Posts Tagged ‘Restaurant Review’

5 Jul

Ristorante e Taverna Vaelsa, Pohjoisesplanadi 9, Helsinki, Finland by guest author, Reijosfood

Posted by Val Penny in Guest Review, Restaurant Review. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Pohjoisesplanadi, Helsinki, Finland

This article was first published on Reijosfood.com on 18, June 2017 and can be found at Ristorante e Taverna Vaelsa,https://reijosfood.com/2017/06/18/restaurant-review-taverna-vaelsa/.


Ristorante e Taverna Vaelsa opened spring 2015 at the Market Square, at Pohjoisesplanadi 9 in the historic Govinius building. At the 2nd floor there is restaurant serving with wider menu and downstairs is taverna, which serves pizzas and some salads. Vaelsan’s kitchen combines local food and classic Italian cuisine with a modern touch.

Visited taverna at late lunch time on Saturday and tried pizzas. Ordered them from the menu under Pizze Speciali headline.

Chose Bresaola Mozzarella, Rucola, Bresaola, Parmigiano, Lemon Vinaigrette and VeganaZucchini, Paprika, Eggplant, Parsley, Vegan Cheese.

Pizza Bresaola was delicious, but quite dry as there was not tomato sauce. Pizza base was quite thick and had to cut quite hard pieces. There was enough fresh rucola, which is not always the case when pizza includes rocket salad.


Pizza Vegana was also tasty and it was pleaseant surprise to see that taverna served also vegan version including cheese. That definately increases points.


Wines were a little bit problematic, only 3 red wines available and 2 out of them had run out and replaced with other brands. Of course pizzas do not necessarily require full-bodied wines but for instance the one we enoyed was quite light.

Location is excellent, just opposite to Market Square. And if you get window table like us, it is nice to watch the crowds outside.

Service was a little bit limping, maybe due to busy lunch hour, which was ending. If you want to visit ristorante, better make table reservation, to taverna you can just walk in and check if there are free tables.

REVIEW: FOOD 4-/5 – SERVICE 3,5/5 – OVERALL GRADE 4-/5

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26 May

Astoria, Njegoseva 4, Old Town, 85310 Budva, Montenegro

Posted by Val Penny in Restaurant Review. Tagged: , , , .

At the end of a lovely afternoon in the medieval walled city of Budva in Montenegro, my husband and I decided to take a break for coffee and cake at the Astoria. I had never been to Montenegro before and this particular afternoon was beautiful. The weather was warm and the sky a deep sapphire blue. Both showed the city off to its best advantage. Budva is a maze of narrow streets linking little squares. It is a coastal city, but after a long time exploring and dodging in and out the little shops, we needed a rest and something to drink.

budva street

My husband chose the Astoria because it was clean, the outside tables were shaded and there was a nice coastal breeze playing around the area. The restaurant has a large outside area that is an excellent place to relax and people watch.

budva tables

Access is easy for disabled people, the chairs are comfortable and the staff are polite and attentive without being intrusive. My husband ordered coffee, and a diet coke. We were both thirsty so I ordered a diet coke too, but I decided to have a cake too. The menu at Astoria was varied with meals and snacks on offer, but we did not need a meal at that time of day.

budva out

We did not have long to wait before the drinks waiter brought the cold drinks for the bar. They were served from coca cola bottles opened at the table. These drinks were chilled and really hit the spot. The coffee and cake followed moments later. My husband really enjoyed the coffee. He likes smooth filter coffee and this was just to his taste. My cake was enormous! I have never been served such a large piece of cake! It took both of us not to finish it, however, we both enjoyed it very much.

budva me

My husband and I both enjoyed our break at Astoria. The service and the snack offerings were delicious. I recommend this restaurant and, if I return to Budva, I would use it again.

Valerie Penny

19 May

On Site Restaurant, Kursunlu Waterfall National Park, Antalya, Turkey

Posted by Val Penny in Restaurant Review. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

Kursunlu entryThe Kurşunlu Waterfall is located in a National Park just 19 km from Antalya, Turkey at the end of a 7 km road branching off to the north of the Antalya-Serik-Alanya highway at a point 12 km east of Antalya. It is also to the North of ancient ruins of Perge. The Kursunlu Waterfall is little smaller than the Duden Waterfall but much nicer in its natural surrounding. This place offers nice walking possibilities along the river.

All the picnic areas and the walk ways along the Kursunlu waterfall are kept very rural. kursunlu waterfallIt is lovely to walk in the natural areas in this place which is quiet peaceful. It also offers a lovely atmosphere with trees, turtles and birds. On the way to Kursunlu there is scented pine forest. Huge trees offer shade and cool air. The way to the waterfall on the well kept path gives an amazing view to the river bed and natural walk ways and makes everyone forget the walk and steps to the waterfall.   The waterfall is reduced to a mere trickle in the summer months, and was not very impressive when we visited in April.

