Kamps-The German Backerei

I have been driving past the Kamps-The German Backerei here in Riyadh for the last few months, keeping it on my wish list and finally managed to tick it this morning. 

It opens literally at the crack of dawn,  at 6:30 am on Friday mornings. As an early riser, it suits me just fine. 

As you enter the bakery, what you will love is the contemporary and chic decor. The visual assault leave you breathless, particularly if you are a gourmand. The aroma of freshly baked bread and croissants, add to it the whiff of some coffee- sheer nirvaana. 

 

While the choice is really wide- from flatbreads, cheese platter, gourmet platter, sandwiches, rolls to fresh fruits with yoghurt,

I ordered the Triple Hot Toast Chicken with Brie. Not many can resist a perfectly toasted crisp fresh bread, the melting Brie cheese with Chicken. It was an absolute delight. Just a small dash of freshly made berry jam in this sandwich added a sweet, colorful twist to it.  I enjoyed it with the Tabasco sauce - it was a riotous feast.

Now to the coffee, I ordered my usual Double Espresso Macchiato shot and I must say that this was the best that I had in Riyadh. The aroma and temperature just perfect, I almost ordered one more and had a tough time resisting this urge.

While I would have loved to eat one of their tempting sweet offerings, I kept it for my next visit. I did pick up some German Bread variety.

Chocolates, Coffee and Dessert Cravings

"There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with a chocolate", 

Dates Chocolate Brownie with Ice cream @ Tao's- Riyadh

Drool, dribble, salivate -now isn’t that what most people do when they see chocolates and coffee in its various avatar’s. Love for both these transcends all parameters like age and size.

Usually one falls in love first with chocolate in the childhood and then slowly with maturity the love for coffee seeps in, almost surreptitiously.

Way back when we were kids, chocolates meant Cadbury in its simple form of Dairy Milk or Eclairs. The word Cadbury was used interchangeably and synonymous for chocolates. In fact, when Amul launched its chocolates much later, I recall kids walking to the corner store and asking for an Amul Cadbury! Well that was the beginning of the love story with chocolates which slowly graduated into Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut when launched. Kit Kat, Toblerone and its imported ilk, the more elite Mackintosh Quality Street were like windfall dreams when a kind relative or friend from overseas would get it. The uber elite Godiva, Teuscher were as alien as Greek and Latin then. Off course, then the heavens opened and with liberalization the best brands started flowing into India and many of them are now manufactured in India itself. Chocolate based desserts be it in the form of cakes, brownies or other forms of culinary art have since then stormed the world of gastronomy and have many addicts like me in its club.

Whilst I walk you down my memory lane and experience across various restaurants and continents, please do grab a bar of your favorite chocolate; if not, a steaming hot cappuccino. If you still are not tempted, the pictures will hopefully make you drool. Oh, just forget the calories and indulge occasionally.

In 2007, when we were in Bangkok, I had my first tryst with Molten Lava! The steaming hot chocolate flowing out from the freshly baked cake when eaten with vanilla ice cream is something to be only experienced. Hot and cold, lethal on the taste buds! After eating the spicy Som Tam Salad, Panang Gai and Pad Thai Noodles the desserts seemed even more heavenly. Well, unfortunately I did not click the photograph of the Molten Lava in Bangkok but here is the one that I just had a few weeks back in Theobrama, Riyadh.

Molten Lava, Theobrama- Riyadh

 I also was introduced to the Sacher Torte for the first time in Bangkok although it traces its roots to Austria. It was introduced to the world by an Austrian called Franz Sacher in the 1800's and today this is a legend not just in Austria but across the world. Sacher Torte is basically a chocolate sponge cake or torte made with apricot filling/jam and a dark chocolate icing which is served with whipped cream, If you visit either Vienna or Salzburg, don't miss visiting the legendary Cafe Sacher, Their desserts and coffees are worth dying for. Their guest list includes the likes of Queen Elizabeth, John Lennon and President John F Kennedy to name a few. We did visit the Cafe Sacher in Salzburg with our dear friends from Germany -Gunthard and Meena,The experience remains indelible in my mind.

Sacher Torte@ Cafe Sacher, Salzburg, Austria.

Irresistible combination@ Cafe Sacher

There is a lot of history to the Sacher Torte saga, where there is history, there is controversy often, isn't it? Demel Bakery where Sacher's son started working, is credited with bringing the Sacher Torte to its current form and hence there is on record a long fought legal case on this between Cafe Demel & Hotel Sacher. We took a walk in the Hotel Sacher. Very luxuriously done up, with lots of history to its credit, this is certainly a 'must visit' when in Austria.To date, both these institutions exist and in my next visit, would love to go to Cafe Demel .

