International Snacks Feast-Belgium(3)

Initially,I didn't feel like overlapping the country of this event,International Snakes Feast.Then,I thought that people have their own preference,so even people are from the same country,chances are they'll send different things to me!

This time,the participant is called Zouk.She's from Antwerp,Belgium.She's so sweet that she sent me a beautiful postcard as well.I like it a lot!I'll definitely pay a visit to Antwerp,if I go to Belgium again!

To beging with,there's a tragedy happened.Inside the box,there's a chocolate bar with praliné filling and a chocolate spread.They're kind of both broken a bit,which makes ants attack the parcel so badly.It's kinda freaking to see all the things are covered with ants!I have not idea how horrible it ended up like that,but thank god,apart from those chocolate stuffs,the rest of the snacks are all fine.It's sad that I'm not able to have the chocolate from the chocolate kingdom.I told Zouk that those chocolate things must be so yummy;otherwise,those ants wouldn't be so craving for them!

There's a box of biscuits from Jules Destrooper.They're speculaas again!It's the second time I got speculaas,the previous one was from The Netherlands.They both taste great!I guess speculaas is pretty popular in Europe.Moreover,this's not the first time for me to have the biscuits from this brand.I tried an apple flavor before,that's so amazing,just as Zouk told me,the best Belgian cookies ever!

Besides,there're two packs of sweets.One has a purple appearance,those candies taste like a violet,quite interesting!The other is a coffee flavored sweet.Zouk said that it's kind of a typical thing from Antwerp,her hometown.It even has a cute name called "Arabieren."I shared them with my friends and they all gave good feedback!

Last one is a blue pot of spread.It's some kind of syrup made from apple,date and pear.I feel like it's a bit too sweet.Since it's a fruit-flavored,I think it'd be better if it can have some sort of sourness.

Whoop!Once again,it's a great experience.What are you waiting for?Come join me!


xx

Pierre Marcolini II

Just like I said,I went to Pierre Marcolini again on a weekday last week.This time I had a lunch and a dessert.

To make sure that we have a table at that popular restaurant,we had a reservation.Surprisingly,we were the only two customers when we walked in.Later,there were couples of people came in,but still very empty.I guess that's a good thing to me,since I usually find a crowd of people annoying.

I had "Tian de Légumes et Stoemp Bruxellois",while my friend got "Éclairs aux Asperges et au Saumon."The way they presented those dishes were very artistic.Those three flower-like mashed potato was creamy and a bit sweet,they tasted great with the basil underneath.The parmesan cheese cookie easily soaked up the liquid from the vegetable,which made it too fragile and wet.That was kind of the only tiny flaw.Otherwise,I'm all for it!

My dessert L'Oviedo was just,one word,spectacular!On seeing the chocolate hemisphere melted down,it was like watching a performance by Cirque du Soleil.When the chocolate melted down,a chocolate cake popped up like a surprise.The cake was combined with some nuts and macaroon shells,and those things really gave the cake more textures.

Aw,right!I almost forget to mention that their soup and the hot alcoholic chocolate were so great!When I drink or eat something hot,I like them to be really hot,not just warm.Their soup and hot chocolate just scored!It was interesting to find an alcoholic chocolate on their menu,so I just ordered it right away.It was made from Cuban cocoa and whiskey.You could both taste the denseness of the chocolate and the strong aroma of the whiskey.The whiskey made a great balance with the hot chocolate,which meant it was not cloying at all!

I had been on vacation for a month and this week is the first week of my new semester.I've already felt so tiring about the back-and-forth,I can't imagine how to go through this semester,I kinda start to think about the summer vacation!lol

xx

Pierre Macolini

Tel: 02-2722-0660

Add: 2F,No.19,Song-Gao Rd,Taipei,Taiwan

Milo Milo

On hearing "swedish cuisine,"I suppose it's easy for people to associate that with meatballs from IKEA.Since I've lost my heart to Scandinavian countries for ages,especially Sweden and Finland,I was thrilled to find there's actually a swedish restaurant here apart from IKEA!

