Lake Głębokie | Szczecin

Not far from the city centre of Szczecin lies the picturesque Lake Głębokie (pronounced as Gwembokia) surrounded by the woods. It is a perfect place to get away from any city stress and be close to nature. The locals like to go there to cycle, run, fish, swim, chill and read. It is also a great place for bond fire gathering with a big group of friends as they have wooden huts dotted around the banks of the lake and areas to light up the fire to keep warm or barbecue some food. It was a really good experience being able to live like the locals for a short while I was there.

The beautiful Lake Głębokie

We had a really long walk around the lake to find the best spot for our evening of just hanging out by the lake and burning dry wood from found in the forest to make our dinner. All we needed to bring were some drinks, sausages, bread, ogorki (pickled cucumber) and some sauces.  The rest, we get them all natural. We even made skewers out of tree branches made pointed with a knife.

Duck in the swamp

Starting the fire

I must say, I really enjoyed watching the sausage fat drip out, the skin change colour and crisp up. Even toasting the bread on open fire was interesting. It makes cooking dinner so much more exciting, even made eating such simple food satisfying. I got a little nostalgic of my teenage girl scouts camping time. Another beautiful memory for future nostalgia.

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Rose Garden, Polish styled Kebab then salsa! | Szczecin

Kasprowicza Park

Apart from the beautiful Pomeranian Dukes' Castle and it's restaurant, the Rose Garden at Kasprowicza  Park is also a must see in Szczecin. It is quite impressive to see carpets full of roses and in so many different varieties. I've only remember seeing maybe two types in the florist. But there were more than a dozen species; some small, some big, they come in a multitude of colours, and each of them smelled different! Yes, I went around smelling each species. It was quite an eye opener. Our friend told us that we came slightly late otherwise, it would have been more colourful during its blooming season.

The Rose Garden, a rose paradise.

The bubble man impressing the kids in the park

I felt like a kid again when I see those bubbles. It was my favourite when I was a child, I would not get bored of it. I know exactly why those children were so happy, bobbing up and down trying to reach the rainbow coloured bubbles.

Cafe on wheels is a great idea and it proved popular.

Szejk Bar for kebab

After our long walk in the park and to the Rose Garden and catching up with some friends after a cuppa, off we go for our salsa fix! But first, we needed some food so M took me to a kebab place that he likes. I thought, why would I want kebab in Poland?



I was a little sceptical about having kebab in Poland initially but I was quickly won over by the quality and taste. It was nothing like the greasy kebab we have in London after a late night. There was seating and very fresh salad on the side with lots of dill (obviously). It also came with two different sauces, one red mildly spicy sauce and another was the garlic mayo. I really thought it was going to be one of the 'why am I in a KFC in Poland' experience we had on my first trip to Poland a few years back. Lucky this turned out well, otherwise the rather flexible but dislike terrible food me will be grumpy all night. Plus, you can even order cold beer to have it with your kebab, something you never get at a Turkish kebab shop.

Chicken Doner with salad was very juice and good indeed.

Steak with salad was slightly too salty for my liking but was tasty and tender.

Rocker Club for salsa on a Sunday

For those of you who are salsa or Latin dance lovers like us, this is the place to be on a Sunday. I am not sure what it's like on a Saturday night but Sunday was pretty awesome for us, dancing throughout the night amongst the many good salseros. It was also not too packed so there was enough space to move around and not jab our styling arms into someone else's face or step on any foot. I was told that this club is where the local celebrities hangout therefore the many framed photos hung on the wall. Celebrities or not, I thought it was a great place to be and we had an amazing time there, with a good mix of music; salsa, bachata, cha cha and even raggaeton.

