Food and drink you discovered on holiday

[baldrick]

Bought some random pastries one day in a bakery in Athens. One of them was spanakopita. Oh my days. Always look out for it now on menus.

Also banh mi in Vietnam. There was a big queue for a food cart in the same street as our hotel in HCMC. Figured if the queue was long whatever they were serving was good. It was. Have since seen the same food cart on an episode of somebody feed Phil Since then we've come across one or two banh mi places but the bread isn't the same. Bloody French people and their amazing bread

 

[The39thStep]

I think the French invented them. When I lived in Spain the croissant weren't as good as the French ones but were a very palatable next best.

And this brings me to Spanish food generally. I, as is obvious I think, fell in love with Spain, my heart remains there. I love the food and wine there. The only thing I don't especially like is Cruzcampo. It seems to be becoming popular in Scotland, but it's really not very good. Nor is San Miguel, which I don't recall seeing any Spaniard drinking.

ETA croissants were invented in Vienna.

Cruzcampo is brewed at the Heineken factory in Manchester. I think San Miguel is brewed in the UK by Carlsberg. Madri is brewed in Northamptonshire.

 

[dessiato]

Cruzcampo is brewed at the Heineken factory in Manchester. I think San Miguel is brewed in the UK by Carlsberg. Madri is brewed in Northamptonshire.

Madri, despite implying it's Madrileño origins, doesn't exist in Spain. Cruzcampo is also brewed just outside Malaga Airport, San Miguel in Barcelona.

I drank Cruzcampo only because it was so widely available and choices were very limited. I never saw any of my Spanish friends drink San Miguel when I lived in Spain. I think it's more popular in England than in "my" part of Spain.

I always preferred Estrella Damme or Galicia, but first choice for everyday beer was Vittoria de Malaga.

 

[ouirdeaux]

My favourite beer is a Belgian one called Rodenbach. But I can't find it in the UK. Very rarely, and for silly money, you come across Rodenbach Grand Cru, but it's not as nice as the standard version.

 

[Artaxerxes]

My favourite beer is a Belgian one called Rodenbach. But I can't find it in the UK. Very rarely, and for silly money, you come across Rodenbach Grand Cru, but it's not as nice as the standard version.

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[The39thStep]

Madri, despite implying it's Madrileño origins, doesn't exist in Spain. Cruzcampo is also brewed just outside Malaga Airport, San Miguel in Barcelona.

I drank Cruzcampo only because it was so widely available and choices were very limited. I never saw any of my Spanish friends drink San Miguel when I lived in Spain. I think it's more popular in England than in "my" part of Spain.

I always preferred Estrella Damme or Galicia, but first choice for everyday beer was Vittoria de Malaga.

Vittoria is a nice beer. I've only ever seen it in bottles. I quite like Mahou. The last time I was in Barcelona, some ten years ago, I had some pleasant microbrewery beers both blonde and black but I can't remember who made them.

 

[shakespearegirl]

... that has become a bit of a fixture?

For us it has to be Vino Verde from Portugal, first introduced to us by airbnb host in Porto who left a bottle in the fridge for us. Often referred to at home as 'Vino Greeno' it has become a bit of a summer drinking staple. Albeit seems relatively hard to find this year, wondering if the grape harvest in Portugal has not been great lately.

plenty of vino verde available here in Portugal, maybe the new import rules to UK are lowering availability there. It’s know here as driving wine, due to to the ‘relatively’ low alcohol content

 

[dessiato]

Vittoria is a nice beer. I've only ever seen it in bottles. I quite like Mahou. The last time I was in Barcelona, some ten years ago, I had some pleasant microbrewery beers both blonde and black but I can't remember who made them.

There’s some good microbreweries in Spain now. I always drank Cordobeer IPA when I could find it, but it is very much a local to Córdoba beer. Mahou is very nice, IMO, second to Vittoria, and not by much.

 

[The39thStep]

plenty of vino verde available here in Portugal, maybe the new import rules to UK are lowering availability there. It’s know here as driving wine, due to to the ‘relatively’ low alcohol content

UK is the third biggest market for Portuguese wine in general . France first and then the States.

 

[pinkmonkey]

Bought some random pastries one day in a bakery in Athens. One of them was spanakopita. Oh my days. Always look out for it now on menus.

Also banh mi in Vietnam. There was a big queue for a food cart in the same street as our hotel in HCMC. Figured if the queue was long whatever they were serving was good. It was. Have since seen the same food cart on an episode of somebody feed Phil Since then we've come across one or two banh mi places but the bread isn't the same. Bloody French people and their amazing bread

I went to Vietnam quite a bit, but never got a Bahn Mi, . My clients were two Scotsmen who were mad for chilli heat so we'd either eat at a Vietnamese place (the hotter the food the better) or this small local Thai, that I swear was in someones house. The factory I worked with there the most, the owners were Sikhs from Thailand and they knew the family, they told us they used to cook for the Thai royal family, bullshit or not, I don't know, it was excellent, but I'd rather have eaten Vietnamese, because I was there.

