Eating Out - David Bann, Edinburgh

One thing Stockholm really lacks in, is classy vegetarian restaurants. Sure we do have vegetarian places that serve really nice food and yes many, if not most, restaurants do cater for vegetarians when asked. And sometimes really well. But as far as swishy solely vegetarian places go, nope, nada, nothing.

We have nothing whatsoever that resembles De Waaghals in Amsterdam, or, as this post will be about, David Bann in Edinburgh. Places that take vegetarianism seriously, places that are particular with interior details as well as in a decent, inventive menu. Places that don't suffer from the sometimes too, alas, dopey "happy hippie" syndrome, places that mean business AND serve vegetarian food in an overall pleasant surrounding and not buffet style.

So every time I get the chance to experience such a place I get such a happy buzz inside, it's not that the food always is fantastic, like any restaurant I can get disappointed by ingredients and taste, but still. That such places exist, places that offer a smart lieu as well as serve well thought through menus, you don't have to ask for a special order, the menu is full of interesting choices anyway and there's not a whiff of meat in the air. And it still is a place that due to its classiness and non slovenly approach to vegetarian food appeals to non-vegetarians that are looking for a good meal out.

My latest encounter of the classy, yet relaxed, fully vegetarian eating out experience was above mentioned David Bann. A place where it felt rather silly to be fluttering the camera, so the pictures are unfortunately rather lousy, but at least they give and idea of the ambiance and food.

I went with this - tart of mushroom, spinach and Criffell cheese meal, wild and cultivated mushrooms cooked with wine, garlic and tarragon blended with fresh spinach and Criffell, a semi soft cheese from Dumfries, baked on homemade puff pastry. Served with baby potatoes, carrots and onion gravy - and oh it was just lovely! The ingredients and the flavours worked so very well together.

M opted for this - Harissa roasted aubergine, aduki and sweet pepper meal, roasted aubergine and aduki beans cooked in red wine and spice with smoked paprika, cumin, caraway, chili and garlic (harissa) served in a sweet red pepper. With juniper pickled cucumber served with chips, homemade apple and tomato ketchup, crème fraiche and chives - and not being a vegetarian and not too keen on trying new *weird vegetarian food and flavours* he was rather raving about how good it was. Strong flavours and quite spicy.

The only real disappointment was the sadly savorless dessert we chose - assiette of desserts for two to share, hot rhubarb and vanilla steamed pudding with rhubarb and ginger sauce, cognac chocolate truffle, hot pear and passion fruit tart with raspberry ice cream and pineapple sorbet. The sorbet was the nicest thing on that assiette.

No cider in the house, I went with water and freshly squeezed orange juice. And it was truly fresh and an absolutely perfect blend of sweet and tangy. I think I had at least two of them... I'm not sure, I might have gone a bit orange juice tipsy there.

And then, one of the best thing with these classy vegetarian restaurants, they mostly show you can make quite wonderful (vegetarian) often organic food and serve it in a place with a most pleasant ambiance and you don't have to charge unreasonable prices for it. Quite the opposite really. Oh and sigh, I do wish such places of fine vegetarian dining could open up here in Stockholm too, that would be truly wonderful... And I'm not demanding, I'd be quite happy with just one really.

David Bann is situated not far from the Royal Mile, on 56-58 St Mary's Street, Edinburgh -

ps, the servers are really nice too and the website quite lovely

A bit of Food in Amsterdam

I haven't quite finished writing about that weekendish birthday trip to Amsterdam, apart from still having that third museum to attend to I've hardly written anything about the food. Food that says a lot about a country, about a place, about its people. And even if I wasn't completely charmed by the city of Amsterdam, I think the food, the variety richness, the ingeniousness, good, fresh ingredients overall was a pleasant surprise indeed. Especially since the food wasn't a thing people had really raved about when I said "Amsterdam"...

