Bits and Pieces of Milan

January 22, 2014January 22, 2014Leave a comment

Blogging while traveling proved to be a huge challenge. It’s even harder to remember what the name of the restaurant was 4 months later. I didn’t do my work as a food blogger to take down the names of the places I ate at, but there’s some worthy meals I had that I think should be recognized! I hope anyone reading this and planning to travel to Milan can hopefully find the places! So here are some of the random meals I had while in Milan:

Mignon! Yes I believe this is what these cute mini pizzas are called. I call them pizzas since they are really a squished down bun filled with ingredients on the top. This one was ham and cheese, except sometimes they surprise you with an olive right in the middle. This place was near my hotel, which is near the Lambrate metro station. It’s called Pizzeria Mundial and after doing a quick search, I realized that it’s actually quite popular! They are known for their warm and soft dough and they offer a variety of other products, including pizzas. This place is very busy most of the day, especially in the mornings, so you need to be quick before what you see is sold out!

For dinner one of the nights, we were tired and strolled around the luxury shopping area to look for food. Of course that’s a bad idea because everything is expensive in that area! We wandered into this mini square which had a few cafes and bars that looked more affordable. We saw the sign saying Free Wi-Fi and we immediately fell for it since we were desperate for some Internet. Not sure what the place is called, but it is a cafe. We sat outside and ordered a few dishes to share. This is the Caprese Salad which is very typical in Italy. However, this one came on bread! It is essentially fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese with tomatoes, basil and olive oil. The cheese isn’t strong and it has a rubbery texture to it which I really like. I’m not a fan of tomatoes, but this whole dish really goes well if you eat everything together!

We also got a Ravioli with Ham. When in Italy, you eat pasta. But honestly, I don’t think this place was great for pasta. Their pastas are not handmade nor fresh, so it was quite a disappointment. Price-wise, yes – they are definitely cheaper, hence what we get.

We also shared a Carbonara, which again was just alright. If you have the chance, be sure to try some good carbonara though, as it is famous in Italy, especially in Rome. It is an egg based pasta dish and can be quite filling.

Pretty much when we have nothing to do and are thirsty, we end up going to a gelato shop. They are everywhere and these were mostly around the Duomo area. On our first day, we literally went to three gelato shops in the day. One time, it was one after another. Literally gelato shop hopping… Anyways, I think the coolest thing about some of the shops I saw in Milan were that their gelato are filled with fruits or the actual product of the flavour itself. For instance, I was addicted to their melon gelato, because you would actually get bits of melon in it and it was a thirst quencher on a hot day. If you really prefer creamier gelatos, then those will also have ingredients in it such as the bueno chocolate wafers.

I got the Melon and Tiramisu I believe. If the shop has banana, you should also give it a try! It’s pretty good! I became addicted to trying a bunch of fruit gelatos as they are much more light.

One morning, we wanted to go to Luini again, but it was unfortunately closed. We settled at a cafe where we saw Italians taking espresso shots in their tiny Illy cups! They would literally stand at the bar, take their coffee and head off to work. My sister wanted to try that, so we headed in, but after looking around to figure out how the system really worked, the server told us to just take a seat. I guess we looked too touristy to know what we were doing. I guess standing to take an espresso in Italy remains on her checklist now. Anyways, we tried to figure out the menu, and they had some sort of special about a coffee and croissant for a set price. Keep in mind this is all in Italian and we don’t know any other than “cafe”. So we each got a cafe with a croissant. I chose a cappuccino, and I don’t normally even drink any type of coffee. The closest thing is a Starbucks white chocolate mocha, but that’s about it. But heck, I was in Italy, so why not. Illy is known for their high quality of coffee, and seriously, after this coffee, I have begun to enjoy my cappuccinos. Not sure if that’s a good thing since I’m afraid of being caffeine-addicted, but that was seriously some good cafe! As for the croissant, it was more than a typical plain croissant. They had a sticky jam in the middle which made it ten times better. It was so flaky! Absolutely one of my favourite croissants I’ve had in Europe. Sad news was our Italian had failed on us. Our bill ended up being twice what we had imagined. We didn’t bother questioning since we didn’t want to cause a fuss and we probably wouldn’t have understood what they said. However, now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure the deal was for people who stand at the bar only. It’s kind of a weird system in Europe, but most places charge you less if you take your coffee standing at a bar. If you require a seat, then the item becomes double the price. Kind of silly, but I guess Europeans who usually sit down will literally just order a coffee and sit there for half a day. Turnover is then very low and hence they charge you more. I guess it only makes sense in Europe!

