our way too, so we spent more time than we should’ve. Christmas markets were everywhere in Europe now, and the one in Prague is known to be pretty good! We went to the one in the Old Town Square which is the main market. Just around 5 minutes away, is also Wenceslas Square, which we also checked out.

The Old Town Square was filled with people and a giant Christmas tree stood in the middle. Other than food, crafts, and souvenirs to buy, there was also a performance stage and children were singing carols! It was really cute and the square itself had such Gothic styled buildings that the scenery just looked so much more spectacular.

You MUST get this when you’re in Eastern Europe. It’s called Trdelnik (no idea how you pronounce it) and it’s a traditional Hungarian cake and sweet pastry. We also found this in the streets and Christmas markets in Prague and my friends had recommended that I try this. For us, we refer to it as the “Chimney Cake”. We smelt the cinnamon smell and immediately went over to purchase one to share between us. It’s pretty interesting how it’s made. Essentially, it’s rolled dough that’s wrapped around and grilled on an open fire while it’s turning. Then, they roll the dough on sugar that’s often mixed with cinnamon or other flavours. They slide the dough off the stick, and it’ll have a hollow hole! It’s extremely fluffy and soft! So addicting with the sugar on the outside. I love how you can just rip pieces off since it’s rolled around continuously. A must try!!!

At the market, there were tons of food I wanted to try, but I had to be careful in selecting since I knew I wouldn’t be able to finish all the food. We ended up sharing some potatoes at this stall that had pans of different seasoned potatoes. This one was Bacon and Potatoes. I liked this one a lot, but I wouldn’t say it was amazing. Plus, I’m sure I could make this at home quite easily. It wasn’t very special, although it seems like a traditional type of food they ate here.

We also got a portion of Potatoes with Sauerkraut and Sausages. This wasn’t as good as the Bacon and Potatoes. The main reason was the sauerkraut. I’m okay with sauerkraut, but I like it when it’s with soup. I can eat it as a side too, but not too much, so I found this overwhelming. Sauerkraut seems to be eaten a lot in Eastern Europe. The other problem was that these potatoes weren’t exactly warm. I’m not sure if it’s because we were in the cold and it cooled down, or just simply because the pans weren’t being heated underneath. Also, be extremely careful with the people selling these potatoes! They sell by weight, and their per pound pricing is pretty cheap, but it adds up. Remember that potatoes are extremely heavy! These people were just scooping as much as they could onto your plate, and unless you say less, they won’t budge. You had to be really persistent on how much you wanted. We ended up still paying quite a lot for just potatoes… Apparently a lot of tourists get scammed by this so be very careful and be clear what you want. Not worth your money in my opinion.

It was getting pretty cold so we hid inside the Kingswood Apple Cider House for a while. It was this wooden lodge in the market and they sold Apple Cider of a few varieties. You could get it with alcohol or without and some other variations. We chose the most typical one that had some alcohol in it. You could barely taste any alcohol, and the sweetness of apple was very apparent. A really good way to warm up!

Then K got hungry again and he decided to try the Old Prague Ham! It was being sold at various stalls and was turning on a rotisserie. This ham is known to be traditional delicacy and basically the grandmother of today’s hams. It’s fully cooked and also smoked. The ham is also boneless although there is often some fat attached to it. It was very tender and I didn’t find it too salty actually! Again, you need to be very careful with stating how much you want to the vendors. Unless you speak their language, they can pretty much assume you’re a tourist and it seems that many vendors have been ripping tourists off by cutting a huge slab of meat, hence a ridiculous price. I think K was pretty careful in telling them how much, so he got a good portion to just try. I’m not saying every vendor will do this, but I did a quick search and many tourists have fallen under this “Prague Ham Scam”. I guess it works for the potatoes and any other food that’s sold by weight. Just watch out so your trip doesn’t get ruined.

All in all, the market was very nice and festive. I just wish the weather wasn’t as cold. We weren’t able to stay out in the cold for long and had to go into souvenir shops and such to warm up. Also, I wasn’t aware that Prague was known for pickpocketing (like how Barcelona is), but my friend did almost get her wallet stolen. The man was reaching in her bag while she was looking at souvenirs at the market, and luckily a woman screamed to my friend to watch out! Such good people out there, but you still need to be careful!

