The Best Seafood Pizza I've Ever Had

The title's cliché, I know! But there's no other way I can describe this pizza except that it was the best damn seafood pizza I've ever had! Mind you, I can't remember the last time I'd ordered a seafood pizza before I recently had this one at Guido's (hee hee). I love how the folks at Guido's pride themselves in not stinging out on the ingredients. I mean, this pie was loaded with good-quality calamari, shrimp and mussels and though pieces of fish would have also been good, I was heartily satisfied! Best of all, it didn't have any of that imitation fake crab sh.t on it! Peep my first Guido's blog post here.

Badsha - Braunschweig - Buffet

Hot damn there's good Indian food in lil ol' Braunschweig! Once a month this resto called Badsha has an all-day Indian buffet for only 9,90 Euros ― a sweet deal! Here's my 1st plate :) Of their selection of curries, my fave was the paneer/chickpea one. Call me a sucker for anything paneer-related. Fresh naan bread kept arriving at our table too, though it's not pictured on my plate. Random sidenote: the food was awesome and everyone enjoyed but for some reason I fell ill that night :( Boo me!

[FOTO] Guido's Pizzeria Braunschweig

What a breath of fresh air Guido's was! As I've mentioned many times before, there aren't many places to get cheap & yummy let alone interesting & creative eats here in BS. It definitely ain't comparable to pizza from Napoli, but at least the pizza here's good enough for me to continue frequenting the place. They even sell "1/2 pizzas" you can order to-go from a window outside for as low as €2,65!



Located dead smack in BS's city centre, the small Italian pizzeria was decently busy for a random Monday lunch hour. I admittedly liked the cozy ambiance of the place. We ordered 2 pizzas: your good ol' classic Margherita and the "Special of the Day" Spinach & Garlic. Each pizza was around €5 which isn't too shabby at all. Excellent crust on 'em butttttt I do have some constructive criticisms. These pizzas need to pack more punch! If it's a Spinach & Garlic pizza, gimme echt Knoblauch Geschmack, please! And who really likes ready-made herbs & spices sprinkled onto a pizza these days?! Not I.

[FOTO] Goose Ristorante Pizzeria — Roma, Italia

Hands down, this place served up the best Italian food I've ever eaten. I mean the flavours were just so memorable and had so much depth goddammit. Take this appetizer above, for example. Olive spread, mushroom spread and artichoke spread — each on individual pieces of crunchy bread. All three tasted fresh/robust and there is no way in hell they could've been pre-made and taken from glass jars or tin cans. It's all about homemade errything at Goose. The mushroom spread still haunts my dreams, btw.



The pizza was great, but the pasta dishes at Goose are what really blew me away. Check out the fusilli dish above. It looks simple, but the mushrooms in the dish paired with the creamy/earthy sauce so well that I nearly died. I'm clearly exaggerating but good food must be praised, no?! OH, and the texture of the bucatini pasta — marvellous! With just the right amount of bite to it! Furthermore, Goose gets extra brownie points in my book because of 1. excellent service and 2. a cozy atmosphere (we sensed that a lot of locals also frequent the restaurant, which can never be a bad thing). A definite must-eat in Rome!

[FOTO] Yakamoz Braunschweig

I'm sure the rest of the dishes at Yakamoz are good. I mean I tried Trizza's chicken dish and it was deliciously grilled to juicy perfection. Conversely, my lamb dish disappointingly turned out to be minced lamb meat (was I insane for expecting lamb steak/chop?), and the food wasn't even hot when it arrived at the table. Straight up wasn't worth 9 Euro for this dish, and I won't be eating at Yakamoz ever again.

MUST-EATS: Hamburg 2012

A few weekends ago, I was up in Hamburg chillin' with Cuzzo Lisa. Though the weather was much colder than it should've been and I nearly caught a cold, it was fun nevertheless. We did most of the touristy sights, and the food-y joints we checked out were really good; I'd recommend all of them!

Arizona Steakhouse

Arizona is Juli & Benny's favourite steakhouse in Hamburg, and Juli recommended we have our last dinner in Hamburg here. Not surprisingly, we weren't disappointed. The steaks were around 15 Euros a plate... such decent prices! I actually ordered a salmon dish (not pictured here), but I tried Lisa and Darryl's steaks and they were both grilled to mid-rare, juicy perfection. Bonus: lively atmosphere!

Petit Café

As there are two Petit Café locations in Hamburg, it's a must that you visit the original location on Hegestraße. It's cozy and cramped and way more abuzz with activity than the other one. I'll keep it short: if you have a soft spot for rustic-style cakes, you'll go buck wild when you try these. Juicy/barely cooked on the inside and golden n' crusty on the outside, they're simply sinful with whipped cream! We tried three different cakes: Apple/Cinnamon (super sweet), Cherry (sweet/sour) and Raspberry (tart).

Azeitona

Months ago, Josephine recommended I try the falafels and the mozzarella dessert at Azeitona. Man I wish we had such cheap yet yummy falafels in BS! Azeitona offers the cheapest falafel wrap I've ever seen in DE: 2,50 Euros for one wrap! There are 4 freshly-fried falafel balls in one wrap, and the falafels aren't super crispy on the outside. Instead, they're soft in texture with a slightly crispy bite to them.