Rocker Club

Ul. Partyzantów 2,
Szczecin

Tel: (+48) 91 488 5500

Bar Szejk
Al. Independence 23
70-412 Szczecin

Tel: (+48) 91 812 39 88

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2 hours train for dinner at Restauracja Opera | Szczecin

The Opera Restaurant formerly known as the Kuncu Corridor is situated on the beautiful Pomeranian Dukes' Castle ground. The castle was rebuilt after war and has since became the administrative and cultural institute aimed to promote artistic events. The first time I visited, there was a concert going on and we were not allowed to visit but was lucky enough to be let through later on for a quick browse since M told the guards that I came from very far away and it would be ashamed not to be able to see the beautiful architecture. It is obvious I am not European. I am really glad they were nice enough to let us through so we managed to experience the very romantic space especially with the lovely live music playing.

The Pomeranian Dukes' Castle (photo courtesy of Marcin Bauer)

In the square of The Pomeranian Dukes' Castle (photo courtesy of Marcin Bauer)

Look who's happy!! (photo courtesy of Marcin Bauer)

At the restaurant entrance (photo courtesy of Marcin Bauer)

This time back in Szczecin after a 2 hours train ride from Berlin and a short rest, it was a real blessing to be back on the castle grounds and dine in the restaurant for a combine catch up with some mates and my birthday dinner. The interior has Gothic vaults and walls styled by one of the best Polish designers Ryszard Kaja. The restaurant has quite an intimate space and has live piano and jazz music from Thursdays to Saturdays. Food here has won several awards for its Polish cuisine

Marynowana plers kurczaka w miodzie drahimskimi i kremie balsamicznym podowana

Chicken with skin wedges in balsamic cream and potatoes

Szynka z dzika po polsku - 3 dni przed podeniem marynowana w winie i korzeniach podawana z clemnym sosem i ziemniakami

Roasted ham of wild boar (marinated in wine for 3 days) served with dark sauce and potatoes were very tender and tasty

Blust kaczy duscony w wermucie, podawany z sosem sliwkowym z dodatkiem mlodu drahimskiego z kluseczkami

Duck breast in plum sauce was perfectly cooked

Moist baked halibut with cherry tomatoes

Apple pie and ice cream with a candle!! :) (photo courtesy of Marcin Bauer)

I would really recommend this restaurant for its ambience, good food and good service.

Restauracja Opera
(Formerly the Kuncu Corridor)
70-540 Szczecin
Pomeranian Dukes' Castle
Street. Corsair 34

70-540 Szczecin
Zamek Książąt Pomorskich
ul. Korsarzy 34

Tel: (+48) 601 732 300, (+48) 91 434 17 10 

Open daily from 11:00-23:00

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Poznań and My Bodyguards

The trip to Poznan was rather relaxing. There was no plan. Normally when I travel, there is a rough plan as to where I want to go, what I want to see and workout the most efficient way to see the top priority places and restaurants. This time, I left it open to be free and easy partly because I will be the only girl, with 6 other guys. So I did not even research on restaurants for the best local cuisine. I thought it is better not to know so I will never know what I missed. But I did have a backup. I downloaded a PDF document on to my iPhone in case they all decided to sit in the flat drinking beers and not do anything else other than play Diablo or something. Lucky, that did not happen.

The train to Poznan was an interesting ride. I have never sat on an old school train with separate cabins before. It was perfect cause all 6 of us had a cabin to ourselves throughout the journey, as if we reserved a private cabin.

On our arrival, our very competent host brought us to his flat to leave our bags and chill a little while before we head out for lunch. I was very intrigued when he brought us to some alley way in the old town, away from the main square, to a really cool Mexican restaurant. I love restaurants or cafes that are tucked away from the tourists which are quaint and unique. We all ordered the fajitas but I was the only one who ordered the hot version. The rest either had mild or medium. It was the real Mexican stuff, freakishly hot but I loved it since my tongue is pretty tuned to hot and spicy food. So beware when you order. Also, remember to order the Sernik (cheese cake) for dessert. It comes with a pretty entertaining surprise!!

The Mexican Restaurant entrance

The interior of The Mexican. I like their creative use of beer bottles.

Wasn't keeping up with my bodyguards (far left). Pictures come first ;)

Poznań Old Town (Stary Rynek). The colourful facades of the Merchant's houses are beautiful.

