Die Buschenshank – Graz, Austria (Part 2)

August 7, 2014August 7, 2014 marymaddieroseaustria, food, Graz, travelsLeave a comment

A big part of Styrian tradition is the Buschenshank. A buschenshank is a wine tavern where only food (cold) which is produced by themselves is allowed to be served. This includes wine, bread, cheese and cured meat. I learnt about the buschenshank in my Austrian culture class, and I really wanted to visit one. Fortunately, my buddy arranged for us to experience this wonderful tradition, and I enjoyed every second of it.

On the outskirts of Graz is the Buschenshank Sattler. When we got off the bus, I was delighted to see how beautiful and serene the Graz countryside is. There were cows roaming on the field just outside the buschenshank.

It was all Stürm season. Stürm was my welcome drink from my room mate. Stürm actually means storm auf Deutsch (surprise surprise). It is a young wine, and the alcohol percentage is about 4% typically. It is sweet like grape juice as the sugars have yet to be broken down by fermentation. Honestly, it tastes like dessert wine, but a little more carbonated. It is, by far, my favourite alcohol. But beware. Many have been known to be drunk fast because you might forget that it is actually alcohol you’re drinking! I miss Stürm!

Buschenschank Sattler

White wine, water and Stürm

What they typically serve at the buschenschank is something called the Brettljause – a variety of cold cuts, cheeses and garnishes served on a wooden platter.

Die Brettljause

We also got some bread (Brot) to accompany the meat and cheeses, and also the various spreads that was served. I can’t say I’m too found of some of the spreads, especially the white one in the middle – it’s pure fat. But overall, it was a delicious meal with great company!

Gebackene Mäuse

Finally, for dessert, we had Gebackene Mäuse which translates to “baked mice”. I don’t know why it’s called “baked mice” and not fried mice. It is a deep fried yeasted fritter, like the zeppole, or beignets. Anyway, they are delicious!

The Taiwanese guys, Alex, Clement, me, Julie and her friends

Clement and Julie

We left as the sun was about to go down, and it was one of the most beautiful days I had in Graz. Thank you, Julie, for sharing this experience with us! I hope we get another chance to go to a buschenschank again someday! ❤

Graz, Austria (Part 1)

August 6, 2014August 6, 2014 marymaddieroseaustria, europe, food, Graz, travelsLeave a comment

Rewind to when I first arrived in Graz.

My buddy, Kathi, picked me up at Graz Hauptbahnhof. I had three massive suitcases to get off the train all by myself. Worse still, I had fallen asleep after crying my eyes out (saying goodbye to my boyfriend), and had less than a minute to get everything down. Kathi brought me to my hostel, which was just a few stops by bus from the station, and got me settled in. When I got there, I was alone at home for a while, before my room mates from Moldova came home. I went to the supermarket after putting the sheets on the bed and unpacking my clothes to get groceries and toiletries for myself. The apartment I lived in was really great. Though it cost €350 per month (Austria is expensive), bed linen is provided, it is inclusive of cleaning once a week, there is a fully-equipped kitchen, a toilet (male and female separate) and a bathroom (shared) and a laundry room in the building as well. I initially opted for the hostel just beside my school, Greenbox, as it was the cheapest and most convenient. However, it was no longer available because I was procrastinating as I looked for a private apartment somewhere else. The only place left with vacancies was Neubaugasse, where they had reserved some space for those who got the Ernst Mach Grant. And yes, I got the Ernst Mach Grant. This grant really saved me a lot of money in Graz.

The next day, my mum arrived in Graz. She was afraid that I’d go hungry there, and was worried about me settling in. But when she got there, she stopped worrying, because Graz is awesome.

Graz is the second largest city in Austria after Vienna, and is the capital of the federal state of Styria. It is also a World Cultural Heritage Site, and was named the Culture Capital of Europe in 2003. The city has long been known for its student population, with over 44,000 students in its 6 universities – this out of a population of 303,731.

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Volksgarten

Beside my apartment building is a square, Lendplatz. Every morning, a farmers’ market opens there. I was in heaven. Really cheap, fresh, organic produce just a stone’s throw away.

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Farmers’ market at Lendplatz

My mum got a bag of plums and asked for the price. She was shocked to hear it was only €2.

After perusing the farmers’ market, we went for brunch at a restaurant just across the road.

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1/2 fried spring chicken in a crust of pumpkin seeds, served in a basket

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Gardener’s salad with sliced grilled turkey, and Styrian pumpkin oil

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Goulaschsuppe

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Bread (Brot)

This is how I got fat in Graz. The bread there is so cheap and so yummy. The one at the bottom left is called Kaisersemmel, better known as Kaiser rolls. I would be eating lots of Kaisersemmel in the months to come.

At brunch, we also noticed that there are hell lot of bees in Graz, but they aren’t aggressive (towards us). In fact, the birds are more aggressive. Throughout brunch, these tiny little birds kept watching us, and waited for us to stop touching our food before they actually tore up pieces of our fried chicken and flew away.

My mum and I walked around town for quite some time. We crossed over from the “bad” side, to the “good” side, across the River Mur.

By the river, on the “bad” side, is this odd-looking building. It is actually a museum – Grazer Kunsthaus. It is affectionately known as the “Friendly Alien”.

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Grazer Kunsthaus

It took me a couple of months until I would actually step foot into the Kunsthaus. I honestly think it’s ugly but adorable. So yes, it’s cute.

The River Mur and the Murinsel

The Murinsel is a “floating café” on the River Mur, which is held by an anchor and stabilised by the bridges that link the two sides of the city. It is also a spectacle at night, when the Murinsel is up in lights against the dark waters.

Crossing the river, I caught sight of the landmark of Graz – the Uhrturm (Clock Tower) on Schloßberg (Castle Hill). No where in Graz is there a better view of the city as on the top of Schloßberg. Mummy and I didn’t go up, because she didn’t want to climb up the stairs with me. It took me about a month in Graz before I would see the Uhrturm up close.

Schloßberg and the Uhrturm, sitting pretty

Another way to get to the top of the Schloßberg is to take the glass cabin lift (Adults: €1.10, Students : €0.60). The lift is built into the very hill. I never took the lift though – I love the challenge of climbing. Another alternative is to the Schloßbergbahn, a funicular. Once again, never took it, though it was free with my student transport pass that I got.

Just beyond the Schloßberg was the main street – Herrengasse. This is where you get almost everything you would need – clothes, electronics, groceries, restaurants etc. It was one of the things I really enjoyed during my time in Graz, walking down Herrengasse, especially during the Christmas season when the streets were decorated and the main square, Hauptplatz, had the biggest Christmas tree (Weihnachtsbaum) I’ve ever seen, and when the Christmas market (Christkindlmarkt) was up!

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Herrengasse

The cables that go across are for the trams. They are ubiquitous around many countries in Europe. I love trams!

