Barcelona, foodies where to go? My insights for you! Part 2

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Barcelona, my insights for you!

Part 2 I ARROS I PEIX, Barcelona - Spain

Hey guys,

I decided to do a series of places to go for foodies in my blog, when coming to Barcelona. Part 1 was uploaded last week, if you haven't read it yet make sure you don't miss it by clicking on: Part 1 Barcelona, my insights for you.

When traveling to Barcelona, one thing you should not miss is to visit a fish restaurant. 

The best experience I made when it comes to eating fish in Barcelona was at the amazing ARROS I PEIX.

The restaurant caught my attention, when we were walking down via Laietana. The restaurant has a big wide glass front, where you can directly take a look at their fresh In-House fish market.

The friendly service team saw that I wanted to make a picture of the fish market from the street and welcomed me to have a look in the restaurant to make a better picture. It has just been opened up, so we decided to make a reservation for the evening.

As we arrived on the evening we were greeted by the friendly service personal with a glass of bubbly Cava. Then the service member explained to use the In-House fish market. You can choose from the fresh fish presented what you like, which I really loved because you can taste from every fish a bit. You pay by the weight, the fish portion you choose will be weighted in front of you so you can also add some more or even less which is a great unique service.

This is exactly what makes the concept so great, you have this impressive fresh fish market, while having your glass of Cava you get everything explained and then you can decide what you would like to have and how you would like to have it cooked. 

Also they offer a menue where you can order fantastic side dishes and of course they have a wine list where a service member will help you out with the decision which wine to pick for your dish.

The restaurant itself is really modern and threw the glass front you can directly see the street, which makes a really nice atmosphere. 

We had a great time there and the best fish I eaten so far in Barcelona, I can only recommend this place for a dinner or lunch. Check the opening hours for more information on the homepage of the restaurant.

I talked to the director and he was mentioning that they have some more restaurants in Spain. You can also find out on their homepage. 

Cheers,

Melaines-Insights

www.melaines-insights.com

Barcelona, foodies - where to go? My insights for you! Part 1

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Barcelona, foodies - my insights for you!

Part 1 I Brunch & Cake, Barcelona - Spain

Hey guys,

as mentioned in my last posting already Barcelona is a place for foodies. There is really everything you need and wish for in this wonderful city. 

So I decided to start my series for foodies in Barcelona with a wonderful place- called "Brunch & Cake".

As the name is already telling you, the perfect place for spending a nice long morning with brunch and cake and your loved ones! 

As I love superfoods and love healthy breakfast I felt totally in love with this place. The philosophy is that they use wherever possible organic or locally sourced ingredients for their dishes. You can definitely feel this passion behind the concept in every detail of your stay. Keep the great work up Manex & Team! 

The idea behind the concept, which they describe as "in grandmother we trust". Which means explained : make absolutely everything by hand and slowly, with care. Be

honest and use the best possible ingredients. And this you can taste for sure in their high quality dishes they serve.

I loved how they present and decorated the dishes, this is what I would call "foodporn". Totally insane, make sure you also check one of the smoothies they offer. Mine was looking like a sparkling unicorn was falling into it :-) I posted a video of it on my fb page. 

They don't do reservations, so better be an early bird as it is really popular. We got there at 10.00 and luckily caught the last free table. 

They run a few stores in Barcelona, to check it out please click on Brunch & Cake for more information where the stores are located.

Cheers,

Melaines-Insights

www.melaines-insights.com

Grand Hotel Central Barcelona - my insights for you!

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Where to stay in Barcelona? my answer definitely Grand Hotel Central Barcelona! My insights for you!

Hey guys,

I just came back from an amazing road trip, which also lead us to one of my favorite European cities: Barcelona, Spain!

The city has so many attractions and spots to explore, you should calculate at least 4 days for your stay in this amazing city.

Where to stay? Its always a big question, it was my third time and I have to admit this is the best hotel so far I stayed in Barcelona. There are many reasons for it. But first things first. Its all about the location, location and location where you stay, right?  As the name is already hiding it: "central" is the name of the game.It combines the amenities and luxuries of a five-star hotel with a sense of style and elegance.

