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Food-Drink

the Little London Bar & Grill – Munich

by gezielciniz February 6, 2020

Do you like steak? Do you like Gin? Do you like good service? Then, my friend, you may be looking at the right place! I was recently at the Little London Bar & Grill , and I’m here to give you my review of it, but as you can gather by this entrance, in short, it is a positive one.

But just to be clear, I have no connection to the Little London Bar & Grill and am just a random customer to them. And today, I am just a friend telling you her own experience with the place.

So the reason I came across this place, probably like you are doing right now, I was looking for a nice steak place in Munich. My fiancée loves steak, and since I couldn’t find a proper gift for his birthday this time, I took the old `you know what darling, let me take you to a nice steak place’ approach. Have I mentioned he loves steak? So he is happy, I’m happy that he is happy, everyone is happy. After a Google search, and usual check of trip advisor, some blogs etc., I came up with a short list of 3-4 places, which I hope to eventually try and make a comparison, too.

But among them we wanted to start with the Little London Bar & Grill because ambiance looked nice, comments were very positive and if we are going to try them all eventually it doesn’t really matter which one to start with.

We were a group of four people; 2 friends joined us. We made our reservation for a Monday night in January 2020.

The first thing and probably the most outstanding thing I noticed about the place was that the service was really good. Because while we were being greeted and escorted to our table, which was a somewhat long walk, all service people who saw us on the way said “welcome”. Now, especially those of you who come from Japan or the USA may think that’s a normal service thingy, but not in Munich my darlings, not in Germany. Here, we are happy if one service person greets us once and also says goodbye at the end.

So that was a nice start for me, coming from Turkey, I’m kind of spoiled on having good service in any restaurant, cheap or expensive and being treated as VIP as a customer. Lving in Germany really put my head down on this aspect. Therefore it was nice to have that VIP treatment in a restaurant in Germany.

The second thing that made me think service is above standard around here in the Little London Bar & Grill is, once they noticed I’m talking in English they just switched to English automatically while talking/explaining things to me. This is also nice because you might think that all Germans know and speak very good English, especially in the service industry. But again my darlings, they don’t and most would like to avoid speaking English if possible so they will at least attempt to ask `is German or a German menu ok`. Here since we are used to that, even though my fiancée said in German, “hey if you speak slower, she will get it”, they just answered him and also replied to me in English. It is these little things you know.

Ok, so far so good. But even though the service might be nice if the food is not good, no point in evaluating a restaurant right, so let’s jump to the food part. First thing, the menu is not very extensive, but it has solid choices. And even if you don’t eat steak or are a vegetarian, you can still find some decent choices. For example, I don’t really enjoy steak, or rather I can’t ‘appreciate’ the meat as my fiancée can so I think it is wasteful for me to order a fancy steak. Not only I would ask it to be well done, chances are I won’t even like it! So even if we go to Steak restaurants I don’t always order a steak. Also we actually had a vegetarian friend with us that night too but both of us were ok with the other choices available. Actually that vegetarian friend claims she likes the side dishes of steak places so much because it is so nicely done!

They brought bread and olive oil beforehand, and we ordered 3-4 starter dishes to try a couple and some drinks. Although the food menu was brief, the alcohol menu was really extensive. Especially the Gin part. I think it was 4 pages or more! So if you are into that you may also want to come here just for that. Also, the cocktails were very good, and they also had some interesting ones not just your standard, sometimes boring cocktails.

From starter dishes, we tried risotto (can also be a main dish, the only difference is the starter portion is smaller), and a combined starter dish plate which had 3 of the starters we were interested in just in a smaller size. Among them were filet tartar, some salmon starter and a goat cheese Crème brûlée dish with a really interesting ingredient. As you can see from the photos they all looked nice, and the taste was also very good.

Then for the main dish, our table got one rib eye and one Tomahawk steak, and I got black-feathered chicken stuffed with ricotta and walnuts. Although I have to admit, I don’t really like this part of the chicken, but it was an interesting and well-made dish regardless. We all had at least 2 side dishes including your usual French Fries- which were really good – potato gratin andbaby spinach salad Asian style which was interesting as it was raw spinach but somehow with the sauce, it was delicious and refreshing etc etc. The only side dish, at least three of us, didn’t like was the mashed sweet potato because we thought it is very sweet. Except my fiancée who thought it was nice.

Ok anyway, moving on, even though we were quite full, we had to try their desserts as well. Because of course we have to. We opted for the Austrian gold, which is a brownie, vanilla ice cream, golden leaf, pumpkin oil and looked super fancy! We also ordered one banana ice cream. Although Austrian gold was interesting, that banana ice cream was the best banana ice cream, and one-fourth of the price so I would absolutely recommend you try their ice cream.

the Little London Bar & Grill gold leaf — gold leaf dessert

And throughout the dinner service continued to be very nice. Attentive, friendly. The only mistake they made, is while offering the menu they gave the first menu to me, the lady at the table, ok check, but the second menu to my fiancée instead of the second lady at the table, Which is a minor thing and in comparison to everything else being perfect I don’t even know why I mentioned this. Oh yeah right, my 3 German friends, who were equally impressed with the service, had to mention this as evaluation of the night because it has to be a complete critic 😊 and it stuck with me. And of course, while leaving again everyone individually said good-bye to us, and to me in English.

So overall, everyone was happy with their food and drinks and the service in the Little London Bar & Grill . And we all marked the place as a nice special place to come for special occasions. Why special occasions? Because it is expensive for your average night out dinner. Obviously, it is a steak place which usually tend to have higher prices anyway, but even for Munich steak prices, it is above the average. But we all totally agreed that it is well deserved but at the same time, also agreed that it is not your everyday steak place.

I’ll give you some numbers, although what would be better is you just go to their website and check the menu and latest prices yourself:

So my dish was 29 euro, the tomahawk steak was 109 euro (1200 gr and ca 850 gr meat after bones), dishes usually had one or two side dishes included already but if you want to get additional they were around 6-7 euro. The golden leaf dessert was 13.5 euro while a scoop of ice cream was 3 euro.

https://little-london.de/en/

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February 6, 2020 0 comment

Helsinki food guide what to do in Helsinki cafe regetta

Food-Drink Travel Guides

Helsinki Food & Restaurant Guide

by gezielciniz August 22, 2018

written by gezielciniz

After a very comprehensive Helsinki travel guide on where to go and what to do in Helsinki, I wanted to also write a Helsinki food guide .

