Moscow continued.....

more foodie finds

HomeMade Cafe
tucked away in a side street off Main st,was this fab cafe 2 level cafe,smoking section upstairs non smoking lower level,fortunately they have a few english menus,the menu gets changed daily but below seem to stay on as favourites
we tried the Bortsch soup (beetroot)
Pelmeni dumplings-boiled beef dumplings served with a side of sourcream
Beef stroganoff
home made lemonade
all was rather nice,waiteress really tried to converse with us in broken english as she was genuinely enthused when we told her we were from Australia

X and Co (Bread and Co)
a chain of retail bakeries this one all white,with ikea lampshades,benches,table and chairs with synthetic plants in pots the overall look looked fab
everything on display looked fantastic from bread,cakes and chocolates,was a little tricky as everything labeled in russian and staff didnt know any english other than do you want an american coffee?
we tried a little pastry full of beef similar to a pastie (piroshki)and an apple and berry mousse slice, both were delish.....

Mari Vanna
this little Gem was my favourite on trip thus far,with french oak parquetry on floor and overall theme french shabby chic although i believe it was meant to be like having dinner at someones home with dog and cat in tow....staff were great all had a smattering of english and serving great russian food
the menus were cute cheese boards with Brown paper attached (they have only 2 in english)
i find it interesting that all meals i have seen go out in venues around Moscow are accompanied with a bowl of sourcream,the Russians seem to love the stuff,and yet they all seem to be slender but smoke like chimneys....maybe thats the key....
we tried the blinis with sourcream and red caviar,salted herring and potatoes,zuchini fritters with salmon and sour cream ,beetroot salad and Napolean cake which is a Russian favourite, many layers of fine pastry with cream














Gypsy Taxis
Nearly all cars in Moscow seem to be unofficial taxis,(suppliments their income)all you do is stick your hand out as if you were a hitch-hiker but you pay the driver. i found this quite scary i wouldnt reccomend unless you are with someone who speaks russian and they normally negoitate the fare before getting in, we were lucky to have Lisa do this, even so i still found this quite unnerving.........

School is back
Today is the 1st of September and the first day back at school from summer holidays,and it's traditional for every student to get dressed up in their best suit or dress and take flowers to their teacher.

Moscow

Arriving in Moscow was quite bizarre,Airport somewhat smaller than i thought (found out later that there are 3 seperate airports )all somewhate dated and not that friendly ,fortunately for us Lisa a friend met us and organised a car ....thank God!! as no one speaks english and street signs etc all in russian which is a mix of 36 characters and geometric designs some people call these false friends because some of these look like english letters but pronounced differently ....

The car journey was hair raising to say the least,at one point we looked over his shoulder and we were doing 140km then we were ducking and weaving between cars and changing from one lane to another, we actually lost count of fresh crash debris beside road,multi pile up and cars everywhere,all cars we passed or passing us seem to have huge dings in side...i think i left some of my fingernails in base of seat. Car parking is hilarious, as they seem to park wherever they damn well please, on pedestrian crossings, footpaths etc.





The Kremlin and Red Square

No visit to Moscow is complete without a visit to Red Square and the Kremlin, the Armoury and the Diamond Fund (Tsar's crown jewels, including the coronation crown of Catherine the Great and the Orlov Diamond, a 189.62 carat diamond given to Catherine the Great by her lover Count Orlov). Beautiful carriages, Faberge eggs and stunning presents from foreign diplomats to the tsars.

St Basils



Honey bread at the markets



Foodie finds:

Gastronom in GUM (гум)

GUM, the former state-run department store on Red Square, in previous years stocked very basic fare and no deluxe food items. Now it's a glamorous shopping precinct, stunning inside and out, and has no shortage of designer shops. Don't let the KGB style security in each shop scare you as it did me, and whatever you do DON'T take a photo (like I made Lisa do). Please appreciate this photo of the patisserie display cabinet in Gastronom in GUM. This shop is like Sydney David Jones except Verve and Laurent Perrier cost over 4000 rubles a bottle ($200). Unfortunately I couldn't write the food prices down as security was bearing down on us. And they didn't look like Daniel Craig. Sorry girls.




Tsum (цум)

Not far from GUM is Tsum, another old Soviet department store which had been funkified and is patronised by Moscow's elite. Please see photos below taken in the supermarket whilst security and attendants were looking the other way.





Denis Simachёv
In the middle of a pedestrian street full of designers is Denis Simachёv Shop and Bar. Groovy cocktail bar below and designer fashion shop above. Full of glamorous Russian girls and not so pretty men. We sampled some great cocktails and pizzas. The menu cover was quite groovy as you can see below.





Yeliseyevsky

A 24 hour supermarket, which looks glamorous but the quality is not as good hence prices are slightly more reasonable, except for the raspberries and blueberries which we worked out to be $60 a punnet. Very interesting as we've just purchased two punnets in Berlin for $6. Thank god we gorged ourselves on berries there.



