Solo Traveller Adventures: Eating Out in Venice, Italy

The general rule of thumb when eating out on vacation in Europe is - do not eat in places near the main tourist attractions. These places generally are geared towards convenience and sightseeing appeal, and not focused on quality or taste. I am sure or hope that there are exceptions to this rule, but safer to go off the beaten path when it comes to grabbing lunch or dinner. There was one night in Venice when I broke this golden rule because I was so hungry and it was so late that I sat myself down at one of these establishments, hoping that this would be one of those exceptions. It wasn't.  Eating that dinner that night made me remember a conversation with an American duo who claimed Venetian food was the worst - clearly they had eaten at one of these places.

I did not leave Venice with the same conclusion though. Asking locals for a recommendation is usually a good call so don't be afraid to go beyond your comfort zone as a visitor to a new city. Even before this very bad experience, I had already been lucky to have two amazing meals at Impronta Cafe, which is not a traditional, hole-in-the-wall type of place but a more modern cafe experience. The lunch, aperitif and dinner experiences at Impronta Cafe were all very good - great food, very well done and presented and great service.

Spinach and ricotta ravioli in pesto. This was beautiful. Grazie, Impronta Cafe.

Impronta Cafe's roast suckling pig with purple potato mash and apple puree. The pork was decadent.

The best meal I had in Venice was in one of these hidden gems off the beaten path - a place recommended by Damiano, my B&B host. One needed to make a reservation to dine at La Zucca - a small, intimate place not too far from the San Stae vaporetto stop. I completely loved this dining experience. If you are looking for that romantic Hollywood setting for dinner, then no - you will not find it here. There were no tourists, no romantic view of the Grand Canal - in fact it is located on a back street and the view was of graffiti on the opposite wall. But from the moment I sat down to the moment I bid the owners a good night, it was an amazing evening. Great food and service that was so warm that you almost felt like family. You want to feel that when you are away from home. I appreciated it. This was a great, great, great recommendation!

I had an outside table so I could people watch. Check out the graffiti wall view in front of me.

It was so fresh. So fresh. No description needed. But La Zucca's pesto was 'burst in your mouth' fresh.

Grilled pork cooked in marsala wine with baby onions at La Zucca. This was everything!

La Zucca dessert - panna cotta in chocolate sauce. Possibly the best panna cotta ever.

I also enjoyed a couple gelatos from Gelateria White - a very slick and contemporary gelato establishment, where the gelato was self-service and sold based on weight and mix of toppings from candies, to fruit. You basically create your gelato fantasy yourself and it is pretty good gelato as well. Great stop while walking the streets of Venice after hours.

And while I can surely not make a sweeping conclusion on who had the best aperol spritz in the land, I will recommend this aperitif to any visitor. Aperol, prosecco, sparkling water and an orange slice - so simple but so wow. It was my drink of choice for my entire stay in Italy (and even beyond) and the best ones I had at Da Sandro Bar. and Al Todaro. I did try the Hugo aperitif as well but while it may be all the rage, it did not do it for me like the tried and tested aperol spritz, but we still took a photo!

Hugo aperitif - champagne, elderflower syrup, lime juice, mint and a view of the Grand Canal.

While Venice may not be Bologna, Naples or Florence when it comes to the foodie excitement, if you do your research and due diligence, you can leave the city with super fond memories of a great dining experience.

But up next...we move on to my fave Italian city (so far) and my second visit to Florence. Love.

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Brunchin' and Munchin' Sundays at Krave Restaurant, Marabella

When there are no mimosas,
have a peach bellini

As a true and proud South girl, I am always happy to visit new places and try new experiences in my own backyard, so to speak. 

Krave, located in Tarouba Plaza, Marabella, has been open for a while now and I finally made it for a Sunday brunch.

Sundays are very sacred to me - but if there is something to do in South, you have a much better chance of getting me out of the house and out of my bunny slippers.

And so I ended up at Krave Restaurant for what, it seems, is now a very popular Sunday brunch. Lots of families made it to Krave that day for birthday celebrations or just for a Sunday away from the norm. And so we joined them.

