Location: Everywhere!
Did I mention that I love McDonalds?
Location: Cairns, Australia
When it comes to fast food J and I sit on opposite sides of the table. I am a McDonalds fan through and through. J swears by Burger King. Fortunately for me J usually gives me what I want and we haven't eaten at Burger King in years!
J finally managed to get his Jr. Whopper in Australia, but our Burger King-free streak technically still continues.
Cul de Sac
Piazza di Pasquino, 73
Rome, Italy
Rick Steves finally got one right. This restaurant turned out to be one of our favorite lunch spots. We really enjoyed eating and people-watching in their outdoor patio. Some people may consider their outdoor seating to be quite crowded, but we found it intimate and lively. Not only does Cul de Sac have great food, but you also don't have to pay an arm and a leg for water (0,90 EUR per table). You may think that going back 3 times is a bit repetitive, but we got something different every single time! The lasagna and meatballs were definitely my favorites.
1. Cul de Sac gets two thumbs up from M!
2. J enjoying lunch on the patio
3. Pheasant pate
4. Home-made lasagna
5. Pasta with pesto sauce
6. Roast beef with "esterazy" sauce
7. Salted cod with potatoes
8. Tripe Roman style
9. Meatballs in wine sauce with mash potatoes
10. Share plate
Fiaschetteria
39 Via della Croce
Rome, Italy
Friendly service and great food is what kept us coming back to Fiaschetteria again and again - 3 times in 4 weeks! We first discovered this place by accident while walking to lunch one day. A small line of Italian-speaking patrons formed in front of this unassuming eatery. Although we made a mental note to come by and visit another day the place we were originally headed to for lunch was closed! How convenient! Needless to say, we walked back to this trattoria.
The carbonara pasta was definitely our favorite. J really enjoyed the braised lamb. Unfortuantely, our budget didn't allow us the opportunity to try many side dishes, but we did get a taste of their roasted potatoes which, though expensive, were extremely tasty! The cherry tomatoes they served were the BEST tomatoes I've ever had! This may seem like this is an over-statement, but other diners seem to also agree since I frequently saw bowls of cherry tomatoes sitting on neighboring tables. They seriously tasted like candy!
1. Fiaschetteria's narrow storefront
2. This is the only place in Rome where we were asked to share a table!
3. Tonnerelli alla Carbonara - pasta in an egg-based sauce with bacon
4. Abbacchio alla Cacciatora - suckling lamb braised in an herb, garlice and wine.
5. Carpaccio di Sogliola - sole sashimi dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and fresh parsley.
6. Spaghetti con Tonno - spaghetti with tuna
7. Tagliata di Manza - thin steak with tomatoes on rocket
In the land of carbs, carbs and more carbs the best place to get veggies and fruit is at home!
After 7 consecutive weeks of eating only Chinese/Taiwanese food, neither J nor I have any desire to seek out Chinese food while we're here in Rome (a complete change in our habits compared to pre-China). Instead, we may be going strictly Italian for the next three weeks. One of the Italian specialties that I plan to have as much as I can here is prosciutto crudo (cured ham). It's so good I can eat it everyday!
Today's intake of prosciutto was delivered via a home-made salad of mixed greens, arugula, tomato, crumbled parmigiano reggiano cheese dressed with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was yuuuuuummy!!!
Current Location: Rome, Italy
The food in London turned out to be pretty tasty and relatively affordable! Pub grub and breakfast tasted pretty similar to its equivalent in the US. After trying the Indian food in London we began to appreciate the fact that we have some pretty awesome Indian food in Seattle. The only disappointment (for me) was Wagamama, a westernized Japanese restaurant that J's been dying to try throughout our trip.
- Egg, bacon, sausage and chips - £3
- Egg, bacon, sausage and beans - £3
- Salmon risotto with a poached egg (1 of 2 courses)
- Pan-seared snapper (2 of 2 courses) - £15 for 2 courses
- 12 oz. Rib-eye steak with chips and a glass of house wine - £20
- Scottish salmon with roasted potatoes - £14
- Grilled tuna steak (rare) with cous cous - £15
- Fish and chips - £9
- Bangers and mash - £10
- Chicken pie with steamed vegetables - £8
- Grand chicken madras thali - £11
- Wagamama ramen - £8
- Beer art (shamrock drawn on the foam of a glass of super-chilled Guiness) - £3
- Pims (a British summer specialty recommended by our friend Danielle) - £4
South Beauty (俏江南)
West Wing of China World Trade Center (國貿西樓)
1 Jianguomen Waidajie, CBD/Guomao (建國門外大街1號)
Beijing, China
Only in China can you order beef but be brought frogs by the waiter. The reason is because the word for beef is literally translated as "bull meat" from the Chinese 牛肉. The Chinese characters for "bullfrog" is 牛蛙. Even if you don't know any Chinese you can see that the first character of each phrase is the same - 牛. Apparently, if you just say 牛 in Beijing they automatically assume you want the frog. Rest assured, this is not the default assumption in the US.
Despite the mix-up in animal meat J and I found this to be the tastiest meal we've encountered in Beijing so far. I am proud of J for getting through the spiciness, although it took him 1.75 bowls of white rice to get through lunch. I was at first a little skeptical of the modern deco of the restaurant (most good eateries in Taiwan are hole-in-the-wall establishments), but the food exceeded expectations and the nice furnishings just made it a more comfortable dining experience.
Price-wise, it is not cheap by local standards: 30 USD for 3 bowls of rice, 1 appetizer, 2 mains, 1 soft drink and 2 mandatory wet wipes (1 RMB per; we were not happy with this.). Hence, we ate cheaply for dinner that night. The good news is that we do not have to resort to rice and beans to eat on a budget in Beijing. Two meals at the food court of an upscale mall cost us less than 6 USD total. Alternatively, we can fill up on meat pastries from a reputable bakery for 60 cents each. Yum!
- The dining room of South Beauty
- Our check
- Cold beef slices in chili oil - 夫妻肺片 (Look at how red the chili oil is!)
- Pork ribs in garlic oil and peppers (I forget the Chinese name.)
- "Bull" in spicy gravy - 水煮牛 (The peppers in the foreground were removed from the bowl in the background before the dish was served.)
- The plate of peppers from the bullfrog dish. Impressive, huh? Those peppers were promptly removed from the table and were probably reused for the next customer who orders the same dish.
A few nights ago J and I met our friend YK for dinner. YK is a fellow scuba diver and travel enthusiast as well as former Seattleite who is currently living as an ex-pat in Beijing. Over dinner we told YK some stories from our trip while he gave us inside tips on living in Beijing. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I see something moving on the ground.
YK rather calmly calls out, "Fu wu yuan, ma fan ba lao shu gan zhou." which translates to "Service person, please chase away the mouse."Honestly, I found this little guy rather cute.