24 July 2015 Singapore-Frankfurt on SQ26 2355-0640
25 July 2015 Frankfurt-Prague on Czech Airlines OK 535 0925-1035
Stay:
Airbnb Ondrej Kverka's apartment €124 (after discount) really convenient location with lots of good eats nearby - pity we discovered these only close to when we were going to leave! The apartment has everything you need, the only possibly lacking thing was a hair dryer but other than that, we were extremely pleased with it. Noise was not an issue even though I was a light sleeper thanks to the noise-proof windows. Ondrej was also an excellent host who answered all our queries.
Eat:
Lokal, Dlouha, Praha 1 - where beer costs only 32 Kc, cheaper than water! The roast beef with creamy sauce and cranberries were good (go with the cranberry sauce!) 159 Kc, fried cheese was interesting 165 Kc. I would not bother with the sides unless you are really into carbs. We got the mashed potato and the bread dumplings which were just okay.
Field Restaurant, U milosrdnych, Praha 1 - this was number 1 on Tripadvisor but it was just okay. We had the Crottin cheese cold starter, Crayfish warm starter, Lam, Beef, and he had a Riesling. The best part of the entire meal was possibly the Rhubarb salted caramel dessert, which totally won me over. Total damage was 1805 Kc, quite expensive:(
La Bottega Difinestra, Manesova, Praha 2 - this was Tobias' find and it was an excellent breakfast spot. Their eggs benedict were good (195 Kc) and Tobs also got a banana pancake order (85Kc) which was nicely balanced with loads of greek yoghurt on the top. He really liked their cappuccino too but the hot chocolate was so thin it felt like milo diluted with a jar of water. I realised that none of the chocolate drinks are thick enough in this part of the world. Boo. Total: 495 Kc. On a separate occasion, we dropped by to grab a croissant too, which was a good idea cos it was one of the best, crisp lovely goodies you can find.
La Rotonde, Radisson Blu otel, Praha 1 - we went for the Sunday grill event (only available during summer so please check). It was fantastic - a buffet spread of starters and dessert, plus grill! Had a ton of meat and our favourites were the veal leg, prawn skewer and lamb rack. Discovered their extremely delish corn (which has the aroma from all the oil from the grilled meat) close to the end of our meal. I adored the chocolate banana tart from the dessert spread - rare to find such a good dessert at a grill buffet! Total damage: 1898 Kc only!
Café Savoy, Zborovska, Praha 5 - this came highly recommended on Trip Advisor, random webpages, and a colleague of mine. When we got there, service was sub-standard (in fact, the worst we have ever experienced in Prague and it made dining there uncomfortable) and the food was not that great. The Omelette Savoy was simply omelette with cheese (and an expensive one at 185 Kc). I regretted ordering the French breakfast which was huge but really all I wanted was a taste of the French Toast, which could be ordered separately from the menu as well. Total: 471 Kc. Would rather eat at La Bottega Difinestra again for this price.
Ristorante Pagana, Spalena, Praha 1 - this was on top of the Trip Advisor list. The flaming spaghetti was interesting and super cheesy - we were both horrified when the chef placed the spaghetti onto the wheel of cheese and tossed the scrapped cheese into the spaghetti. But I guess so long as the flavour of the spaghetti doesn't seep in and interfere with the taste of the cheese, it's fine. The other seafood spaghetti is also quite awesome. In contrast, the beef special (which also happened to be the most expensive dish at 565 Kc) did not fare too well. It was not of medium doneness. In fact, I would say it was well done. Totally fail imo. The tiramisu was great though, really impressed the Tobs, especially with the meringue bits that add a nice touch. There was a lack of sponge and alcohol though, for those looking out for these 2 factors in their tiramisus.
Nase Maso, Dlouha, Praha 1 - when a butcher doubles up and sells cooked versions of its meat, you can be sure it knows what its doing. We ordered the hamburger and a spicy sausage at our first visit and had to wait 15 mins for it. Gobbled down the food enroute to H&M/Municipal House for the concert and I exclaimed "I could eat one whole burger by myself!" - the meat patty was generous and it was well complemented by pickles (not too sour) and some onions. The bread buns were nice and moderately-sized, the way we carb haters like it. It was overall, a great dish.