Unfortunately most of the food pictures turned out really lousy, so I just have to try and give an idea of how it looked, tasted and felt. The perfect little breakfast place I've already mentioned here. And if you dare to look past that rather touristy, shabby part of street after street of just restaurant upon restaurant near Leidseplein square - although admittedly we did have a great encounter with tapas at a Spanish restaurant there, and nice pasta at an Italian place that actually didn't make my tummy go all balloony afterwards, like it usually does - you can most certainly find little gems.

Like the vegetarian restaurant De Waaghals (The Daredevil) we went to on my birthday. A rather small and crowded place, with a creative, cool, mostly organic menu and friendly staff - although rather absentminded... I'm not sure what I ate actually, they change most of their menu every month, but it was a plate of different small courses and really lovely.

Slight minus for not having a decent substitute for some interesting organic cider which was on the menu but had been sent back to the brewery for some unclear reason. And a huge minus for the rather disgusting, and disappointing, dessert of Waaghals Banana Pie. Which consisted of a very dry pie shell, sliced, not very ripe bananas and covered in a huge dottle of whipped cream. Not to mention that weird non-caffeine *substitute* for coffee called... well, something that has completely slipped my mind. But it tasted like hot water with a pinch of cinnamon plus froth on top. Far from the perfect round off to a meal, but still overall a pleasant, and different, vegetarian experience.

And no, this wasn't a very nice creme brulee either - at Marriott Hotel, Amsterdam, with a perfect view overlooking the busy street and pedestrians, nothing whatsoever like that sinful one I had last summer - but it made a rather perfect ending to this food post.

2007 - A Picture Per Month

JANUARY - this was Stockholm in winter shroud a year ago. How time flies... And how similar the weather was then compared to this now moment in time. But above all, as pretty then as it is now

FEBRUARY - was the month of one of my most amazing experience ever, so far, the South African one. On the beach in Kenton on Sea - bliss! And yes, one of these days I will continue writing about the days in Cape Town too...

MARCH - I discovered the joys of Kusmi tea - and it was comforting in troublesome times...

APRIL - pink cherry blossoms in Kungsträdgården, that makes my heart go all ditty! And now it's only three months away...

MAY - the darling buds of May gave me one of many perfect moments in the year 2007. This was at the gardens of Svindersvik

JUNE - I befriended my favourite cookbook, and the culinary delights from that has since brought countless tears of savoury joy into the eyes of dinner guests at my humble casa

JULY - in the rain I met a strawberry little, and I have been wondering ever since, what happened to that little one after I left...

AUGUST - was in so many more or less describable ways a perfect month, but if I have to chose one picture - and I do - it'll be of beautiful Scanian windmills

SEPTEMBER - showed such a lovely side, and made for ample excursions in and around Stockholm. Simply a perfect ending to an amazing summer!

OCTOBER - gets two pictures, since it was the month of major compact living as well as my birthday trip to Amsterdam

NOVEMBER - there was just a whole lot of cats and mittens going on

DECEMBER - was a month of endings, new beginnings and spreading of Christmas joy

The events pictured in these photos are by no means the most important ones through my year 2007 - they're just a picture, a symbol, from January to December. If you happen to actually be interested in excerpts and words from my 2007-life, I suggest you have a look in the archives.

Rijksmuseum and Other Artsy Places

Today I'm going to try and keep my mind from wander and actually write about the things I set out to write about yesterday, namely museum visits in Amsterdam. I have, ever since those obligatory museum-visits in school had very mixed feelings about museums, and there really is, or at least can be, something *slightly* pretentious about some museums and it's visitors.

Oh you know what I'm talking about, the artsy hoity-toity people who like to show off what they themselves believe is initiated and intelligent knowledge of a particular work, or works, of art. Whilst those of us who actually don't have the need to show off our possible knowledge would very much like to enjoy our museum visit and a certain piece of art in silence. We either silently snickers at those pretentious fools or mutter in annoyance at the spoilt experience.

But having said that, I'm no stranger to visiting such hoity-toity magnet museums now and then, especially not when abroad. The must-visit-museums, sometimes they turn out to be a complete overall disappointment - other times being just delightful. And many times it's the museum in itself that is just lovely, not the actual art on display. One example of that latter is, IMHO, Danish Louisiana - which I'm certainly not going to write anything more about here and now, except for saying that the atmosphere, the garden and its situation overlooking the channel between Denmark and Sweden is well worth the visit in itself. And oh yes, for the museum shop extravaganza.