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Rathaus (City Hall)

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Stadtpfarrkirche

After some walking, we decided to stop by the Café Sacher along Herrengasse to grab a slice of the famous Sachertorte. This was my first time trying it, and I was so excited. The Sachertorte is kind of the national cake of Austria, and originates from Vienna, the capital. It is a chocolate layer cake with apricot jam and chocolate icing. The original Sachertorte is said to be from Café Sacher, but there was a legal dispute over the use of label “The Original” between the café and Demel Bakery, where Eduard Sacher (son of the inventor, Franz Sacher) perfected the current recipe. Well, now we know who won that battle.

Sachertorte and Apfelstrudel

Mummy and I ordered a slice of Sachertorte and Apfelstrudel (apple strudel), which is also a Viennese specialty. I was a little underwhelmed by the Sachertorte. The cake itself was a little dry. Overall, the taste was ok, but I felt like it didn’t live up to the hype. It was just another chocolate cake. We also felt that we could bake a better one anytime. The apple strudel, too, was a little disappointing. The apple was too tart. But I did like the pastry; I prefer it to the Ritz apple strudel pastry we get here in Singapore.

Mummy decided to get something really sinful for me – coffee with whipped cream and chocolate liqueur, while she got a raspberry fizz for herself. This was probably the best thing we had there at the café. Coffee in Austria is excellent.

Luegg Haus – spot the faces

Mausoleum

One of the most striking buildings in Graz is the Mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II – a Habsburg tomb. I really love the beautiful turquoise domes and the statues that stand on top.

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A quick coffee break

In Austria, there are a thousand ways to order coffee. If you ask for ice coffee, this is what you get. My mum and I were shocked. But it was fantastic. Coffee with whipped cream and ice cream. How can I complain?

For dinner, we headed back towards Lendplatz. Mummy was staying at Mercure, a hotel just in front of my hostel. We decided to try out Gasthaus Lendplatzl. We had a delightful waiter attend to us, a young man who was working there part time to earn money for his law studies. We asked for recommendations for something spicy, and he said the turkey stew was a good choice.

Spicy turkey stew served with vegetable sauce and rice

I think their idea of spicy is paprika. It was not spicy, but it was sooooooo delicious!

Mushroom and polenta soup

I ordered the mushroom and polenta soup for myself. This was, by far, the best mushroom soup I ever had in my entire life. It was creamy, chock full of mushrooms, including expensive chanterelles, and the polenta was perfectly cooked and uhhhhmazing. I still crave for this from time to time!

We retired early to get some work done, and also for me to start transferring stuff from my Macbook Pro to my new Macbook Air that Mummy had brought over. My Macbook Pro started giving me problems since I got to Poland the first time. I was so worried that I couldn’t get the important things backed up before the laptop crashed for good.

The next morning (Sunday), my mum and I went out for breakfast. We walked everywhere, but everything was closed! Typical.

We walked into the first café we saw that was open, which happened to be a Martin Auer. They sell amazing bread and pastries there. I used to go there pretty often just to get the local pastries!

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Poppy seed crown

This was the first time having poppy seed and it was surprisingly good!

Nusskrone (Nut crown), sandwiches, mini Kugelhopf, honey-cinnamon swirl bun

The Nusskrone became my second favourite pastry in Graz, the first being Topfentaschen (quark cheese purses). The cinnamon mixture with walnuts is divine.

Since everything was closed, Mummy and I just headed to the supermarket to buy some groceries for me before she left. I was in supermarket-heaven when I entered the Spar, which is probably the best supermarket chain there. We bought a ton of stuff for me to stock up the fridge with. I was so happy because a lot of the things that are expensive in Singapore is really affordable there! Shocking, but true.

The last thing my mum and I really did together while she was there for just three days was have dinner at Gasthaus Lendplatzl again. We really enjoyed the food there, and so, we decided to go back there again for dinner. I had goulash again, but the highlight of the meal was the wonderful dessert that we ordered.

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It was a pancake filled with crushed pumpkin seeds, and served with a caramel sauce and sweetened whipped cream. Both of us were really impressed by this. We thought about recreating this, but as of this moment, we have not!

The next morning, I had to attend my first day of orientation at FH, and my mum was also due to leave Graz. It was a pity she was only in Graz for such a short amount of time. She really loved the cool weather there; I would be wearing a sweater and she would be feeling completely alright with just one thin layer on. I hope we get to go back someday. I know I would love to.

Budapest, Hungary

August 3, 2014August 3, 2014 marymaddieroseBudapest, food, Hungary, travelsLeave a comment

So it turns out my next trip to Budapest was a reunion with Dj and the guys from Warsaw. I had heard so many good reviews of Budapest from my friends, and I was really excited to be visiting. I took a train early morning from Graz Hauptbahnhof to Budapest Keleti station, one of the few times I didn’t have to pass through Vienna to get a connection.

I met Dj at the station and he brought me to the hostel – Adagio Hostel 2.0 Basilica. We stayed at the one close to St. Stephen’s Basilica. It was one of the cheapest hostels we stayed at, but Budapest is relatively affordable anyway, compared to many other European countries.

We went for lunch right away. And I had to try some authentic Hungarian Goulash.

Unlike the Austrian version of goulash – gulaschsuppe, which is much thicker and more like a stew, the traditional Hungarian gulyás is a tomato-based soup, with chunks of beef, potatoes, carrots and paprika/peppers. I didn’t instantly fall in love with it, but after a couple of days eating this, I started to prefer the Hungarian version over the Austrian one. It is much lighter and less cloying. Also, it has vegetables in it!

Hungarian goulash (gulyás)

After lunch, we walked along the Danube river, which divides the Buda and Pest sides of the city.

Buda Castle on Castle Hill

Széchenyi Chain Bridge (Széchenyi lánchíd)

We crossed the famous suspension bridge, Széchenyi Chain Bridge over from Pest to Buda. Soon it was nightfall and we managed to catch – possibly the most beautiful building in Budapest (maybe the whole of Europe, in my opinion) – the Hungarian Parliament Building. It is amazing at night when fully lit. Definitely the grandest building I’ve seen in Europe. I can’t imagine how much it must have cost to build it.

The Hungarian Parliament Building

Széchenyi Chain Bridge by night

The next morning, we headed to St. Stephen’s Basilica, which is the largest church and tallest building in Budapest, dedicated to the first king of Hungary.

St. Stephen’s Basilica

Inside St. Stephen’s Basilica

It is definitely one of the most golden churches I’ve laid eyes on, other than the ones in Rome. As we were early, there were not many visitors around. Unfortunately, we didn’t go up to the dome to get a 360 degree view of the city. I kinda regret it now. Please don’t save money on things like this while you on exchange. It really doesn’t cost much and you may never return, so just pay for the damn thing!