Sports Bar Italian Food – Barcelona

April 1, 2014Leave a comment

Exchange was wrapping up and many of my newly made friends from all over the world had made traveling plans. We soon realized that although we would still be somewhere in Europe, it would be our last time seeing each other. Well until we meet again somewhere in the world! We quickly organized a dinner with some of our closest friends, and T suggested we go to Sports Bar Italian Food. I was skeptical at first when I saw the outside, but it’s actually rated very well on Tripadvisor and didn’t fail to impress us! The atmosphere is friendly and not exactly like a sports bar, although they have TVs to watch sports on. It’s Italian owned, and the owner was super friendly and funny.

They have a pizza oven just like how they do it Naples, except this one is shaped as a soccer ball! How cute!

We had taken a look at the menu and knew we wanted some pizzas and pastas to share, but were indecisive about which ones to get. The owner came by and basically asked if it would be okay for him to just pick and choose customized items for us and it would be enough to get us filled. He came back with these pizzas that basically had 4 different sections of toppings. This was pretty good since we were able to try a bunch of different flavours! Since there were only around two slices for each flavour, we weren’t able to try them all. Some of the toppings were eggplant, zucchini, prosciutto, and mushrooms. The pizza was fluffy and I liked how it was pretty thin. Not exactly thin crust, but I liked this thickness.

He also made one that was all the same toppings. This one had a red cabbage, some pork and filled with tons of cheese. I’ve never had red cabbage on my pizza before, but it actually tasted really good! Love how it was really cheesy.

Then for pastas, we had the Seafood Spaghetti. The spaghetti was very thick, but it was cooked to al dente, so had a great chew to it. I know that true Italian pastas normally don’t have loads of sauce on it, but I wished this one had a little more sauce. I found it a little bland. There was an abundant of seafood though, including clams, squid and shrimp.

My favourite was the Mushroom Ravioli. It was very saucy and creamy with loads of mushroom. The flavour of the sauce really made the dish good. The pasta was also very fresh and each ravioli was stuffed with a good amount of cheese.

Some of our friends wanted to try the Rigatoni, since the pasta are shaped with large hollow holes so it’s sort of like a tube. I find that this type of pasta needs a lot of sauce or else it tastes like you’re just eating dough. This dish did have more sauce than the spaghetti, but could still use a bit more. It was a tomato base with Parmesan at the top.

For dessert, we shared two desserts. First we got the Homemade Tiramisu. It didn’t look any good, but it tasted amazing! Tons of mascarpone cheese and a hint of alcohol. Cream and topped with chocolate powder. Everyone enjoyed it!

He also suggested that we try this Italian Donut dessert. It was filled with cream and topped with chocolate sauce. It was quite sweet, so sharing this was a good idea. Not bad!

All in all, Sports Bar Italian Food had some pretty good Italian dishes. I thought the pastas were just average, but the pizzas were definitely really good! People even say it compares to the ones in Naples! I really liked how they were able to customize our pizzas and really helped with our orders. Service was really good and prices are quite reasonable. There weren’t too many people in the restaurant, so we were able to just stay and chat for a long time.

Maison Antoine – Brussels

March 27, 2014March 26, 2014Leave a comment

Some claim that Maison Antoine has the best fries in Belgium and the world, but of course this is all based on personal taste. They have been voted as one of the best and have been all over the media. The fritterie is now operated by its fourth generation so it’s been around for a long time! After C and I took a quick walk to the EU building and the arc, we headed over to grab some lunch here. Yup, we eat fries for lunch. But apparently, a bunch of other people do too! We got there at around maybe 11:15 and there was already a small line up! We quickly lined up too, and later found out they open at 11:30 am. Wow, people actually line up for this place! It was a mix of locals and tourists, and there were several local families as well. The kids were so excited to get their fries! The gates rolled up, and the line began to move quickly on two sides.

They have an extensive menu! Apparently, when they first started, they only had fries and two sauces though! Now, they have their fries in two sizes, and a whole menu of sauces! The Tartare Maison (House Tartar) still seems to be the most popular. Other than that, they also have a huge menu of snacks and even sandwiches. What surprised me was that many people also ordered items other than the fries. Shows that the rest of their food is also pretty good! However, I can say that pretty much everyone left with some fries!