Back to Amsterdam and its plethora of museums, I would have liked to visit a few more but the time didn't allow that, so in the end the plan was sized down to three - the lovely museum of handbags and purses, Rijksmuseum and what will remain a secret for a while still. I can say as much as it has to do with tiny, furry, fourlegged friends that often meow...

Rijksmuseum was situated not very far from our hotel, in an imposing, wonderful building that looked absolutely enormous - M said that it would take at least five hours to wander around there, so one can say I was both disappointed as well as relieved that the museum turned out to be far smaller interiorwise than exterior. Which I came to understand might have something to do with extensive renovation work that has been going on since 2003 and will be finished in 2009, seven years of renovation, that's a really long time...

So while the renovation is underway the art displayed is only what they call the masterpieces. To walk through the museum take about one-three hours depending on how much you're enjoying the things displayed, or perhaps on how artsy hoity-toity you are... As far as I'm concerned there were some really wonderful, exquisite paintings to lionize as well as those... um, not so interesting. I must say that I found the well-known, much acclaimed Rembrandt painting The Night Watch to be more than slightly boring. It just didn't play in the same league as the grand, lively with amazing intricate, exquisite details of the same sized painting by Bartholomeus van der Helst - Banquet in celebration of the Treaty of Münster

A couple of other favourites were the entertaining painting Winter landscape with iceskaters by Hendrick Avercamp. Such amazing richness in details, and such humour. Nearly enough tiny details to discover for a lifetime. Delightful indeed. And that very special light and sublimeness of Willem Claesz Heda's still life, lovely.

After having fed the mind it was time to invigorate the body - at a café in the park nearby the more the sophisticated part of the museum visitors chose coffee and carrot cake, while the more... um, plebeian part chose this - ah, the profanity of it all...

Amsterdamian Encounters

Having breakfast at a really sweet slightly offside situated café in Amsterdam - with a freshly squeezed orange juice that was simply amazing! The name of the café is "de sneeker pan", at Kerkstraat 46-48 -, I saw this lovely Weimaraner outside the window. Just look at that adorable face! Non visible in the picture was his Siberian Husky type of friend who wasn't equally keen on trying to get a morning snack.

Apart from these two we didn't see very many of them in Amsterdam. Though obviously they were around since there was a whole lot of dog poo to be found, and stepped in, on the pavements. Everywhere. Disgusting. Uncivilized. Oh how these dog owners who completely lack common sense and manners makes me mad, use a dog poo bag for X's sake!! I like the polite, although far too timid, sidewalk request though...

I met a little pigeon, who at first was quite reluctantly interested - I suppose she/he thought I had a mean hidden human agenda - but then warmed to me when I shared a cookie with her/him.

I bet these fellows didn't share any cookies with the pigeons - and look who's all petrified, in chains and well, frankly having a Sisyphus job as a ginormous pigeon toilet. Goes to show, you should share with those lesser fortunate...

I wasn't the only one who had a bit of a fling with the pigeons of Amsterdam. What is it with these grey and worn, sad looking men and women on a bench feeding the birds that makes, at least, me want to take them home with me, wash them, feed them and hear them tell their life's story... I hope they're much appreciated by the birds and that maybe, hopefully, the first impression of a sad, lonely bird-feeder is completely wrong...

My newfound pigeon friend had obviously spread the rumour that there was a new woman, of foreign origin, in town who shared a cookie or two - which wasn't completely true. Something these rather upset family of swans learnt the hard way - after having eagerly begged for some treats in vain, they refused to pose for the camera, sniffed and turned their back floating down the canal.