Cappuccino

The varieties of coffee based beverages served can sometimes be mind boggling, the presentation is so good that not only does it satisfy the taste buds but also its a sight to behold forever. From Salzburg, we drove down one day to Lake Fuschl and Sankt Gilgen which are both quaint, idyllic villages. Dotted by cafes on the lakeside, they seem to have been just clipped from paradise!

@ Lake Fuschl, Austria

@ Sankt Gilgen, Austria

While we are on Austria, let me share a few more pictures of our experiences there. We experienced a lot of love from the rain gods when we were in Vienna. Sauntering around Naschmarkt one rainy afternoon, we stopped by for a steaming hot cuppas at Segafredo. Naschmarkt is a gourmet paradise, sights and fragrances of food from across the world welcome you as you step into this area. The color, variety and displays leave you spellbound. I have lots of pictures but those are not coffee and desserts so hence not included in this one dedicated solely.

Caffee Moccha@ Segafredo, Vienna

Macchiato @ Segafredo- Vienna

If there is one fragrance that clears all my senses, it is the fragrance of coffee being freshly ground. The sight of coffee beans,the sound of the grinding is music to the ears and then followed by the aroma of coffee. Nectar and Nirvana indeed !! If you ever get a Cafe, where you can chose your beans and get them freshly ground for your favorite brew. Don't miss that opportunity. 

Cafe Le Wien @ Riyadh  

Very rarely does one get a steaming hot cappuccino or a macchiato in most places. There are two main reasons to this. First, the cups are not warmed first. The cups need to be hot before the beverage is poured into it. Secondly, the machine churns out luke warm beverages. Hence it is very important to buy a good machine. They dont come cheap but for coffee buffs I would strongly recommend the Jura. The Swiss manufacturer is the best! Perfect in every way, the blend, the temperature and if you choose the right beans, only the cup stays between you and nirvana. Some of the most amazing beverages and mind blowing desserts we had, were in France. Paris, Giverny and Versailles have their share to the wall of fame. Some photographs enclosed below. Giverny is home to the famous French impressionist Claude Monet. The Chateau of Claude Monet is famous for its lilies, gardens and inspired more than 250 paintings. In Giverny, we had one of the best chocolate brownies in a small Inn (Hotel Baudy)Cafe just en route to the Chateau. We rented some bicycles and cycled down the banks of the River Seine to reach Giverny. The desserts and coffee were more than welcome...

Chocolate Brownie @Hotel Baudy, Giverny, France.

You taste the chocolate flakes before your nose dives in!

Hotel Baud @ Giverny, France.

Irish Coffee in full glory- Near Louvre, Paris

The Charles De Gaulle Airport, Paris -much to my pleasant surprise houses a whole lot of indulgences. From the most famous Ladurée to Fauchons and some exquisite chocolates are on display to tantalize the taste buds to no end. While I love Macarons, the price one pays for a Ladurée macaroon somehow just doesn't appeal to me. Since we dont get Fauchon in Riyadh, I did buy them finally and boarded the flight with a heavy bag and a light wallet. My heart however goes to the simple cashew macarons of good old City Bakery in Mangalore. Not great to look at but great in taste.

Vox Populi but not mine!

Laduree display their goodies.

As I come close to ending this piece, I cannot not include the dessert that I had at The Glasshouse- Deli Bistro, Lavelle Road, Bangalore and a coffee at Dubai, The photographs speak for themselves. Artistry at its best...

@ The Glass House- Deli & Bistro, Bangalore

@ Bur Juman - Dubai

Life is like a chocolate box where each chocolate is like a portion of life. Some are crunchy, some nutty, some are soft. Take them as they come and enjoy.

 Au Revoir !

Los Angeles

For most of us Los Angeles is what we see on television isn't it? NCIS, CSI and wailing LAPD sirens - it rings a bell, doesn't  it? Well, that is true for most cities in the US...

In our earlier holiday to the US a few years back, we had done the East Coast and come up to Las Vegas but we had left out the state of California and boy,  am I glad! It gave me a reason to come back again.

Some of you would have by now guessed that I have a soft corner for Europe since my last few holidays have all been to Europe. However we had to visit California and that we did finally.

In the past I had never updated my blog when we were travelling and invariably could not write as much as I wanted to on return , one can always find many excuses. This time, I decided to do the uncoventional and that is blog while we travelled. Postponing it meant that I will never get down to writing. As you read my updates and experiences you will get a lot of insights and tips that will help you plan your holiday. 