Last but not least, another gelato! This was lemon and mango. Extremely refreshing! We literally ate gelato everyday in Milan! Now off to the next city…”city of water”… can you guess where?

McCafe – Milan

January 21, 2014December 10, 2014Leave a comment

As students on a budget, we often end up eating on a budget. Milan definitely dug a hole in our wallet as we could not resist the shopping. What ends up happening is we either don’t eat or we eat cheap. Since I don’t like to sacrifice my stomach, I choose to find alternatives for food. And yes, we end up at McCafe. I mean, McCafe isn’t exactly cheap as well, because compared to Canada, McDonalds in Europe is actually quite pricey. But it is probably one of the cheaper options in Milan. We chose to get the dessert combo deal, where you can get a small drink with a dessert for a set price. I ended up getting a Cappuccino with a Tiramisu, while my sister got the Strawberry Cake. The tiramisu was actually really good! It was moist and had a strong coffee flavour. The cake was also not bad, and for the price we paid, we were quite satisfied. It’s always interesting to check out the McCafes in Europe because each city has a different menu!

Luini Panzerotti (Milan)

January 20, 2014December 10, 2014Leave a comment

Milan is a fairly expensive city to travel in as food and accommodation can be said to be more expensive relative to some other European cities. Therefore, finding food was a struggle, especially when we had all emptied our wallets after a long day of shopping at the outlet. We hadn’t researched which restaurants were good and local before arriving, and with no data on our phones, it definitely wasn’t the best idea. I’m someone who doesn’t want to be trapped in a tourist restaurant, or eat somewhere that is only mediocre while being expensive. I should’ve totally done my research, but I got lazy. However, my sister had done a quick search and remembered that people had recommended Luini Panzerotti for a cheap snack. Desperate for food that was cheap and filling, we headed off to look for it. It actually took us quite a while to find it as we walked into many alleys and made lots of turns. However, we realized that it was actually really close to the Duomo…So if you are looking for it, do not make the same mistake we did! It’s super easy to access as a tourist! When we got there at around dinner time, there was a huge line out the door. And everyone who had just bought their panzerotti were also eating outside, as they do not have sit in tables.

Baked Luini – Mozzarella and Tomato

The line moved fairly quickly, and although their menu was huge with tons of different flavours, there were only two choices left at that time. I believe they were just trying to sell the last few batches, but luckily they were the most popular and typical fillings that a first-timer should try anyways. I chose to get the Baked Luini filled with Mozzarella and Tomato. This is their original and classic panzerotti. So what exactly is this panzerotti? Well, if you’re from North America, I’d compare it to a pizza pop or calzone, since we ate tons of those as a child. However, panzerottis actually originated from central and southern Italy, where it is said to have way better ones than the ones at Luini in Milan. But unless you are prepared to go there, then this will do! They really do remind me of pizza pops or calzones, but the dough is much more soft. It almost has a bread dough texture, whereas the pizza pops we eat in North America are harder. Sadly, I have to say I love the texture of an Italian panzerotti much more! When you bite in, the dough is soft, and the cheesiness of the mozzarella just makes everything so much better! However, I do find that the flavour is a little bland, but it’s perhaps due to the fact that there are only two fillings and both are not salty flavoured. I’m guessing ones that were filled with ham or another meat would be much more flavourful.

