Hello glittergurl-.

It's been a while. But I'm back from my 20-day vacation in Europe. And since I missed class this morning, I shall do a little update on my recent trip. And what better post to do but one on my Top 10 favorite food.

10. Duck Confit from Restaurant Bouillon Chartier

If you're looking for an authentic Parisian dining experience, this might do the trick. This duck confit did not have any sauce on it (and I usually drench my food in zhap/sauce) but that did not matter because it was still juicy and tasty on it's own.

Address: 7 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre, 75009 Paris
Price of dish: €9
Country: Paris, France
Price spent per pax: €15

9. Four Cheese Pizza and sausage from L' Antica Pizzeria Fratelli RICCI EST! EST!! EST!!!

We immediately fell in love with the texture of the pastry, because even though it wasn't a thin crust pizza (I don't normally eat thick crust pizza, think Pizza Hut and the like, in fact I only eat thin crust pizza these days) but this thick crust pizza won me over because the taste of flour was not too overpowering to make me feel gelat and it gave a good balance to the ingredients. I guess what really did the trick for us was that this pizza was cream/white sauced based which was a good change from the usual tomato based pasta.

Address: Via Genova, 32, 00184 Roma
Price of dish: €10
Country: Roma, Italy
Price spent per pax: €15

8. Squid Ink Pasta from Alfredo's Pasta

I might be a bit bias because I fell ill in Venice and could not really appreciate the flavor of this pasta, but the texture was crazily amazingly there. Nothing quite beats freshly cooked pasta from scratch, and from scratch, I mean even the pasta was made on the spot in the shop. And given that everything else in Venice is probably too expensive, this pasta scored points at only being €6/7. Tell me how can anyone not love affordable and good food?

Address: Calle De La Casseleria, 5324, 30122 Venezia
Price of dish: €7
Country: Venezia, Italy
Price spent per pax: €7

7. Pizza from Pinsere Roma 

This was the pizza that had to be good because we went on two occasions but it was closed and being the adamant people we were, we refused to leave Rome without having tried it. So I walked for a good 20 mins in the morning just to order 6 of these (one of each flavor) and I'm glad they did not disappoint. The unique thing about this pastry (The one important thing I judge a pizza is based on it's pastry, I might be wrong but it's preference) is that it neither tastes like thin crust nor thick crust pastry, to be exact it doesn't even taste like flour but it was so good! (And this was after walking home another good 20 mins before eating it) And if the pastry wasn't good enough, the flavor and ingredients on the pizza blew us away. Every single bite was bursting with flavor and my personal favorite was the potato one. It is no wonder it's the best pizza in Rome.

Address: Via Flavia 98, 00187 Roma
Price of dish: €4.50
Country: Roma, Italy
Price spent per pax: €4.50 

6. Bacon Cheeseburger from Burger AMT

I guess (for me and almost everyone else) what makes a good burger is the patty and this diner nailed it on all counts. The beef patty was super juicy and cooked to perfection. That's why the better burger joints claim that burgers are not fast food, and they really are indeed a work of art. And you have to go to this diner because the brownie points were scored in their fries! Everyone knows I'm a sucker for potatoes, but these ones were really good. And you have to order them alongside the chili cheese sauce, no other way.

Address: Krossener Straße 22, 10245 Berlin
Price of dish: €6
Country: Berlin, Germany
Price spent per pax: €8 

5. Duck Home Made Pasta from Vini e Vecchi Sapori

I like to eat at restaurants recommended by my brother because they never fail, and as expected, this one did not fail me. There were quite a number of mention-worthy dishes we tried, but the duck pasta was the best. It might be the fermented bean (we aren't actually sure if it was inside) but the taste was so unique and the texture of the pasta was just perfect (it seems like the only way to eat pasta in Italy is home-made, no processed ones whatsoever). The ambience was also lovely because it was a cosy italian restaurant, just like the ones you see on the television. And it probably was the best first meal in Rome.

Address: Via Dei Magazzini 3R, 50122 Firenze
Price of dish: €8
Country: Firenze, Italy
Price spent per pax: €20

4. Florentine Steak from Antica Trattoria da Tito 

This does it for all meat lovers, 1.2kg of beef just simply can't go wrong. And one thing I've learnt about having steaks in Italy is that you can only have them rare, no other way. And it is the best way. This steak was so tender that even the fats literally melted in my mouth. Forget Lawry's or Morton's, this is by far the best steak I've tasted in my life. You have to try this in Florence, and even if you wanted to, they might turn you away if you don't have a reservation. 