We almost missed our connecting Saudia flight from Jeddah due to a delay in our flight from Riyadh and just about made it when boarding commenced. The 16+ hour flight from Jeddah to LA was good. Comfortable seats, good legroom, quiet co-passengers and good service. Ordering a Hindu vegetarian meal really helped me, a fellow Indian passenger in the adjacent row had to be content with fruits, bread and some butter for the journey. No, I am not a vegetarian but prefer eating that especially when I am travelling. My family who don't enjoy flying, surprisingly had a seamless flight as well.

Arrival and Day ONE:

The Saudia flight landed 50 minutes earlier than its scheduled time.

The LAX airport immigration was a smooth process as we got fast tracked, had we been in the queue we would be there for at least an hour. We took a cab to the Hotel and paid around USD 65 to get to Hollywood Orchid Suites. If you are single or a couple than book a shuttle instead of a cab. Super Shuttles is a good service provider. 

The location of the hotel is brilliant, 2 minutes from the Metro, Hollywood Drive/Boulevard where you have the Dolby Theatre, Walk of Fame, Madam Tussauds et al. The room or rather the apartment
sized room had an open kitchen and a bedroom. Two king beds and two televisions! For me a hotel

has to be in a great location and also provide a laundromat. This one fitted my requirements.

Remaining connected is so important these days , the first thing I did after a quiet nap was that I walked down to the Verizon Shop @ Vine Street and picked up 2 mobiles with unlimited talk and text  plan for a month for USD 150. The monthly plan is for just USD 35 per phone and the rest was the instrument cost.  So folks, when you travel to the US choose a plan that suits you, like I did. Remember to get them to set up the phone for you and you are good to go. From your local mobile operator try to subscribe to a roaming internet package so that your regular mobile remains connected to the net as you go. I use google maps to help me get to any destination and having it alongside is a blessing. I also walked down past Madam Tussauds to Fresh and Easy Grocery, picked up some water and fresh fruits.

Our hotel is right next to the Hollywood Highland meal so we ended the first evening with a lovely
dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen. We ordered the following:

- White Corn Guacamole + Chips- Small Plate- Hughly recommended, just the right portions.

- Sedona Tortilla Soup which is made of vine ripened tomatoes with corn, mild chillies with tortilla

   garnish. Great way to start a good meal.

-  Thai Crunch salad - our all time favorite 

- Roasted Veggie salad- good for a change 

-  Chilled Platinum Margarita.

Great service, served with free country bread and spiced olive oil...We went there again...the CPK chain is visible across the state so don't miss eating there.

Day TWO:

Had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel. The lady managing the breakfast introduced me to toasted croissants, loved the melting butter and the preserves on it. I also took a liking for some raisin bran cereal. Post the breakfast got picked up for Starline Grand Tour of LA. This tour gives a 6 hour drive across all major sights including Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive etc. We ended paying a higher price since the hotel called to reserve this tour for us. So beware, book it yourself, the Starline office is a minute walk from the hotel. I paid dearly for the inertia. We had some interesting company for the tour.  The Hollywood Bowl is a amphitheater that we enjoyed visiting, can imagine how it would be 

when there was a concert. Wish we had such theaters in India. We had an Asian lunch at Farmers Market. We fell in love with this concept when we visited some of these in Europe. A treat to the eyes and off course the taste buds too. More about that in my next post. I am struggling with the formatting on the iPad and miss my laptop.

An Oil Free and Guilt Free Delight for this winter.

 

" Battle of the Bulge " lasted for exactly a year for the Germans,  for some people like me it has literally lasted a lifetime. It is a battle of the mind v/s the tastebuds where the tastebuds usually emerge victorious. Isn't it so easy to succumb in your moment of weakness to some delicious food? These 'moments of weakness' are often for blokes like me!

 

There is a unison of opinion that food is most tasty when it is deep fried or made with a generous helping of oil. The problem is that we end up eating more to our heart's content than our poor and hardworking stomach. We have recently seen a lot of people buying ' air fryers' so as to reduce or eliminate the oil content from the food.I have read varied opinions on how good it is and hence have yet to consider buying it. 

 

I have been fortunate to try some food at a friend's place which was cooked without oil recently, it almost tastes the same and one can eat it without any guilt of the inclement calories. While I have been taking a self imposed sabbatical from cooking for the last few months, I could feel the impact of eating out on myself. 