As well, Luini Panzerotti has fried luinis and sweet luinis! Kind of cool, but sad that I wasn’t able to try as they sold out. The next day, I tried to grab lunch with my sister there again, and they were renovating! Either they were closed on that day, or they were taking a break. So we were extremely lucky to have tried it out! Definitely check out their opening hours, as I don’t believe they are always open. It’s worth a try, and it will definitely fill you up for cheap!

Bar Duomo (Milano)

January 19, 2014December 10, 2014Leave a comment

Since classes in Spain are fairly chill during exchange, I took advantage of the cheap flights and easy access of traveling to other countries on my weekends. My sister had came to visit me, so off we went to Milan. It was fashion week as well, so it was the perfect time! K joined us as well, and when we arrived in the city centre, we were amazed by the Duomo. It is a Gothic Cathedral in the heart of Milan and is the 5th largest cathedral in the world! I can honestly say I can stare at this church all day. We wanted to take pictures, but honestly, we were starving. We told ourselves our mission would be to look for food first! Since we’re students and on a budget, eating at fancy restaurants isn’t something we can do all the time. So we headed outwards of this square in hopes that cafes would be cheaper since it wasn’t facing this beautiful church. Funny enough, after 30 minutes of looking for food and believing that the prices were still too expensive, we ended up back at this spot in front of the Duomo. Tired of walking and by now starving, we settled for Bar Duomo, which was literally facing the Duomo. Yea…what were we thinking? I’m not sure if we even looked at the menu before sitting down… But anyways, if you want to eat with a magnificent view, I guess this is the place to eat at.

Your utensils even come in this fancy paper bag. We chose to sit outside as we obviously wanted a great view of the cathedral and the weather was quite nice that day.

Mushroom, Ham, and Cheese Pizza

After looking at the menu, we realized the items weren’t that cheap. Well honestly, they aren’t extremely expensive, but for a student on budget, it’s a little more than we were budgeting. We ended up sharing two items between the three of us, and decided we would grab snacks on our way when we explored. First, we had to try some Italian pizza! This was the funghi pizza, which mushrooms, ham and cheese. I must’ve been starving, because this tasted really good. But I have to say, this isn’t the traditional types of Italian pizzas I’ve had in Rome, where there is only tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil leaves. Well, really, the classic Margherita. This was still made with fresh tomatoes and there were an abundance of toppings.

Risotto Milanese

We were in Italy, and so why not a classic Risotto? My sister had heard that when in Milan, you must try the Risotto Milanese, so why not? I did find that it was a bit bland though because it did not have any other toppings. It was still extremely good with a good creamy base and cheesiness to it. What’s special about the Risotto Milanese is that the ingredients are simple, but still bring flavour. I guess I just wanted some other ingredients to change it up a bit as I was really just eating all rice. The creaminess is created by butter and Parmesan cheese, and the yellow colour is created by the hint of saffron.

It’s interesting to note that we did not end up getting any drinks. We assumed that the prices would be quite ridiculous and we knew we could get cheaper drinks elsewhere. But as I write this post today, I had taken a look at what other diners had said about Bar Duomo. I am amazed that they had charged diners such high prices for drinks! It’s ridiculous! So before you head here, definitely check out other diner’s reviews as the ridiculous price of drinks is definitely an issue. Unless you’re ready to just eat, then I probably wouldn’t recommend coming here.

And lastly, I had to finish this post with the Milano Duomo. It’s so breathtaking and although Milan could be said to be a city full of luxury and shopping, this Duomo is definitely worth the visit.

Ciudad Condal

January 15, 2014December 10, 2014Leave a comment

I’m so excited to write this post, becuase Ciudad Condal is my absolute favourite tapas restaurant in Barcelona! Whether you are here for just a few hours or months, you must give Ciudad Condal a try! I’m not paid to sponsor them or anything, but I swear that everyone I’ve brought here has had a great meal! I’ll have more revisits, as I’ve been here probably 5 times in the 4 months I stayed in Barcelona. Anyways, Ciudad Condal essentially is another name for Barcelona in Spanish, as they used to be the County of Barcelona. In Catalan, it is Ciutat Comtal, hence you will see two confusing names.