Fashion

What you (or dogs) can wear in Moscow. Interesting to note here is that girls seem to be obsessed with designer labels, but the ensembles sometimes are probably not quite what the designers had in mind. Unlike Berlin where everyone dressed down or didn't wear make up, here in Moscow it seems to be the opposite. My particular favourite is the tracksuit which was heavily embroidered and with fluro racing stripes. Unfortunately this was a movement shot so we didn't quite capture it but you get the general idea.









Special thanks to Lisa for pics and the laughs putting this together.

when in Berlin you must......

rent an apartment rather than a hotel, this gives you more freedom and you don't have to eat out all the time, and if you're like me and buy stuff from the market, it's always great to cook with beautiful produce.
wear sensible walking shoes and walk as much as you can, as it's great way of seeing all this amazing part of history
Go Shopping.....an abundance of great shops my fav area Hackescher Market
go on the Spree River Boat cruise as a great way to see all Famous buildings, Island of Museums, Reichstag,and get another perspective on this great City.....
Check out Pergamon Museum and Tiergarten one of europes finest urban parks
Take trip out to Potsdam (take express train)then tram to town, lovely pedestrian mall.
my most favourite was Park Sanssouci ,beautiful parkland with stunning castles i suggest making a day of it and take a picnic and just enjoy the space.....
Tours of Castles,the New Palace and Sanssouci a must ...wow
Check out the night life....if you can....

i have to admit i came to this City and was enchanted with it and all it has to offer
the East/West Berlin stories are amazing, if you havent watched the movie Lives of Others i reccommend you do i was fortunate enough to meet someone who had Family in both the west and the east divided by a wall, what they endured as a family was truly moving........
stay tuned next stop Russia

German Desserts anyone?

Berlin Bakery
Beumer + lutum Backerei
Cuvrystrassee 22
Kreuzberg

little hidden berlin bakery frequented by the locals makes traditional sweet treats
Mohnkuchen- Poppy seed cake
0pa´s Beerenkuchen-Grandpas berry cake (my Fav)
Kase Beerenkuchen-berry cheese cake

Kollwitz Platz Saturday Markets

today i was truly blessed to go to Kollwitz Platz
in this suburb is the best food market i have ever come across....
speciality meats,fresh seafood,sensational fruit and vege fresh from farm,yummy breads and cheeses and more all on offer......
wow i thought i had died and gone to heaven....
we purchased some whole fish,chooks,an assortment of fab veges and herbs and the most divine raspberries i have seen ever!!along with strawberries,blackberries,blueberries for a feast tonight....im salivating just thinking about the day ....
if you should be blessed to come to this Fabulous city
please go to this Market and before or after your foodie frenzy
Sit in one of the nearby cafes with special friends and soak up the vibe and people watch like we did...... life is good
cheers...

Goldhahn & Sampson

Goldhahn and Sampson
Dunckerstrasse 9 10437 Berlin www.goldhahnundsampson.de

Located in what was formerly East Berlin
many postcards in shops around Berlin can be purchased of this area pre 1989
now many of the buildings have been renovated and trees and gardens planted and it has a great energy....
this Shop is a combination of Cafe,books,fine wines retail shop and cooking school
and well worth a look !
The owners are a delight and speak very good english
i recommend a visit should you ever find yourself in berlin ......
cheers!

Berlin

Greetings
I am In Berlin for a Birthday Festival a best friend of mines fortieth ...
clue: www.longrain.com
after 36 hours in transit arrggghh hell... a couple of showers one in Singapore and one in London managed to keep me sane.....just!!!
thats the only bummer for us little aussies is huge distance to europe..






apartment we stayed in..


a special dinner party...




My foodie finds thus far..

Neugruns KocheSchonhauser Allee 135 a
10437 Berlin
www.neugruenskoech.de
cute little restaurant where they try to use all local and organic food wait staff and service was great.....
choose from Rabbit roulade with carrot,peach strudel
Fish Broth with perch,mussels and ramsons
Spined loach with braised cucumbers and beetroot,potatomash
Seabuckthornmousse with advocaat icecream and plum (wild tart berries)
Rocket salad with pomegranate,bresaola and pecorino
yummo....

Ka De Wa
Feinschmaeckeretage
Kartoffel-Acker

a department store similar to our good old David Jones ,with an amazing food hall
wow one could spend a day there and not be bored...
foodie heaven me thinks....
it doesnt take long to get hungry when one is surrounded with amazing food...
i believe when you are in another country one must sample local food and wine
on this occassion i had a glass of Frankenwein and tried the Sauerfleisch
very german dish.
the Wine was rather pleasant with the pickled pork and sauted potatoes......

White Trash fast food Restaurant

this was the most bizare restaurant i have been to thus far....
interior was british pub mixed with hong kong and Moulon rouge serving american ribs ,steaks and burgers
never have i seen the word F&%$ on the menu however at this restaurant with your burger or steak you also got
f$%& You fries on the side.....
wait staff were slightly alternative looking ....
band came on during meal punk jazz....mmmmmm interesting,unusual,unique...
i think the burlesque shows during the week maybe better.....
an eye opener for all i am sure

Did you read the book stasiland or see the movie lives of others
if you havent please read and definately see the movie... pics below are secret police or stasi hang out




stay tuned for next episode....