Because food is a huge part of my trips as I enjoy trying new places and learn what type of food is typical for my destination. so here is a nice compilation on what to eat and where to eat in Helsinki 🙂 enjoy!

Helsinki food guide – What to eat in Helsinki

In Finland, thus in Helsinki, there are many dishes which are not only delicious but also part of the culture. So in this aspect reindeer meat, fish, cinnamon bun, dark rye bread, rice pastry and filter coffee are the first things that should be included in any Helsinki food guide and this is simply the answer to what to eat in Helsinki 🙂

You can also find bear meat along with reindeer meat, both usually served with lindenberry. And also their cinnamon bun can be found almost every café and similar to Swiss version but here it is named korvapuusti. There is also pistaccio version but cinnamon version is the way to go folks, tested 😊

In many places, when you order coffee, you can get a refill from the big termosses. Actually Finland has a really high coffee consumption per person. Especially cinnamon bun & coffee combination is way to go in Helsinki. So all I can say is if you come back from your Helsinki visit, not having made a cinnamon bun & filter coffee break, that visit do not count!

One item worth extra mentioning in this Helsinki food guide is dark rye bread. Don’t skip it! Because to be honest I was a bit skeptical since I thought meeh that’s nothing new or I wouldn’t like it but it was really good especially for a morning breakfast sandwich!

Helsinki food guide what to eat in Helsinki piirokko

You will see many small pastries but I haven’t seen their rice pastry anywhere else yet, which is called piirakka or piirakat You can also find it in many cafes and even bakery corners of supermarkets.

So these were roughly what to eat in Helsinki , now we go to more important part of Helsinki food guide where to eat in Helsinki 😊 Below are some of my Helsinki restaurants suggestions, they are a compilation of places I have heard, researched and tried in Helsinki. I was especially satisfied with dinners I had in Helsinki!

Helsinki food guide – where to eat in Helsinki – Helsinki restaurant suggestions

Konstan Mölja: If you want to try many Finnish food, in quality of mother made, in a open buffet with reasonable price look no more! This place is managed by the same family for years, and with cosy but somehow navy themed decore it is a really nice place to try as many dishes you can. Anyway, you can find soup, reindeer meat dish, fish, vegetable dishes, etc etc, all as much as you can eat, and you can refill your plate, for only 19 euro! Of course drinks are not included.

They speak English and first they will explain you which dish is which and how to eat it. For example this is reindeer meat you eat this with potato puree and lindenberry, that is lamb meat you eat it with this sour cream etc etc.. Food was really delicious, honestly, I’m not into lamb meat and I don’t eat fish so anchues wasn’t an option for me, but apparently I didn’t get one of the dish was lamb meat and anchues and I tried it and I liked it so much I had to ask again what was it! Of course I was a bit shocked to hear it consisted of two things I didn’t eat but oh well there goes my prejudice, that’s one reason why I travel anyway 😊

Since food is delicious and reasonable priced for Helsinki, you have to have reservation. I saw at least 3-4 people turned down while I was there, and I was only able to get in because I was one person and I was there early like 17:30 so I was supposed to leave until 20:30 since I was with no reservation.

Cafe Regetta: I think it wouldn’t be an exaggeration if I say this is the best café in Helsinki 😊 Also the best cinnamon bun- korvapuusti I ate in Helsinki was here. any Helsinki food guide mentioning where to eat would be at fault for not mentioning this place, not only because of food but for the atmosphere! This place is not in city center but it is close by to Sibelius Monument so you can combine visiting both. It is a very lovely looking cagfe, with a red wooden 130 years old house turned into café litereally next to sea! Coffee & cinnamon bun was 5,5 euro, but sitting next to sea and sharing my pastry with cute little birds that came by was really calming and peaceful. Though I suggest not to overshare as there seems to be an army of sparrows!

Naughty Brgr: If you don’t know, I’m a bit obsessed about burgers but after my USA trip I didn’t had much amazing burgers elsewhere. This is a place I liked most after my USA trip and that was more than 5 years ago! If you like burgers please try this place, it belongs to famous chef Aksali Herlevi. That may explain quality and taste 😊

Burgers were 10-13 euro, fries were 3-5 euro and beers were around 6-7 euro. (I think now you also get the idea why first restaurant was deemed reasonable priced ) But prices are somewhat ok for Helsinki and for this deliciousness I was more than willing to pay!

Cafe Engel: This might be the most centric café in Helsinki, just across the famous white cathedral. It is an old café loved by locals and tourists because somewhow it managed to protect its atmosphere, Servis was fast and friendly and you can refill your filter caffee while watching the tourists and city go by in front of the Cathedral. (filter caffe was 3.6 euro)

Friends & Brgr: Now that you know I love burgers, it is not surprised that I tried another burger place 😊 Especially since I was very satisfied with Naughty Burger, I wanted to try another burger place in Helsinki. This place claimed they used good ingredients and I liked their catch phrase “every brgr matters“. But except being a good upper level fast food burger, it wasn’t that special. I guess key word is it was still a fast food burger. Also I really didn’t liked their fries, it felt too much fried. Burgers were around 8-9 euro, menu including fires and drink was around 12-13 euro. Also if you come here for lunch time it is 1 euro discounted. It can be a good fast

Market Square: Honestly, it is touristic but since you are a tourist no problem right 😊 I was told to at least stop by here for a coffee break and I paid 7 euro for a coffee and a pastry with emat. I would say it is above Helsinki prices but it was nice break and experience to observe atmosphere.

Hietalahti Food Market: This is a closed hall turned into a food market. Inside you find many different world cuisienes. There are also some handmade sourveniour type stuff shops inside. I think it is worth stopping by if you are close by.

Torni hotel Terasse: I was told, drinks might be expensive but it has a nice view that overlooks Helsinki from top so you should try it. Well, I did went there but I saw it was very small and in the terasse part there were only 4-5 tables which were full. And there were many people coming and going checking for tables, and tourist like me coming in taking a photo and not having a place to sit go. So even with an available table I doubt I would stay because the time I visited was very crowded to enjoy view or a drink.

Well I hope you liked this Helsinki food guide and I was able to give you useful information on what to eat in Helsinki and where to eat in Helsinki 🙂

Please do let me know how was your food experinces were in Helsinki and I’ll be delighted to hear your suggestions on this.