However, the On Site Restaurant there did provide a welcome and drinks on a hot afternoon. The staff at the On Site Restaurant were not terribly customer focussed but the seats were comfortable. My companions chose beer and wine, but I went with a home-made lemonade. It was cool, refreshing and delicious. Apparently the other drinks slipped down well too.

kursunlu-restaurantMy companions also ordered an assorted mese. Although it took the staff a while to deliver the order, the consensus was that the food was freshly prepared and very tasty.

Access to the On Site Restaurant is feasible for those with some walking impairment, but the steps to the waterfall are not. I was favourably impressed by the condition of public lavatories in Turkey. This was a pleasant visit, but I would not go out of my way to visit here again. The On Site Restaurant was not excellent and there was not much water in the waterfall!

Valerie Penny

 

17 May

Felicita Cafe Bar, Ippokratous Square 22, Rhodes, Greece

Posted by Val Penny in Restaurant Review, Review. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .

felicita pythian-temple-of-apollo rhodesMy husband and I had been up to visit the Pythian Temple of Apollo on Rhodes. Then we wandered arond the medieval city at the centre of Rhodes Town and were thoroughly enjoying our visit.

There are so many interesting things to see including the Grand Master’s Palace which now contains a fascinating museum. felicita grand-master-s-palace rhodes

However, we had reached Ippokratous Square in central Rhodes Town and decided we needed to stop for a drink. The square is filled with bars and restaurants serving all different kinds of food. Each of these has callers, enticing you to the restaurant they represent. Felicita is no different. We decided to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. There is also a lot of people watching to be done.

Felicita Rhodes

We both chose a cold drink and a hot drink. My husband went with a diet coke and an Americano coffee. I chose a home-made lemonade and a green tea. We did not have anything to eat, but the Felicita was busy serving brunch and lunch to tables full of hungry tourists, all of whom seemed to enjoy their meals. The Felicita is clean and access for disabled people is easy. The staff are busy, but welcoming. They seem more interested in getting people in and out rather than being terribly attentive to any additional requests made after your initial order is submitted, so be quick and decisive!Felicita Rhodes 2

We enjoyed our stop at Felicita Cafe Bar, but it was expensive for what we had. I would probably stop there if I were in Ippokratous Square in Rhodes Town in the future, but I would not specifically seek it out. It is similar to many other facilities nearby and does not stand out from the crowd.

Valerie Penny

22 Apr

Noa – Tallinn, Estonia by guest author Reijosfood

Posted by Val Penny in Guest Review, Restaurant Review. Tagged: , , , , , , .

This article was first published on 22.04.17 on https://reijosfood.com/2017/04/22/restaurant-review-noa-tallinn-estonia/


NOA is a seaside restaurant on the border of Tallinn and Viimsi, Estonia, seating 80 people. The NOA dining room has been built on three different levels allowing guests to see the view of the Old Town silhouette across the bay. When putting together the menu, restaurant has not committed to any specific ingredients, countries or locations, but rather focused on creating an equal experience to all vege, seafood and meat eaters.

For aperitives decided to order NV Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne AOC, France and Gin tonic made from worlds best gin, Napue, Finland. With sea view, perfect drinks to start the dinner.


Before starters restaurant offers fresh bread and spreading, which both tasted excellent. Big box instead of plate, at least kept the pieces of bread warm.

For starters ordered Crispy seafood and chips with cuttlefish sauce, coriander, lime and potatoes and Grill “Caesar” with romaine lettuce, asparagus (& cheese).

Seafood included pieces of mussel, octopus and some white meated fish, which I can not remember any more. Anyhow all pieces (finger food) were perfectly prepared. Chips were one of the best ever tasted; there was some spice on them, which made them scrumptious. And sauce paired well both with crispy fish and potatoes.

It was not your ordinary Caesar salad.  Warm, but fresh served with seasonal veggie, in this case asparagus.  A simple, but tasty starter.

For main courses had Octopus pasta Homemade pasta, wine and butter sauce, tomato garlic, pepper, grispy panko and Eggplant “burnt end” (Goat’s cheese curd), crispy vegetables, smoked tomato

Pasta was cooked as it should be, al dente, and it was still hot. That is difficult combination! Octopus was crispy and fresh, very tasty on top of all. Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb, but as the amount was small, it just completed the dish.

The eggplant dish was served with cranberry sauce which gave the dish a bit of a sour taste.  The crispy vegetables made for a nice addition.

For wine ordered 2011 Chateauneuf-du-Pape AOC, Chateau Mont Redon, Rhone, France. Full-bodied and round. It paired perfectly with the dishes eaten.

Restaurant Noa (a la carte) serves excellent food, dining room is cozy and athmosphere relaxed. One could also choose 11 course menu on separate dining room with white table clothes.