When in Belgium, get the Belgian fries. So of course we did. Since it was only ,30 euros more to get a large size and we were sharing, we got the large. It was huge though! We probably would’ve been fine just getting the small. Belgian fries are extremely popular because they are thought to have originated from Belgium, although some say that the French did, hence the name French fries. Belgian fries are cut a bit thicker than French fries though, as French fries are known to be skinny. They are also deep fried twice, therefore it’s soft in the middle and very crispy on the outside. I loved how they continued the tradition to serve the fries in a “cornet de frites” where your fries are wrapped in cone shaped paper. And you get the small plastic forks so you don’t need to get your fingers all dirty. Were the fries good? Yup. Were they amazing? I don’t know if I would say they were amazing. After a while, we both agreed we were sort of sick of the fries and they weren’t that special.

Oh and of course, we got the sauces. These are for additional costs, and we decided to try two. We got the Maison Tartare and I think the one in the back was the Chili (since we asked the lady which spicy sauce was recommended). The Maison Tartare was our favourite. The Chili was just okay, and it wasn’t even really spicy. Belgian fries always seem to be eaten with some type of sauce. The most popular ones are actually mayonnaise and ketchup. However, today, friteries have come up with a variety of sauces.

Since we lined up, we also decided to try some of their snacks. We got the Lucifer and the Loempia. The Loempia, which is pictured as the darker brown one was sort of like a sausage roll. Loempias are really spring rolls, so it was a thin outer layer deep fried with some meat inside. It was just alright and nothing too special. The Lucifer was what we liked! It seemed like a new product and they had some advertisements on the windows of it. We weren’t exactly what a Lucifer was but it looked like a matchstick! I did a quick search and still, I’m not sure what it is. It seems like a name that Maison Antoine has just come up with since Lucifers in Belgium usually refer to the beer. Anyways, it’s this crispy coating around some meat like thing, and on the red part, it’s this spicy sort of sauce that is kind of dried up. Not very descriptive I know, but just think of it as some spicy deep fried meat! Pretty good!

Anyways, Maison Antoine was a nice shop to grab a snack, although it ended up being our lunch. The fries are pretty good, but I wouldn’t metro all the way here just for the fries if I wasn’t going to tour around this area as well. I hear there are also great friteries elsewhere in the city, and I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to tell much of a difference. Still, the line up here was constant and longer once it got later in the day. Good thing we came a little earlier!

Le Fin de Siècle – Brussels

March 26, 2014March 25, 2014Leave a comment

Le Fin de Siecle was rated as one of the top Belgian restaurants for locals, so C and I decided to go here for our last dinner. It’s tucked away in the streets and the restaurant’s name is barely noticeable in the dark. It took us a while to find it and we even walked by it a few times before we saw the small font at the bottom of the window. The inside was quite packed, but it was still early and we were able to find a seat. It’s a very chill restaurant, almost like a pub. Wooden furniture and very cozy. Their menu is written on the chalkboard everyday, and it was all in French. Yea, my high school level French clearly did not help, and we had to ask one of the workers, who seemed like the owner to help us out. He was very busy, but still came back a few minutes later and went down the whole list to explain to us. Very friendly!

Complimentary Bread

I wasn’t expecting complimentary bread here since it looked more like a pub, but they still offered it. However, the bread wasn’t that good. It wasn’t warmed up and not fluffy.

Grilled Steak

I chose the Grilled Steak, since the other options didn’t seem to appealing to me at the time. I hadn’t had steak in a long time, and this was a good meaty meal. The steak was cooked to medium rare with the inside still pink. Perfect! Topped with a slice of butter and some light seasoning, it was juicy and tender. It came with a side of salad and the leaves were all fresh and crisp. It also came with a baked potato, but I wished it was seasoned a little more. Some good comfort food though!

Beef Carbonade with Mashed Potatoes

C chose the Beef Carbonade with Mashed Potatoes, which is also a favourite at Le Find de Siecle. A carbonade is a typical Belgian dish, which is essentially a beef stew made with beer. I believe they said these were beef cheeks. The meat was so soft and tender! And the sauce was delicious! Very hearty and was perfect to mix with the mashed potatoes. It also came with an artichoke and some broccoli.