August 22, 2018 0 comment

Food-Drink Travel Guides

What to eat in Krakow – A Polish cuisine and restaurant guide

by gezielciniz August 28, 2017

written by gezielciniz

When it comes to a good meal Krakow has it all; good local food and all kinds of world cuisine! So before I go ahead and make restaurant suggestions for Krakow, I’ll first give you an introduction to Polish cuisine so you will know what to eat in Krakow ! After all a good Krakow food guide needs to have both: what to eat in Krakow and where to eat it!

(I wrote price information in local currency, then – July 2017, 1 euro made about 4,2 zloty and 1 USD made about 3.6 zloty so just divide prices to 4 for an approximate euro estimation)

First let’s start with some common knowledge. If you spot a place that has Milkbar (Bar Mleczny) in its name, know that it means it is a special type of Polish cafeteria. Milkbars were first established when it was a hard time to find food, and they were government controlled places to offer people good nutritious food in cheap prices. So Milkbars stand for hearty fulfilling cheap food! In old times they were not selling alcohol in this type of establishments, hence the name milkbar 🙂

Some cafes, restaurants are kind of half self service. You are supposed to order at the cashier and then sit, and they will bring you your food. If you are sitting in your desk for a while and nobody came to take your order maybe it is one of these types 🙂

And something to benefit, in Poland, many restaurants and cafes offer a lunch menu, especially in weekdays. You can get a nice set of lunch usually consists of soup, main dish and salad or drink, only for the price of a main dish so it is a good way to try local food. Therefore pay attention to the menu if they offer a lunch set and/or ask your waitress about it.

Gospado Kokona

Alright, let’s get to business, I’ll start with the main question!

What to eat in Krakow : What are Polish cuisine foods?

First of all, you can find all kinds of food in Krakow, so you can be sure that you are not gonna stay hungry here and you can pretty much eat whatever you want! Kebab, sushi, pizza, fast food…and delicious local food, you name it!

But let’s focus on Polish food. The most popular Polish dish is Pierogi. A kind of dumpling with various fillings such as cheese, meat, vegetables and on occasion with fruits or marmalade filling to make it dessert(ish). You can have the dough steamed or fried. (Congratulations Poland! I guess you are also in discovered putting stuff into dough is a delicious thing club!)

steamed and fried Pierogi

Pierogi comes in many variations for filling, but you will see below 3 most:

1-Ruskie: filled with potatoes, onion and cottage cheese, 2- Z Kapusta Grzybami: filled with cabbage and mushrooms 3-Z Miesem: filled with meat

I thought I would like the meat filling most but my favorite was Ruskie! And cabbage and mushroom one was above my expectations so definitely give it a try! I also tried versions with spinach and with fruits but first two type was always the best for me! Honestly Pierogi is also the most touristic answer to what to eat in Krakow but oh well, we are tourists aren’t we 🙂

Zapiekanki

If you had your fill of Pierogi (as if possible !), another local dish that you may want to try is their sour rye soup that is served with sausage and egg. But I tried borch soup made from beetroot because I wanted to leave space for more pierogi 😀

If you like street food, you will like Zapiekanki. Zapiekanki is a long French baguette, where there is already a layer of cheese and mushroom and then you choose whatever you would like to include to create your dream snack food/ Bacon, ham, vegetarian, you name it. Zapiekanki is a very popular street/fast food and I can see why since it offers delicious variety with cheap prices so no competition there!

There, with these trio: pierogi, rye soup and zapiekanki you have the short answer for what to eat in Krakow ! Polish cuisine has obviously more to offer but to me most of the other foods that tourists can find are similar to Russian and/or German cuisine like grilled sausages, pig knuckle, meat balls, gulas etc so I rather focus on these trio first in this Krakow food guide !

These foods aside,

What to eat in Krakow for breakfast ?

question has a different answer 🙂 Polish people have a really hearty and rich breakfast culture, which is not common in many places of Europe so as a Turk I really appreciated it ! (Turkish people are notorious to care about their breakfast, search Turkish breakfast in Google and you will see why :))

Usually a typical Polish breakfast seems to be centered on eggs and cheese ( and additional ham or sausage if you want) which is just perfect for me! You will find scrambled eggs, omelettes, egg benedicts and various breakfast plates (combination of various ingredients such as English breakfast, French breakfast etc ) in many cafes. (I’ll get to where to eat in Krakow for breakfast in restaurant suggestions at the end)

And of course there are delicacies that are a specialty of Krakow, so we have to mention those in a good Krakow food guide too! So next question is:

What to eat in Krakow : What is Krakow famous for?

There are 2 food that are considered a Krakow specialty.

First is Obwarzanek. It is a type of bakery bread, shaped as a ring with various types as topping such as with sesame or plain etc. It is a very cheap street snack which you will see on every corner of Krakow. Of courses prices increase if it is close to touristic old town area but usually it is between 1.30 and 2 zloty. (in airport 3 zloty :p)

Second one is Oscypek which is a type of cheese made from sheep’s milk. This cheese is usually served as grilled with fruit marmalade. So if you are looking for something to bring home with you it can also be a good souvenir 🙂

And last but not least of course is the answer for

What to eat in Krakow for dessert ?

Paczki – a type of Polish doughnut , Sernik –cheese cake with their special cheese , Kremowka– a kind cream between milfoy pastry dessert and Szarlotka– apple tarts are the first things that came to mind. Of course let’s not forget sweet version of pierogi with fruit and marmalade filling.

So, I guess now we have some answers for what are some Polish cuisine foods and what to eat in Krakow for various occasions for local food, for breakfast and for dessert! Now we can tackle next question which I think is even more important then what to eat in Krakow question 😀

Where to eat in Krakow ?

Krakow has many cafes and restaurants with good ambiance and good food. Below places are my notes for places I tried myself. Some of them I noted down from my internet research, some of them are suggestions from friends and fellow travelers, and some well just your usual stumbling upon findings 🙂 So without further due here is complementary part to what to eat in Krakow guide : my restaurant suggestions for Krakow so you will also know where to eat in Krakow !

Domowe Przysmaki

Domowe Przysmaki: This is my suggestion if you would like to try Polish cuisine and local food. It is a small cosy place with couple of outside tables. And moreover even though it is located near Old town area, aka tourist trap, prices are actually quite reasonable. Pierogi was 13 zloty, borsh soup was 5 and beer was 9 zloty.