We were off for the tour of the Hungarian Parliament Building.

Our matching Timberland boots – authentic (mine) vs. fake

We managed to walked there with Dj’s excellent navigational skills.

The Hungarian Parliament Building by day

I have to say that the building does look a lot less impressive in the day and up close compared to the last time we saw it at night. Nevertheless, still a stunning piece of architecture!

We went for the English guided tour, which I felt was way too short for the amount we paid. But the interior was really stunning – gold and red carpets throughout. We also managed to catch the Changing of the Guards of the Hungarian crown jewels (no pictures allowed).

The lavish interior

Chamber of the Lower House of the National Assembly of Hungary

After the tour ended, we went for lunch. I can’t remember what the name of the restaurant was, but it was pretty nice inside, and better still, they had awesome goulash, with warm bread as a lid. OMFG.

Always have goulash

After having our fill, it was off once again to the Buda side of the city to see the Fisherman’s Bastion.

Buda Castle

Matthias Church (Mátyás-templom)

Matthias Church is a Roman Catholic church and is over 700 years old. It stands beside the Fisherman’s Bastion; both of which overlook the Danube and are in the Castle District. I think its tiles are so beautiful and colourful. We didn’t enter because there was an entrance fee. I’m not a big fan of churches which charge for entry.

Fisherman’s Bastion (Halászbástya)

The Fisherman’s Bastion isn’t as old as I thought – it was built between 1895 and 1902. I really love neo-Gothic style architecture. The Fisherman’s Bastion reminded me a little of the Sacré-Cœur. The view of Pest and the Danube from the Fisherman’s Bastion is amazing.

We walked to Buda Castle (Budavári Palota) from the Fisherman’s Bastion.

Buda Castle (or Royal Palace)

Courtyard of the Buda Castle

Buda Castle is also home to the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest Historical Museum. If you are at Buda Castle on the hour, you can also catch the Changing of the Guards.

Changing of the Guards at Buda Castle

We grabbed a quick meal at a small café before we headed back to the Fisherman’s Bastion to catch the night view of the city.

Hungarian Parliament Building

Mattthias Church & the Fisherman’s Bastion

View of Pest, the Danube and Széchenyi Chain Bridge

That was it for the day. We headed back to our hostel. On the way back, we passed by a small market, and guess what I spotted?! Trdelník! Or rather, they call them kürtőskalács here in Hungary. Which is better? I can’t choose. But honestly, the best thing ever! I ordered the original right away. Calories can be burnt, but kürtőskalács cannot wait.

A must-try – Kürtőskalács

The next morning, we walked to the Dohány Street Synagogue.

Moorish and Byzantine style architecture of the Dohány Street Synagogue. Reminiscent of the Pena National Palace.

As usual, Dj is always hungry, and he was craving for this apparently amazing spicy catfish soup that the guys had introduced him to the night before. I sat and watched him eat (and took a couple of mouthfuls too). It was pretty good, I must admit. I missed spice!

Spicy catfish soup

Our final agenda was to walk along the Liberty Bridge.

Liberty Bridge

I think the Liberty Bridge is the more beautiful bridge, but I think many people would disagree with me 😦

Budapest definitely ranks as one of my favourite trips. The city feels safe, is clean, affordable and is architecturally stunning (and it has an abundance of kürtőskalács). Before leaving Budapest, I bought a bag full of kürtőskalács to bring back with me to Graz. But I kinda finished it in the train ride back. Damn.

My final Kürtőskalács

Szia, Budapest!

Vienna, Austria

July 31, 2014July 31, 2014 marymaddieroseaustria, europe, food, friends, travels, viennaLeave a comment

I waited for until I could finally meet with Cindy to visit Vienna. Ivy had hinted that she wanted us to visit Vienna together, and as best friends, we very willingly went along with it.

Vienna, or Wien, is the capital of Austria. The city has a rich history as the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and is, till today, one of the richest cities in the whole of Europe. Known as the City of Music, famous for its operas, palaces, Wiener Schnitzel and Sachertorte, I quickly found out that there was more to Vienna than just that.

I arrived in the night, and was jumped on from behind by Miss Gwee. We were both crying and laughing hysterically, totally elated to finally reunite after over 2 months or so. You must understand that we are “neighbours”, and live just a few minutes away from each other. We also used to see each other so often. Naturally, I missed her so. I’m sure she missed me too.

The next morning, we did what we do best – walk.

St. Charles’ Church (Karlskirche)

St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom)

Spanish Riding School (Spanische Hofreitschule)

Imperial Palace (Hofburg)

We decided to visit the Kaiserappartements where the Imperial Treasury (Kaiserliche Schatzkammer) and Sisi Museum can be found.

I really enjoyed looking through the thousands of jewels and pieces of gold-adorned treasures such as plates, cutlery, candle holders and china. Just imagine, the excesses!

Photos were not allowed in the Sisi Museum, but it was worth the visit as well. Empress Sisi is definitely one of the most interesting characters in the Habsburg Dynasty, and maybe even in history. Definitely read about her!

We bought some chocolates at the gift store at the end of the audio tour, and just chilled outside the Hofburg, people-watching.

Hofburg

In true Cindy and Maddie fashion, we continued walking ~~aimlessly~~ randomly.

Rathauspark

We crossed the park and lo and behold, another grand building!

Parliament Building

The Parliament Building is located along Ringstraße, a famous boulevard in Vienna. Tripadvisor recommends taking the Ring Tram to explore Ringstraße – the Vienna State Opera, Imperial Palace, City Hall and other sights.

Just beside the Parliament is Vienna’s City Hall, or Rathaus. I would say that this is my favourite building in Vienna. It is beautiful, majestic even, in the night.

Rathaus (City Hall)

We were in Vienna in November, before the Christmas season (Weihnachtszeit) began. They were in the process of setting up the world-famous Christmas Market (Christkindlmarkt). I knew I had to return to Vienna again to visit the Christmas Market, and I did! But that’s for next time!

Tired and famished, we headed back to the area around Stephansplatz to look for some food. We came across a decent looking restaurant and decided to give it a shot. I ordered some beef goulash with spätzle – a very hearty and comforting meal for the chilly weather.

Beef goulash with spätzle

The next morning, we decided to do the free walking tour which started at our hostel – Wombat’s City Hostel – The Naschmarkt. Wombat’s is a really good chain of hostels and it can be found in various countries around Europe. I would highly recommend Wombat’s. Always affordable, clean, spacious, safe, and the staff are always very friendly and sociable. Definitely value-for-money. Seeing Cindy and I cry and hug each other on the first day, the receptionist might have thought that we were lesbian partners reunited, but we got extra free drinks each for being so emotional.

Our first stop was to the Naschmarkt, which the hostel is named after. Naschmarkt translates to: a market for eating tidbits, and that’s exactly what they sold here – snacks, small eats, fresh produce, bread etc.

