Two Places For Food

Today I promised myself that I would be completely nice, at least when blogging, which means I won't tell you about the more unpalatable, and pricy, food experiences as lately. But just the really lovely ones. The two of the new experienced ones.

Doing this course means I have to eat lunch on the town 2-3 times per week. Have to as in I really want to get out for a walk, some fresh air, changed scenery, chat a bit more intensively with a few fellow course mates, not having to bother with microwaving and *enjoying* lunch in an environment that will get you into serious mental anguish. Sure it cost, but I'm all too willing to pay for it, if the food is decent.

I won't bother to tell you in details, not this time around anyway, about the goal post shot of a food place that made me seriously ponder food poisoning, we tried two times. The first time was decent, on the pricey side, but we did get large coffees to go for free. The second time was a joke, the food was horrible, the proprietor kept glaring at us all the time and refused to give us coffee to go. Just so he could continue glaring...?

I'm just so glad we found another place, close by, which serves this flippin' delicious healthy food, with emphasis on vegetarian alternatives. I think the place used to be a sushi restaurant, perhaps they still serve that, but since sushi is about as far from my tastebuds as possible can be - if we're not talking steaks - I don't much care. What I do care about is that the staff is very friendly and the food is great. So far we've also always gotten really lovely espressos for free by a very pleasant, tanned, muscle bound waiter, well, not that I care about the latter fact, actually, though some of my fellow course mates really very much do. In a really very entertaining way.

So I thought I should make a mention of it. In case your choice for a lunch, coffee, dinner place stands between two places that serves equally good food but one of them with staff consisting of thin or rotund, pale, short, grumpy waiters and one with waiters like above. It's all in the details you know.

The food then, well, unfortunately their website seems to be under re-construction, so to sum things up it's mainly a lot of low carb food, healthy stuff, vegetarian, shakes, sandwiches but also quite a lot of mouthwatering cakes and buns and coffees. The interior decoration is very clean and white, not really homely and cosy, but pleasant just the same.

So far I've always gone for the superb personal salad where you get to chose 4 different ones from about 15 different versions of salad. Such as red lentils, beetroots with pumpkinseeds, pasta concoctions, root veggies with thyme, spicy thai shrimps, quinoa with tuna, beans & onion and so on. Add a dash of hommus and roasted chick-peas. Ah, that beetroot thing...

Next time I think I'll bravely take the plate where you can chose from five different proteins and five carbs and get a mix of your own liking. Just to show my adventurous streak. And the name of the place is - itamae soul food, odengatan 62, open mon-fri 9-21, sat-sun 10-20

The other place I've heard so much nice things about for years, but it's a bit off if you're not living in the neighbourhood so I've just never gotten around visiting. Until now, before that terrible *quality entertainment show* the other week. It's in the vicinity of where I go to class and it's an Italian restaurant, to begin with a deli, now a smallish and very cosy place, with a not very extensive menu. Perhaps that's why the food's so good...?

I got a rather nice vegetarian pasta - where you can either chose your ingredients yourself or rely on the chef's choice. Unfortunately the latter happened to, this time, include two of my least favourite vegetables, capers and sundried tomatoes, but overall it was a nice dish. Perfect al dente pasta, a reasonable portion, creamy, nice seasoning.

But the best thing was really the divine round-off, the heavenly Tiramisú. Possibly the best I've ever had really. Just perfect in texture, size and flavour. Mmm...

Very pleasant staff, efficient and friendly. Always an extra plus for staff that keep a close check on the waterbottle and refill it when needed. And the name of this place - Haga Deli, Hagagatan 18, also open for lunch from 11 on weekdays