dos palillos- Asian food in Tapas style

dos palillos is an Asian restaurant with food presented in Tapas style, and it gets people's attention not only from the idea of fusion, but also from it's Spanish chef - Albert Raurich, who worked in El Bulli for ten years and seven years as the chef. That big name in gourmet world always makes people curious. However, after trying you will find the food there have nothing to do with molecular cuisine, and you have to say it's tasty.

There are two a la carte menu available, one short and one long. Although it's Asian food, each dish is brought to you one after another, still European serving style. There are several special points I noticed: it's an open kitchen and guests sit around it, watching the whole process of their cooking; there are three kinds of soy source available, and according to the staff, all of them are self made; involving the guests - the sushi you have to roll it yourself; and the last thing is also a tip: always talk to the people sit next to you, as it is supposed to be a hot spot of gourmet, or at least people who like good food, therefore, you might get some tips of restaurants, bars and so on.

What I got from my neighbor is the best tapas bar in Barcelona, the best place to buy fish in Berlin and so on. That's also a part of the price to eat in a fine & special restaurant.

PS: photos are part of the short menu.

Bonanza Coffee Heroes-best cafe in Berlin

In summer, one of the best things in Berlin is to go to Mauer Park: flea market, outdoor KTV, different performances from all over the world in one park...afterwards, a cup of coffee at Bonzana Coffee Heroes, which is said the best coffee shop in Berlin. Why? as far as I see, it's fresh: they roast the coffee beans on site with experts (looks like). Normally, coffee beans should be packed/sealed in max. 3 hours after roasting to keep the crema. Other critical elements are also included: freshly ground and brewed, good coffee machine from Italy, good water...

In winter, it is still open till 7pm, except Wednesday till 3pm. "Don't die before trying".

Bachforelle in Chongqing style

In Vienna, you can get fresh and good quality fish from some Merkur&Billa (supermarkets), especially fish from the beautiful lakes in Austria. However, how people cook fish here is very limited, frying in butter for most fish, boiled or smoked salmon. People normally don't buy those fish with many bones as they don't know how to eat that, or they eat in good restaurant where the waiter/waitress serves the boneless fish.

In Chongqing, we have two rivers, people like eating fish, carp, grass carp, crucian and some special species from Yangtze River. Many different ways of cooking fish were/are invented, such as the water boiled fish are popular around whole China.

Due to lacking spice & ingredient from Chongqing, I use the available stuff here to cook fish: soya source, black bean source, fresh chilly(small&spicy one), garlic, onion, green onion, ginger, and one or two kinds of vegetables you like, can be zucchini, tomato, paprika or celery. So it's a kind of Chongqing style to cook fish, with much less chilly & Sichuan pepper. The fish I brought is Bachforelle (brown trout?) from the Alps lake. Then the taste :)... please try it yourself.

expensive Moscow

Moscow is expensive, no matter cafe, bar or restaurant. But the added value in those expenses that you can hardly find in other parts of the world, which most men like and women hate - is Russian beauty. They are everywhere, on the streets, in the shops, especially in some trendy and popular places, all with very high high heels & short skirts or dress.

The city I come from in China is famous for it's beautiful girls, however, when compared to Moscow... a long long long way to catch up, maybe could never get there.

Things recommended to do in Moscow: go to several popular bars and restaurants, such as Ginza Project (open KVT&club, totally opposite to Chinese KTV), Cafe Pushkin (picture3, very traditional Russian food, which opens 24h); try the Russian bath, although everyone is naked, man and woman are separated, and there is special tree branches biting service in the Sauna room (hotter than Finish one, must cover your hair with hat or towel), which is a unique&amazing process; for girls, go to good shoe shops and try the high-heels there, with which I can't walk, and I don't understand how can almost every Russian girl is wearing those and walking on the street.

Sasaya-best sushi place in Berlin

How to check a foreign restaurant is good or not? Very simple, just check how many foreigners from that country eat there.

In Sasaya, normally half of the customers are Japanese. Even the cook and all the waitresses are from Japan. Number matters, and the food matter more. I tried sushi, noodle, rice in soup and different cold dishes... Comment: the best Japanese food I had so far (note: I haven't been to Japan:).

Two cooks (one is the owner) are cooking on site, with seats around the open kitchen. There are also Japanese tradition seats and you have to take off your shoes and sit on the floor. As Sasaya has a good reputation among Berliner, you should book 2 days in advance if you want a table in the evening.

Le Bol-best salad in Vienna

This is one of my most visited cafe&bistro in Vienna, where you can find the best salad for its price in town. Of course, the most famous salad there is Monsieur Seguin - fried goat cheese with vegetables and fruits, a glass of French red wine matches it well.

Also suggest to try the French pastries there, especially when you are bored with Sacher Torte. However, the only problem there is that it is always full, so book in advance svp.

www.lebol.at