The place was extremely packed the first few times I went, (mostly because it was the summer, or early fall months, and there were tons of tourists). Yes, this place is very tourist friendly, with most of the servers understanding English, and the people at the bar are actually Filipino and not Spanish. However, this place is definitely not a tourist trap! To get the most of your experience, try to aim for the bar seating. Seating is very limited here, and you cannot reserve a seat there. You essentially wait around behind the people eating until you spot them leaving, and you just gotta snatch a seat.

If you don’t want to wait around, then you most likely will still need to wait. However, you will leave your name with the hostess and she will call your name when your table is ready. There is always a line up, so the best times to go are around 5 or 6 pm, although you would need to sip on a drink before the montaditos come out. I suggest sitting at the bar because you will get the view of what’s in this picture. Food! Since most of the items are not always on the menu, as a foreigner and first-timer, it’s easiest to just point and order. No need to figure out the confusing menu, and if you want something specifically on the menu, you can also order from the bar here. The bar people are also extremely friendly and I find they give the best service! So what essentially are montaditos? They are similar to pintxos, where ingredients are served on top of a piece of bread, but without the toothpick.

Other than montaditos, they have flautas, which are very skinny baguette sandwiches filled with your choice of ingredients. They also have a variety of tapas and desserts. Prices are not the cheapest here, but they also aren’t too expensive. I would rather pay here at an average price for some decent food, then for two meals of cheap bar tapas. It’s just worth it! Trust me!

Anyways, we started off with a pitcher of Sangria. Yup, I think I was starting to get sick of this… The sangria here does not have a lot of fruits, but instead lemons. It was alright. I found it quite pricey for what it was and relatively expensive compared to many restaurants.

Now let’s get to the montaditos! This was our first time here, and we unfortunately did not know the trick to sitting at the bar. The bar was filled with people, so we just grabbed a seat in the dining area. We had serious troubles figuring out what to eat since the menu doesn’t show the names of the montaditos. My sister ended up having to get up and take a few photos of the montaditos at the bar and bring it back for us to decide. We ended up telling our waiter what we wanted by describing what was on each. We got the Iberian Ham, and Smoked Salmon. The Iberian Ham is a must try in Spain. Well, I mean, Spain is famous for this! However, I’m not a huge fan of it, so trying it once is really enough for me. I find the pork taste to be too pungent for my liking, but people here love this stuff. However, what I can rave about all day and night is this Smoked Salmon montadito. If you like salmon, then you must order this. I never knew smoked salmon could be cut so thick and be so smooth. Each one has around 1.5 pieces of salmon layered on top of each other. Underneath is a slather of cream cheese, and on top are diced peppers which give it a really fresh taste. You won’t regret ordering this, and this is one of the reasons why I come here.

My sister is a fan of pasta salad, so of course she ordered that. It’s quite a large serving, but it’s around 6 euros, so I guess that’s reasonable. They come with two pan de tomates, which are baguettes brushed with tomatoes and olive oil. This was quite good, but it gets you filled up really quickly. They also have a variety of other salads, and if you sit at the bar, you can see all the different types.

Patatas Bravas. This is another typical Spanish tapa, which you can essentially find at almost any Spanish tapa or bar joint. However, each place does it slightly different. They are essentially fries, but diced into cubes and topped with a tomato and spicy aioli sauce. Some places only use one sauce, while others use a variation of the sauces such as mayonnaise or garlic sauce. I enjoyed these since they weren’t fried too oily and the sauce was really good. This aioli sauce was a bit garlicky!