Your only 10 minutes walk away from the beach and your in middle of the heart from the city and my favorite city parts are just around the corner "El Born" and "Gothic district". We could do everything by feet, which also makes you experience the city more and I can only recommend it to you to do so. They also offer you always a cap and a private shuttle upon request.

The Grand Hotel Central Barcelona has 147 spacious rooms and suites to offer. 

We stayed at an executive room, which was totally elegant and comfortable with the best view to the streets of the Gothic quarter (Room 509). The room offered had a Nespresso machine, which I found quite nice in the mornings to wake up.

The highlight for me (beside the fantastic service and style of the hotel itself) was the roof top terrace with the infinity pool. 

This was one of the best views I ever experienced. The best part the roof top is only accessible for the hotel guest till 9.00 p.m. It was never crowded, so we could do sun bathing and pooling without any problem. Also we got always a table for drinks at the skybar lounge.

We loved to have a sun downer at the sky bar and the perfect recommendation was the Cava Rose. 

For the evening I would recommend you to place a reservation for the "skybar" dinner and enjoy this fantastic romantic experience.

They also offer a city restaurant, which has as the skybar restaurant great market-fresh Mediterranean cuisine. Always recognisable and abundant.

As Barcelona is a place for foodies, they also offer a gym, which I used and has everything in it you need for your health. If your tired from exploring and the weather is not so nice, they offer also a wellness experience.

So what are you waiting for? Pack your bags and book your trip to Barcelona!

Link is included in the headline, by clicking on it you will be forwarded to the hotel homepage.

Cheers,

Melaines-Insights

www.melaines-insights.com

Eyescream and friends - my insights for you !

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Eyescream and friends - Barcelona, Spain, my insights for you!

Hey guys,

one thing to know about Barcelona beside the great city life and the beautiful architecture and location - it is definitely a town for food lovers.

I just returned from our beautiful road trip and I will update you with one of the best places you can go for enjoying ice cream. 

I scream, you scream, everybody is screaming for ice cream.

When I heard the first time of "eyescream" I was a bit irritated what to expect from it. One of the best ice creams ("Eyescream") in Barcelona I could experience was the outcome of my visit.

I like people who are thinking out of the box as the founder Joad Lopez and Federico Mendoza definitely did with their ice cream concept store. They opened up there first flagship store 2012 in Barcelona, in the meanwhile they have huge success with their business all over the globe. 

Starting in 2016, the first eyescream and friends franchise stores have made their grand openings in international locations bringing you the cleverly unique eyescream and friends experience. So there is still hope for me that I will get an "eyescream and friends" store soon in Munich. 

How it works? You pick your tray, then you choose your flavor add two toppings your choice and then simply enjoy it. What makes it even more attractive is the location in Barcelona, you can enjoy your ice cream while walking around the harbor or beach. 

I was going for vanilla flavor, first topping was cinnamon and second was white chocolate. It was simply delicious and a fun experience I can everybody recommend to go for.

I totally fall in love with the eyescreaming to eat.

Location where you find the eyescream and friends. 
For more information please click here: eyescream and friends.

Cheers,

Melaines-Insights

www.melaines-insights.com

Asparagus risotto - recipe, my insights for you!

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Asparagus risotto - easy and ready to be served in 30 min, vegetarian! my insights for you!

Hey guys,

asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables and finally its asparagus season again.

I have to admit that Im only into the green asparagus, so today I will write about one of my favorite recipes with asparagus "risotto with asparagus".

Its vegetarian and totally easy to make, ready to be served in 30 min.

Ingredients (2 persons)

Asparagus (you only need the half for two persons, 250 g)

Risotto rice (you only need the half for two persons, 250 g)

Onion (you only need the half for two persons)

White wine (I prefer "Lugana", around 2 cups, the rest you can save for yourself for drinking later when dinner is ready)

Parmesan (60 g)

Not pictured: Butter (slice), pepper, salt and 1/2 liter of vegetable stock.