At least they didn't make any fierce and sudden attempt to steal the handbag, like this pack of dangerously looking lizards that was roaming a park in the city centre. I mean really, keep them on a leash or teach them some manners! Just look at poor Elvira fighting for her life and freedom. I managed to bravely - if I may say so - save her from the jaws of that sinister looking creature. I bet that hearty breakfast played an important role there. I actually think I even scared him quite a bit, doesn't he seem a bit stiffen?

But in the end, one of his *friends*, claiming to be a completely innocent and very apologetic viewer of the whole ordeal offered some refreshments. So I guess you shouldn't completely judge a lizard by the company it keeps...

The Museum of Bags & Purses

One of many quaint and lovely museums - situated in beautiful, old buildings along the canals in Amsterdam - is something as fascinating and wonderful as a museum for bags and purses! With a museum shop brimming with different contemporary, mostly Dutch, designer bags for sale - I didn't buy any, but I did get a slight crush on some grey felt ones with flower embroideries... - and a very nice café - where you can park the not-so-believe-it-or-not-interested-in-handbags-significant-other on a sampling of cakes - like this extraordinary lemon one...

- while you wander around, browse and learn a whole lot more about handbags, old, and new, history and future. Over 3500 different types of handbags ranging from the Middle Ages until present time. Apparently the only museum in the world with such a specialized collection. Some bags being absolutely exquisite, mouthwatering lovely, others completely overrated it-bags...

Tassenmuseum Hendrikje is situated at Herengracht 573, Amsterdam, in a splendid 17th century three storey building - definitely well worth a visit if you love handbags! Even if, alas, they don't display any Mulberry bags...

One exhausted, but very happy museum-visitor named Elvira

From Sabon With Love

One of my favourite feelgood, romantic comedy movies is Love Actually, and one of many lovely scenes in that movie is when Rowan Atkinson as a salesclerk is gift-wrapping a Christmas gift for Alan Rickman. It takes ages and it's just wonderful, since the wrapping and all the thought that has gone into it really is half of the joy in getting - and giving! - gifts. Dried flowers, tissue-papers, silk ribbons and garnish, oh I just love that!

However if you're in a hurry - or perhaps a man? - you don't seem to appreciate all that careful thought and work that has gone into the wrapping. Even if Rickman in the movie has a hidden agenda with the gift and doesn't want his wife to see it and perhaps therefore gets slightly more agitated than usual over the lengthy gift-wrapping process, I kind of think he symbolizes most men and their views on gift-wrapping. Just put it in a box and a stupid bag, will you! Sort of being the very essence of many, most (?), men's attitude towards shopping, the studious shopping hate.

Which is just as silly as many women's overenthusiastic views on shopping, the over consuming attitude. I admit I like a bit of shopping, when I have the time and money. But not for the shopping itself, I don't absolutely must, or can, spend money every time I'm out and about. I don't have to spend hours in the shops on weekends, I most certainly don't like crowds at sales or otherwise, I like to think I am quite discerning when it comes to most things I shop too. I haven't always been and I could probably do better. To be honest, hrm, sometimes a whole lot better.

But I suppose you could look at that as a work in progress, can't be done overnight, every small step is a step back from, when you look at the big perspective of things, useless overconsumtion. At least I actually have a deliberation with myself every single time I'm about to buy something, sometimes I step back from buying others I don't. Sometimes I *absolutely* need to have something, others I can safely say I absolutely don't, like those spur-of-the-moment-on-holiday-things. Ah such ridiculous things we might buy when away on holiday...

Not always, sometimes just lovely, n e c e s s a r y things though. Like these gorgeous bath products from Sabon I found in Amsterdam - and just look at that cute wrapping! Which took quite some time, and wasn't all that necessary and made M go rather Alan-Rickman-in-Love-Actually... But made me happy. Of course. The products sort of remind me of Lush, but the overall impression is more sophisticated. Home with me came soap by weight with a simply divine green grass scent and a lovely tropical scented body scrub. Both are now on the waitinglist in my bathroom for usage...