Address: Via San Gallo, 112r, 50129 Firenze
Price of dish: €42
Country: Firenze, Italy
Price spent per pax: €30

3. Savory Crepe from Au P'tit Grec

I might be bias because I'm a sucker for crepes, but this crepe was definitely the best I tasted in Paris. And if Paris is the home of crepes, then it has to be the best in the world. Okay maybe that's an exaggeration, but it really was so yummy. I guessing it's due to the overload of ingredients it was stuffed with but that doesn't matter because it was perfect to me. I love cheese and overloaded cheese just means overloaded love. Quite apart from being stuffed with goodness, the crepe itself was cooked to crisp. My only regret would not be eating it once more before leaving Paris.

Address: 62 Rue Mouffetard, 75005 Paris
Price of dish: €6
Country: Paris, France
Price spent per pax: €10

2. Black Volcano Rice from Cera 23

Hands down, the best squid ink risotto I have ever tasted in my life. I wouldn't even mind getting my teeth stained and dirty if I could eat this for the rest of my life, it's that good. There's something about the chefs in Cera 23 that they have the ability to only deliver the best. This restaurant was so good that we had our dinner here for three nights straight and I wouldn't leave Barcelona until I had the black volcano rice for one last time.

Address: Carrer de la Cera, 23, 08001 Barcelona 
Price of dish: €14
Country: Barcelona, Spain
Price spent per pax: €28

1. Donor Kebab from Mustafa's Gemüse Kebap

Trust me, I was so conflicted between deciding whether the black volcano rice or the kebab should top my list, but I think I have to give it to the kebab only because it offers just about the same satisfaction as the black volcano rice at a third of it's price. This wrap was so filled with goodness and flavor that I could not stop exclaiming "This is so good!!" with every bite that I took. The 3:2:1 ratio of meat to roasted vegetables to sauce and wrap was perfect. And if a dish has the power to bring me back to a country just to have it, it definitely has to top my list.

Address: Mehringdamm 32, 10961 Berlin
Price of dish: €4
Country: Berlin, Germany
Price spent per pax: €4

Special mentions...

1. Patatas Bravas from B Burger

Jon and I had such a disappointing experience at B Burger because the burger patties were dry and unappetizing but their potatoes with salsa cheese sauce was their only saving grace. It might be the hint of truffle that was in the cheese sauce but it was so appetizing I could have ordered another bowl just for myself. If you could, you should stop by just to their patatas bravas.

Address: Carrer d'Arago, 36, 08015 Barcelona
Price of dish: €3.50
Country: Barcelona, Spain

2. Currywurst 

I won't pinpoint a specific place to get this but you can find it everywhere in Berlin. I love Currywurst even though, in actuality, it's just tomato ketchup with curry powder. But it's so good, you just have to have one every meal.

Price of dish: €3
Country: Berlin, Germany

3. Zucchini Fritters from Cera 23

This could easily qualify as one of my top ten favorite food but it was a daily special so you probably won't get it when you get back to Cera 23, but it was perfection that it's worth a mention. It's basically Zucchini fritters with a super special lobster lisque inside. The fritters were so delicate that they literally melted in my mouth.

Address: Carrer de la Cera, 23, 08001 Barcelona 
Price of dish: €8
Country: Barcelona, Spain

4. Cod Fish from L' Antica Pizzeria Fratelli RICCI EST! EST!! EST!!!

It bore an uncanny resemblance to Harry Ramsden's Fish & Chips. I used to have them all the time when I was really young, something like 5 years old. My parents would always bring us to Kallang to eat this good old fashion British battered fish and chips. Quite frankly, I haven't tasted anything like that in a while.

Address: Via Genova, 32, 00184 Roma
Price of dish: €5
Country: Roma, Italy

Okay, that's all folks! I hope I didn't make you too hungry with this post! (:

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 
Jeremiah 29:13

According to my Instagram, it's been 51 days since I've arrived in Israel. That's about one third of my journey here, and I guess it would be good to do some stock keeping.

While there has been one too many things I've learnt and grown here, there still remains that one thing that I wanted to do on coming here, that is to grow closer to Him, to seek Him more than anything else, to fall completely in Him. Maybe I've already done it, unknowingly.

But yes, I wanted/want to build up my faith. A couple of days ago I was reminded of Matthew 5:13-16, on being the salt and light of the earth. I find myself wondering if I've been that salt and light for Him, have I?

Even as I continue to journey through the next 100 days or so in Israel, it is my prayer that I would continue to seek His face and discover His will in my life, to continue to be the salt and light for Him, to yearn more for His word and to grow in His love.