Let's not even get started on this mozzarella dessert. Never before have I tried anything like it! Served hot and baked fresh, it's literally a mound of mozzarella cheese, and then perhaps shredded (cheddar) cheese on top of that..? After its baked, it's topped off with chopped almonds. It's just so seldom that I eat a warm dish for dessert, let alone a lecker-icious warm dessert! Underrated-ness right hea!

KaufBar Braunschweig — Mittagstisch (Mjam!)

In a city where the "eating out" options consist wholly of döner and/or pizza joints, bad Asian food and overpriced restaurants, there's literally only one place in Braunschweig that I gladly frequent for lunch. Every weekday, KaufBar serves up a 100% vegetarian "Daily Special" for only 4,50 Euro! The menu changes constantly since a different dish is offered every day. Here's a meal I recently ate at KaufBar: 2 hefty falafels with hummus, homemade pita bread and salad. Filling, delicious, and great value for $!

Badsha - Braunschweig - Palak Paneer

I had heard through the grapevine that only one decent Indian resto exists in Braunschweig, called Badsha. We recently checked the place out, and since I order Palak Paneer (and/or Aloo Gobi) at almost every Indian resto I visit, I thought to myself this time, why the heck not? For €10, the portion was definitely filling. But did it taste like Palak Paneer's supposed to taste?! Yes & no. The dish was downright bland!!! Where were all the dark/mysterious flavours I expect of any Palak Paneer dish?!!

Antipasto Misto

If this isn't the loveliest antipasto dish you've ever seen, then boo you! Thanks to Franz and Marlies, we enjoyed our first dinner eating out at an Italian restaurant in Braunschweig sometime in mid-May. What a treat! This is the Antipasto Misto dish from Il Sorriso Ristorante. It's described on the menu as: "Carpaccio, Parmaschinken mit Honigmelone, Vitello Tonnato, Gemüse und Caprese." Diggin' in...

Chee's Asia Bistro — Mittelprächtig / Mediocre

Asian fast food in Germany. I've always been hesitant to try it... until I was sneakily convinced to do the damn deed sometime last week. Do I have any regrets? No. But be warned that this ain't a positive nor a negative review. It was this joint called Chee's Asia Bistro, and I had ordered a tofu-veg stirfry with noodles. The verdict? Wayyyyy more salty than it had to be, affirming my assumption that Asian food here tends to cater to the German palate (a palate that craves sodium). On a semi-positive note, the veggies were crisp/enjoyable and the tofu was decent. 'Twas okay for 4,50 Euros, but I deem the dish 6/10 and I (most likely) won't be back.

The Best Damn Aussie Burger in Germany

I had some sort of job training (for a company I'm now employed by, yippee!) in Hamburg last weekend and we were lucky enough to crash at Benny & Juli's place. On Friday night, Benny took us to one of his favourite bars just down the street from where he lives. Benny thought André and I would be extra amused at the fact that it was an Australian pub, and of course we were! We sipped on beers we had missed dearly (i.e. Toohey's and Carlton) even though the damned imports were 4 Euros each.



The guys ordered chicken wings (which were actually pretty decent) but once I saw this listed on the menu, I just had to try it. For old time's sake, ya know? Down Under calls it The Workingman Burger, which boggles my mind because it's clearly an Aussie Burger. Oh well. It had all the fixins it was supposed to have: a big fat pineapple ring, slices of bacon, a fried egg, beetroot... Boy, did things get sloppy. One thing's for certain: this burger was a million times better than Hungry Jack's piece of shh.



All in all, we were happy not only because we were in the company of awesome people and we were chillin' in one of the koolest cities in the world, but because we felt the feel-good Aussie vibes that night. HA! It's odd but true, though! We always reflect on our backpacker days in Oz, and it's even a thought to return someday (not just for holidays). Oz has it all: the jobs are well-paid, the weather never dips lower than 0°C (depending on where you live) and the lifestyle's so chill and laid-back. Siggghhhh.

Grand Electric — K.L Vasos & $3 Tacos

Baiting the scene out: I'm visiting Toronto for a minute. And before I could decide whether I wanted to or not, I find myself being lured back into the Tdot food-y scene by my dear food-y friends. Trust me, it ain't easy finding food like this in Germany, so I'm juicing it for what it's worth while I'm here.



This, meine Freunde, is what they call a "Key Lime Vaso." What the $#%@ is a Vaso?! I'unno. The lime-y middle layer was 50% sour and 50% sweet (intense!!!!!!!!!!!), and Marievee couldn't decide if the presentation of this little do-hicky pleased her or not. A tad too much whipped cream für mich.



Amusing story: I took the photo on the left while Marievee took the photo on the right. And we both took our photos at the exact same time! You can kinda tell with the funky lighting goin' on. Pictured here are Grand Electric's Baja Fish Taco ($3) and Pork Belly Taco ($3). I preferred the Fish Taco because of its crazy combo of textures. So feelin' the fact that Grand Electric played a longass Kweli set, too. Can't forget to shoutout Lindsay for showin' us some BOH love. Congrats & keep doin' ur thang, girl!