Brunch - 

Contraction of breakfast and lunch, usually occurring around the hour of 11 a.m. Typically reserved for snobs and biddies who like tea and jam. - Urban Dictionary

I am neither a snob nor am I a biddy, and who says brunch is for either. Brunch is great for catching up, for winding down, whether you are a hot and swanky 20-something or sophisticated 50-something. I much prefer this:

A meal eaten when you wake up too late for breakfast, but do not want to go until lunch without having eaten. Instead you have a single meal called brunch. -Urban Dictionary 

An excuse to have alcohol before noon. - Me

Feel free to have a Sunday lay-in, without starving your way to lunchtime. There are various breakfast options - waffles, rolls, made-to-order omelettes; and then there is a lunch buffet, which on the day included pasta, rice, pepperpot chicken, chunky vegetables and more. There is also sushi, if you are so inclined.

I love me an omelette and this was nicely done. Made with love.

My waffle superstar made me a quarter-waffle, and you can "dress" it as you like.
My quarter waffle is sexy.

Sampled a bit of everything (almost) from the lunch buffet, but had to leave some space for dessert.

The dessert menu was pretty sexy, and you could also pig out on fruit if you so desired.

Cute brownies

Strawberry tartlets

I did not have these but they look cute

Fresh fruit was on the menu as well

And yes, as the saying goes a brunch without booze is just a sad, late breakfast. And so we had cocktails, and with us being at the time in the throes of Carnival, the Carnival themed drinks were very special.

Cocktails, anyone? Here you have a Pineomenal and a No Apology.

The special Dame Lorraine - another looker that I did not try but it was a hit around the table

Krave is pleasant, the service is to be commended (no...really. kudos) and for those living South of the lighthouse, and for whom Sundays are not so sacred, it is a nice alternative to facing the stove or facing the highway on a Sunday morning.

Brunch at Krave Restaurant starts at 10.30am and goes until 3 pm. 
What will it cost you? Brunch goes for TT$295 plus Vat and Service charge per person, but children under 12 "pay" half price and under 5s are free.
You can call the guys at Krave at 658-5728 for more information.

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Happy Moments at Crust2Crumb, La Romain

Crust2Crumb's apple pecan cupcake
Photo credit: Yash 

Finally got around to this.

Breakfast is a concept I have only recently started to embrace, more because breakfast includes coffee, which is undeniably a daily morning ritual. With my calamitously busy week, my days off are filled with errands but before errands I make it a point to stop, have a cup of coffee and maybe a cheese puff (my favourite coffee go-with) or if I really want to live on the edge - an omelette or pancakes!

My usual breakfast nook - well, I have given that particular place a rest. Too crowded on a good day, but more because there was only so much of the surly service that I could reasonably take without doing more than sucking my teeth. 

So while I would pass Crust2Crumb on Dumfries Road, La Romain almost every Saturday morning on my way to the supermarket, I never stopped in to check it out until a few weeks ago. Admittedly, it was not a breakfast stop but a "Today sucks and I need a few minutes to compose myself" stop, but baby steps.

First off, the place was quiet. Located on Dumfries Road, it is away from the real hustle and bustle of San Fernando (though the traffic before the traffic lights is never cute) and there was parking, there was a corner table (major!), there was a nice peaceful ambiance. Already an A+. Even when filled, it is not overbearing which I can live with. With it being Carnival season here in Trinidad, the festive Carnival motif is very cool.

Service-wise - another A+. There was a smile, there was willingness to be of assistance. This is so important to me. I cannot bear bad service and I have no problem whatsoever in calling someone out on it or complaining about bad service - though in Trinidad, that sometimes makes no sense.

The coffee. Perfect. Along with an award winning cheese puff, I had a hazelnut latte - a break from my regular cappuccino or mochaccino. It was clearly prepared with patience and love, as was the awesome puff. I also gave their Mocha a gold star HERE.

My hazelnut latte and my cheese puff - coffee break of the stars!

I would try their breakfast and lunch menus later - with a preference for their breakfast menu, which is simple but to the point. Again, ever so accommodating, I got mushrooms in my omelette when the menu did not have mushrooms listed. You also have options like pancakes in banana, blueberry and chocolate chip, Eggs Benedict, English Breakfast - eggs, bacon and sausage (no baked beans?) as well as local options such as bhaigan (eggplant) choka, tomato choka and saltfish buljol.

Omelette complete with veggies and mushrooms

Lunch is good. Though they only teased us with the gourmet pizza menu on the afternoon (no pizzas when we were there), there is a salmon and cream cheese pizza that everyone wanted to try. I stuck with a roasted vegetable soup (and a cheese puff - see how real the puff love is?) while the fish and chips and chicken breast, garlic and cheese panini went down well around the table. Though not a huge sandwich person in general, I have committed to trying their Aussie burger one of these days - which from all accounts seems to be quite a hit. 