 

[pinkmonkey]

plenty of vino verde available here in Portugal, maybe the new import rules to UK are lowering availability there. It’s know here as driving wine, due to to the ‘relatively’ low alcohol content

My Portuguese agent said he didn't think it travelled very well. I've got fond memories of driving around the hilly Felguieras area where the factories are and also where some of the vineyards are, stuck behind a truck with the green grapes piled high and spilling all over the road, every time it hit a bump.

 

[pinkmonkey]

plenty of vino verde available here in Portugal, maybe the new import rules to UK are lowering availability there. It’s know here as driving wine, due to to the ‘relatively’ low alcohol content

Yeah, I've also got memories (maybe not fond) of whoever I was working with driving after a couple of glasses, around those hilly roads around Felguieras.

 

[Spymaster]

Currywurst. My first time in Berlin and oh my days. I have a favourite imbiss to get it from now, Curry 36 next to Bahnhof Zoo. I've tried imitations here but they're not the same

A good German currywurst is about as fine as fast food gets.

 

[ouirdeaux]

Oh, come on. There are far better German sausages. And ketchup with raw curry powder? It's edible, but primitive.

 

[Mrs Miggins]

Interesting! I have so much sage in my garden I've been wondering what to do with it. There are lots of different types of sage though!

It's really lovely. Way nicer than I expected it to be. I guess it's just normal tea, steeped with some fresh sage and taken with lots of sugar.

 

[Gromit]

If anyone knows how to get Hokkaido cheese tarts here in the UK I’d be most grateful.

How they are not a thing here when Wagu steaks are. I guess the cheese doesn’t travel well.

 

[Artaxerxes]

If anyone knows how to get Hokkaido cheese tarts here in the UK I’d be most grateful.

How they are not a thing here when Wagu steaks are. I guess the cheese doesn’t travel well.

Those sound lush.

I’m always after nice rice crackers, not fucking snack a jacks, proper ones.

 

[ouirdeaux]

Now I wonder if all the rice crackers I've eaten were improper ones. They probably were, as they weren't very memorable.

 

[Gromit]

Those sound lush.

They are. I may actually have to experiment with making them myself.

I’m not convinced that Philadelphia and Parmesan will mimic the flavour of Hokkaido cream cheese (as one recipe suggests).

 

[baldrick]

I went to Vietnam quite a bit, but never got a Bahn Mi, . My clients were two Scotsmen who were mad for chilli heat so we'd either eat at a Vietnamese place (the hotter the food the better) or this small local Thai, that I swear was in someones house. The factory I worked with there the most, the owners were Sikhs from Thailand and they knew the family, they told us they used to cook for the Thai royal family, bullshit or not, I don't know, it was excellent, but I'd rather have eaten Vietnamese, because I was there.

That's a shame, I had some great food in Vietnam.

 

[Pickman's model]

Pasta con le sarde, a great sicilian dish

 

[Winot]

That's a shame, I had some great food in Vietnam.

Vietnamese food is some of the best I've had on holiday. Have never found it as good outside of Vietnam.

 

[Cloo]

plenty of vino verde available here in Portugal, maybe the new import rules to UK are lowering availability there. It’s know here as driving wine, due to to the ‘relatively’ low alcohol content

Yeah, import rules would also presumably explain why Aldi suddenly has fewer European wines in general, which is a shame as it was a good place for them and gsv and I try to avoid 'New World' produce of any kind because of the air miles.

 

[seeformiles]

Pumpernickel
Sweet Mustard
All manner of German Sausage
Paprika Crisps

 

[ouirdeaux]

German bread generally. All the different kinds. Why can't we have nice things like that?

 

[Poot]

Tostada con tomate. I don't even like tomatoes that much and it's by far the worst part of a FEB. But in 30 degree heat with a good strong coffee it's the best breakfast ever

 

[ash]

Tostada con tomate. I don't even like tomatoes that much and it's by far the worst part of a FEB. But in 30 degree heat with a good strong coffee it's the best breakfast ever

With olive oil and lots of pepper. I’ve made it at home too when I can get good tomatoes from the market

 

[tonysingh]

Oh, come on. There are far better German sausages. And ketchup with raw curry powder? It's edible, but primitive.

Sorry sausage lord.

Good currywurst is supposed to be cheap. If you used premium wurst, it'd not be the same.

 

[tonysingh]

Chili dogs in DC....they made an impression. The ones you occasionally find in faux septic restaurants here are nought but flaccid imitations.

 

[baldrick]

Vietnamese food is some of the best I've had on holiday. Have never found it as good outside of Vietnam.

No me either. I suspect part of it is ingredients - difficult to obtain, especially fresh and/or expensive. No one is going to spend £30 on a dish you can buy in any hole in the wall place. Same as anywhere I suppose - the fruit and veg you get here, like tomatoes, are a pale imitation of the stuff you can get in Spain or Italy or Greece.