(Also if you need to exchange money, in the very same street you have the best exchange rates so use the ones on this street! )

Gospado Kokona: This place I heard from couple of sources, from internet, from friends, and since it had high ranking in trip advisor, I had my first meal in Krakow here. Although it was ok, I didn’t get `oh my god best food ever, and it is so cheap` vibe unlike internet comments. It was good, and prices were indeed cheap , so I can see why it was popular among students and travelers. Just don’t expect too much! Lunch menu was 19 zloty if I remember correctly, but I took Pierogi which were around 10-11 zloty (ten piece). And with one beer I payed only 16 zloty. You can order pierogi half from one type and half from other which is really convenient if you want to try different fillings (though many places in Krakow let’s you do this).

Plac Nowy: This is a must go place! Because it is not just one place, but a combination of various street food vendors in one avenue place. And near that avenue you also have lots of cafes and places which some of them I’ll also mention below! But I’ll specifically suggest this place for eating Zapiekanki as many vendors here sells it. Price were around 7 zloty. But be aware that on Sundays there is actually a market here so street food vendors are not open (at least most of them) So I suggest you check this place on another day if possible!

Moment W Sezonie (Moments): This is my go without thinking suggestion for breakfast! If you don’t already know, breakfasts are very important to me (Turkish person spotted!). But this place was perfect for this. Not only place had good ambiance and friendly service, food was good and prices were cheap too! (I think most Polish food prices felt cheap to me because I live in Munich :D) anyway they have many many options for breakfast, you can just order scrambled eggs, omelet or toast but they have very interesting breakfast plates. They have English breakfast plate, French breakfast place, Krakow plate, vegetarian plate, place itself specialty plate and last but not least and which was my order Polish breakfast plate! In my Polish breakfast plate, there were scrambled eggs, bacon, 2 Polish sausage, hard cheese and crème cheese, a small salad, bread, butter and a big cup of coffee! Actually I thought coffee was separate but they only charged for breakfast plate price which is 21 zloty. (I asked them about it and they said it is included!)

Alchemia: A place I heard so much before I even arrived Poland! Known as one of the hip and popular places in Krakow right now. The reason being it is interesting décor and ambiance. From outside the building itself looks very damaged and old, but when you get inside you feel like you step into another building ! Interesting details to say the least.

It has two parts actually, pub and restaurant, I think pub area looks better. I don’t know about the food but I tried their `alchemy` wine made for them for Italian grapes, it was 9 zloty, not bad but not a wine I’ll miss.

Singer: I think you should drop by this place, if nothing else just for a photo shot 🙂 I don’t know about your childhood but in my childhood, every mum had this sewing machine with brand Singer at home, whether they actually used it or not! (Mine never did :p But me and my brother sure liked to play with it!) So the connection is not just the name but you will see that tables in this café/pub are actually singer sewing machine tables with literally sewing machine is middle of it! Can’t think of a more hipster place 😀

I just enjoyed a coffee in day time here like a good girl but I heard people dance on top of tables at night! So if you are there at night time let me know 😉

Milkbar Tomasza: I wanted to try a milkbar (see Milkbar explanation in initial paragraphs) and since I heard this place again from multiple resources I was looking forward to it.

Actually I could tell it is a really popular place because there were actually line in front of it , people were waiting for a table!

But yet another can’t say I liked it very much experience for me (coincidentally they were both highly rates places from trip advisor). First reason being meal was average. I went there for breakfast/lunch and I ordered Spanish omelet (16 zloty) which had great reviews and also half portion pierogi (8 zloty) to try theirs as well. I think seasoning was missing because despite they were made of ingredients I like, it was just put together but didn’t created any good taste for me. Service wasn’t that smiley either, I’m guessing because of the crowd. And adding insult to the injury, I found a small hair in my omelet. So maybe it was my luck but I suggest you try another milkbar.

Kolanko no 6

Kolanko no 6: If you want to find a place that has both Polish local food, and menu from all over the world cuisine this is your place. Actually menu was interesting to me as I wasn’t expecting to see an Arabic starter dish made from aubergine and Italian steak and Polish Pierogi together 🙂 Place has big space and garden. Prices were slightly higher then Krakow average but if you go there in weekdays, you can have lunch for only 19 zloty which is less than their single main dish prices.

Galeria Wrega: A cute cozy place with nice garden. Also has interior and upstairs place. I only had a drink but they were doing pan fried pierogi if you are interested! 👍🏻

Mleczarnia: Again a nice place with big garden, close to it is Schindler’s Alley.

Kuhnia i Wino : Actually I saw the wine themed décor and gave a wine o’clock break here. Interior was not big but they also had small garden area in backyard. Anyway it was good for a short drink break. Since I didn’t ate anything here I can not comment on the food but it was good enough for me for a drink break.

Bonus: If you are going to Salt Mines (which you totally should!) , at the end of `tourist tour` under 135 meters ground you will find a restaurant! You can find many kinds of classic Polish cuisine there and prices were ok and not too expensive as you might expect from this kind of looks like `tourist trap` place. I haven’t eaten because I wasn’t hungry but I was very much tempted to eat and say I eat in a restaurant that is 135 meters below surface 🙂

So that’s it, as usual, so please let me know by writing a comment if you have a question for this Krakow food guide, on what to eat in Krakow or where to eat in Krakow ! Of course your suggestions and your own experiences are also welcomed!

August 28, 2017 0 comment

Food-Drink News

Su Filindeu – Meet the World’s rarest pasta!

by gezielciniz May 29, 2017

written by gezielciniz

World’s rarest pasta may seem like over exaggerated title but it is true in this case as there is only 3 women in the world who can make this pasta! Yes, ladies and gentlemen we are talking about Su Filindeu also known as the threads of the God!

I think it is safe to assume pasta is a great universal food! It is liked by many different cultures, it is food for rich and poor and with so many variations and more importantly it is almost impossible to get tired of! As you can tell pasta is one of my favorite foods as well so when I first heard about world’s rarest pasta I was really intrigued. I wondered what makes it rarest, where can I find it and how it is done..etc. So here is what I found about it, let me share with you and let’s see who will get plane tickets first to go eat this pasta ☺

I guess it won’t be surprising when I say world’s rarest pasta Su Filindeu is from Italy! You need to go to Sardinia island (Sardegna in Italian) which is second biggest island in Mediterranean Sea. And for those of you who wondered which one is the biggest island but too lazy to Google it, it is Sicilia guys, you are welcome ☺

What exactly is Su Filindeu ‚ what makes it special?