 

When I read a Roasted Sabudana Vada recipe in a Food Group that I am a member of , I decided to give it a go and also shake myself out of this laziness and was absolutely delighted with the outcome. So go ahead and try making these, it is simple and tasty ! Warm the cockles of your heart with this lovely delight! Enjoy it with a blast of green chutney or sauce.

 

Roasted Sabudana Vada

 

 

 

ROASTED SABUDANA VADA. (Recipe  courtesy: Roma Patil @ Sikandalous Cuisine)

Ingredients:
1. 2 cups soaked Sabudana.
2. 2 medium Potatoes boiled and mashed....
3. Red Chillie powder, Haldi, Salt, Sugar, according to taste.
4. 1 tsp grated Ginger.
5. 1 tsp Saboot Jeera.
6. Chopped green Chillies to taste and lots of chopped fresh Coriander.
7. 1/2 cup Roasted Peanuts ground fine.

Method:
1. Mix in all the above ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Ensure that the mixture is stiff.
3. If not, add some Sabudana flour, popped Amaranth flour, or roasted Rice flour.

     (I did not use any of the above as luckily the mixture was stiff and held together nicely.) 
4. Apply Oil to Palms and pat into FLAT round Vadas.

 

(I realised that is important that the vadas be as flat as possible so that the inner contents get well roasted. )

Sabudana vadas ready to be roasted!

 5. Roast on non stick pan till well done.


Being roasted in ZERO Oil on a Non Stick Pan



 

Longhorn Steakhouse- A Review

Somehow I have never been very enthusiastic about visiting Steakhouses anywhere as I don’t eat steaks per se. Just over a fortnight back, my dear friend and his wife suggested that we visit Longhorn Steakhouse, they had good things to say about it. While they are Europeans (Dutch & British) and enjoy steaks, I was skeptical but my zeal for trying out a new restaurant was overwhelming and I agreed.

When we had visited Orlando in Florida some years back I had driven past Longhorn and  a few months back came across this one in Riyadh when we had gone for dinner to Red Lobster another American Chain which is right next to it.

 

Longhorn Steakhouse was a pleasant surprise and loved it so much that I visited yet again with a separate set of friends the following weekend. They loved it too! I did not eat any steaks on both visits as I don’t eat beef but everything else that we ordered was a dream.

 

Well, you must begin your meal with their House Chips & Dips. They are freshly made and served  hot, with a lovely dip. The chips are sprinkled with some dried herbs which give it a distinct taste and aroma. This coupled with their signature barbeque dip just disappear in the rumbling tummy before you bat your eyelids.  They serve hot, crisp country bread with some butter which is complimentary. The problem with us hungry souls is that we are unable to resist anything served hot especially when we are famished.

 

House chips & yum dip served hot!

To quench our thirst in my first visit I did order the iced lemon tea and in my 2^nd visit we ordered 2 kinds of margaritas. The Strawberry margarita won hands down.  Mammoth glass, fresh  strawberries used and great to taste.

 



Strawberry Margarita- refreshing !



 

 

Other margarita ! Did not meet my desire...

Literally mouth-watering isn't it?

 

For the mains, we ordered trout fish which is served with your choice of a salad (we chose the Caesars) and sides- we ordered some jacket steamed potato served with cream. You could also choose the regular veg salad instead of Caesars and for sides there is a choice of french fries, grilled vegetables etc.



Trout with jacket potato

 

They serve 2 fillets of trout both of good size in one portion and can be shared by people. Trout is a fresh water fish and usually found in cool (10–16 °C), clear streams and lakes.  The fish does not smell and I love it. I had my share of it when we were visiting Cyprus a few years back. The herbs that are used are subtle and leave a delicate lingering taste on your taste buds, do squeeze some lime generously.

We also ordered some chicken with portabella mushrooms, the portion again was generous, the fillets perhaps tad thicker than desired but the accompanying sauce was superb. We had ordered some mashed herbed potatoes as sides with this dish.



Portabello Mushroom with Chicken and mashed potato

Two of my friends ordered a steak -well done. Their verdict was also similar. Good portion and high on taste.

 

 

Foodies like us cannot stay away from sugar and desserts isn't it? So we ordered the dessert sampler, which the four of us could not polish off although it was delicious. The apple was pie served with icecream, strawberry cheese cake, molten lave cake with cream. Paradiso ! Ambrosia..

Dessert sampler

Now, finally to the price. For the ambience, portions and quality, I would rate it a great value for money restaurant. We were not disappointed.

 

Yes, we will go again...

 
(Photo Credits : Kappiarath Muralidharan)

A cruise on River Seine, Paris..