Around Naschmarkt are many famous buildings designed by Otto Wagner, an Austrian architect and urban planner. Along the way, our tour guide showed us some of his pieces of art.

We were also introduced to the world-famous Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper).

Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper)

We never did watch an opera, mainly because we simply had limited time in Vienna to do so. You are able to get cheap tickets before the shows, if you are willing to queue with other bargain hunters. I hear they go as cheap as 3 Euros for standing tickets. Well, maybe next time round!

Our tour guide

Our tour guide was really good. Lots of insights into Viennese life, recommendations and stories. She brought us to many of the places that Cindy and I had already visited, but this time, we had commentary to better understand the history of the places.

Spanish Riding School (Spanische Hofreitschule)

I would highly recommend this free walking tour. This lady was a great guide!

The last thing we did was to stop by Café Sacher – a must-do for all tourists! I had already tried the Sachertorte, a famous Viennese chocolate cake with a layer of apricot jam, back in Graz, where they also have a branch. But I had to try the ORIGINAL, and also, wanted Cindy to try it too. We ordered a slice of Sachertorte, Apfelstrudel (apple strudel) and coffee.

Sachertorte

Apfelstrudel

Once again, I was slightly disappointed with the cake. Although a tad more moist than the one I had in Graz, I still found the Sachertorte very… unexceptional. The first thing that I told my mum when we had a slice was that we could certainly bake it better. However, for the sake of being all touristy and indulging in the history of Vienna, I’d still say go try it. The cake has an interesting story too. But order other things as well. The coffee there was superb.

We packed our stuff, and we were ready to leave for Prague. Vienna had been a relaxing trip for us both. The weather was fine, the city was safe and clean – as close to Singapore as you can get (in that sense), and the company – the best!

To Prague!

Salzburg, Austria

July 10, 2014July 29, 2014 marymaddieroseaustria, food, travels3 Comments

Salzburg is known as one of the most beautiful places in Austria. It is also known as the birthplace of that composer, Mozart. Heard of him? Oh, and also The Sound of Music – a childhood favourite!

This was my first trip with Peiwen, who invited me to join her and her friend Angela, from Taiwan.

I remember catching the train at about 6am that morning, after a night partying with the Erasmus students. I was completely exhausted, but stayed awake for the most of the train ride because the scenery on the way from Graz to Salzburg was just so beautiful. I didn’t want to miss a moment of it.

Peiwen and Angela picked me up from the train station, and brought me to our flat which we had found via Couchsurfing. We cut through Mirabell Palace and Gardens, with its baroque gardens which was featured in The Sound of Music.

After lunch with our host at a surprisingly good Asian buffet restaurant, we headed to St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut, a pretty long bus ride from Salzburg Altstadt (Old Town).

St. Wolfgang is an idyllic market town which has a similar feel as Hallstatt.

The highlight of the trip to St. Wolfgang was Wolfgangsee. As with the name of the town, it is named after St. Wolfgang of Regensburg, who built the first church there by the lake.

The church was pretty creepy. I stepped in, and immediately out because I felt something. Have I mentioned, I believe I can feel the presence of ghosts pretty strongly?

We left as night fell, and it was awfully cold as we waited for the bus. My leather jacket just didn’t cut it.

The next day, we woke up early to take a trip to Eisriesenwelt – the world’s largest natural limestone ice cave, which is situated in Werfen, about 40km away from Salzburg.

We were lucky to be in Salzburg at that time, as the cave was just about to be closed in a couple of days for the winter. It was such an amazing experience! Definitely the highlight of my trip to Salzburg.

Getting to the cable car that brings us closer to the cave can be quite a journey. From the Werfen train station, there is a van which shuttles passengers to the ticketing office, which is a distance up the mountain. Then, with the ticket, you then take the cable car until you are 1586m up the mountain.

Once you get off the cable car, it is an arduous climb up the mountain to the mouth of the cave. However, the view makes it far less painful. This was the first time I truly fell in love with mountains. I was just in awe. The view is spectacular and the colours in fall are just so vibrant.

At the entrance of the cave, we waited for the English tour to start. We were each handed a lamp with a small fire to light our way through the ice cave. Entering the cave, a huge gust of wind is expected due to the difference in temperature between the inside and the outside. My lamp had to be relit again. That rush of cold wind nearly blew my beanie off.

No photographs are allowed inside the cave, and they are really strict about this. Peiwen snuck a few, but I shall not post them here. The ice formations, such as the stalagmites and stalactites in the cave are really amazing. The total length of the cave is over 40km, and the one hour tour involves climbing lots of stairs in zero degree temperature. Needless to say, bring your gloves, wear thick socks and the appropriate clothing when visiting.

After the tour, we saw a few other tourists taking photos on a bench which sits precariously on the side of the mountain. No way we were going to miss this awesome photo opportunity!

Getting off, I almost fell to my death. The photographer kindly snapped that exact moment for me. Also photographed – Peiwen laughing at me. Thanks.

We left Werfen for Salzburg Altstadt.

Mozart is pretty much a big deal in Salzburg. You can find Mozart’s geburtshaus (birthplace) and wohnhaus (residence).

We went for dinner at Stieglkeller. The restaurant is quite famous in Salzburg, and offers delicious Austrian cuisine and beer. It also has outdoor terraces which offer an amazing view of the Old Town. Otherwise, you may choose to sit indoors in their elaborately decorated halls.

I ordered the Salzburger Fiakergulasch mit Semmelknödel, Spiegelei, Grillwürstel & Gurkerl (traditional beef goulash with dumplings, fried egg & grilled sausage). At just €12, it was totally worth it. My only complaint would be that it was too salty. But then again, I don’t usually add salt to anything. I survived my entire exchange without buying salt or sugar!

Dom zu Salzburg (Salzburg Cathedral)

After dinner, we took a walk up Hohensalzburg Festung (fortress), which is located on a hill above the city.

The view of the city is really spectacular. My photo does no justice.

To end the day, we decided to indulge in some traditional Salzburg desserts at Café Mozart. We ordered the Salzburger Nockerl, which is a soufflé-like dessert that is a specialty of the city. It is always made fresh, so our dessert took about 15 minutes to arrive, but it was worth it. It was unlike anything I’ve ever eaten. Under the golden dumplings is a berry compote.

Salzburger Nockerl

We also ordered Topfenstrudel mit heißen Himbeeren (Topfen strudel with hot raspberry sauce). Topfen, or quark, is a soft cheese that I fell in love with when I got to Graz. It also happens to be healthy (if not sweetened) and is a good source of protein!

Topfenstrudel mit heißen Himbeeren

The desserts and the service at Café Mozart is great! We had a good chat with some of the waiters there, and even took a photo with one!