It's hard to find an accurate word to describe my passion for everything about Sweden and Finland.They both seem to be so irresistible!Their lifestyle,fashion and music are the main attraction.There're tons of Swedish musicians I love.I'm dying for a trip to there!

I like the atmosphere at Milo Milo,it's kind of chic-but-cozy.To my surprise,they broadcasted a swedish radio show.I was quite into that show,cuz I was excited that I actually understood a few words and some easy sentences from that show.Umm it seems like my efforts in Swedish have paid off a bit.It's no doubt a shot in the arm!

I was amazed by how assorted the swedish cuisine could be on their menu.It's sad that they no longer offered "Gravlax Råraka,"which is a typical swedish dish I've been curious about for a while.The food was absolutely amazing!My salmon was tender and well-cooked (It'd be better if there were two slices of salmon,though!;p)My friend's nachos with mexican salsa sauce tasted great as well.Moreover,their dessert was an A+.I got a chocolate brownie,which was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.Truth is normally I don't like whipped cream,but this one completely captivated me.Suddenly,it even occurred to me that it's no harm to put on pounds for this temptation.

Milo Milo have delicious Swedish food with reasonable price.It's definitely a great spot to be with friends and maybe you'll start a relationship with Sweden right after having a meal at this restaurant.I've a feeling that I'm gonna be their regular customer!


xx

Milo Milo

Tel:02-2740-3066

Add:No.42,Lane 48,Guong-Fu South Rd,Taipei,Taiwan

International Snacks Feast-The Netherlands(2)

Boooom!Here's the second post of International Snacks Feast!Due to Chinese New Year,the post offices here were closed last week,so I didn't get the parcel until now.I was super excited to see a red sticker on my mail box,which means I have a package to get and that totally made my day!

Song-Thanh,an eighteen year-old always smiling girl,who exchanged snacks with me this time,is from the Netherlands.It's really nice to bring back my memory in Amsterdam.I went there like three or four years ago.The pity is that I was there only for three days,which means I didn't have much chance to eat authentically.Thanks for Song-Thanh,she just let me have a deeper look into Dutch culture.

My first impression of the Netherlands is "Drop,"a licorice flavor candy.As my prediction Song-Thanh sent it to me.The truth is I haven't actually heard from any foreigner says that he likes "drop."People look frightened on hearing that word,as if it's Voldemort.On the contrary,Dutch people just love it!Here's an interesting fact Song-Thanh told me that there're many other kinds of drop from sweet to salty,soft to hard!

Now I gotta tell you what I feel:The moment I opened up the drop,the smell seemed quite special in an weird-but-familiar way.Then I put one piece into my mouth,well,to be honest,that was the strangest thing I've ever tasted.I don't hate it but don't like it,either.The reason why I think it smells familiar is that we use licorice as a spice in our cuisine and medicine a lot in Taiwan.I cannot figure out why even if that's not a new thing for me,it's still hard to accept it. Valerie v.s. Drop /0:1 FAILED!

The Dutch snacks which I eat quite often is stroopwafels from Daelmans.I'm used to putting them on a cup of hot coffee or hot tea for five minutes before having it.The stroopwafels becomes moist and the caramel just becomes really soft.Therefore,you can imagine how excited I was on the moment seeing some mini stroopwafels in the parcel!

Another pack of cookies is speculaas,Song-Thanh told me that it contains different spices like pepper,cinnamon,ginger,cloves,cardamon and nutmeg.It has a distinct flavor and I like its aroma.I heard that it's a bit spicy,but this one is not at all.

Besides,there's a box of cute-looking cake with a layer of pink fondant.It's kind of fluffy,I usually prefer a dense and heavy one,but my friend's little sis loves it,you know,pink power!

This exchange makes me have a better acquaintance with Holland,perhaps not genuinely,but it's like a sudden realization.Regardless of my personal preference,it's interesting to find that how taste varies from country to country.

Wanna have some fun together?Can't wait to hear from you!

xx