Overall, I can see why this restaurant is so popular. It had a large variety of Belgian comfort foods, which I believe they change up daily. Most people dining there were locals. Prices were a little more expensive for students on a budget, but quite reasonable for the amount of food you get. What’s interesting about this restaurant is that you have a chance of sharing a table with other diners too since they do have communal seating arrangements if you are dining with a small group. A very casual environment with good food.

Chez Leon – Brussels

March 24, 2014Leave a comment

After a disastrous night at Le Saint-Laurent, we were determined to have some real good Belgian mussels. C did some searching and we settled for Chez Leon. She’s been here when she was in Paris before and said it was really good. Although the mussels are a little pricier, they are definitely worth it, and I would suggest everyone visiting Brussels, to check this place out! Don’t cheap out like we did, and have a terrible meal. I believe this is their first restaurant in Brussels, and now they have expanded to Paris and also the UK soon. The funny thing is that Chez Leon is also on Rue des Bouchers, which I call the tourist trap. I guess they are the only exception, although you find a bunch of tourists here too. But a good sign is seeing plenty of locals as well!

You can tell that the restaurant has years of history. The restaurant is actually huge with two levels, but everything still looks very traditional. Almost diner like. Wooden furniture and neon signs and all.

We went for the Mussels Set, which included a portion of Special Mussels, French Fries, and a Maes Beer. This whole meal cost 14, 60 euros. A little more expensive, but worth it! First, we got some complimentary bread. Very soft and fresh! And it was great for dipping in the soup.

Maes Beer

The set menu came with a Maes Beer, which is a Belgian pilsner brewed by Alken-Maes. I liked this as it was rather light. It’s supposed to be quite a popular pilsner in Belgium.

Moules et Frites

And here were the Mussels and Fries! I absolutely loved this! We didn’t get to choose the sauce since it was part of the set menu, so it came with a basic celery broth, like most Belgian moules et frites. I would’ve preferred a white win sauce since I don’t really like celery, but I found this pretty good. The mussels were medium size and plump. Extremely fresh! The fries were also great as they weren’t too oily. They didn’t seem like frozen store bought fries.

If you want a variety of different flavours for the moules et frites, you won’t be disappointed at Chez Leon since they have a huge menu. They also have a bunch of other seafood and non-seafood dishes, so there’s something for everyone! Prices are average, and I would say they are quite reasonable for the quality of food you get. The restaurant was quite busy, so it was a bit difficult to get the attention of our server, but it still wasn’t a major problem. Satisfied!

Aksum Coffee House – Brussels

March 22, 2014March 21, 2014Leave a comment

C and I had done some sightseeing and since it was a rainy day, we wanted to take a rest and looked for a coffee shop. Aksum Coffee House was rated as the top coffee house in Brussels on Tripadvisor, so off we went. It’s a little hidden since their company name isn’t in vivid colours. A tiny mint green shop owned by an Ethiopian man.

The inside is filled with vintage coffee machines and African artwork on the walls. There’s only a few seats but when we were there on a weekday, there weren’t that many people. Their menu is also very limited, with some cakes from a local bakery as well.

For myself, I got the Hot Chocolate, since I’m not a big fan of coffee. When it arrived, I was surprised by the way it looked. It was very frothy at the top, and you could see glimpse of chocolate at the bottom. I mixed it up, and it became a light brown colour. Taking a sip from it, it didn’t really taste like typical hot chocolates. It was frothy, and the chocolate taste wasn’t too strong. There was a nutmeg flavour to it as well. The drink was a bit pricey, but apparently they use high quality ingredients.

C got a coffee drink. I don’t remember what it’s called, but it had a special name and the owner recommended it. However, he warned her that it might be a little bitter. There was a shot of espresso in it, which made it strong. She didn’t really like it because it was so bitter, but I believe true espresso lovers will enjoy this drink.

All in all, I wasn’t too impressed with their drinks. It might just be me, since I’m not a coffee expert, and don’t know much about coffee. Still, I find the drinks to be quite pricey.

Every Day is a Food Day

Category: Uncategorized