The recipe for Su Filindeu is actually no secret, it is made by only 3 ingredients: Semolina wheat, water and salt! What makes it special is the hard work to create it and its special structure.

Once these ingredients have become dough, it has been divided into 256 perfectly even threads and then these thin threads are even further stretched. It doesn’t end here though, there is more! These now very very thin threads are diagonally placed on a round frame in a three-layer pattern. Afterwards it is left to dry and then divided into smaller pieces! As you can imagine it is so time consuming and requires lots of hand skills! Actually Su Filindeu became even more known when famous pasta brand Barilla and famous chef Jamie Oliver said they can’t do it after investigating how it is done!

Su Filindeu is usually prepared in a dish that is boiling sheep’s broth with grated pecorino. This very nutritious and thick soup is actually a good fit considering to whom it served in the past. For more than 300 years this dish was a special food, that is served only to people who completed their pilgrimage of 33 km road in biannual San Francesco Feast!

Luckily today you don’t have to do 33 km pilgrimage to taste this pasta; you can now found it in 3 local restaurant Al Ciusa, Il Rifugio and Agriturismo Testone.

So who makes this pasta? Who are these 3 people? Well answer is Abraini family! Su Filindeu has been the family recipe for Abraini family and passed on from one generation to another and currently Paula Abraini who is over 60 years old takes the head for this job but only two other women in the family knows it. Unfortunately her daughter is not much interested in taking this role and situation is same for other members. Actually Paola tried to teach it to other people outside of family as well but then after seeing the hard work and patience necessary students apparently didn’t showed up next day! So that’s why currently only 3 people can make it and there doesn’t seem to be next generation for it so far..

Therefore if you want to try world’s rarest pasta Su Filindeu I suggest you try it soon as possible, all these lovely ladies who can make this pasta is currently over 50 and we do not know how long they will continue doing it!

Even famous pasta chef Jamie Oliver tried to learn it for 2 hours and he gave up saying `I’ve been making pasta for 20 years and I’ve never seen anything like this`! To be fair it requires obviously more than 2 hours to learn it but still it is a good indication of how hard it is to make it. Paula said in the interview with BBC that since it is more about handcraft then ingredients even the elbow grease can be important and it needs years of experience to be able to understand the right texture for dough!

Is world’s rarest pasta title official for Su Filindeu, where is this title coming from?

Yes, I mean kind of! Slow food International has this list about culinary tastes that are about to be extinct and of the 3844 things in this list, Su Filindeu is the only pasta who can be produced by 3 people only, therefore it is the one that is most endangered and rarest!

I personally concurred after learning all this making process and how hard it is to pass this knowledge so I guess time to plan an Italy trip ☺

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Hi guys check out my new series of "Super food" now on channel 4. 8pm big love hope you enjoy it jox x x xx

A post shared by Jamie Oliver (@jamieoliver) on Sep 23, 2016 at 11:57am PDT

Before I go though, here is just a few more additional info about Su Filindeu. So I said you can now find this delicacy in local restaurants but if you still want to see it festival time and maybe interested in doing the pilgrimage yourself check dates in may and october for San Francesco Feast. I think current dates for 2017 is 1-9 May and 1-4 October .

Also of the 3 restaurants you can eat this pasta, in Al Ciusa you can find a different version of it blackened by squid ink and actually won some award I believe. Be aware that this restaurant is an upscale one, so it may not be a fit for every travel budget.

And please please let me know if you went there and had a chance to try this pasta, I’m curious about the taste and experience!

Let me know if you have any other questions or comments about Su Filindeu!

**Just a footnote that this is the first time I’m using photos I do not own! Hopefully I’ll replace it with mines soon but in case you are legal owner of these photos and for some reason against using of it in this lovely article, let me know so I can remove them!

May 29, 2017 0 comment

Food-Drink Munich

Andy’s Krablergarten – THE Schnitzel place!

by gezielciniz May 20, 2017

written by gezielciniz

One of best known German dish is schnitzel and you should definitely try some in Munich! Though many local restaurants offer schnitzel, there is one place I’m going to suggest for real schnitzel lovers which is Andy’s Krablergarten .

As you know schnitzel is the general name for dish made of meat coated with flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs, and then fried. Meat can be veal, pork, chicken, turkey ..etc.

In Munich normally many places offer this delicious dish and you will see one or two schnitzel variation in the menu, most likely `Wiener Schnitzel` and `München Schnitzel`.

Before I mention more about why Andy’s Krablergarten is THE schnitzel place, here is a short trivia info on what’s the difference between Wiener schnitzel, München schnitzel and normal schnitzels! So basically Wiener Schnitzel means, meat is from a protected geographical indication in Austria and Germany and can only be made of veal. (They have to mention if meat is anything else then veal such as Wiener Schnitzel vom schwein – Wiener Schnitzel from pork) And München Schnitzel is a variation of Wiener Schnitzel where it is prepared additionally with horseradish and/or mustard before coating in flour, egg and bread crumbs.

But here in Andy’s Krablergarten you will be handled down a thick menu with pages of schnitzel!

Andy's Krablergarten Oh my god! Seriously, you will be amazed at different types and it is safe to assume you will find something to your tastes! When I say types, I don’t only mean meat type -you can select that separately- but more like additional filling-coating they use make the menu really various. Would you like to try Balkan schnitzel or care for Mexican one? Now that’s a different schnitzel 🙂

My personal favorite would be Obatzda Schnitzel, Obatzda as I mentioned in Munich Guide, is one of the best side dishes popular in Munich especially during Oktoberfest but overall all year around, some cold dish made of cheese that goes perfect along with pretzel and beer. But there are as I mentioned many other flavors and also same variety if you want to level up your schnitzel game to Cordon Blue!

The beauty of Andy’s Krablergarten is not only the variety they offer, -which is to mention one more time -really nicely done- not just for sake of variety, but also their generous portions and really reasonable prices.

It was one of rare moments for me as I struggled to finish my plate (and couldn’t) and that huge portion was only costing 11,20 euro! Of course all schnitzels are served with potatoes which is always good in Germany (you can select between fries or potatoes salad version).

The price is really good for food,and surprisingly under average for quality, service and considering it is in Munich – the most expensive city of Germany!