Service was professional and polite. Kitchen had just changed menu, which meant that had to wait for main courses quite a long time. Due to delay, restaurant offered Limoncello’s for digestive for free. Must say that they were better than ever had, even better than in Italy! But delay had a small impact on service rating.

REVIEW: FOOD 4,5/5 – SERVICE – 4+/5 – OVERALL GRADE 4,5/5

4 Nov

ZeroZero100 Via del Verano, 27, Roma, Italy

Posted by Val Penny in Restaurant Review. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

On a recent trip to Italy, my husband and I found ourselves in the gritty student neighbourhood of San Lorenzo.This district is immediately east of Termini train station and is where we found the boutique restaurant that is Zero Zero100 Via del Verano, 27, Roma, Italy. It was close to our hotel, the thoroughly unsatisfactory Hotel Vibel, reviewed on this site at https://hotelandrestaurantreviews.com/2016/10/25/hotel-vibel-viale-dello-scalo-s-lorenzo-97-rome-italy/.

The staff at ZeroZero100 are all quite young, very polite and extremely efficient. They are certainly kept busy as a wide variety food and drinks are available both at lunch time and in the evenings. Access is good if you have mobility issues.  We only visited this restaurant at dinner time, but we liked it so much we went back three times during our short trip.zero-zero-out

The restaurant offers an a la carte menu, but it also offers a buffet. The system for calculating the cost of your buffet meal is ingenious. The cost includes a drink, for example beer at 6 euros or a (large) gin and tonic at 7 euros then the buffet brings your bill to 10 or 11 euros respectively. We were amazed by the selection of salads, breads and pizzas on the buffet so we never saw past that.zero-zero-buffet

Salads are continually refreshed: platters included cold meats, fresh vegetables, eggs, tuna and grains as well as breads, quiches and mini pizzas. Above the salad bar a wide selection of paiizas were on offer. These included some without cheese, magherita pizza, various vegetarian pizzas as well as pepperoni, chicken and tuna. The pizzas were constantly freshed, like the salads and everything was delicious.zero-zero-in

The atmosphere in ZeroZero100 was great. There was lively music, but not so loud as to prevent conversation. It was relaxed and even when the place was busy we never felt forgotten or hurried. I highly recommend ZeroZero100 and look forward to dining there in the future.

Valerie Penny

26 Jul

Brasserie Kamp by guest author Reijosfood

Posted by Val Penny in Guest Review, Hotel Review, Restaurant Review. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

This article was first published on 3 July 2016 at https://reijosfood.com/2016/07/03/restaurant-review-brasserie-kamp-3/

Brasserie Kämp

Hotel Kämp is a historical hotel in Helsinki, Finland. The hotel was originally built in 1887 by Carl Kämp. The building was demolished and the facade was rebuilt in 1965. 

Dining at Hotel Kämp gives a possibility on a culinary journey from East to West. Asian food is offered at restaurant YUME. Brasserie Kämp offers a wide range of European brasserie style food.

A la carte list is short which makes ordering easy, if you find suitable dish. One option is to order gourmet “fast food” like Kämp burger or club sandwich which are luxorious. Especially french fries are maybe the best in the city.

Wanted to challenge kitchen and decided to order for starters Salad a la Kämp Mixed salad, cucumber, plum tomatoes with marinated artichokes and button mushrooms

Crispy, fresh vegetables made for a very delicious salad.  The parmesan dressing was substituded by a vinagrette, and marinated artichoke with button mushrooms were the choice to make the perfect all vegan option.  The other options are shrimps orchicken.

image

 

and Arctic Ocean Shrimps Hand peeled shrimps, fennel and apple salad, cold cucumber juice.

Shrimps were fresh and just hand peeled, of course. Cucumber juice was delicous and made the dish sort of soup like of starter.

Shrimps at Kämp

For main courses ordered Roasted salmon Creamed seasonal mushrooms seasoned with chervil and tarragon, potato puree.

Salmon was roasted well, meaning that it was not over cooked which can happen easily. Mixture of mushrooms and potato puree paired extremely well with the fish.

Salmon at Kämp

 

and from All day Dining list Black rice and cauliflower Black rice from Piemonte, roasted cauliflower, hazelnut vinaigrette.

From the “All Day Dinning” part of the menu, this is the perfect vegan option.  The original dish is served with goat cheese.  The dish is creamy, but the hazelnut vinagrette and roasted cauliflower keep it fresh and crispy.

image

 

Recommend to dine at the terrace of Kämp Brasserie, which is perfect location to observe passers-by on Esplanadi promenade or pedestrian street. Most of the dishes can be ordered as starters or main courses which helps in keeping the menu short.

Service was unique with French touch. There is a difference between Kämp Brasserie and recently opened trendy bistro type of restaurants when it comes to service. But it is refreshing that there still are some traditions honored.

REVIEW: FOOD 4+/5 – SERVICE 4,5/5 – OVERALL GRADE 4+/5

Reijosfood

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