A portion of….

I have just returned from five days in Vienna where I cafe-ed (my new verb for sitting in cafes for prolonged periods of time a la Viennese style) like the best of them.  If there was an award for cafe-ying, Vienna would take the top spot.  Before my trip, I researched the city by reading various blogs and websites and plotted out my culinary trip- a shout out to Unlike.net Vienna that served as an excellent resource.

Before I get to the cafe part, I will say, I didn’t have one bad meal in the city.  I was so impressed by the restaurants I visited (Appiano das Gasthaus, Motto am Fluss, Sichuan, Palmenhaus, and Die Burgermacher) that I would return to Vienna just to dine.  The food, quality and dining experience was so great that there was even a time where I had no idea what I was ordering (due to lack of an English menu) and walked away saying the meal was still top notch.

I visited cafes of all sorts where it was completely acceptible to order a coffee (food or no food) and spend a languid afternoon relishing the sights, sounds and smells before you, peruse a magazine or two or four, order another coffee and repeat.  One blog I read, The New Diplomat’s Wife, talked about how it is possible to spend almost an entire day at a cafe and how to pace yourself based on what activities to do when!

I think my favourites were Orlando di Castello and the Prince Coffee Club.  Both of these spots have uber-modern interiors (one is done in all white, the other in blacks and greys)- a stark contrast to the traditional, ornate, high ceiling, tiled, glitzy Viennese cafes that have a stuffier feel to them (although excellent).  Orlando and Prince have excellent food and drink, play great music in the background and are very comfortable to “cafe” for hours.  I wouldn’t recommend cafe-ing on a daily basis, but if you are missing a reason to sit, unwind, socialize, relax and indulge, Vienna cafes should be top on your list.  Oh, and my reference to the title of this email “a portion of…”  I found it fascinating and somewhat comical that on all cafe menus that I saw in Vienna, you have the optoin to order a portion of something.  On offer I saw portions of cream, rum, milk, chocolate and you can order this so-called portion and add it to whatever you’re having- typically a coffee, tea or alcoholic bev.  Quite indulgent but who wouldn’t want to sit and sip tea in places like the one’s below??

via dollemann.at

via buildungs lounge

via Stadt Bekkant

via dezeen

via a212.com

via Unlike.net

chocolate wedding cakes

I was craving chocolate today which made me decide to write about something chocolaty.  I was reading about Nicky Grant, a patissiere and chocolatier based in Cornwall (UK), and her unbelievable chocolate creations.   These cakes look so delicious.  They remind me of a cake my brother had for his bar mitzvah.  It was a white chocolate cake covered in white chocolate swirls and I remember the best part of his chocolate cake was picking off all the chocolate swirls and eating them.  The swirls of chocolate adorning and cascading off these wedding cakes are simply spectacular.  When you don’t feel like fondant, chocolate cakes are a great alternative.  (all cakes from Nicky Grant)

layered cake

Happy Birthday Lindsay…. this cake should be for you!

via Style Me Pretty

Billy Lloyd

Billy Lloyd is a master when it comes to creating simple, paired down, everyday ceramics for the home.  He graduated from Camberwell College of Arts in 2006 and just set up his own studio this year.  I love his pieces, especially the ones below.  Billy is currently exhibiting his work at Origin: the Contemporary Craft Fair, located at Old Spitafields Market in London until the 28th of September.  As the tagline of the show states “Made: Not Manufactured.”  It reminds me of Toronto’s One of a Kind show that takes place twice a year.  Best of luck to Billy in his career.  I’m sure his products will fly, globally.

via craftform.com

via home build life

via cockpit arts

via dulwich on view

via ceramics photography

peach brandy jam

What better way to close the summer than to make jam.  I had my first lesson in jam making the other week by a good friend of my mom who wanted to do something special together for my engagement.  It was truly a memorable gift and I have step by step pictures to show!

I can now make jam on my own and as a result of my lesson, I learned that jam is something you can really get creative, with different combinations of fruits, spices, liquors etc.  The sky is the limit.  For some reason I was always afraid of making jam (similar to my fear of making bread), but after walking through all the steps with someone, I realized, it’s not that hard.  Once I move into my new apartment in Prague, I hope to try another recipe (if I can find pectin) and make use of all the great, fresh produce from the farmer’s markets that run three times a week in the city.

the jam helper