I had looked over at other people’s tables and saw some grilled cuttlefish. However, I didn’t know what that was on the menu and we settled on the ‘Roman style’ Small Squids, which apparently meant calamari. Bummer. But these were still alright. The batter was light and fluffy and the squids were very tender. I swear Spain has some of the best squid and cuttlefish! Anyways, if you want the actually grilled ones, just let your server know “grilled cuttlefish”. Yup, it was on the menu too…but who knew…

Lastly, we got the Prawn Skewers. They are quite expensive, at about 3 euros each, but the good thing is that the prawns are huge. They were lightly salted and extremely fresh! So I guess that was worth it. Plus, they actually fill you up quite a lot.

All in all, Ciudad is a must try in Barcelona. I have never told my friends about a restaurant so much. Whenever I’m asked for restaurant advice in Barcelona, Ciudad is the first place I recommend. It’s truly an experience there, and the seafood is amazing. Remember not to order too much though! This was a meal for only three people, and we were so full we couldn’t finish our food. You think that tapas are small at first, but as you eat, you’ll realize they really do fill you up! Remember that there’s always a piece of bread!

Txapela – Barcelona

January 14, 2014December 10, 2014Leave a comment

There are now 3 Txapelas in Barcelona, and the one we went to was one of the larger joints on Passeig de Gracia. When we went in a mid-afternoon, the place was filled with people. It took a while for us to be noticed, and then seated.

Txapela was recommended to us by a local, but is definitely filled with tons of tourists as it is centered in the city centre and easy to find.

The menu is basically your table mat, and it shows colourful pictures of pintxos, which have become one of my favourite things about Spain! They are essentially little snacks where the bottom is usually a piece of thinly cut baguette, and on top can be anything from cheese to meat to fish. It really depends on how creative the restaurant gets! Other than that, they also offer some typical Spanish tapas, a few selection of desserts, and drinks. The menu is not in English, but since the pictures are so pretty, I just chose based on the appearance. Not a lot of frustration with ordering since you can just point or say the number.

These were some of the pintxos that my table ordered. I just love how they always look so pretty, so even if it doesn’t taste good, you can get sold just by the appearance.

And these were the ones I got. I got the Pincho Urruti, which is a classic cannelloni with wild mushroom sauce. It’s pretty small, but the mushroom sauce was so good. Everything just melts in your mouth. On the right on the plate is the Pincho Mallorca, which is warm brie with spicy pork sausage. This was okay, but I found the pork sausage to have a very strong pork flavour which I wasn’t very used to. Lastly, I got the Pincho Arantxa, which is pictured on the left of the plate. This included prawns, bacon and grilled mushroom, which was my favourite pincho. I just enjoy grilled seafood and grilled mushrooms, and everything was lightly salted, so you could taste the freshness.

The pintxos range from 1.45 to 2.45 euros, so some can be quite affordable. However, you need at least 3-4 of them to be sort of full. As a snack, that is perfect, but for a meal, you may need 5. Don’t order too many at first, as they can really fill you up. You need to remember that each pintxo has a piece of bread under, which for some reason will fill you up! All in all, not a bad pintxo joint, but it is definitely not my favourite. It’s a good place to start if you want to try a variety of pintxos at a decent price though.

Gilda – Sant Cugat

January 11, 2014December 10, 2014Leave a comment

Studying at ESADE inside the little village of Sant Cugat means small choices of food to choose from. The school is basically 10 walking minutes away from restaurants and cafes, and after a long day at school, you really get lazy to walk out of that area. And to be honest, the cafeteria at school isn’t the best if you want an actual meal. That’s when we choose to walk right across our school building to Gilda, which is next to the Innovation Centre at ESADE. It’s literally less than a minute away, and perfect for us lazy students. Most people get their buffet menu, since it’s relatively cheap at around 9 euros for all you can eat. Otherwise, you can choose to pack as much food as you want into a container for a set price, which I have never tried.