The next day, we visited another place where The Sound of Music was filmed – Schloss Leopoldskron. The route to the castle was extremely scenic. As usual, the Festung is visible from a distance, as it sits pretty above the town.

Schloss Leopoldskron

It was a great stroll to start the day.

Next, we headed to Schloss Hellbrunn. Peiwen had previously visited the palace, so Angela and I went in. She didn’t want to spoil the surprise of this magical place, but when I found out it was known for its Wasserspiele (trick fountains), I pretty much expected that I wouldn’t come out dry.

Once the summer palace of the Archbishops of Salzburg, the palace and its gardens were largely used for celebrations. Markus Sittikus, Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, was a man with a sense of humour. He built the trick fountains to play practical tricks on his guests.

Steintheater (Stone Theater)

Needless to say, I did not volunteer for anything.

Throughout the tour, I was repeatedly caught off-guard by sprinklers that suddenly came to life from the least expected of places.

Sometimes, you just have no choice but to walk through such paths (as pictured above). This one was my favourite. But I shan’t spoil the surprise!

Schloss Hellbrunn is definitely a place for family and friends to have a good laugh. And also to laugh at complete strangers.

Within the compound, there is also a zoo. However, coming from Singapore, I thought it wouldn’t be worth it to pay it a visit, considering it will take a lot to beat the Singapore Zoo! We decided to climb a small hill to take a panoramic look of the palace grounds instead.

Schloss Hellbrunn

After Schloss Hellbrunn, we headed back to the Old Town to have some food at another popular café – Café Tomaselli, which is a traditional Viennese coffee house, and the oldest in Salzburg. The café itself is over a hundred years old, having acquired another that was opened in 1705. It is also said that Mozart used to have his almond milk here.

Café Tomaselli

The waitress goes around with a cart of cakes to choose from. I chose the chocolate and marroni torte, and we also had Apfelstrudel and Eszterházy torta. All were scrumptious!

Chocolate and marroni torte

Apfelstrudel

Eszterházy torta – Vanilla cream, cinnamon and walnut cake

The café also offers fragrant Viennese coffee and so many other variants I never heard about until I got to Austria. They really love their coffee!

After coffee and cakes, we set out to find the original Mozartkugel, which is a chocolate bonbon that was created by the Salzburg confectioner, Paul Fürst, in the 1800s. However, since the confectionery Fürst does not own a trademark for Mozartkugeln, there are numerous imitations out there, such as the gold ones you find everywhere. DO NOT BUY THOSE. Please, please look for Fürst if you are in Salzburg. Even though pretty pricey, I highly recommend giving it a try. As a true chocolate-lover, it receives my stamp of approval.

die Original Salzburger Mozartkugeln from Cafe-Konditorei Fürst

Mirabell Mozartkugeln

The difference between the quality of the chocolate and marzipan is obvious. Think Godiva versus Hershey’s. The original Mozartkugeln has a chocolate-hazelnut nougat creme core with a small piece of marzipan, and is coated in dark chocolate. Two thumbs up! So, go for the silver, not gold!

We continued to walk around the Old Town, and looked for the famous Bosna. Yes, more eating! Bosna is like the Austrian version of the hot dog bun.

The original

We ordered the original, which has onion, parsley and curry powder sprinkled on top. It was delicious, but I think the Americans win this time.

Salzburg is truly an amazing city, and remains one of my most memorable trips. I would definitely return again if I had the chance. I got to see beautiful architecture, savour the traditional foods of the city, see the best nature has to offer and most importantly, got to know more about the history of Salzburg.

Until we meet again.

Paris, France (Part 2)

June 24, 2014July 30, 2014 marymaddierosefood, france, paris, travels2 Comments

Almost 7 million people visit the Eiffel Tower each year. It is 324m tall and weighs 10,100 tonnes.

The next day, we were blessed with much better weather. The day before, it was rainy and foggy; not the best day for a good view atop the Eiffel Tower.

I found quite a strategic location to actually take some shots that showed both the tower as well as the humans. But it required very dedicated photographers to get down on their knees (or lower).

Beneath the Eiffel Tower

You can actually buy your tickets online so that you have one less queue to wait in.

Instead of taking the lift all the way up, we decided to climb 704 steps to the second floor to save some money (€11.50 vs. €13.50 in total for 12-24 year olds) and also some time, since the queue for the lifts were horrendous. It was a pretty good experience climbing. We got to see all angles of this wonder and also, could take our time to take pictures and enjoy not squeezing with a thousand other people. Ok, I exaggerate.

Climbing the Eiffel Tower

Beyond the second floor, climbing is no longer possible. So we had to take the lift to the top. At this level, the view is phenomenal as it is unobstructed; unlike at the top where there are pesky fences that deprive us of really amazing shots. But, of course, you can always stick your camera out; just don’t drop it. It will fall to a terrible death.

Looking up from the second floor

We then took the lift to the top.

At the top of the Eiffel Tower

We took the lift down from the second floor and it was a fun ride down. The lift was made with clear panels so we could see the descend, and it moved diagonally down the legs of the tower.

Our next stop was Cathedrále Notre Dame de Paris. Most of us would know of Notre Dame Cathedral from Victor Hugo’s novel, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. It was written to bring awareness to the value of Gothic architecture, which was slowly being replaced by more modern styles. His novel might very well have saved the cathedral from demolition!

Access is free. I was never a believer of churches that charge for entry.

We were fortunate to have entered during evening mass. There was a huge congregation, and the music playing was really haunting (in a scary way). It gave me goosebumps.

We remembered what our tour guide, Nancy, had told us about Notre Dame, and how we should see the rear as well. It was really different from the front. It reminded me of a spider.

The next day, we decided it was about time to visit one of the world’s most famous and most photographed museums – the Louvre. The best thing about Paris? Entry is free for most, if not all, museums! Hooray for Erasmus!

As I have probably mentioned a thousand times, I’m not the biggest art fanatic. My appreciation for art cannot rival my appreciation for good food. I like art only because I enjoy looking at beautiful things (people included). So our goal was to see Mona Lisa, some other stuff for a short while, and we were out! We did try to “appreciate” the art, but the Louvre is just HUGE. There was no way I would last that long in there. We were getting bored, so we had to find our way to the wing where Mona Lisa was.

We knew we were in the right area because there was a crowd of “paparazzi” (like a hundred people) trying to capture a picture of the Mona Lisa. You know what they say… If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em! I jostled into the crowd with Joel to see this enigmatic, little thing that hung on a wall disproportionately bigger than she. Oh, and by the way, she is also protected by bulletproof glass.

Mona Lisa

Just across the Louvre is Pont des Arts, otherwise known as the Love Lock Bridge. Each year, thousands of lovebirds flock to this bridge to “lock” in their love. They then throw the keys into the Seine. Throughout the world, other couples have done so on other bridges.

