Jia Jia Tang Bao 佳家汤包

The alleged mecca of soup dumpling or xiao long bao is located north of People’s Square at Jia Jia Tang Bao 佳家汤包. At half eleven there is already a long line standing outside waiting for one of the 30 or less chairs in the dining area. It is best to get there in the morning or before noon as the restaurant closes when they run out of their offerings, which are made to order by a team of six women furiously filling and pinching together dumpling dough. The menu behind the cashier shows which items are no longer available as the red tags are flipped over to show that the kitchen is out. After all the cheap items are gone, all that is usually left are the more expensive crab dumplings.

Here's the translated menu:

Standard pork XLB - RMB 7.5
Shrimp and pork XLB - RMB 9
Chicken and pork XLB - RMB 9
Egg yolk and pork XLB - RMB 12
Crab and pork XLB - RMB 19.5
Chicken XLB - RMB 12
Shrimp XLB - RMB 12
Crab XLB - RMB 81

Chicken and duck blood soup - RMB 2
Seaweed and egg drop soup - RMB 2
Fresh shredded ginger - RMB 1

Our eyes must have been bigger than our stomachs as we asked for 3 orders of pork, crab and pork, and crab with 2 orders of ginger – the whole spectrum of crab and pork for 2 people. 81RMB for crab tang bao seemed like a lot for something that is considered cheap street food, but we decided to splurge because eventually we would have to endure the long line again just to try it. Most people ordered the blood soup to eat with the xiao long bao, most likely to help with the digestion of the heavy filling and to get the spoon optimize consumption. We did not go for the soup option.


First out was the steamer of pork xiao long bao. So beautiful, hot, and filled with delicious, savory soup. The perfectly pinched skins were very thin and the broth abundant and flavorful. This was an excellent start. The servers were right to bring out the pork xiao long first because the crab and pork and crab xiao long bao had a stronger, heavier flavor in comparison to the already delectable pork xiao long.


The skin on the dumplings is so thin that the roe inside the crab and crab and pork dumplings is visible. And on closer inspection, you almost swear you can see the soup floating inside.

While xiao long bao is the small, bite-sized dumpling, the tang bao is supposed to be its larger, goliath cousin, maybe even requiring a straw for consumption. The crab tang bao (filled with meat and crab roe) were slightly larger than a sand dollar. They were served as 2 steamers with 6 in each. The filling did not really hold together as a solid mass, but was more a delicious mess of crab, roe, and soup.

We were right to go from pork to crab and pork to crab soup dumplings because the flavor of each dumplings was stronger and more pungent than the preceding one. After a taste of the crab dumpling, the flavor of the pork xiao long bao was relatively bland although it is indeed excellent. For two people, this order was more than satiating as we could barely hobble out the door afterward.

This is definitely the best spot for xiao long bao. Not only does the long queues of locals indicate that the xiao long bao is good, the prices and informal atmosphere make it accessible for anyone to try.

Jia Jia Tang Bao 佳家汤包. 90 Huanghe Lu, Shanghai. China. People's Square near Fengyang Lu. 黄河路90号, 近凤阳路.

Pho Real Revisted

When stomachs craved something comforting, we decided to go back to Pho Real and check out the other options on the set lunch menu listed on the first visit. New and somewhat unpleasant surprises greeted us on a return lunch.

The set lunch menu prices changed from 38RMB to 48RMB and 58RMB for the “small” and “big” lunch sets, respectively. I can only imagine what changes were made to the dinner menu. There was not much difference between the cold ban with house specialty house chicken or pork with the third listing on the menu, which was basically the same without the option of choosing pork (just chicken) and lacking pickled vegetables. I checked out the dish from the guy sitting next to me and it looked quite plain, so I opted for the pho again. All this menu told me was that you were getting 10RMB more worth of rice noodles with the big lunch set.

Out come the fried spring rolls on a small bed of thin rice noodles atop a large lettuce leaf next to the bite-sized tofu bun and pho fixings. The spring rolls were less satisfying this time around. The wrapper was thicker and the filling had less carrots and more “filler.” It also was significantly oilier and you could see the oil drip onto your plate after the first bite.


The pho came out in small and big bowls, with the contents of the smaller bowl looking more impressive only because the meaty bits were not drowned by excess noodles. There was raw beef, but no tendons. The broth this time was oilier and more bland, lacking the much needed rich, but light depth found in a good broth.


I had great hope for Pho Real. At the opening, the restaurant had the potential to go in the direction toward a legit Vietnamese pho with its set lunch menu. However, the food has turned in the direction of Pho Sizzling, appealing towards the market palate instead of upholding its promise of authenticity.

Phở Real. No. 166 Fumin Lu, near Julu Lu 富民路166号，近巨鹿路 Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

Balthazar

Eduardo Vargas, please stop your restaurant ADD.