The Town Hall  

We had some beer at the Brovaria on Stary Rynek. It is a hotel, restaurant and a brewery. These beers are brewed at the onsite microbrewery. The above are taster beers with three varieties; the Pils, Honey Beer and Wheat Beer.

That night, we met up with one of M's friend at Ratuszova Restaurant (above). I can positively comment that it is the most romantic and beautiful restaurant I have been to, also the oldest in Poznan where the King stayed for over a year. I highly recommend this restaurant, especially those of you celebrating anniversaries. If any of you boys are planning to propose to a girl in a conventional way, this restaurant will definitely set both of you in the mood. Just please, try not pop the ring in her food or drinks!

Isn't this space romantic.. ~ This picture is from the Restauracja Ratuszova gallery page.

Veal Shank with dumpling and salad

Wild Boar with blueberry sauce. This came with a big portion of sides.

After an good dinner and an amazing night out, we woke up to breakfast of homemade rice salad. It was my first time having rice salad and I was pleasantly surprised at how it tasted. It was very tasty. The best of all, our dear host even heat up the bread in the oven so we all had crispy warm bread with ham, sausages, cheese and tomatoes. How amazing is that!

Later, we visited Malta, a recreation area for families. Too bad it was cold that day cause we could have done kayaking in the lake. That would have been so fun. Instead, we had a chilled out walk around the the area, had some hot tea to warm ourselves up and headed off to the Old Town again where we went to the Fara Church.

The very impressive Fara Church and a very valuable organ made by Fryderyk Ladegast from Weissenfels, Saxony between 1872 and 1875

Our final lunch in Poznan. We were at Fenix Restaurant that is located at the Old Town Square. The interior was interesting with many decorations from around the world. That hot chocolate on the right is so thick and sinful, it reminds me of the hot chocolate in Spain. It was not on the menu so it was probably specially made for me. 

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Szczecin and the Surprise Birthday

For those of you who read the earlier post about ‘The Well Travelled Brownie’, this is a follow up about my trip to Szczecin and Poznan. This trip was just a long weekend away and my stop to Szczecin was more to meet up with M and his mates before we all head to Poznan. And those brownies I made was my way of thanking and appreciating M and the people around him.

Getting back to the trip, I like that the Szczecin airport is small. It is so convenient that it literally took me 15 minutes to go through passport check plus 20 steps to the arrival hall! It was even better that M was already there, waiting for my arrival. When we got to his home, his mum already had food cooked and ready to be served. How lovely it is to be welcomed with home cooked food! I must say she makes one of the best Polish foods I have had so far. The highlight for me was the goulash. It was top notch! I was desperate for some cooking tips only mums will know but looks like I had no luck. I could not speak Polish except for the very basic and M’s not about to be caught in the middle of a girlie exchange of cooking tips. Maybe it is about time I learn some Polish! Will definitely start with food vocabulary. “Dzik” was the first. That means wild boar.

The specially decorated cake. The icing melted on its way to the restaurant.

Later that night, his friends organized dinner at Christopher Columbus Restaurant and Pub. I was partially suspicious that it is the very early surprise birthday celebration I was trying to arrange from London. I did not do much, really. All I did was suggested to his friend that we surprise M with a birthday cake with candles sometime during the trip. They tried to tell me that everything was sorted but I was not on data roaming and M was with me all the time so there was no way they could talk to me about it. But in the end, everything went according to plan. I was glad that M was very surprised and couldn’t stop laughing that night. I could not thank everyone enough who made that surprise happen. I was even surprised myself that one of his friend even decorated the cake with *Eduranto logo. He even took step-by-step photos of the making process! It was a great night.

*Eduranto is a side project they have been working very hard on.

I forgot to mention, they even printed T-shirts with the logo! I admit it is pretty geeky, but who cares. I think it was great idea.

The blank canvas. Photo courtesy of MB.

Work in progress and Voila!! Mission accomplished! Photo courtesy of MB.

