I was not planning on getting gyudon — a Japanese dish in which features a tasty mix of tender beef and onions served on top of rice — at the Tsukiji outer market, which is largely known for its abundance of fresh seafood. But then I saw an impressively long line and instantly knew that my plans had just changed.
Halva stracciatella from Gelupo
Gelupo frequently comes up on lists of the best ice cream in London, and based on this one flavour — yeah, that makes sense. Though it’s hard not to compare all future gelato to the mind-blowing stuff I recently had in Italy, for gelato outside of that country’s borders, this is top-notch stuff. It’s rich and creamy, and the addition of halva to the classic chocolate and sweet cream stracciatella combo is actually fairly ingenious. It works really, really well.
Sausage roll from Pekarna Bu & Ba
As far as I can tell, this place isn’t even in Google Maps — it just happened to be near my Airbnb. The guy behind the counter spoke perfect English (which seems to be pretty common in Zagreb), so I asked him what he recommended, and he pointed to the sausage roll, which he said he eats every morning for breakfast. It’s not the most Croatian thing ever, but you know what? The guy’s got a point. This was really satisfying — the pastry was fluffy and fresh, and its slight sweetness contrasted very nicely with the salty hot dog. I don’t know if I’d want to eat this on a daily basis, but every now and then? Sure.
Frankfurter from Bauernmarkt Konstablerwache
If you’re in Frankfurt, you’ve pretty much got to get at least one frankfurter. I’m pretty sure that’s the law? I got this particular one from Bauernmarkt Konstablerwache, which is a great farmer’s market in the middle of the city with a whole bunch of different prepared foods and pastries you can try. The sausage was, not surprisingly, very tasty; it was meaty, nicely spiced, and had a great snappy casing. It even had a very mild kick to it, which was unexpected but thoroughly delightful. This particular vendor didn’t have mustard or any other condiments available, and I was worried that the sausage would be too plain, but it was more than flavourful enough to stand up on its own — no toppings needed.
I couldn’t leave Lyon without going to at least one bouchon (a traditional type of restaurant you can find all over the city that’s casual and that serves a variety of hearty meals). This particular one has a three course menu for 15.90 Euros — an absolute steal.
Croissant from Le Fournil de L’artisan
Hey, what do you know? Another extremely tasty croissant in France. It’s almost like the bakeries here know what they’re doing. The only odd thing about this place is that I’ve been in Europe for a couple of weeks, and this was the first time that I had to pay cash for anything. I’ve been able to tap my credit card for every single purchase thus far, no matter how small, which has been enormously convenient (especially since I have a travel credit card that doesn’t charge any currency conversion fees).
Croissant from Boulangerie Pâtisserie Ounissi
On this particular morning, I randomly decided that I should probably eat a croissant and found a well-regarded place that was within a few blocks of where I was; Paris being the magical place that it is, this just happened to be one of the best croissants I’ve ever had. It’s intensely buttery; borderline too buttery, but it never crosses that line (the paper bag it came in was spotted with grease within seconds, and was practically translucent by the time I finished). The exterior was delicately crispy in all the best ways, and the interior was light and fluffy, with just enough substance to hold together (it might actually be a touch too light and fluffy, but that’s a minor complaint). And that buttery flavour. Wowza.
I have (not surprisingly!) been eating quite well in Paris, but the meal I just had at Bistrot Victoires is going to be hard to top.
Breizh Cafe specializes in galettes (buckwheat crepes stuffed with various fillings), and wow. That’s all I’m going to say. Wow.
Okay, I guess I’ll say a bit more than “wow,” but I think that about sums it up.
Octopus sandwich from Rosticceria Lo Sfizio del Borgo Antico
There were several vendors selling octopus sandwiches in the old area of Bari, so I figured I should probably try one. This was totally fine; the octopus was quite tender and tasty, but otherwise none of the flavours here particularly popped, and the bread was so aggressively crusty that it was difficult to bite through.