Hühnerhaus Berlin ― "Most Moistest Chicken Ever!"

...just had to take a minute to praise the bestest, juiciest, most moistest chicken ever! Hühnerhaus is an absolute must if you ever visit Berlin. I tells ya, 'nuff locals reach this joint because it's THAT good! You can easily rip the chicken apart with your fingers... the pieces are so flavourful, so succulent... love that it's such a no-frills, low-key place too. Thanks for the food-y tip, Julian. Kreuzburg, holla!

AUSSIE BURGER - Hungry Jack's - Shit.

Hungry Jack's Aussie Burger, YOU SUCK! Why did I even eat you?! You cost me $7.10 AUD, and I would have been more satisfied if I'd eaten a Domino's pizza across the street. Your meat patty is straight shit, tasting like rubber n' all. You're chincy on the beetroot, you're layered with a slice of fake, nasty processed cheese, your "fried egg" tastes microwaved, and you're not even kool enough to own a pineapple ring. ARGHH! Just move from me!!! I hate you, and I can make my own version of you a thousand times better than you, for 1/16 of your price!

Istanbul Cafe Darwin ― Spinach/Feta Pide

I'd been watching this pide from time... and I finally decided to try it while in Darwin last last weekend. The folks at Istanbul Cafe heated it up for me real nice (check the lovely black scorch marks), but overall, I can't say I felt it was worth $8.50 AUD. There could have been way more spinach and feta inside, and the texture of the pide was unpleasantly chewy. Shmeh. A disappointment, to say the least.

Took Be Gi Korean Food ― Perth, WA

Took Be Gi's neon sign is sheer awesomeness. I hope you've all taken the time to appreciate how kool it is. 

If I'm ever in Perth again, Took Be Gi will definitely be on my list of 2DOs. They have this hole-in-the-wall feel about them. You walk in, and since the size of the place could be the size of one's living room, you instantly feel at home. More than 50% of the customers in this place looked Korean, so I'd like to think the food at this place is the closest you'd get to authentic Korean food in WA.

left: Soondubuchigae (Spicy/Soft Tofu Soup) right: Bibimbap

Now let's talk big business: food. Okokokok it was a mistake to order the regular Bibimbap instead of the Dolsot Bibimbap. Dolsot Bibimbap is just so much betttter with the hot stone bowl and the crispy layer of rice that forms along the bottom of the hot stone bowl and of course, the raw egg placed on top. For me, Took Be Gi's regular Bibimbap wasn't anythin' special. Took Be Gi's Tofu Soup, however, totally blew me away! So worth $11! It was spicy as hell and arrived at our table piping hot, they weren't stingy on the chunks of soft tofu floating inside of it, and I might even recall finding some seafood in there? TIP: Their sweet soya beans side dish is BOMB! Ask nicely and you might even get seconds.

The Best Thing I Ever Ate ― PASTA

Seafood Spaghetti | Terroni Restaurant, Toronto

MURKED IS WHAT IT IS!!! Hahahaha. Not one strand of spaghetti is left behind whenever I go at this dish. And that's just the honest truth. Terroni Restaurant makes their pasta from scratch, and dannnggg is it cooked to a perfect al dente. Secondly, the sauce!!! It just tastes/smells like the sea!!!



And as if that weren't enough, the clams, mussels, calamari, scallops and shrimp elevate this dish to a seafood-y explosion of bombdiddlyumptiousness. [shoutouts/muchhh love to the fams all up in this vid]

Schnitzel Bistro ― Veal Schnitz + Schnitz Fries

Jacquie agreed with me ― the classic Veal Schnitzel from Schnitzel Bistro was indeed of top-notch quality. We both found the veal to be suuuuper tender. And I was pleasantly surprised that the breading around the veal wasn't overly thick 'n greasy. Nom nom nom.



Can't say these Schnitz Fries were better than Swiss Chalet fries (my absolute faaave), 'cuz on the real, I almost wanted them to be a tad crispier on the outside. S'all good. Fried and flavoured with lemon, garlic and butter and garnished with parsley, the good folks at Schnitzel Bistro recommended we try their Schnitz Fries with 3 sauces: Spicy Ketchup, Spicy Mayo & Garlic Basil Mayo. And cotdamn was that an ingenious idea! Holler @ that Garlic Basil Mayo. Right now even.

Ruby WatchCo — An Audio/Visual Restaurant Review

Ruby WatchCo: An Audio Restaurant Review by shelleypascual

September 9, 2010 | Toronto, ON

Press play to hear my restaurant review for Ruby WatchCo. For all those who are too lazy to read paragraphs and paragraphs on-screen and just want to see visuals of the restaurant's food, or just hear about the overall dining experience, this is for YOU! This, my friends, is the anti-restaurant review.

[4th course] Blueberry Lemon & Gingersnap Cheesecake Pudding

[3rd course] Upper Canada Cheese Company's Niagara Gold

[2nd course] Kozliks Mustard Marinated Brick Chicken

—NOT PICTURED HERE—
[1st course] Fingerling Potato & Niagara Prosciutto Salad

*

http://rubywatchco.ca