While I was there I thought, they could have just increased their price 2 euro more and there won’t be even one less person here! So this makes Andy’s Krablergarten a perfect place in my eyes for price/performance.

Located conveniently in Sendlinger Tor, do not miss this place if you also like schnitzel as much as I do. But be aware I was only able to get in on my second time and really early weekday, they are very popular so it is always crowded at dinner times. So try to make reservation before or choose to go at odd hours.

Also when the weather is good, they do have a back garden, though I haven’t been that part yet I can only imagine it is even better 🙂 So mark this place schnitzel lovers, it is Andy’s Krablergarten !

Andy’s Krablergarten

Address: Thalkirchner Str. 2, 80337 München, Germany

Phone: +49 89 26019148 Website: www.andyskrablergarten.com

May 20, 2017 0 comment

Food-Drink Munich

Takumi Ramen Munich – where to eat ramen in Munich!

by gezielciniz May 13, 2017

written by gezielciniz

Sushi maybe the first thing to come to mind when talking about Japanese food but ramen is likely the second! As you can imagine sushi is only a small part of rich Japanese kitchen and ramen is maybe even more part of daily Japanese life and also enjoy international popularity. And Takumi Ramen Munich is the address you want to know if you are looking for good ramen in Munich!

When I asked where can I eat ramen in Munich, a Japanese friend suggested me Takumi Ramen Munich. And he was very enthusiastic about the place saying they have really original tastes like home ramen. Therefore even before I went there I already had positive impression but of course with high expectations!

I heard it could get pretty crowded so I decided to go a bit early than normal dinner times. And it was still crowded but since I was only one person so I could find a place on bar style table.

First of all if I go to a Japanese restaurant like Takumi Ramen Munich and I see all employees are Japan I have this belief (supported my experiences!) that it is a good sign because local people know the local food best! And I’m always eager to use my Japanese too so I was happy with this! (You should know staff can also speak German and English).

I ordered gyoza before my ramen, as it is one thing I have to have in Japanese restaurants. If you haven’t tried before please do try on your next trip to a Japanese restaurant because Gyozas are small dumplings usually filled with vegetables or meat wrapped in a thin dough, either boiled or fried. And they make perfect bar food or starters!

If you also need a definition for ramen, imagine a really nutritious food made of a nice soup which is enriched by many ingredients and inside there are noodles (Japanese long pasta) and on top you can have meat or some other ingredients based on your preference. In short good ramen will have fresh and right thickness noodles and a soup that will go best with it.

So back to Takumi Ramen Munich! One thing that makes Takumi Ramen Munich special is they bring their noodles directly from Japan! I guess it is one of main reasons why it tastes like `original`. And of course they make a really good soup as well, you can see chefs working behind glass and you can tell they are experienced and enjoying what they are doing 🙂 They also have different types of miso which is a good thing to choose from.

I think another good sign that they cared about good taste is there were a sign saying they do not make deliveries after certain distance as the more noodles stayed in the soup original quality of the dish is decreased!

Takumi Ramen Munich prices vary for ramens but all of them are between 10-12 euros. (Not bad for Munich prices!)

So in summary if you are looking for where to eat good ramen in Munich, Takumi Ramen Munich should be one of the first answers that came to your mind! But do try to reserve your place or go early as I was leaving there were already a queue on their door!

*By the way I keep saying Takumi Ramen Munich to differentiate I’m talking about the one in Munich because they do have branches in some other European cities especially in Germany 🙂

Takumi Ramen Munich addresse :

http://www.takumi-noodle.com/

Heßstr.71 80798 München
(Nearest metro station is U2 Thersienstr)

May 13, 2017 0 comment

Food-Drink Travel Guides

Where to Eat in Luxembourg?

by gezielciniz May 6, 2017

written by gezielciniz

Luxembourg is one of Europe’s underestimated destinations. Being know as a very small country it is no surprise that there are many prejudices about there will be nothing much to do here. Therefore it is actually very few who can answer what to do in Luxembourg, even less where to eat in Luxembourg 🙂 At least without doing a Google search first 🙂

Granted Luxembourg may not be your number one destination for full of tourist attractions and long travel plans but I can safely say it is a very nice place for short trips. I already mention what to do in Luxembourg in Luxembourg guide, here I’ll share some of my notes on where to eat in Luxembourg.

As usual, let me know if you have questions or suggestions to add in the comments!

So first things first, let’s start with what to eat in Luxembourg. Luxembourg kitchen is a mixture of German and French (surprise surprise :)) so you will find many dishes that will remind you these country dishes if not direct versions of it! But if I need to give you one name for a Luxembourg dish it would be Judd mat gaardebounen, made from pork meat served with potatoes and beans this would be the name you will get when you asked what is Luxembourg local food.

You will see many brasseries and restaurants but as with any capital city – no matter how small , you can find food from all over the world, there is no lack of Japanese, Chinese, Greek, Italian etc places to eat and of course fast foods and doner kebabs are everywhere!

Here are couple of places for where to eat in Luxembourg from my notes;

Oberweis and Namer , these two are the most known pastry places in Luxembourg City, you will usually find many selections for sweet choices. Namer will give you really old style old times feeling too! I would suggest getting something for snacking from these two.

Chocolate Hause my number one suggestion! Nice location (just across Palace of the Grand Dukes) and an old Luxembourg house turned into cafe, you will be enjoying choosing from many different chocolate flavors for your hot chocolate! Cakes were looking gorgeous and huge and also a good option for breakfast. So I suggest at least making a sweet stop here so you also get to see inside of an old Luxembourg house!

Brasseria Du Cercle: Located in one of the main squares, it may give you tourist trap feeling, but I was pleasantly surprised to see it has a nice interior and a second floor cozy tables. I get inside because my anchor food was cheapest here among nearby places (Luxembourg is not a cheap city!) and because I didn’t want to stay in the rain any longer but it was a nice experience for me.

The dish you see on main photo of this article eaten here, 3 type of pasta: pesto, carbonara, tomato sauce was 16 euro, I picked a local wine 250 cc for 10 euro and with a soup much needed and appreciated in cold weather with a cold was 6.5 euro. So I payed 35 euro with some tips, you can eat cheaper in Luxembourg but unless you go fast food cheap prices were not that expensive for Luxembourg.