Recipe (2 persons)

1. Chop your washed asparagus stalks into tiny discs,
    keeping the tips whole.
2. Chop your onion into small pieces. 
3. Bring the vegetable stock to simmer in a sauce pan.
4. Put the butter in a separate large pan, add the onion and 
    the asparagus and cook very gently for about 5 minutes, 
    without colouring, until soft. Add the rice (it will sizzle) 
    and turn up the heat. Don't let the rice or veg catch on 
    the bottom of the pan, so keep it moving.
5. Quickly pour in the wine. You will smell the alcohol 
    immediately, so keep stirring all the time until it has 
    evaporated, leaving the rice with a lovely perfume.
6. Add the stock to the rice a ladle at a time, stirring and 
    waiting until it has been fully absorbed before adding the 
    next. Turn the heat down to low so the rice doesn't cook 
    too quickly, otherwise the outside of each grain will be 
    stodgy and the inside hard and nutty (you don't want to 
    cook it too slowly either, or it will turn into rice 
    pudding!) and continue to add ladlefuls of stock until it   
    has all be absorbed. This should take about 14 to 15
    minutes and give you rice that is beginning to soften but
    is still a little al dente. 
7. Turn off the heat, beat in your parmesan and a slice of
    butter. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if
    needed. 
8. Put a lid on the pan and leave the risotto to rest for a 
    minute.
9. Serve with a bit of fresh pepper and a block of parmesan
    on the table.
  
I prefer to serve the white wine, which I used for cooking with the dinner.  

Enjoy your asparagus risotto!

Cheers,

Melaines-Insights

www.melaines-insights.com

Long weekend - how about a getaway to beautiful South Tyrol, Italy ? my insights !

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Inspiration for your next vacation? My insights village Tirolo, Italy!

Hey guys,

one advantage of living in Munich is that you are so close to Italy. There is a saying that Munich is the northernmost city of Italy and probably thats one of the many reasons why the lifestyle of Italy is so attractive to us and we use every long weekend spending some time in Italy.

Meran, this is how the Italians call it "Merano", is located in South Tyrol, Italy. This region is very popular for hiking, mountain biking and of course for its incredible wine region! Not to forget to mention the insane food options they offer you there.

As Meran is the second largest city (after Bozen) with 40.000 population, I do like to visit the beautiful city but I rather stay up in the mountains at the wonderful village Tirolo. Its just a peace of heaven in the Italian Alps. 

You can reach Meran by car in 15 min from there, but more easy by walking 5 min to the lift station Tirolo and getting lifted over the vineyards directly into the city center of Meran. The lift is open till 8.00 p.m. in the evening, so you can go for drinks and shopping and can get easily back to your hotel.

For all hiking enthusiats there is also a great direct panoramic way from the village Tirolo to Meran. 

Where to stay?

One of my favorite places to stay in Tirolo is the wonderful Hotel "Gartner". 

It is a wonderful modern Design hotel, hosted by family Gartner. The Gartner family are really charming and lovely persons, which make you feel more then a friend instead of a guest while being there. 

The Ambience of the hotel is modern but at the same time classic. I totally fall in love with the great sense of style the Gartner family has.

Already included in the room rates is a wonderful high quality breakfast buffet and on the evening an unforgettable dining experience. 

One of the most prominent figures on the South Tyrolean culinary scene swings his wooden spoons in Gartner’s cuisine: Christoph Santer. He puts great stress on a light Mediterranean and genuine style of cooking. Together with his team, he creates every day new superb and particular dishes. In a trendy, original but always traditional style, according to Hotel Gartner’s philosophy.

We really enjoyed after dinner sitting at the stylish bar and drinking some cocktails or finishing our great wine we had for dinner. For everybody who is into chess, they have a wonderful chess table close to the bar ;-)

After hiking, shopping, exploring Meran or biking they have a great outdoor area (as well as indoor) for relaxing. The pool and garden area has a wonderful view overlooking Meran.

For everybody who is into fitness, they offer also a own fitness program as well as hiking tours - just ask the nice hosts for any advices. Also they have a own Gartner Hotel newspaper with daily recommendations for their guests.

As always links are included in the text, by clicking on the word you will be forwarded to the page. 

So what are you waiting for? Pack your bags and off to beautiful village Tirolo, Italy ! 

Cheers,

Melaines-Insights

www.melaines-insights.com