The soft opening of the latest venture of Vargas, Balthazar, set in a cozy nook in the lanes off Taikang Lu / Jianguo Lu, offered 2-for-1 draft specials and a 30% discount on the total bill. The promos on SmartShanghai and CityWeekend were alluring enough to make a reservation at this "French bistro" and check things out. Plus, paying full-price is not attractive when a discount could be found.

As the layout of the restaurant is not suited for the slightly disabled or handicapped, we were seated outside on the cozy patio on a warm autumn evening, though left to the mercy of countless mosquitoes taking one last nip before winter hits. The seating of the restaurant is mainly on the second and third floors with bar space on the ground level. The “cheese cave” did not hold any cheese, but a prep area.

For dinner, we ordered the terrine de canard, lobster bisque, mushroom crepes, and confit de canard (which the kitchen ran out of, so instead they sent duck on a bed of spinach and beets) to go down with the 2-for-1 Hoegarten draft beers. With the busy soft opening, it almost seemed like our lovely Filipino server almost forgot about us.

The lobster bisque was an utter disaster. The color looked more brown than a flushed pink and the lukewarm bisque showed a failed attempt at any thickening (from the faint raw flavor of a roux that should not be there). It tasted more like some other crustacean than crab, devoid of flavor or character or a badly needed splash of sherry or more chunks of “lobster”. Even the lone dime-sized lump of “lobster” floating in the bisque was surprisingly dry.


The terrine de canard did not fare any better. It arrived on a plate with a small salad and drizzled with a sort of pesto sauce. Already that was wrong for serving. The complimentary bread was used as a vehicle for the terrine, which had more filler than actual duck.


Resembling enchiladas in a wide ramekin, the mushroom crepes appear to have been cooked in a manner similar to an enchilada. Mushrooms were wrapped by a crepe too thick and doughy before being placed in the ramekin, covered in a green crème sauce, and blasted under a boiler. The flavors came through individually, but did not marry in the dish.


Last hope for the duck, which had a nice flavor, but a little on the dry side. The spinach and beets, however, were really nice. Maybe the only redeeming quality of the entire meal.


Our server told us and begged us to offer our comments, suggestions, and criticisms of the meal and even went further to permit us to be brutally honest. The disappointment was great enough that she took off the lobster bisque from our final bill.

While waiting for the bill to arrive, a Chinese party found the chef at the entrance and also told him that the food was terrible. I was unsure if it was just my personal taste, but the sentiment reverberated through other diners (save one Vargas cheerleader on the CityWeekend site) showing the kitchen was still developing and needed drastic improvement. If only this Chinese man waited a few more moments for Vargas to show up and review the damage.

Vargas, please stick to what you know and try not to move too fast. With the restaurant gems bearing the Vargas name in Shanghai, it would be a shame to ruin a gastronomic reputation with quick expansion. All that talent could be lost in impulsive restaurant decisions resulting in poor execution, lack of attention, and dissatisfied fans.

Perhaps another visit is needed in the future to see if there has been any improvement in the kitchen since the soft opening. Anyone? Anyone?

Balthazar. No. 7, Lane 155 Jianguo Lu, Shanghai, China. Near Ruijin Lu and Taikang Lu.

峥峥饮食 Zhēng Zhēng Yǐnshí

All the dancing and beer drinking after a night at The Shelter gives way to intense cravings for some good eats to soak up the remaining alcohol and lull you to a contented sleep. Your body wants something comforting and this night the skewers from the street hawkers are not going to cut it.

After rolling into a taxi, a friend tells the driver to head towards Changning Lu near Huayang Lu to go to a noodle shop there. “I know this great place. It’s a cheap noodle shop, but the noodles are great!” The taxi driver tells him he already knows where this place is. If the taxi driver knows about this place, it is an excellent sign.


Before us is Zhēng Zhēng Yǐnshí峥峥饮食, an unassuming hole-in-the wall kind of place with bare formica tables. The pinyin translator I used told me that zhēng zhēng yǐnshí means “lofty (soaring)” and “food and drink.” Next to the dining area is the kitchen and prep area where a guy is pulling noodles in one window and passing them through a gap in the divider to the guy standing over a boiling vat of water to cook them in the next window. The hand-pulled wheat flour noodles or lā miàn 拉面 is commonly made in the Lanzhou style (Lanzhou is the capital city of Gansu province in northwest China), but the noodles here are made in Hunnan style. The dough is stretched and twisted until long, thin noodles are produced.


My friend quickly asks if we want beef and if the noodles will be in soup or dry. I opted for the soup option and they request their noodles dry. The noodles were cooked to perfection and the broth was meaty and slightly spicy. Even dry, the noodles were not too oily or dry enough to stick together. The coriander or cilantro, cumin, and scallions gave the noodle soup a nice fresh zing. However light the meal appears to be, the noodles are actually really heavy and oily and you can feel the weight in your stomach after forking out the 6RMB.