Us at Pont des Arts

The funny couple with their German padlock. SPOIL MARKET.

We didn’t do the whole lovey-dovey thing. We don’t want to add any more weight to the poor bridge, which is so heavy from the locks that part of it recently collapsed. Also, the authorities occasionally remove parts of the bridge to prevent such mishaps. I don’t want anyone to take our love away, ya know? Besides, he’s already got the keys to my heart ❤

From Pont des Arts, we grabbed a quick snack of French goodies.

Pain Viennois

Madeleine

We got the bread and madeleine at a random bakery and they were so good! I especially love the madeleine. So buttery and soft.

We passed by Eric Kayser again and had more even more to eat. We tried the pistachio éclair and a raspberry financier.

Pistachio éclair

I’m a huge fan of éclairs, but this just did not cut it. I felt that the choux pastry was too hard and too dry. The ones we get at Délifrance here in Singapore are better. Sorry!

Financier aux Fruit Rouges

The raspberry financier, on the other hand, was exceptional! It had a core filled with raspberry and a wonderful taste of almond. Slightly crumbly and very rich.

Our very last stop was to the Palace of Versailles. But first, I had to get myself another one of those paninis from the first morning.

Smoked salmon and mozzarella panini from Epik Café

I. Just. Love. Stringy. Cheese.

Versailles was just a 20 minute train ride from Paris. I first heard of Château de Versailles in high school history class. It was in 1919 that the Treaty of Versailles was signed in the Hall of Mirrors, undoubtedly the most famous room in the whole of the palace.

Inside the golden gates of the Palace of Versailles

Once again, entry was free for us. We just needed to flash our student Visas.

The Hall of Mirrors

The history of the Versailles Palace is an interesting one. Take a guided tour or the audio tour, and take lots of pictures too. The House of Mirrors is exceptionally stunning. The entire palace is over-the-top. There is gold in every corner. Louis XIV definitely outdid himself.

Versailles Palace is also where you get a peek into one of history’s most outstanding female figures – Marie-Antoinette. In Austria, I would find out more about her. But that’s for another time.

We were quite unlucky that day. When we arrived at Versailles, it was already drizzling. By the time we were done exploring the palace, it was almost evening and the rain was falling heavier than before. The palace gardens are beautiful with manicured lawns and flowers, and I really did want to see it. However, the weather just did not permit it. It was wet and cold, so we left the compound with only a short glimpse into the park.

We realised that we hadn’t eaten a proper meal out in Paris thus far. I’m sure it was the exorbitant prices restaurants charge there. All this while, we were surviving on pasta we cooked at the hostel. Their stove wasn’t even working, so we had to boil water over and over again to cook the pasta. I also made microwave scrambled eggs a couple of times. So, for our last meal, we decided to indulge. We searched Tripadvisor for good restaurants around our area and found one that was #29 out of 12,383 – Les Rillettes.

When we found the restaurant, it was full, and we were asked to come back in about an hour’s time. The restaurant is pretty small. I only recall two long tables. There were also only two people working there – a husband and wife duo. The wife waited on the tables while the husband was the chef. They were really such lovely people!

The menu was in French and so we had to depend on my limited knowledge of French to figure out what each item was. Fortunately, the chef’s English was good and he explained it to us.

Most of the mains are burgers but with a French twist. You may notice that the burger buns look different. They used gougères in place of the usual bun. A gougère is a savoury choux pastry mixed with cheese. Very delicious.

Beef burger with foie gras, ham and a homemade onion and tomato compote – €20

Grilled chicken burger with French ham, Camembert and roasted mushrooms – €17

Beef burger with tomato cherry chutney, onion compote, melted cheese and ham – €17

Till this day, these burgers have to be the most delicious burgers I have ever eaten. Hands down. And it has nothing to do with the price either. I would definitely recommend the beef burgers for meat-lovers. I only ordered the chicken because I can’t take too much beef.

For dessert, we had Fontainebleau chestnut cream with chestnut honey. This was so light and refreshing. I personally love crème de marrons and have a container full of it at home. The guys really enjoyed this too. We were scraping off whatever was left in the glasses.

Fontainebleau chestnut cream with chestnut honey

This was definitely one of the most memorable meals for me. Good food, good ambience, great service and even better company.

The next day, Dj and I left Paris for Warsaw, where I would pick up my bags and head to Graz alone.

Paris was, overall, good to me. The guys were not so impressed; the whole experience tainted by our run in with those brutes and also the dirty, stinky train stations and streets.However, I hope to return someday and enrol in Le Cordon Bleu Paris. That has been my dream for a long time. So until then, au revoir, Paris!

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

June 19, 2014June 19, 2014 marymaddieroseamsterdam, food, travelsLeave a comment

To be perfectly honest, I don’t remember much of what happened in Amsterdam. And no, it has nothing to do with the use of “illegal” substances. What I do remember, and enjoy, were those leisurely strolls we had from our lovely apartment – which we rented on Airbnb – to the city centre. It is somewhat surreal waking up and, looking out the window behind your bed, seeing the canals which are so synonymous with Amsterdam, otherwise known as the Venice of the North.

We arrived late in the night, and kind of got lost for a bit trying to find the apartment. But our Airbnb host waited very patiently for us and warmly welcomed us. The apartment was really nice and had two bedrooms and a couch that could be used as a bed for one. If interested, let me know, and I can drop you the host’s profile on Airbnb.

On the first day, I took a walk with Dj to the city centre. I wanted to visit the Anne Frank House.

In Amsterdam, cycling is probably THE way to get around. You don’t see that many cars on the roads. Instead, lots of cyclists. Very eco-friendly. Apparently, the number of bicycles outnumber the number of citizens, over a million!

The idyllic canals of Amsterdam

We first stopped for lunch at Toos & Roos. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much cheese in my life in a single seating. I had a goat cheese sandwich with honey and walnuts, which was served with pumpkin soup shooters. I was expecting just one slice of goat cheese, but I got three. Thankfully, Dj was there to save the day, otherwise I would have puked trying to finish it all. Goat cheese is really strong and way too cloying after a while.

I’m sure most of us know the story of Anne Frank. I read the book as a teenager. Even to this day, I enjoy reading stories about the war and memoirs most. The Diary of a Young Girl is beautifully told. Visiting the Anne Frank House was truly a haunting experience for me. It is definitely one of the better museums around. Even those who have never read her story should visit it. There are many good museums in Amsterdam, but this was the only I wanted to visit. Other museums to consider are the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Museum and Rembrandt House Museum. Museumplein (Museum Plain) is where you can find the major museums.

Anne Frank House

After the Anne Frank House, we met up with the rest. And that was when I made a discovery – Speculoos! As someone who loves baking and looking for new recipes, I’ve always wanted to try Speculoos and transform this yummy cookie butter spread into a cupcake. We first bought one bottle, but after our first try the next morning at breakfast, we were hunting the supermarkets for more.