First off, you can get unlimited drinks, and this even includes wine and beer. I guess in Europe, alcohol is so cheap that it’s no big to have all you can drink… And next, there is a wide selection of salads to choose from. My favourite is to get some romaine lettuce, add some cucumbers, corn, and imitation crab and top it off with a long island dressing. They also have several types of other salad ingredients and pasta salad. Then you head over to some actual main entree food, but it’s not even the main entree yet. This is usually a small section and changes pretty much everyday. What doesn’t change is that there are always those thin crusted pizzas. They are so absolutely thin I can always have a bunch, and they are surprisingly really good! Then, there are usually two different entrees they change up everyday. That they, they had chicken wings and fideau noodles, which are like paella but in noodle form. These are usually decent as well. Some other entrees I’ve had were chicken nuggets, fettuccine, mixed rice, and drumsticks. They also always have a dish of veggies and french fries.

Then comes the exciting part. You must remember to hold onto your ticket they give you when you pay in the beginning, because this is your ticket to your entree! There is a whole list of what entrees you can get, and this one was the Steak. Honestly, I wouldn’t suggest getting the steak, because it is usually a hit or miss. The problem is that the beef in Spain is cut very thin, so they often overcook it. Either that, or the restaurant is afraid of getting us sick, so cooks it to well done. And as someone who loves their meat medium rare, this is way too tough. My favourite that I have had is the Iberian Pork Shoulder. This one is always cooked to tender and has tons of flavours. I’ve also tried their Burrito and their Chicken Hamburger. I wouldn’t say they are amazing, but they are definitely much more worth the price you get compared to the cafeteria at school. By the end of this entree, I am usually fully stuffed. Yet, I always try to squeeze in some desserts. They often have a few selection of cakes, sometimes cream puffs, and always a soft serve ice cream machine. There are also a variety of fruits to choose from to finish off your meal.

Restaurante Japones Wok – Barcelona

January 10, 2014December 10, 2014Leave a comment

I guess my Asian food craving continued, as a few days later, my friends and I decided to go to an all you can eat Japanese restaurant called Japones Wok near Arc de Triomf. It seems that this metro station area has a lot of Asian food. Anyways, for lunch, you can have all you can eat for 9.50 euros. Not bad, considering you’re in Spain. However, the little trick is that you must order a drink as well. And their drinks cost at least 2 euros, even for a bottle of water. You end up paying over 10 euros for your meal because of that. And to think that all you can eat places in Richmond are bad sometimes….well yea, let’s just be grateful for that. At Restaurante Japones Wok, which is considered a very good Japanese restaurant in Barcelona, it really isn’t just Japanese food. You get a mix of Japanese and Chinese food. I haven’t really seen any Japanese locals in Barcelona for the four months I stayed, but learned that most Japanese restaurants are operated by Chinese. So here we have some Chow Mein, Fried Rice, Calamari, Beef Stir Fry, Assorted Grilled Seafood, Seaweed Salad, Gyoza and Sushi. There’s actually a lot to choose from, and they even have a section of dim sum… For sushi, there actually isn’t a lot to choose from, and each piece is very dainty and small. I almost feel embarrassed if I take more than two of each as they don’t put out a lot each time. The fish is definitely not as fresh as the ones in Vancouver, but they are bearable.

What I liked about this place was they also have all you can eat teppanyaki. That’s something that wouldn’t be as common. You choose a variety of seafood, meet, kebabs, and vegetables and place it on a plate. Then you line up, and the chef will grill your items right in front of you. Pretty cool, and the seafood here is quite fresh. I also ordered steak, but I have learned that their steak in Spain is basically a thin slice of beef. It almost reminds me of pork because it is so thin, and after grilling it, it becomes super tough. Not juicy like the ones back at home.

But if you’re looking for some Asian food, give Japones Wok a try. It won’t be authentic, but it can satisfy your cravings in the meantime. Also, they have a variety of candies and gummies along their buffet too! Yes…I ended up eating a lot candy instead…