Love sunsets? Love cruising on azure waters? I do!! If you could enjoy both these combined with the sights and sounds of Paris, why will you not take it?

Sunset -not on the Seine though!

 

On our first evening in Paris, after visiting the Notre Dame and enjoying some superb gelato and crepes in Amorino (which I have covered in my earlier posts), we decided to just walk down the banks of Seine to head for our evening cruise and discover the monuments of Paris by sunset.

 

To my mind, there is no better way to start your holiday in Paris than an evening cruise on the River Seine. After due research on the net, I decided on the -http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/home/ .

 

The Cost per person for the evening cruise is 10 Euros for adults and 5 Euros for children when booked online. I strongly recommend buying the tickets online as they come cheaper.

 

The cruise departs from Paris’ oldest bridge, the Pont-Neuf and lasts for an hour or so. Metro Stop – Pont Neuf is just on the opposite side of the bridge to the dock. 2 minutes away. Easy to get there and easy to  go back when the cruise is done. The tip is to get there early and get seats right up in the front of the boat.

 

 

The cruise takes you past the glorious Paris monuments from the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower and you get to enjoy the wonderfully lit sights of this city at dusk. Paris is also a city of bridges which you will cruise past and enjoy the sounds of the gushing water of the River Seine. The photography opportunity of the lit monuments is something which one has to experience. There is English commentary on the cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

We really had a terrific time on the cruise and clicked some wonderful pictures. Once done we got out and walked towards the Louvre Rivoli Metro which is 600 m/ 8 minute walk and boarded the Metro Line 1 towards  La Defense Grand Arche and got down at Franklin D Roosevelt Station from where the apartment is under 5 minute walk.

We ended the day with dinner at a restaurant just off Champs Elysee...
 

Eiffel Tower you will, Amorino you MUST...

While travel is one passion, food is another fetish that I have. While on this journey in Europe I will be taking you through some lip smacking, visual treats, enough to make you feel famished and yearn for more.

After we spent some wonderful time basking in the glory of the Notre Dame and clicking pictures we decided to walk across the Seine over the bridge to some cul-de-sacs.

 

We had some time before getting on board the evening cruise on the Seine and hence thought it would be a great way to initiate ourselves into the Parisien culture. We found some nice memoirs and curio shops where we picked a few things as we kept walking down the cobbled streets in this area.

There were some Asian restaurants serving Indian cuisine, some Greek, some Middle Eastern restaurants serving the usual ‘doner’ and ‘shawermas’.

 

 

 

We then stumbled across this shop where there was a long queue for buying gelatos and I immediately wanted to get in there and my family was also equally delighted to go in.

 

IF YOU ARE IN PARIS, you MUST and I INSIST you MUST visit the ‘Amorino- Gelato Al Naturelle’.  With over 50 shops in France and 20 of them in Paris you will find it difficult to miss one. We visited the one on 16, Rue De la Huchette, across the Seine and a 5 minute walk from the Notre Dame. Especially on days when you have been walking around and tired, this is one place where you can just spend a good 30 minutes and get those batteries re-charged

 

Can you see the people in a queue behind the door?

Well, let us begin with their renowned gelatos. Served in cups and waffle cones, they are a sheer treat to the tired senses! Absolutely delicious ice-cream, presented like a pretty flower in the waffle cone with a center round scoop and then 'petals' made from a spade-like scoop. Each petal can be a different flavour, if you so wish.

 

 

Some of the favourites that I could assess from the people in the queue were Pistachio, Chocolate Orange, Caramel 'au beurre et sel', Tahitian Vanilla and Equatorial Dark Chocolate. The gelato doesn’t come cheap however one just can’t have enough of it.

 

They also offer some amazing waffles; we had ordered for a Waffle with chocolate but were served with crepes. No regrets though, every bite a sheer delight.  They serve Crepes with Caramel, Crepe with Chocolate and Crepe with Ice cream and I am sure each one outdoing the other.

 

What caught my fancy were macaroons with ice-cream. It was rather late and I just did not feel like ordering one as I had my fill. Macaroons with Ice cream- Mango sorbet, Pistachio in between the macaroons was something I had never tasted although I had tasted Laduree and Fauchon macaroons, I thought I would keep it for my next visit to Amorino, which eventually never happened. I had a learning here, if you yearn for something, go for it. Don’t keep it for later, who knows, you may never get there again. Don’t deny yourself of this DIVINE experience.

 

They serve some delicious Latte Macchiato, Cappuccino and Americano Espresso here as well. My only regret is that we visited it JUST once…As they say, keep pining and some day we shall get there...