A la Soupe: In a city where eating out is not cheap, this place is a nice alternative for lunch or for light evening meal as it offers healthy menus of soup in reasonable prices. There are daily soups and special soups, a lunch menu will get you a big bowl of very nutritious soup and with a sandwich will cost you only 8 euro.

Golden Bean: Nice for a coffee break.

On my last day in Luxembourg my intention was to go Bosso in old city area. I liked their extensive menu and price performance comments I heard. But I wasn’t feeling well so I picked somewhere closer to me. Let me know in comments if you have been and liked in Bosso 🙂

Ambrosia: This place is a Greek restaurant as Greek mythology lovers already guessed. I find this place from Trip Advisor as ranking good with good comments too. Instead of going to a French or German style place in Luxembourg, I picked here because I didn’t want to guess French style places menu for what is ingredients (as local good places has French menu ) and since I live in Germany, German style food wasn’t my calling at the time so I come here. As my general good experience with Greek restaurants, staff were friendly, food was good and in really big portions. I orders a plate with a mixture of meats which came with salad and was around 20 euro. (Yes yes, Luxembourg is not the cheapest)

So these were my experiences and notes on where to eat in Luxembourg!

I hope if you visit one of these places you also have nice experience, let me know if there is something you would like to ask or add!

May 6, 2017 0 comment

Food-Drink

Max Amsterdam Restaurant

by gezielciniz January 26, 2017

written by gezielciniz

It may sound strange at first that Amsterdam is one of the best places to try Indonesian food but history lovers won’t be that surprised! Max Amsterdam restaurant is one of those places that I will suggest, where you can try genuine, classic with a modern touch food in a cozy place.

For the historically challenged Indonesia was under Dutch colonization long time so actually it is no surprise that many goods from Indonesia was common in Holland, including rich Indonesian cuisine. You can find many fine Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam. In fact one of the “must do” activities in Amsterdam is to try Indonesian cuisine!

Therefore in my search for such a place I stumbled upon Max Amsterdam restaurant with many recommendations and wanted to try myself. Luckily I was able to plan a dinner with my Indonesian friend so she can also comment on “originality” of the food!

Max Amsterdam restaurant gives cozy and warm welcome feeling even at first sight. Attention of service employees, how they introduce menu, describe dishes and even serving of wine were done skillfully so you could tell they were trained well in hospitality. Though since we had our Indonesian friend with us we mostly asked her for explanations anyway!

You can try testing menu for 37 euro per person. Actually you should try it in rijsttafel (rice table) style where dishes are put on the table and everyone takes some to their own plates. In testing menu you get a starter, multiple main dishes but not full portion – smaller testing portions and multiple dessert. But don’t worry portions are not too small just to taste! And actually if you have a favorite main dish they also give you free refill. But along with rice, I don’t think you will feel hungry! With a bottle of wine and water accompanying tasting menu, we payed 57 euro each for 3 people.

My favorite in Max Amsterdam restaurant was the starter because I was able to enjoy multiple tastes in one dish. From main dishes I liked the “Rendang” most (which is stewed meat but it was cooked very well and softness of the meat with the aroma was really good). For those of you who wonder what my local friend liked most, it was the chicken dish! (Sorry I didn’t get the name!)

For dessert, like the starter, they had a little twist, a modernization of a classical Indonesian dish and I think this kind of changes are essential for a good place.

So basically, Max Amsterdam restaurant should be on your to try list for a good night out dinner! Granted it is not the cheapest option but I think they have a good price/performance balance.

You will want to make reservations by the way so see below details:

Max Amsterdam Restaurant

http://www.maxrestaurant.nl/

Address: Herenstraat 14I, 1015 CA Amsterdam, Niederlande

Phone: +31 20 420 0222

E-mail: info@maxrestaurant.nl

January 26, 2017 0 comment

Food-Drink Travel Guides

Where to eat in Belgrade

by gezielciniz December 28, 2016

written by gezielciniz

What to eat in Belgrade is easy to answer, where to eat in Belgrade is not so easy because unless you have a capacity of hungry hippos you have to make a choice between nice places. Don’t worry though; I have answers for both questions 🙂

Belgrade is an amazing place: food is delicious and good priced. You should definitely try red meat here but it is a place where you can find anything from sushi to Italian. So let me introduce you to some of mention worthy places in Belgrade for eating out and later what to eat.

My first recommendation will be for meat lovers. You can find meat in various forms in Belgrade, used in most of the local dishes or as pure T-bone steak or many dried versions sold in markets. (Actually many people chose to get some dried meat from here when they return as a souvenir but if you do so it might be better to put in your luggage not hand-luggage).

So for steak lovers my recommendation on where to eat in Belgrade is ` Toro Steakhouse`.

And as for the local dish/place recommendations on where to eat in Belgrade actually I have 3 places to recommend:

4 main dish (meat) + 3 salad +3 beer +1 cola= 4500 dinar so it is like 36 euro –>9 euro per person!

First one is where one of my local friend took us ` Cuburska Lipa`

Cuburska Lipa has classic decor and has a `your friendly neighborhood` place feeling. Actually if it wasn’t for our local friend we probably wouldn’t find this place. Portions of meals were big as usual of Belgrade and cheap as usual to our surprise because when we first came in and see the service and place we thought it might be expensive than normal Belgrade standards. It wasn’t.

Second one is a place we saw it on Trip Advisor and heard from friends so we wanted to try ourselves: Gradska

Gradska also had an interesting location, we could only find thanks to offline maps and navigation. If it weren’t for the comments we read and heard I wouldn’t bother finding! But good thing we bothered as it was a very cosy and friendly place with good food. Our waitress was really friendly and later she offered us free drinks `rakija`. (My God, what a drink! I mean I’m not a weakling for alcohol but it was really high alcohol and spicy and really not for everyone!). Food was once again really good and cheap.

I just ate salad for the dinner, so I’m keeping my diet, nevermind the half kilo cheese on top of it!

And last of my where to eat in Belgrade local food place recommendation is a place I heard a lot from my traveler friends: Şeşir Moj. It is on famous Skadarlija Street (a place you will hear a lot on what to do in Belgrade). Actually I would say that most places in this street are a good choice to experience local food and dinner time –Balkan tavern entertainment. But if I have to give another name it would be Dva Jelana where you can find hunt animal meats such as deer. Fun fact, Şeşir Moj means my hat and Dva Jelana means two reindeers so it is also interesting to learn what the names of restaurants in this area meant 🙂

So far we talked mostly about meat and local places let’s see what else is there.