Wow. That was tasty. Definitely going back there again. That taxi driver must really know what he’s talking about for great cheap eats in Shanghai.

峥峥饮食Zhēng Zhēng Yǐnshí. No. 3, Lane 484, Changning Lu, Zhongshan Park (near Huayang Lu), Shanghai, China

Food Fusion

A very recent article on SmartShanghai claims that they found the Malay real deal in terms of authenticity considering the lack of authenticity in Shanghai’s other foreign food establishments (at least in terms of Thai, Vietnamese, Singaporean, and Indonesian). Promises of authenticity are tempting enough to give Food Fusion a shot, especially after recovering from a hangover.

The restaurant was not too full when we entered with a handful of Chinese and laowai littered about. It is a bright and colorful place with plush booth seats. Maybe these diners also came in hopes of the real deal in Malaysian cuisine.


Kang kong or morning glory was the first dish out. The chilies and shrimp paste gave it a little kick, but the vegetables were slightly overdone.


The roti was slightly crispy to soak up the savory and somewhat oily curry. It would have been better if the chicken in the curry didn’t have the bone attached. There were only 3 pieces of rough cut dark meat chicken and 2 or 3 potato pieces. The chicken was tender and the potato was not underdone.


The beef rending was really tender and falling apart and relatively spicy compared to the rest of the meal. This was a good one. The roti was also good for picking up chunks of the beef curry.


The shrimp assam was not very impressive, being slightly overcooked. The flavor was nice, but nothing to come running back for. The other disappointment was the calamansi juice, which looked unnaturally bright yellow and was warm with ice floating on top. Unfortunately, the taste was mild from concentrate and laced with artificial sweetener.

The four dishes, tea, and calamansi juice came to a grand total of 191RMB, which seemed like a lot when our referral “ate for eight” at a total of 646RMB. The dishes seemed kind of hit or miss, but this perspective is mostly due to the disappointment in the shrimp and coming in with exceedingly high expectations of the kang kong. Still, a good meal and worth checking out at least once.

Food Fusion. 918 Huaihai Zhong Lu -Parkson 8th Floor, Metro Line 1 Shan xi nan Lu Station. Shanghai, China

Kabb

Comfort breakfast staples are well-advertised in Shanghai brunch establishments, at least outside of the flashy brunch buffets offered at high-end hotels. Word of the banana pancakes at Kabb were thrown around enough in Shanghai expat publications that it beckoned a try.


Located in the lanes of Xintiandi, Kabb provides an excellent spot for al fresco dining on the cooler, more temperate Shanghai days. Perfect for people watching (mostly laowai), it is a nice setting for a lazy brunch.

The idea of pancakes was thrilling. The actual plate was not.


The stack was large at four high, but plain. The menu description was misleading because all that was delivered was a stack of plain pancakes with a few slices of banana. The pancakes were on the dense side, though offering a somewhat decent medium to absorb any liquid. Most of the flavor lay in maple syrup. Not exactly a breakfast I would ever run back to spend 70RMB on.

Also slightly disappointing was the spinach frittata with a slice of bread and potatoes cooked with ham. The spinach and feta mixed with egg only existed in the top half of the frittata. It seemed like the bottom layer of the frittata was just plain egg and all the flavorful bits were poured on the top half instead of being equally distributed. The potatoes were slightly on the oily side.


The plates are large and filling for what you get, but the food is nothing special, especially for what you pay (though you are in Xintiandi). Kabb better serves as a spot to have a coffee or a drink in a more trendy setting.

Kabb. Unit 1, Bldg 5, North Block, Xintiandi, Lane 181 Taicang Lu, Xin Tian Di, Shanghai. Near Madang Lu. Metro Line 1 Huangpi Nan Lu Station. 太仓路181弄新天地北里5号楼单元1室 近黄陂南路, 地铁1号线黄陂南路站

Pho Real

The hunt for the ellusive phở in Shanghai continues past all mentions of other Vietnamese restaurants serving phở that ended up to be quite poor, bringing us to Phở Real. Online recommendations say that this place has good phở. Phở real?!?!?! (Apologies for the pun) Real phở? Maybe decent phở. ::sigh::

"There are several regional variants of phở in Vietnam, particularly divided between northern (Hanoi, called phở bắc or "northern phở"; or phở Hà Nội), central (Huế), and southern (Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon). One regional phở may be sweeter, and another variation may emphasize a bolder and spicier flavor . "Northern phở" tends to use somewhat wider noodles and green onions. On the other hand, southern Vietnamese generally use thinner noodles (approximately the width of pad Thai or linguine noodles), and add bean sprouts and a greater variety of fresh herbs to their phở instead." (Source) The noodles are called bánh phở, traditionally cut from wide sheets of fresh noodles, though rice sticks may also be used. Thinner rice noodles are better for soups. Quite a range to choose from.