On our second visit (which was after the concert!) we grabbed 2 burgers and I gathered sufficient courage to order the beef tartar, which was essentially raw minced beef mixed with onion and some other spices to be spread on top of bread. It was a local dish and I did not want to leave with regrets. Boy am I glad I tried it. It was awesome. For someone who likes her steaks medium, this was perfect. Has a kinda sashimi feel to it and it wasn't gross at all. Tobs did not want anything to do with this so I finished the whole 200g serving all by myself. Slurps.
CESKY KRUMLOV
28 July 2015 Praha, na Knizeci to Cesky Krumlov on Student Agency bus 0900-1155
This bus was awesome for the price you pay. It costs only 7.5€ for 1 pax for a close to 3 hour journey. The seats weren't exactly super spacious, it is your typical tour coach style bus but it offers personal entertainment, hot beverages, and wifi. What more can a poor traveller ask for?
Stay:
Airbnb David & Romana's apartment. S$135 a night but the apartment is lovely - very nicely decorated (hey Ikea is really quite something huh) and had all we need (including hair dryer!). The location is not in town so there's some walking that needs to be done but nothing too heavy. I quite like the quietness of this neighbourhood really. There's even a nice small pond that we can see from the balcony.
Eat:
Na louži for authentic Czech food. I had the roast pork with cabbage and bread dumplings and it was a pleasant surprise - no fats at all and all lean meat! Tobs had the meat loaf with mashed potato which was quite fine as well. He picked the yeast dumplings with blueberry for dessert and the bill was really cheap (400Kc including tip).
Papa's was recommended by both the host (Anna) and our FWT guide. We decided to try this out and it was a gem. Papa's ribs was the best ribs both of us have ever had. And it was so affordable (258 Kc). We also got the Jamon Serrano e rucola pizza (basically tomato based with parma ham, rocket and cheese on top) which was not bad too but the ribs were just too strong a competitor and took up all our attention. It was so crazy good I took another serving away and intend to eat it for tomorrow's (30 July) breakfast. Tobs had the panna cotta and tiramisu and these were excellent as well. It is really rare to find a restaurant that scores with so many of its dishes so I would highly recommend this.
VIENNA
29 July 2015 Door to door shuttle transfer by CK Shuttle. 1900 Kc. Service was fine with a brief rest stop in the middle of the journey. The mini van we were on was packed to the brim with 4 different couples so there was no extra space.
Stay:
Airbnb Thomas Lammoth's apartment on Berggasse 37. €162. The apartment block was quite new and the décor was really to my liking - white finishes and wooden flooring. If I had an apartment, I would do it up like that. Plenty of amenities nearby as well, including a supermarket and some good places to dine at.
Eat:
Porzellan, Servitengasse 2 - here, we learnt that Wiener Schnitzel is made of veal meat. Tobs had the braised flank steak. The schnitzel was quite impressive in terms of quantity (and sheer thickness of the meat). But overall, it was just okay I feel.
Café Central, Herrengasse 14 - it was a crazy queue to get in but we preserved and got a seat. The "famous" Viennese coffee tasted pretty much like regular coffee to us. The "famous" apple strudel was just okay in my opinion. If you are just looking to taste it because of the hype, there's an option that comes without the ice cream/vanilla cream - take that and your wallet will thank you much. We did order the Kaiserschmarrn mit Zwetschkenroster, which essentially is torn pancake with stewed plums. When I first had it, it tasted nothing like a pancake but a mega huge ji1 dan4 gao1. Totally excites man. The serving is ginormous and we ended up not having any proper dinner all thanks to the filling sweets.