Roasted vegetable soup -lunch of choice on the day

Red velvet cupcake for the win!

And last but not least, their desserts are awesome. Stop in, have a coffee and a cupcake - maybe a double chocolate or a red velvet or an apple pecan. Have a slice of carrot cake - don't mind that you will need to run from San Fernando back to Port of Spain to burn that off, such is the decadent look of it. Swap your coffee (never!) for a fruit smoothie or a coffee chiller. 

They also do cakes for order, and take tea plate orders as well.

Whether you fancy a morning breakfast before getting your day started, a lunch far from the madding crowd, or just a coffee break alone with your thoughts, I think Crust2Crumb is an excellent option for whatever your life wants while in the Southland. Always happy when my side of the island brings on more amazing options for socialising or reflecting over food or a cup of coffee and a puff!

Crust2Crumb - Corner Dumfries Road and Arjoonsingh Drive, La Romain.

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Flatbreads + Aioli Restaurant = Lunchtime Awesomeness

There are a few things that separate a good restaurant, from a great restaurant. Spectacular service. Fantastic food. Ambiance. Parking (lol - having had someone hit my car which was parked on the street, while I was inside eating, makes this very critical for me these days).

But seriously, one other thing that keeps me going back to any restaurant is when the establishment 'keeps it fresh' and by this I mean, you are not eating the same pasta dish for a year because the menu is in a chronic state of paralysis.

And this brings me to Aioli, located in Ellerslie Plaza in Maraval, which is still my fave restaurant. With the lunch menu being revitalised earlier this year, Aioli is keeping it fresh once again. Every time I go, there is something new, and something different for me to try, and I appreciate this, and I bet the Aioli-ites appreciate this as well. It is also a great way to entice new and emerging Aioli-ites and entice they did, when I was invited to join a great gang of foodie types, to try out Chef Johnny's brand new flatbread menu. 

The menu was created for the lunch time crowd, those busy corporate types like myself who want a great lunch experience but in half the time; and really, it's perfect for just about anyone who likes great food and anyone who loves a bit of adventure with their food.

The flatbread menu we tried yesterday, which is reasonably priced in my opinion,  consisted of:

Margherita - homemade marinara sauce, buffalo mozzarella, fresh purple and green basil. For those who may still be a bit hesitant, and need a little nudge, a margherita flatbread is a good introduction, until...

Garden Flatbread - zucchini, eggplant, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, Humboldt Fog Cheese, homemade marinara sauce, Villa Manadori Balsamic. I loved this, primarily because the balsamic gave it that something special. For the meat lover like myself, this 'something special' made this veggie option a winner!!

Sardinia - Mozzarella cheese, buffalo mozzarella, micro basil, thinly sliced garlic, homemade marinara sauce, marinated white anchovies. Not much of an anchovy lover, but this was a great little flatbread. For me, the garlic...the garlic...the garlic. This was a wonderful blend of flavours - anchovy meets garlic. Amazing.

Chorizo di Funghi - Baby bella mushrooms, spicy Spanish chorizo, mozzarella cheese, homemade marinara sauce. I love chorizo, so this was bound to be good. Add the baby bella mushrooms and I was a happy flatbreader.

Shrimp and Manchego - Grilled shrimp, mozzarella cheese, Manchego cheese, fresh cilantro, meyer lemon. - Wonderful flatbread for the non-meat eaters, with that lemon zing giving the taste buds a real sucker punch.

Blue Steak Flatbread - Grilled sirloin steak, blue cheese, roasted garlic, caramelised onions. No wonder it's listed last on the menu. This is the king of the flatbreads - a real OMG moment. Seared ever so delicately with a blowtorch, the steak, combined with the blue cheese, with the caramelised onions and the roasted garlic - the highlight of the afternoon. Words cannot describe this epic creation and I loved it, and will hopefully be loving it some more, and then some more again.

And when we thought it could not get better, a special treat, and when I say special, I mean special. As a notorious pork lover, the introduction of the Carolina styled pulled pork on hops, served with a Cajun aioli, cole slaw and breaded and fried ochroes sent the table into a bit of a frenzy. This dish is trininista-certified for awesomeness - a platinum standard for anything pork! While it is actually NOT a menu item, I hope the response will get it on the lunch menu in the very immediate future.

The only bad thing about yesterday is that once again, I had to go back to work after the last morsel was consumed. 

Keeping it fresh - that is what it's about. Keeping the experience new every single time. I appreciate that and Aioli continues to do it extremely well. Cheers.

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