The biggest plate of food that night!! Pork knuckle for me!

Yes, lots of Vodka. Got to do it the Polish way :)

Interior of the restaurant

A picture of the restaurant after a few bottles of vodka - shared amongst ourselves of course ;) Therefore the blurred vision.

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Well Travelled Brownie

This was the brownie that has been to three different cities. This was the brownie made for smiles. So this brownie had to be MARVELLOUS!

The Brownie with its papery crust and moist body

Like all things marvellous, there is a secret. Use the best ingredients, carefully folded into thick chocolatey mixture, baked at the right temperature and for the right amount of time. This tender loving care gives birth to the best brownie; papery crust on the outside, soft and moist on the inside, with added texture from the white chocolate and walnut chunks. The very unique ingredient here is the salt. Salt has a very special capability of enhancing the taste and sweetness of chocolate. So try not to omit the salt even though it is not a vital ingredient.

The amazing thing about baking brownie is that it fills the entire flat with its chocolatey, heart warming, and very fulfilling scent. It makes everyone in the flat smile. It is also the perfect dessert to travel with as it does not need to be kept in the refrigerator and does not break into crumbly bits too easily. I packed as many as I was able to carry, in the largest container I have, letting it cool over night so it will be ready on time to travel with me to the airport early in the morning. I wanted M, his family and friends try this brownie at its freshest and to see a big fat brownie smile on their faces. Those are the simple things that give me pure satisfaction; food that makes people happy.

Brownie in the plane with a lovely view from the sky.

So I left in the morning with the brownie in hand, along with my luggage. The brownie made it through journey on the coach to the airport, tight security, flight delays, sat through bumpy ride and finally to its destination! It even lasted till the next day when we took the train to Poznan. It was proven popular.

The cities this brownie has been to; London to Szczecin and Poznan.

Below is the recipe for the very delicious brownie that will definitely wow your friends. Beware! Very irresistible! Make sure to give them away. If not, you will end up finishing it all by yourself in two days and end up being Miss Chubby Brownie. Enjoy and stay tuned for a full post about this Poland trip!



BROWNIE WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE CHUNKS AND WALNUT RECIPE
adapted from BBC’s Good Food's Best Ever Brownie

Ingredients:

• 175g unsalted butter


• 200g dark chocolate


• 85g plain flour


• 40g cocoa powder


• 50g white chocolate (chopped into rough square chunks)


• 50g walnut (roughly chopped)


• 3 medium eggs


• 250g light brown sugar


• 1/4 tsp of sea salt

Method:

1. But butter and dark chocolate into cubes and place them in a heatproof bowl. Melt the butter, dark chocolate and salt in a Bain-Marie or in a microwave (covered for 2 minutes).


2. Leave the melted chocolate to cool.


3. Preheat the oven at 160^oC.


4. Line a 20cm square cake tin with parchment paper.


5. Sieve the plain flour and cocoa powder to get rid of any lumps.


6. Whisk the 3 eggs and sugar until thick and creamy. Mixture is ready when it becomes pale and doubles its original volume and leaves a trail in the beater.


7. Fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture gently.


8. Sieve the flour and cocoa powder over the chocolate egg mixture and gently fold until it looks fudgy. Make sure to not over mix it.


9. Stir in the white chocolate chunks and chopped walnuts.


10. Pour the mixture into the lined cake tin and bake for about 25 minutes. If the brownie wobbles, it is not ready and let it bake for another 5 minutes until the top layer has a shiny papery crust. Another way to check is to use a toothpick or something sharp. Prick through the brownie and if the mixture sticks on the toothpick, the brownie still needs more time in the oven.


11. When ready, take the brownie out of the oven and let cool.


12. Cut them into generous size and serve. I suggest having it with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped double cream. A few raspberries on the side will lift up the presentation and give it a fresher taste.


13. Of course, it tastes absolutely delicious on its own. It can be kept in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to a month. I doubt you will have any left after a day or two.

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