Joma, Hoher Markt 10 - it was slightly pricey but it was in the city center afterall. The Wiener Schnitzel was €19.50 and was better than Prozellan's, despite paling in terms of quantity. As for the grilled calamari €14.50, it was delicious and I almost wished there was more of it. We sat in the outdoor section of the café and it was pretty windy today so the food got cold slightly faster than our liking. Ended off with their version of the apple strudel and it was great. It was almost like an apple pizza - only less disgusting! Total damage: €44.90.
Rebhun, Bergasse 24 - we originally wanted to eat at Ribs of Vienna but they were fully booked and the last customers in front of us had to settle for a 9.30pm reservation (!!!). But just as well cos I was tired and didn't want to hang out so late. I also got tired of eating out at restaurants where the service was fine but we were expected to tip thereafter. It was also not very comfortable and cosy as I would have liked it. So we decided to pack food back from Rebhun, near our place. Tobs got the boiled beef and I had a small beef goulash. He also added in the wiener sausage to round it up. Total damage (you would not have guessed this..) €23.80 The food tastes like mum's home cooked meals - not too oily or heavy but just right. Even the bed of potato and spinach on the bottom of the boiled beef was so tasty Tobs and I finished it up. Most yums.
Konditorei Heiner, several outlets - we got the multi berry cake and the egg nog with hazelnut cake. At the end we contemplated buying the Sacher Torte and were encouraged to do so by the saleswoman who said "You are in Austria!". We paid for our decision and threw away the cake after 2 bites. It was just too jialat and did not work for me. I don't understand how chocolate cake + apricot jam can cause such a hype. There was totally no magic for me - just a lot of unwanted calories.
SANTORINI
31 July 2015 Niki Air from Vienna to Santorini 1125-1445. Quite like a budget airline except they do serve beverages and there is a small sandwich snack for all passengers.
Stay:
Imerovigli - Airbnb Caldera Houses, Little Stones Villa. S$544 for 2 nights. The deck out in front of our unit sure boasts of a spectacular view but the problem is, there is a main passageway (where people can walk through) in between the unit and the deck. So people have used our deck for their own purposes even though there is a sign that clearly states that it was private. Anyhow, after we got tired of that nonsense, I decided that we will shift the deck chairs to block up the entrance to the little deck so no freeloaders would be able to come in. Even if they do, it would take too much effort to shift the deck chairs into position to enjoy the view.
Oia - Delfini Villas. €349 for 1 night. We got upgraded! Booked an exclusive room with hot tub and caldera view but in view of our anniversary and Tobs' birthday, we got upgraded to the executive suite with hot tub and caldera view. :)) It's so wonderful in here we don't really want to head out. Haha.
Eat:
Anogi - this was near our villa and came recommended by the host. We had lamb shank, grilled octopus, anogi salad and chicken souvlaki. I was so happy to finally have a salad that I totally gobbled it down. We are not huge fans of olives so that was wasted on us.
Total damage: €48
PAROS
3 August 2015 Hellenic Seaways 1140-1330 €103 for both.
Stay: Alexandros Apartments, Piperi Beach, Naoussa. S$288 for 2 nights.
Eat:
Tou Psara - this was recommended by the hotel staff. It turned out to be a tourist trap. DO NOT go there. The food is totally unremarkable.
Makaro - Tobs' find on TA. We first ordered a cous cous salad (€7.50) and a veal steak in corfiot soffrito sauce with french fries (€12.50). The food was so good we decided to try their kayanas as well (€8). Overall, a really good dining experience.
MUNICH
6 August 2015 Aegean Air 0835-1015 US$389.20 for both.
Stay: H2 Hotel,
ROTTENBURG OBT
Drive
Stay: Hotel Rappen ROthenburg ob der Tauber. €138. Your basic no frills hotel. Does not have aircon.
WURZBURG
Drive
Stay: Mercure Hotel Wuerzburg. €89.25 room only (corporate rate for Shell). Note room does not have a fridge. I find it amazing because all our Japan hotels have fridges and they are super tiny! How come they cannot just find some way of putting a fridge in here? Grr.
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