The restaurant is open with its clean decor, ceiling covered in baskets, sky blue table tops, and emphasis on wood. The fresh environment could reflect the impression pho should have on its consumer. Running close to the end of the lunch hour, a quick call to ensure they expect our arrival proved fruitful. Yay! Here we go again. Hopefully, this experience will wash away the utter disappointment brought by Pho Sizzling.


The spring rolls came out with the soup accompaniments of fresh red chilis, Asian basil, bean sprouts, and lime. The spring rolls were fried and contained some meat and a lot of carrots to give it a nice crunch. Two dipping sauces also accompanied the dish: a rice vinegar and a sort of sweet fermented fish sauce. This appetizer was just filler until the main event. Where is that phở?


The bowl finally came out, decent sized and looked promising. The broth was aromatic and looked a tad dark, though indicating more flavor (by appearance) and smelling richer from the bones. Spring onion, cilantro, flank, and steak were also floating in the bowl. The meat was cut a hair too thick. Again, the noodles looked wrong being still wide. In any case, this was a big improvement from the noodle soup attempting to pass as "phở" consumed a few weeks ago. All the accompaniments were thrown in and ::ahh:: a wave of familiarity washed over me. I found my phở fix, the operative word being "fix" as in if-I-want-phở-and-cannot-find-the-real-thing-I-will-come-here. In the event that my stomach is unwell or I need a phở fix, I would definitely trek to Phở Real.


The lunch special is a set meal 38RMB per person and includes 2 spring rolls, a bowl of pho (or two other entrees which were of no interest at the time), and a soda or iced tea. It's not your beloved street or cheap as chips phở at 38RMB. Lunch lasts until about 2:00pm until they reopen for dinner. The set meal for dinner is the same as lunch, but they want to get about 88RMB from you. Ridiculous! Go for lunch and save your wallet.

Phở Real. No. 166 Fumin Lu, near Julu Lu 富民路166号，近巨鹿路 Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

Pho Sizzling

Being located so close to Vietnam, you would assume that a decent bowl of pho could be found on mainland China and even more so in the international capital of Shanghai. Assume must be the operative word here. Vietnam is so close. Why isn't there a place to get pho? It is so easy to find a killer place in Europe and the States!

A nauseated stomach calls for something comforting and the most comforting thing ever is a hot bowl of pho with its fresh bits of basil, light rice noodles, heat from fresh chilies, and thin slices of meat all floating in a savory broth. A good bowl of pho is a naturally medicinal cure. The psychology that goes along with it doesn't hurt either.

So we arrive at Pho Sizzling on Nanjing Xi Lu, right next to the metro stop. The restaurant is full of people, which is quite promising among the myths that no good pho exists in Shanghai. Lots of people is a good sign. Strangely, we were served by a laowai server. What is a laowai doing as a server? That is extremely rare to see. Perhaps he is the owner? Just a bowl of pho with beef, please.

While waiting, there were not many bowls nearby to peer at and see exactly what we were getting into. There were a couple flatscreen televisions with “instructions” on how to eat a bowl of pho. First, sprinkle the bowl soup with dried onions. Second, add the orange sauce to the soup. WHAT? The service was slow and it took longer than it should to receive the order. And I was nervous.

Oh…The disappointment. The server didn’t even bring us the standard fare of limes, basil, bean sprouts, and peppers. The noodles were wrong. Flat and thick and not thin. The broth was completely tasteless and it was as if the cook threw in lemon grass in an attempt to redeem any flavor from the broth. Even the meat lost its value. This pho was just wrong. It was not pho. It is even more tempting to blame the laowai for destroying the idea of pho. And what are all these people doing crowded in this restaurant full of pho gone terribly wrong? What a bust.

The search for a satisfying bowl of pho continues in Shanghai.

Pho Sizzling. 2/F, 200 Wujiang Lu. Shanghai, China. (Jing An, near Taixing Lu, Metro Line 2 Nanjing Xi Lu Exit 3)

Sheng Jian Bao

Promises of endless xiao long bao lured me to Shanghai after the first fateful encounter at Joe’s Shanghai in New York City only 2 years before. How that hot broth managed to remain protected behind the thin dumpling skin was such a mystery (until a thorough internet search revealed the secret that I think I would now prefer to remain mystified by). I had to taste the real thing.

Upon arrival, I was enthusiastically informed of a near cousin of xiao long bao – sheng jian bao. “It’s like xiao long bao but fried.” Oooh! Now that is an intriguing idea. The Americans enlightening me on this form of baozi claim to relish the frying methods. Frying things is a favorite method of cooking in the States, especially in the South. Caramelizing the dumpling skin would add a whole dimension to the experience.