The original Speculoos spread

It was soon dinner, and we came across Manneken Pis. Nope, not the bronze sculpture of a pissing boy which can be found in Brussels, but the store that sells huge-ass servings of kick-ass fries. We had ours drowned in Samurai sauce because we really, really missed spicy food. Unfortunately, it was more tangy than anything. The fries were delicious and piping hot, perfect for the chilly weather!

No trip to Amsterdam is complete without a visit to one of their renowned coffee shops. We were looking for Green House, which is pictured on the left of this beautiful shot I caught on my iPhone 😛

I was sulking at this point, as this was the first time we had actually been in cold weather. In the day, it was warm, but by evening it was so cold, and I was in my tank top and shorts with just a thin cardigan. All I wanted to do was go back to the apartment and sleep.

Green House

To look around and see so many people smoking weed like it’s no big deal is actually quite the experience. Amsterdam is also the place where I first learnt how to identify the smell of weed. This would later serve as an important skill while traveling around Europe.

So, enough talk of weed and space cakes… which I have to add, is a total waste of a perfectly delicious marble cake, because it tastes like grass… to more delicious things. There was a really good ice cream place called Yscuypje that we passed pretty often. We went there twice. The first time, we had chocolate and Speculoos. GOOD!

On our way to the city centre, we also pass by this really awesome store that sells such a wide variety of cheeses. They’ve got really exotic flavours such as wasabi and pesto too. Dj and I walked in twice just to taste the samples! The store is called Kaashuis Tromp. They even have yummy looking cheesecakes which I was so tempted to buy!

Amsterdam also has great architecture… like almost every European country. Something will catch your eye. That’s why I enjoy walking over taking the tram. You’re bound to discover something.

Spotted a rainbow!

Amsterdam Centraal

Amsterdam Centraal is the main railway station. The building is huge and so grand. A very beautiful design with its red bricks.

Street performers

By far, my favourite shot taken in Amsterdam. The Royal Palace of Amsterdam.

Another must-visit is the Red Light District. Before entering, you are welcomed by a “traffic light” that is red. Upon entering, you are welcomed by scowling, and very plastic-looking prostitutes in glass windows. I found them to be highly entertaining and offensive at the same time, if that’s possible. Try not to take photos of them, they really hate it.

Red Light District

To prove that you really have been to Amsterdam, visit the Rijksmuseum, where the famous “I amsterdam” sign can be found. When we got there, it was crowded and we had to wait quite a while for the place to clear out before climbing up those letters. Please be careful when climbing, it can be awfully painful. I think Dj got a cut somewhere. But we got up relatively easy. We are fit people!

“I amsterdam” at the Rijksmuseum

At the park outside the Rijksmuseum, you can get some snacks and just people-watch. A must-try food here is the Stroopwafel. Yes, you can get them in Singapore, and the good ones cost a bomb, but you can get these freshly made, warm and filled with that unbelievable gooey-goodness, for an affordable price in Amsterdam. This was the best I had there. I wish I had eaten more of these fresh ones before leaving.

Fresh Stroopwafel

We took a walk to Vondelpark after the Rijksmuseum. Vondelpark is the largest park in Amsterdam. Europeans really enjoy their parks. I guess the weather makes it a much more pleasant experience.

Vondelpark

Our last meal in Amsterdam was at Pancakes! Amsterdam. This was beside Toos & Roos, where I had my first meal. Dutch pancakes, Pannekoek, are unlike the standard American pancakes we get. They are thin and large. I chose the lemon sugar pancake, while the boys got the apple with nuts and Calvados, and paprika, mushroom, bacon and cheese pancakes. All very yummy, especially the lemon sugar. Amazing how something made with flour, eggs and milk can be so yummy!

That marked the end of our trip to Amsterdam. We left at about sunset with a bag full of Speculoos and supermarket brand Speculaas and stroopwafels.

Next stop, London!

Brunch at Carpenter and Cook

August 11, 2013August 11, 2013 marymaddierosebffs, Cafe, cafe hopping, food, friends, ReviewLeave a comment

Finally met up with Hector after he got discharged from the hospital a few weeks ago. I felt really bad because I was supposed to visit him at his place, but I got too caught up with my own things, preparing for exchange etc. We chose a place as close as possible to his place, so that it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle for him to hobble down with his crutches. He’s so nice, he wanted it to be convenient for us too, but we insisted. Anyway, Lorong Kilat is a walkable distance from the 961 bus stop that drops close to Beauty World. I never realised that Carpenter and Cook was so close to the Chicken House, which I always saw across the street from Ng Kim Lee Confectionary at Chun Tin Road. The cafe has a very artsy vibe to it, with interesting antiques on display and on sale. We arrived at about noon and it was empty. I’m guessing it’s more of a tea place as they don’t serve a lot of savoury items on their menu as compared to sweet items such as their cakes and tarts. It’s not the typical eggs benedict kind of brunch place.

We saw many interesting antique items on sale. Mirrors, clocks, crockery, tea sets and lights just to name a few. I kept looking around while waiting for Hector to arrive. It’s safe to say I wouldn’t get bored here waiting.Clockwise from top left: The Swirly Bun, Passionfruit Meringue Tart, Banoffee Tart, Cook’s Amazing Quiche served with side salad.

The Swirly Bun – $5

I know it seems extremely pricey for a bun, but the Swirly Bun was amazing! The brioche was so soft and fluffy. I just went “mmm!” when I ate it. Stuffed with ham, tomato (or was it red pepper) and topped with cheese, it was yummy. I much prefer it to the quiche. So if you’re looking for something savoury, the Swirly Bun beats the quiche!Cook’s Amazing Quiche (Spinach and Tomato), served with side salad – $7

Also a little pricey for its size, the quiche was just average. They were serving two kinds of quiche, the spinach and tomato one that we ordered, as well as a bacon version, but we chose the spinach because the staff recommended it. Well, maybe if it was warm, it might have tasted better. I just picked at the crust, as I always do with any sort of pastry.

Banoffee Tart – $6.50

We had to order the Banoffee Tart! Hann Khee and I are obsessed with Banoffee, ever since we had that obscenely good one at Delicious last year. However, this was no where as awesome. In my opinion, it was a little too light, with more cream, and too little banana and toffee. The sprinkling of cocoa powder on top of the cream also made it a little too bitter for us. We tasted a little hint of coffee powder, but maybe it was just the bitterness of the cocoa. I wouldn’t say it was bad, it would probably taste good to someone who isn’t making a comparison.

