Friday, April 26, 2024

24April24 Amsterdam - To Eat 24Apr24 (Uncommon Coffee, Foodhallen, Hummingbird Specialty Coffee,Van Stapele Koekmakerij)

Amsterdam - To Do
 Amsterdam - To Eat
 Amsterdam - To Buy

Amsterdam - To Eat
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 Uncommon Coffee Amsterdam
*Recommended by coffee enthusiast Andrew.T and featured on socials as well.*
Andrew's Pick for NYC  - Suited
 
Ordered on
24April24
Full bodied, bold cup toasting like dark chocolate, orange zest & molasses.
Two Latte's with Choice of change to Oat Milk at no additional charge €4.7 each.
Chocolate Croissant
Banana Bread €9.5
Toasted banan bread, tahini date ice-cream, honey(less_ comb, drunken fig, cocao nibs & dark chocolate ganache.
*This was the way a humble Banana bread should be dressed up. One of the most humbled and unique dining experience in a 19th century male toilet is in The Attendant in London for their breakfast offerings. Their simple banana bread was a fond memory.*
Total €25.0 with tip
Service 4/5
Ambience 3/5
(Very minimalist)
Value 4/5
Food 4/5
Am no barista but I did enjoy a large cuppa here. Its nice there's no additional charge of Oat Milk alternative. The chocolate croissant could have been heated and okay at best. Their Banana bread was an art piece of beauty and two thumbs up. Ice-cream, amazing.

Nice, nearby (relatively to where you stay) opens early at 8/9am. Its opposite my regular fish shop Vishandel Smit, that still does free vacuuming services all these years and the supermarket. Great for a stop over before heading out or on the way back.
 
Foodhallen
Think something like Mache in Singapore. A large food hall with various food diners. Its more akin to Mackie Mayor in Manchester. An *ATAS*(fancy) food court with varied food options. 
@Foodhallen (Bitterballen)

The only reason to head here was to try Bitterballen, a popular Dutch snack made by thickening a meat stew with roux and beef stock, chilling it until firm, rolling it into balls, breading, and frying them.

It seemed to have a pretty good queue and went for the simple sampler. 5balls sampler at €8.25 (Bitterballen sauce is basically their sweet mustard. Their standard mustard is more wasabi spice and comes free)

Nice presentation, we couldn't really distinct each flavor from the next but experience of this local favorite is checked. Its more akin to a Japanese fried croquette with flavored mash interior.
@Foodhallen(The Butcher)
Daddy Burger €15.0
There were cheaper options but it was a good hefty burger none the less. Bacon a little salty but still excellent.
Lots of food options of all nationalities with many for sharing and sampling. Nice atmosphere and checking out this place for a variety of eats for sharing.
 
Hummingbird
(Specialty Coffee)
Opens 9am
Recommend by Andrew.T & popular among coffee enthusiasts

"We are a Specialty Coffee Bar with a multi-roaster approach. We curate coffees from around the world. Every month we have at least one new coffee brand on the shelf. We are proud to say that since the beginning of 2021 Onyx Coffee Lab became our home roaster and created our own Onyx Hummingbird Blend! You can buy all our coffees online and in our shop. If you have the chance, stop by our shop to first try the one you would like to buy! Every coffee we sell, we serve too!

All for the love of specialty coffee!" - Hummingbird

 
 Ordered On
25April24
Cappuccino  €4.20

*Good froth to the milk and layered nuances to the coffee blend. Gotta learn from the masters what to look for in specialty coffees. A nice quaint place for coffee and people watching. Not a whole lot of sitting area.*
Food na
Service na
Ambience 3.5/5
Value 3.5/5
 
Van Stapele Koekmakerij
(Famously known for their signature chocolate cookie)
Opens10am
*The crowd at 10mins door open was three. Three mins to doors open this was the massive crowd and apparently the crowd stays like this the entire day. Apparently one can pre-order and just pick up.*

*Heating instructions*
Ordered On
25April24
€3/cookie. The Box goes for €5. Its more value to go for box set of 6 or 8.
*Soft gooey center that runs. A sweet chewy chocolate that eggs you to go for another bite. Perfect with a cuppa and just about right sized. A single one should fulfil your sweet tooth needs for the day.*
Another one of those famous stalls that I'd say its worth to try if there's no need to queue. I went at doors open and it took all of 5mins. The queues reportedly from others moves pretty fast. Try to pre-order online for pick and go if wanting to give this a try.
Click here for ABBA location of Van Stapele Koekmakerij
 
Cafe Loetje 
(Still just as good from almost 10years back)
*There's definitely shrinkflation compounded with inflation compared to back then but the addition of the white bread to enjoy all that amazing sauce is simply fantastic*
Click here for full Cafe Loetje review.

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Saturday, April 6, 2024

Haneda - To Do 06April24 (Sakura Season Shinagawa Grand Prince Hotel Garden, Meguro River)

Haneda - To Stay
Haneda - To Do
Haneda - To Eat
Japan - To Buy

Haneda - To Do
 Grand Prince Hotel Garden
(A hidden Gem to look within for a piece of zen)
 
A beautiful garden with plenty of photo worthy spots to enjoy the Sakura season. When nightfall, the music and lights makes the place come alive. A peaceful, zen space to be enjoyed by all. Well worth to check out!

Here are some other popular locations for Sakura Viewing!

 
Meguro River



This came up as a particular popular location to check out particularly for the night light up. Unfortunately our arrival was after the festival dates and there was no light up. Sakura trees do line the wide river bank and may not have as quaint a charm as Kyoto's famous Philosopher's walk but does have its own picturesque charm. Recommended to come during day time!
Click here for ABBA location of Meguro River
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Saturday, March 23, 2024

SFO - To Eat 21Mar24 (New Thai Elephant, Surisan, Krispy Krunchy Chicken)

 

San Francisco - To Stay
San Francisco - To Do
San Francisco - To Eat


SFO - To Eat
IG @ABBATRAVELS

New Thai Elephant
10% discount for aircrew
(Closes 2130hrs)
Ordered On:
21March24
Large serving portions. Probably about 1/1/2 serving size depending on how big a eater you are.

(pictured) Roasted Duck Fried Rice USD14.75 - Bits of duck but could've used more meat.
Crab Meat Fried Rice USD14.75 - Nice chunky crab meat in the rice.
Pineapple Fried Rice USD14.50 - Juicy large chunks of pineapple.
All fried rice was meh at best but they are very large portions and can feed a meal or meal and a half.
Food 3/5
Value 4/5
Service na
Ambience  na


Surisan
Reported pretty good especially their instant noodles with their millionaire bacon.
Ordered On:
22March24
Pricey and their Khim Chi Fried rice and Bulgougi Fried rice 22USD Each though large portioned but were a little on the wet side and lacked the distinct taste of a good fry. Not worth the asking price.

Their fried chicken were really good. Well fried and crispy with a random pick of chick drum or wing. The Sweet & Spicy and probably Soy&Garlic were the best picks and their accompanying pickles were well prepared too. For the price, too steep at 30USD for 12 pieces. Their bacon in their Korean style spicy tofu soup I felt over powered the dish completely.
Food 3.5/5
Value 3/5
Service na
Ambience  na
 
Krispy Krunchy Chicken
Ordered On:
23March24
Chicken have a thin crispy batter but are salty. Almost unpleasantly salty but goes well with their hot sauce which is more of a sweet chili sauce. Their biscuits are a little flat and loose out to the fluffier variety often had in Texas Chicken.
Food 2.5/5
Value 3.5/5
Service na
Ambience  na
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