The roads to sheng jian bao in Shanghai lead to Wujiang Lu, off of Nanjing Xi Lu, a short walk from the metro station. Here is a street packed with little low-brow restaurants and people milling about and bouncing from window to window to decide which place will serve the most satisfying meal of the moment. Yang’s Fry Dumpling sits on the east end of the road, right next to another Yang’s Fry Dumpling. With one being so good, imagine having another location right next door!

The prep area is full of people ripping off small pieces from a giant dumpling dough ball and spooning some filling in before swiftly closing off the dumpling and throwing it in a large, heavy iron pan. The pan lined with raw sheng jian bao is put over a flame and doused with oil before being covered with a large wooden lid to steam. Once done cooking, a sprinkling of sesame seeds completes the cooking process.


Ordering is done at a till first where you pay. Each order of sheng jian bao is of 4 for 5¥ and two orders can make a satisfying meal. You take your receipt to the prep area where a server will either scoop the hot dumplings in a take away carton or in a bowl to eat there. Service is fast and efficient, but there is no order. If another customer who ordered after you manages to get their ticket to the server first, you will have to wait after one more person until you get your ticket in.


Sheng jian bao is larger in size to its xiao long bao counterpart, resembling a small ball than dumpling. Its rounder shape holds due to a thicker dumpling skin and that the fried bottom reinforces its base. Unlike xiao long bao, you cannot pop the whole thing in your mouth, unless you have a really big mouth. Plus, all the juice contained within the thick dumpling walls will squirt out like a water hose. It’s also extremely hot and the juices inside tongue searing. Chinese like their food fresh so what’s fresher than straight from the pan?

Eating the dumpling is not as neat as the xiao long bao. There is more mass to deal with and if you are not careful, the dumpling will jump out from between your chopsticks and land in the vinegar dipping sauce getting more liquid everywhere. If your skills are not up to par, then add oily broth from the dumpling to the vinegar for an even bigger splash. Getting through the dumpling skin is not so easy either as it is a lot thicker and more held together from the frying process making it more difficult to neatly bite off a bit of dough to create a little hole to slurp the juices from.

Yang’s sheng jian is quite tasty though a bit more fattening from all the oil. The best part is all the incredible juices the meat is floating in. There are a lot of other dumpling shops in Shanghai serving sheng jian bao, but they say that Yang’s is the best.

For my personal taste, I would choose xiao long bao over sheng jian bao. The much thinner dumpling skin and steaming do not make the dumpling so heavy and weigh you down. After a steamer of soup dumplings, you are still satisfied, but do not feel bloated or lethargic from the oil. Though, that aspect is more likely to be craved for after a long night of drinking.

Yang’s Fry Dumpling. 54-60 Wujiang Lu, Nanjing Xi Lu near Nanjing Xi Lu.

Club Velas

Free entry? Free drink vouchers? More free drink vouchers? Yes, please. It is Friday night and this is Velas. Off Huai Hai Middle Road this club on the second floor is said to be “very Chinese.” The impression implies more of the same thing. What is so Chinese about it…This has to be learned. In any case, there is a healthy number of expats intermingling with local Chinese.

After taking the lift up to the second level, one of the club promoters will promptly hand you three drink vouchers or wait in the foyer while hunting for more drink vouchers. Then the club promoter tells you, “If you want more drinks, look for me and I’ll get you more drink vouchers.” Sweet! Bring on the mixed drinks and beer.

Inside the club is dark and lit with disco lights giving the vibe of glitz, but lacking the glam. Tables surrounding the dance floor reveal dice games and guys sitting around waiting for…something.

Never too full and sometimes on the verge of mass exodus, the bar tempts you to sit there and steadily drink until the thundering commercial electronic dance music or your friends drag you out on the dance floor or are convincing enough to get you on one of the two dancing podiums. As the volume of the music and drink take over, your toes can’t help tapping to the music, granted the choice selection is more main stream and at times the DJ gets a bit carried away with himself before remembering why he was hired to spin in the first place. The next thing you know, everyone is dancing around you and all the cheesiness of club begins to melt away.

Velas is a good time, but it is better served as a spot to begin the night and intake alcohol before moving on elsewhere to hit your Friday night stride.

Club Velas. 2F, 1045 Huaihai Lu, near Fenyang Lu (entrance on Fenyang Lu).

Happy Birthday!

Frenzied Palate has passed the one-year mark of existence and has not been abandoned as several well-intentioned attempts at food blogs have been. Congratulations to making it!

And now, after growing comfortable with divulging into the blogosphere becoming familiar with the platform, perhaps we can get a little more personal.