Passionfruit Meringue Tart – $6.50 and Cinnamon Tea – $5

We ordered the Passionfruit Meringue Tart also because Ivy and I fell in love with the one we had at Overdoughs a couple of months back. Once again, this paled in comparison, but wasn’t bad. This was not as tart as the one at Overdoughs, the meringue wasn’t as sweet or anywhere as sticky, and the crust is a simple one, unlike Overdoughs’, which is a cornflake crust. I would have preferred it to be at least a little more tart. (Review of Overdoughs here and here)

Ivy and I also ordered a pot of hot cinnamon tea to share. The cinnamon tea has a slightly sweet aftertaste. It very much reminded me of the oatmeal I have for breakfast. I love cinnamon. I put cinnamon in a lot of things that I bake because it simply has the best smell coming out of the oven 🙂

Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Tart – $6.50

After finishing our initial four orders, we ordered the Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Tart. I wanted to order it at first, but no one seconded me! Anyway, the staff did recommend this tart, and I was eyeing it because I had read many good reviews for this tart. How could you go wrong with chocolate and sea salt caramel?! The sweet and salty flavours combined perfectly. I declare this the winner in the tart battle.

At about 2pm, the cafe started filling up and was fully packed as we were about to leave.
My lovely friends. Two injured fools and the beautiful Ivy, all coincidentally dressed in shades of blue.

No more meet ups with friends, for I am leaving for Europe tomorrow! Just the last few items to pack and I’m all set. I can’t wait. It’s going to be an epic adventure 🙂

Carpenter and Cook

Website: http://www.carpenterandcook.com/

19 Lorong Kilat

#01-06, Singapore 598120

Operating hours: Tuesdays – Saturdays: 10am – 10pm
Sundays: 10am – 7pm
Closed on Mondays

Tel: 6463 3648

More goodies from Balmoral Bakery

August 3, 2013August 3, 2013 marymaddierosebakery, dessert, food, reviewsLeave a comment

Mummy is doing it again. Thankfully, I’ll be escaping her (delicious) efforts to fatten me up/give me diabetes too in about a week!

From top: Banana Puff Pastry, Apple Puff Pastry, Coconut Tart, Coconut Swiss Roll

The banana and apple puff pastry tarts are pretty good. Heated in the oven for a bit to make it nice and crunchy again. The coconut tart is AWESOME. Old-school, simple, simply delicious. The coconut swiss roll is ok too. Nothing too special. Still prefer my chocolate and peppermint cake.

See my previous post on Balmoral Bakery’s buttercream cakes here.

Now back to planning my itinerary for Santorini and Athens. Omg. I can’t believe I’ll be there in 1.5 weeks time! 😀

Balmoral Bakery

105 Clementi Road Street 12 (Sunset Way)
#01-06, Singapore 120105

Website: http://www.balmoralbakery.com/
Tel : 6779 2064

Brunch at Hatched

August 2, 2013August 3, 2014 marymaddierosebffs, brunch, Cafe, cafe hopping, food, friends, reviewsLeave a comment

Finally met up with my favourite people, the Muay Thai peeps. Ho Seh Bo, Tok, and my angels, Ivy and Cindy 🙂

Headed to Hatched for brunch. I have been meaning to try Hatched for the longest time! However, just a couple of days before this brunch, I read a review from a popular food blogger on Hatched that was rather disappointing. Apparently, all the poached egg dishes he ordered weren’t runny. We still gave it a shot though!

A little spoilt for choice. They have such a good menu. Pretty much everything sounds good. They have a very nicely designed menu, colourful and the some of their dishes have cute names such as Popeye’s Salute and Burly Benedict.

Our dear Wei Guang couldn’t make it for brunch, so we made sure his presence was still felt 😛

They have cute Easter egg salt and pepper shakers too!

The best thing about eating in a large group is you get to order a variety and pick at everyone’s food.

Hatched allows you to choose between just one, or two eggs for their poached egg dishes. I was starving because Cindy and I gymmed in the morning before brunch. So proud of us, that we managed to reach SMU gym by 9.30am to work out.

Popeye’s Salute: Creamed spinach on English muffin, topped with poached egg and served with homemade mash – $19 for 2

I much prefer the Eggs Florentine Cindy and I had at Canopy. Though this one feels more “clean”, the creamed spinach was hardly creamed and tasted a little too raw for my liking. The mash that came with the dishes was yummy! The mushroom gravy that topped it knocked the ball right out of the park! The poached egg was also runny. YAY!

Sir Benedict: English muffin topped with smoked ham, streaky bacon, poached egg and Hollandaise sauce and served with homemade mash – $19 for 2

The classic benedict. I found this much better than the Popeye’s Salute. Everything tastes better with bacon! Runny yolk, check! Not the best eggs benedict I’ve had – I still love love love the one at Rider’s, but definitely not bad.

El Chorizo: Scrambled eggs cooked with Chorizo, served with toast, baked tomato and homemade mash – $16

I love spicy Chorizo, but this one was… Ok. Nothing special, I guess. I remember a slight sour aftertaste that I didn’t quite like. The eggs, however, were done pretty well. Ho Seh Bo commented that the Chorizo tasted like Chinese sausage or 腊肠. Well, slightly.

Oozy Baked Eggs: Two eggs baked with bacon, cream, mushrooms and tomatoes, with cheese oozing on the top, served with toast – $12

I ordered the baked eggs for myself. I have fallen in love with baked eggs ever since I had a taste of it at Cafe Epicurious. Although the one at Cafe Epicurious wasn’t as oozy as I liked (the cheese was a little cold by the time it got to me), it was still delicious. We all agreed that the baked eggs here is the most worth it dish. At only $12, the serving is pretty big. It was fully loaded with bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes and sweet onions as well. It was also perfectly oozy. Look at the stringy cheese!

I am also a big fan of pesto 😀 Pesto + eggs + bacon + cheese. Yum. My only complaint about this dish is that the toast was already cold by the time it got to me. A little hard, so I only ate one.

The Designer with tomatoes, mushroom, cheese, onions and bacon, served with toast – $14

Tok ordered the Designer omelette after his single Sir Benedict wasn’t sufficient. This was pretty good too. They’re very generous with the ingredients, so the omelette was pretty stuffed. I’m not sure how many eggs went into this omelette but it was huge! Definitely worth it!

All in all, I’d say Hatched is a pretty good place if you’re looking to satisfy your egg cravings. Although it seems a little expensive, the servings are bigger than usual, so it does justify the price. I’d go back just for the Oozy Baked Eggs. I hit the jackpot with that order! The place is pretty crowded on weekends. We went on a Saturday at noon, but we remembered to make a reservation so we didn’t have a problem. The cafe was at full capacity throughout our meal and many people were queueing outside as well, so do make a reservation just in case!

Hatched @ Holland Village

Website: http://www.hatched.sg/

267 Holland Avenue

Singapore 278989

Tel: 6463 0012

Opening Hours: 9am to 11pm (Last Order: 10.30pm)
Closed on Mondays

I’ll miss you people! Only slightly over a month to exchange ):