Lorenzo Kakalamba is one of the places to answer where to eat in Belgrade. This place is famous for its really interesting interior and a kitchen which is a combination of Italian and Serbian food.

For sushi lovers they should look for W Sushi.

And if you want a bit more high end places you can check Manufactura or Dorian Gray. Though compared to Belgrade standards these places would be expensive they will still be reasonably priced compared to most of the Europe.

Sol baştaki Sırp kahvaltı tabağı, sağdaki başka kahvaltı, ortadaki de hızımızı alamadık yumurtaları…

For breakfast my suggestion is La Petit again in Skadarlija Street. Well to be honest there is just many places to try in this street and they all are nice, but I suggested this place because they have a plate called `Serbian breakfast plate` and it has cheese, special Serbian butter, ajvar, dried meat, borek in it which is a good combination for a super breakfast time! And you can order other plates and extra eggs too like we did for an extra super-duper breakfast time!

Eggs and bacon is one usual way to start the day and another popular option for Serbians are getting some pastries for breakfast from bakery shops called `Pekera`. So if you see a place named `… Pekera` , there you can find many fresh made and delicious pastries including sandwiches, little pizza, and sweets too. You can sit also but most of them only have places to stand and eat and it will be really cheapest and delicious option for breakfast. If you want to go a somewhat famous pekera then try Pekera Toma.

So we covered where to eat in Belgrade now let’s focus on what to eat in Belgrade!

Here are some local foods you should try while you are in Belgrade:

Cevapcici – made from red meat this is flag dish for Balkans, basically they are like meatballs in short finger shape and always ask for `kaymak` with it.

And you must definitely have Karadordeva/Karajorjeva! Actually if I am to suggest you just one thing to try it would be this Karajorjeva! It is again a meat dish but I’ll say no further just try it!

I love breakfast in new places the most where my camera and map also shares the table!

`I can eat a lot more tell me more people` should save some place for Pljeskavica – another version of Balkan meat ball this time shaped in one big flat piece and don’t forget to ask for salad with every meal!

They have this salad called Sopska and Serbian of which you should try both. Actually they almost have same ingredients like tomatoes, cucumber etc and but one has onions in it. My favorite is Sopska though because it comes with plenty of cheese on top of it!

(Side note Cevapcici and Sopska are also local food in Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Before ordering though, be aware that portions came really big so if you are not travelling alone you might want to consider sharing your plate.

As for the desserts, there is this local dessert called Krempita, but not expect too much as it is just plain cream between milfoy dough but you might want to try it from one of the pekeras for around 150 Serbian dinar.

And as for the local drink you can ask for sljivovica or rakija but let me warn you it is pretty strong alcoholic drink! Don’t assume you are used to alcohol as it contains really high alcohol and very spices. But guaranteed to make you feel hotter!

Also I saw lots of pizza places around Belgrade, really much to notice. And yes they were nice as well. (Ok at this point I should probably admit that I was a hungry hippo while in Belgrade!)

Bu da rakija dedikleri içkileri, buzlu bardak içinde beher tüpü gibi geliyor, daha kötü çekilmiş ve hiç belli olmayan fotom yoktu, olsaydı ona koyacaktım, şimdilik bunla idare edin!

This is a bad, if not worst, picture of rakija, served in a tube inside a glass full of ice, next time I promise I’ll bring my lighting systems to dinner!

PS: Only minus point to mention for where to eat in Belgrade is that they allow smoking inside so if you are visiting in cold season and sit inside and have at the same time heavy smoking customers it may not be as nice as it would normally be!

So I hope I was able to answer what to eat in Belgrade and where to eat in Belgrade ! Let me know if you have questions or suggestions in the comments!

By the way speaking of Belgrade, you might be interested in below articles as well:

Belgrade Guide

What to do in Belgrade

Belgrade Night Life

December 28, 2016 0 comment

Food-Drink Munich

LeDu Dim Sum Restaurant Munich

by gezielciniz December 25, 2016

written by gezielciniz

LeDu dim sum restaurant was one of my first nice evening experiences in Munich. It was actually also first of Ladies Night out plan from work colleagues. I was already hooked when they said it is a dim sum place and told me had high ratings.

Previously before I went to Hong Kong, I thought Dim sum was just a specific type of dish. But as I learned later it is actually what small portions of various dishes are called in general. (Like Turkish meze, meze is general word to define something to eat along with your drink or main food but it can be hot-cold, meat, vegetarian etc any kind of small dish). The word Dim sum had its origins from Chinese and long long time ago it was used to call snack foods that are brought along with tea in road side traveler resting places.

In modern days, dim sum became so popular that it is preferred as the meal itself not just side dish. Of course plus side you can order multiple dim sums and get to try different tastes. Actually in Hong Kong you can find dim sum starting very early hours of day as a breakfast too.

Also another thing about dim sum culture is that most of the dishes, such as dumplings, come in bamboo plates with covers and when finished you can stack them so it is fun in a way 😀

So let’s talk about the LeDu dim sum restaurant itself. LeDu Dim Sum restaurant has oriental Asian decor however music that played was easy to listen western music so you didn’t get into too much Asian mood. It is not a big place and you should definitely have reservation if you plan to go at dinner time. It gives the vibe to go there after work or maybe as a romantic date place.

As for the menu, like I said it is not enough if you just order just one portion so you are supposed to order multiple and this is really nice because you can order more than one without any guilt and explore different dishes in one evening. They have this fix menu where you can chose 4 dishes for 21,9 euro and if you want to make addition you add it for 4,9 euro a piece. Menu comes as a paper with check boxes next to dishes and you mark which ones you want like a common Chinese restaurant style ordering.

Towering the plates is fun!

LeDu dim sum restaurant have really many types of dim sum, from soup to meat skewers, salad to desserts and of course a must have dim sum dish which is various types of steamed or fried dumplings. They have vegetarian, fish, chicken, meat options. Some dishes are really bite sizes while others where like a full portion so it really depends on what you choose.

I really loved dumplings and one of my dumpling orders were in a spicey soup and my God it was just the right amount of spicey where it makes you cry tears of “joy” and you can’t stop drinking.

http://www.ledu-dimsum.de/

Klenzestraße 62 | 80469 München | 089 72 63 79 28 | info@ledu-dimsum.de

December 25, 2016 0 comment

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