The Veggie Table

In a huge market where each stand is set to be unique and vie to be the choice selection for a city worker's lunch, naturally there would be a vendor to appeal to the vegetarian. The offering at this stand looks super fresh with colors that pop from the simple salad combinations showing that food that is really healthy for you also tastes good. The entire setup screams "FRESH." You know it is good when the queue is already growing well before the lunch hour is in full swing.


The experience at the Veggie Table begins in line as you peek around the queue to see what you are in for. Maybe just the burger? The salad? The burger with a bun? A combination? Soup/curry? At the front, the first thing you do is pay for the order with most people selecting "The Combo" which is the burger (no bun) on top of a box of salad, some opting for the free salsa or paying £0.50 extra for a scoop of hummus. Usually, there are about 5 different varieties of salad to choose from depending what is in season or freshly made including English rye bean salad, potato salad with herbs, and beet salad with feta and almonds. The person serving the salad asks which salads you want and then sections them methodiacally in the paper box. If you order a burger, the person on the grill gives you one off the spatula once it is ready.


Burgers are grilled fresh right in front of you as soon as the order is placed, contrasting nicely with the cool salad. The burger selection is between the vegan and gluten-free Super Veg "bursting with protein calcium and iron...made with organic vegetables, quinoa, nuts, sultanas and cumin" and Heavenly Halloumi made of "halloumi cheese with organic carrots, courgettes, fresh mint, and coriander." If you get salsa, it may add interest to the Super Veg burger with the grainy quinoa making up the bulk of the burger, but the Heavenly Halloumi is slighly more flavorful - most likely from the salty character of cooked halloumi - and has a subtle crunch from the carrots.

The bits and bobs of colorful veggie goodness from the varying flavors and textures makes an extremely satisfying, healthy meal ensuring that you can power through the afternoon. The Veggie Table can be found in the main hall of the Borough Market against the wall near the Boston sausage vendor as well as at Whitecross Street Market and Broadway Market.

The Veggie Table. www.theveggietable.co.uk

Trattoria La Scogliera

Traveling solo should not restrict your choices of having a nice meal in any destination. Eating alone does not mean you are lonely and certainly does not mean you should deprive yourself of an opportunity for good food.

Near the marina of Manarola, the main street is lined with little restaurants and bars to entice the hikers looking for a rest or a good meal when the small town is on the brink of shutting down completely. One of these is Tratorria La Scogliera Cucina Tipica, which was attractive because of the relatively larger number of people dining inside (estimated 6 people total) compared to the other trattorias and ristorantes. Not wanting anything big and staying mindful of a budget, at the advice of the server the linguine batti batti was ordered followed by tiramisu, a house specialty. The whole meal definitely did not break the bank.


Having no idea what "batti batti" meant, the pasta dish was more of a surprise upon its quick arrival. The plate revealed that "batti batti" is the slipper lobster local to the coasts of La Spezia. It is smaller and requires a bit of work more than a knife and fork to handle. This is a task for the hands, which hopefully no one found offensive in this fine establishment because fingers are the best way to get to all the meaty tidbits to mix into the rest of the linguine with a lightly herbed sauce made with fresh tomatoes. By this point, the trattoria started filling up with couples ordering antipasti, primero, segundo, and dolce courses. It was difficult to imagine all these couples trying to be romantic in the even more romantic Cinque Terre with all this food between them. The portions were quite large, so a couple consuming each course individually was daunting, especially for a European stomach. Maybe the portions were more suitable to an American stomach. Sharing would be a better option to avoid feeling like a beached whale. Anyway, the linguine dish tasted of the sea and the man and woman helping everyone seemed quite giddy about presenting their fare.


To conclude the meal that went from light to the verge of too filling, was the lovely sweet tiramisu to complement the savory of the linguine batti batti. The lady fingers were lightly drenched in strong espresso with incredibly light marscapone whipped to new heights. Each bite practically dissolved in your mouth. This was no dessert to weigh you down at the end of the night, even consuming the entire portion alone.

For a first experience at a fine establishment for a table of one, this was really good and quite positive. Local food with local ingredients make one tasty bite.

Trattoria La Scogliera - Cucina Tipica. Via Renato Birolli 168, 19017 Manarola, La Spezia, Italia.

Ostello Cinque Terre

Let's face it. After spending some time in what most people consider less than desirable holiday destinations as well as staying with friends, the sticker shock from Western Europe is a little much for a budget traveler. Not only is everything more expensive, you have to pay for more perks like internet or a longer shower or towel service, for example. For someone completely unfamiliar with the area, finding a suitable hostel in Cinque Terre left limited choices. Upon arrival, there seemed to be many houses offering homestays or room rentals, but option was not clear.