Glimpses of Amsterdam

Oh I wish the weather and light had been more cooperative in Amsterdam - and it was kind of difficult to avoid the sky and concentrate on the details all the time... Here are a few of my impressions of Amsterdam - in many ways a pretty city, in others just very dirty and very worn. Including a lot of nasty dog poo on the sidewalks and streets. I also noticed that my skin reacted pretty much the same way as it does when in London, impure, grey and unhappy. I suppose the Amsterdam air isn't what it should be...

Apart from the multitude of channels and bridges, large and small, it reminded me of so many European cities and somehow it never really got to me. It never distinguished itself in the way that a few others cities have done, where the ambiance is something really special, cities which I just love, which I return to regularly or at least long to return to, plan to return to. I somehow doubt I will return to Amsterdam. I just got a feeling of been there, done that and not a feeling of oh-how-I-want-to-return-and-explore-more. Despite the very nice shoes on offer...

Yes, nice shoes, not so interesting when it comes to other garments. Mostly just the same, old boring high street chains you'd find anywhere. The one time I went really excited from looking at a window display it turned out to be a Noa Noa-shop... The other really nice clothes shop I found was so unbelievably expensive I shudder at the thought actually. I would so have liked there to be more of the Copenhagen-style of shops, small designer and handicrafts-shops. I didn't find many of those, at all. Perhaps I was just in the wrong place of things, although it seemed like we walked pretty much all over the city...

The impression of the Amsterdamians where overall quite nice, like Dutch in general they speak English so very well and of course put most Swedes to shame in that area... Although their smoking habits are *slightly* too much for my liking. And well, I don't have to even mention my views on their infamous coffeeshops and red light districts...

On the other hand I do like the impression of the Dutch having an, in general, unpretentious way of living, looking at life. Seeing the opportunities rather than the problems perhaps. Much like my impression of the Danes. And very far from my view of Sweden, Swedes and certain areas of our legislation...

I do like the fact that Dutch, like Danes, cycle a lot. What I don't like is their complete rudeness and inconsiderate behaviour towards traffic rules and pedestrians - ah well, like in Stockholm I suppose... The many trams were quite intimidating, high speed and everywhere including swooshing down crowded pedestrian streets.

When it comes to food we had some really nice meals in different places, in different price ranges. The coffee was way below average in general, sometiems plain average, but never really, really good. What was really good though was the bread, everywhere, all the time. And the fruit juices and fruits, fresh, sweet, invigorating, lovely. I'll return to some of the food highlights of the trip in a later post.

Lots of museums, many lodged in simply amazing buildings, large and small. We visited a few, some really lovely and unusual, one more than rather disappointing. More of that later too.

And now, a few glimpses of a city on water that is not Stockholm - here are some random pictures of an alas gloomy Amsterdam. For more pics, have a look in my Flickr album. The official Amsterdam website you'll find here.

Here They Are...

... this season's witch's boots! I'm so happy that I found them in different nice colours - even though my feet have apparently grown to a size 41 (7) instead of the usual, for years, 39,5-40 (6,5). Or do the Dutch have very small feet...? Well, be as it may, this surely is a case of that size doesn't matter I suppose.

From top to bottom you see olivegreen suede boots with a bit of cute , autumnal trim. I like me shoes and boots, in general and especially this time of the year, with a not too high not too low heel, but these were just too nice to resist...

Then we have my favourites, the red überwitch boots which make me feel like the Wicked Witch of the East for sure. Being the proud ruler of Munchkin country! Although I'm hopefully the more kind kind of witch with very nice footwear. These boots give me a feeling of Moulin Rouge teamed up with hazard players in the Wild West. They make me and my feet really happy.

And then we have another pair of distinctive witch's boots, purple ones with a cute heel. I was looking for blue shoes, but didn't find any which pleased me, so I ended up with these pretty ones instead. Though as the Swedish saying goes, purple/lilac is the colour of The Last Try to get a squeeze before you're a case of feet first. So perhaps I've kind of - subconsciously of course - tried to stay away from that particular colour in garments. Since once you've stepped on the purple-train there's no turning back, then it's just downward to the end station Feet First. Or not. It can just be a pretty, misunderstood colour really. I suppose. Or is it an ominous sign...?