Ostello Cinque Terre sits on top of a small town called Manarola, one of the five that make up the "five lands." It is distinguished by its friendly green paint job. Slightly discouraging was that the hostel advertised that there is a curfew and lock-in during the night. Hm...Well after a long day of extrenuous hiking, this may not be so bad because there is a greater chance of being overpowered by exhaustion in the late evening hours. The dorms are also made single-sex, so it would be difficult for co-ed groups to stay in one room together. The rooms and bathrooms are really clean and large enough to hang out in, though the common area is slightly uncomfortable to lounge in due to being lined with picnic-style tables. This choice of design must be due to the fact that the hostel operates its own restaurant and doesn't really give its lodgers the chance for any other option. The "Pasta Pesto & Co" menu is simple and cheap highlighting popular Italian dishes and the use of organic ingredients. Excellent.

All the hostel reviews and the majority of the notes in the guest log say - more demand - that you try the gnocchi al pesto. Pages and pages of guest notes rave about this dish. Is it really that good to try that out of the rest of the selection? Convincing does not take that much effort, especially since the heavy rain and streams of water moving down the street make it less enticing to venture outside. Let's give it a go.


The plate is absolutely huge with a large helping of gnocchi coated in pesto and topped off with a healthy grating of reggiano. Looks delicious and extremely filling. A good night of sleep after this meal can be foreseen. The little pillows of potato were creamy and rich, but not too heavy. The pesto was light and not too oily, though could be a little thicker. Together, the combination created a simple decadence easily filling a stomach worn out from hiking the five lands. Although the plate was so large, it would be a shame to leave a couple lonely gnocchi bites behind so all must be consumed. You could feel the food coma settling in and only had to worry about making it upstairs to fall asleep in your bunk to the sound of the soft wooshing of the river passing through the town and the trickle of water from the rain. The gnocchi al pesto was not as life-altering as the reviews implied, but incredibly savory and filling reminiscent of a enjoying a hearty meal when your body is about to retire.

Ostello Cinque Terre. Via B. Riccobaldi, 21, 19010 Manarola, La Spezia, Italia. www.hostel5terre.com

Gelato in Vernazza

Trekking through the paths of Cinque Terre that connect all five of the little towns was an alluring idea for a more active, yet low-key holiday trip. Taking off in the morning light and following the small paths where each step is rewarded with a more beautiful view. Without any real prior knowledge of the outlook of the paths, the difficulty grading of "slight," "average," and "fair" were somewhat ambiguous. The meaning of "slight" was not very clear. "Slight" as in what? Slightly difficult? Okay, that is completely doable. This trip was on a budget, so a preference was made to pay to use the seaside path #2 for only one day and use the train only once. The first rains of the season were descending upon Cinque Terre, closing part of #2, so naturally alternate plans were made to take the other slightly more arduous paths to the next town over.

Manarola is the second smallest town out of the five after Corniglia and the aim was to get to Vernazza or at least follow down the path that was allegedly most rewarding from the tops of the hills straight to the ocean. Being in relatively higher-than-average shape, the smaller paths were well in the realm of possibility. So the ascension began to the higher altitudes of Cinque Terre where the paths weave about with greater ease.

"Slight" must be an understatement. At some points on the trek, there were barely centimeters between the hillside and certain serious injury - not death. Most of the falls will not kill you, exception of the ones that plunge into the rocks and the sea. The only thing between you and certain injury was keeping a steady hand on the cliffside and hope to see one of the few red and white trail markers to tell you where to go when the path becomes certainly unclear. Sometimes, you had to really strain and guess to see if a marker was coming up at all or find yourself going down the wrong path which looks exactly similar to the right one. More worrying is that some of the paths look infrequently visited and signs showed that it may have been a couple days since the last visitor, especially with the threats of rain and mudslides looming. Without a mobile, how will you be found? At the highest altitude of the trails around #1, there was a lone call-box in case of emergency. It was the only one. Hope for help from avid trekkers with their Nordic walking sticks found greater dependence.

After about 3 1/2 hours of getting or more feeling lost in the numerous paths and unsure if you followed 6a to get to 1 or whatever logical path numbering it is, Vernazza is in sight with a gradual and at the same time steep descent to sea level. The light spring jacket becomes a burden when the trees trap the heat taken in from the sun and the bag with a few necessities bears more weight than it should. And strangely, inadequate hiking shoes (mere walking shoes) served more help in avoiding a rolled ankle than off-road trainers. Ah...A tasty reward for this unforseeably long 4 hour trek without sufficient food or water was awaiting in the little town below of Vernazza.


As it became quite warm during the day, a nice big scoop of gelato seemed the most appetizing. It was not too overwhelming to fill a stomach that endured the stress of the possibility of being hopelessly lost and has been accustomed to starving during the difficult hike, yet extremely satiating. Plus, everything tastes better when your body needs it more. The most frequented place on the main street appeared to be the Gelateria Artigianale with its colorful sign and small store. People were decorating the streets sitting down to enjoy the Italian treat. The selection for that day was cherry and pistacchio. The idea of a light fruity taste seemed refreshing and pistacchio is a popular enough gelato flavor to set the standard measurement of all gelato. Quite creamy and melting easily but slowly, the gelato was not incredibly spectacular, but served its purpose. Perhaps it was the subdued flavors which proved inadequate to a tongue starved for substance and a little to eager to consume the entire cone. But yes, it was good. Really. Good. And the man scooping each serving did it with care, which is always appreciated because it shows pride in the craft.

The magnificence represented in cherry and pistacchio from Gelateria Artigianale was savored on a rocky outcrop close to the foot of the sea and the marina. The sight of the sea and the beautiful town behind you matched the satisfaction gained from one serving of gelato representing the long journey it took to get there.

Karuzo

WikiTravel has become one of the go-to websites to get an idea of which restaurants to check out in a new area. When people edit the page, you would like to think that throughout the edits, the cream of the crop will rise to the top, as in best foodie sites under the above mentioned budget category (budget, moderate, splurge). Currently, Sarajevo as a travel destination is slightly off the beaten track of tourism, especially to Western nations. As a beautiful city with friendly people, Sarajevo should not be skipped over despite its war-torn past.

As the rare vegetarian restaurant in town, Karuzo is the best place to find veggie and fish dishes where everywhere else focuses on meat. The owner, Saša Obućina, greets you at the door and is your server and chef (along with his assistant). His aim is to transform Bosnian cuisine by promoting a healthier livelihood using his menu preference of "a combination of vegetarian, macrobiotic and Mediterranean cuisine" and no trace of meat or eggs. Let the games begin.

The whole experience was made more personal when the chef and owner asks for your order and presents your plates with great care. The aromas and flavors are heavy on the Mediterranean flair. Simple vegetables were tossed with herbs and covered with cheese before being blasted in the oven and brought to the table in its pan to introduce the palate to the flavors of the night. Lightly toasted brown bread drizzled with a sort of parsley or herb pesto was a great medium to soak up the juices from the vegetables. The best part of the meal is the deep red seafood risotto, which was also highly recommended from travel websites and was listed on the menu as the house specialty. The bits of clams offered a very meaty texture and taste to a dish that did not have a hint of animal. Well-seasoned with a touch of heat, the fruits of the sea explode in your mouth. The variety of seafood and vegetables with the risotto made each bite completely unique. Delicious. To conclude the meal, the chef recommended his ice cream with black sea salt and extra virgin olive oil as well as the pineapple sundae. The ice cream was creamy and smooth with the black sea salt bringing out the tang and sweetness from the cream. The olive oil was an interesting touch and not directly noticeable, but did offer a more smooth texture as the ice cream slid down the throat. The pineapple sundae was one hot mess. At the base was a couple large rings of grilled pineapple covered with ice cream and more fruity goodness.



All in all, so satisfying and tasty. The experience was made more unique only by the presence of the owner who gladly offered friendly conversation when invited. To hear a story of a man born in Bosnia and traveling out to Western Europe and bringing what he learned to his home culture brings you back from the Mediterranean to the charming city of Sarajevo where you are listening to the Saša Obućina.

Karuzo. Ul. Dženetića Čikma bb (71000), Sarajevo. www.karuzorestaurant.com

McFlurry International - Balkans

To further exemplify that one aspect of McDonald’s can reflect the unique character of its host country is the variety of McFlurrys found in the Balkan states.

In Sofia, Bulgaria, the only McFlurry variety offered was “Nesquick,” which was more of a chocolate powder that would turn the creamy vanilla base into a chocolate variety. Not extremely exciting.

Greater interest was taken in the varieties offered in Belgrade, Serbia. Unlike the majority of the other McDonald’s visited, the choice flavors were not dominated by chocolate. Instead, the menu was taken over by the lighter, fruity varieties of šumsko vóce (forest fruit) and jagoda (strawberry). For those who do not want something as rich as chocolate, this is an excellent alternative. The strawberry fruit and syrup added did not have that disgustingly artificial oversweet flavor and had a nice natural taste. The same with the forest fruit, which had little berries to change up the texture of the dessert.


McDonald’s does not currently have locations in Albania or Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Though not directly part of the Balkans, the border country of Hungary also offered a unique variety creating a decadent flavor combination. Csokis-epres means chocolate strawberry because it tasted like a chocolate covered strawberry in McFlurry form. The only preference would be a tad more strawberry flavor to balance out the chocolate. In any case, the McDonald’s next to Nyugati train station is one of the nicer establishments ever visited.



Unfortunately, not variety reminiscent of a meat or paprika flavor prevalent through Balkan cuisine has permeated the McFlurry market. Now that would be interesting.