Tastebud : No 17 Palace (6th time)

9 May 2026

Back at one of my favourite affordable Chinese restaurant. This time, we had fish in lemon and sour cabbage SEK289, fried rice with chicken SEK168 and a repeat dish, fried aubergine with fish flavour (I suspect fish sauce) SEK198. A bowl of rice is included.

The fish dish came with bite-sized chunks which I think were too small and I could not taste much of the lemon but there was a lot of Sichuan pepper which I do not enjoy. The dish had a tea candle under it to keep it warm which was a good idea otherwise it would not be fun eating cold food. We could not finish up the fried rice so we took it home. I saw a couple diner opposite us who could not finish a fried chicken dish that came with chilli. I know it is not common for most people to take away the unfinished food unless you are Chinese.. Hehe...  I looked back at my posts for No 17 Palace and I read that I had fried aubergine during my first visit and the dish then looked lighter and SEK10 lesser - that was February 2025, slightly more than a year. 

Tastebud : Canto Papa

8 May 2026

Dinner at Canto Papa today. I chose this place randomly as my friend and I were going to a theatre to see a stand-up comedy after dinner. I looked in the map and picked this restaurant as it located opposite the theatre. I think I made a good choice. This food is delicious and I was very thirsty after dinner. I think there is some MSG going on inside here. Probably explains why the food is so delicious?

We shared 2 small dishes, eggplants SEK99 and pakchoy SEK99, two main dishes - wonton (shrimp and pork fillings) noodles SEK225 and hong shao rou (braised pork berry) SEK250. The main dishes come with a bowl of rice except for the wonton noodle because it is a noodle dish. The portion was sufficient for the two of us. Our favourites were the eggplants. It is crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. 

Although the braised pork belly is a main dish, it is as small as the pakchoy and eggplant dishes. The bowl that carried the pork belly is deeper though. Anyway, braised pork belly did not melt in the mouth, like the dish I had at No 17 Palace. Even some of the meat was chewy.

Pakchoy leaves could be bigger. They were small. My boyfriend said that the small leaves are young leaves and tastes better. I disagree. I want big leaves.

Valborgsafton (Walpurgis Night) 2026

30 April 2026

Just like last year, we went to Ulriksdal castle's park to see a bonfire. On this day, there are many locations around Sweden that set a bonfire to welcome spring. I like this location as it is a park and there is a large space for everyone. I saw some photos from Rålambshovsparken and it was so crowded. 

The Scouts were there to sell warm boiled sausages with bread, coffee, tea, packet drinks and sweet buns. We got the warm sausage 25kr. Same price as last year. Yay.

One receives a coupon after paying and we give the coupon to the responsible scout. 

This is a giant boiler to cook 1800 sausages! Of course, not all 1800 at once.

Even the mustard and ketchup bottles are huge! How clever it is to hang them upside down and we just squeeze the tubes. 

We found a spot to sit and waited for the scouts to come out with the fire torches. This year, they have pails of water placed a distance from the bonfire as the border between the people and the fire, as well as, I am sure, to put out the fire if necessary. Some adults were not very smart and walked out of the border and the scouts had to tell them to get back behind the pails. One elderly woman said that she could not feel the heat.. Gosh, how ridiculous she sounded. The scout told her to put on a jacket if she feels cold. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to get the idea that the pails are the border. 

At the 8.32pm, the bonfire was lit!

We went nearer the fire and the heat was intense. We stayed on until 9.30pm. The fire was still going strong but smaller. This year, it was warmer than last year. Last year, I had a beanie and a thick coat. This year, no beanie but two down jackets (under me is a sleeveless down jacket) because I know it will get cold once the sun sets. 

Tastebud : Minh Mat

21 April 2024

Today, we ate at a Michelin guide restaurant. It does not have any Michelin stars. It is a recommended restaurant in the Michelin guide. So, there is a sign on the restaurant that it is a Michelin though I think it is misleading as I thought it has a Michelin star. With a Michelin status, the price of the food is not cheap. In my opinion, the food is highly priced and it is not value for money. But the food is delicious so the heart was less painful in paying the food.

My friend and I shared two small dishes and two big dishes. It is recommended 1 big and 1 small or 1 medium and 2 small or 4 small. We shared fresh spring rolls with shrimps SEK170, pumpkin croquette with puffed green rice SEK165, pho noodle soup with water buffalo meat SEK320 and shrimp and chicken noodle (quang nam) soup SEK320. My opinion is that the dishes could be priced at SEK100 lesser. 

The small dishes came out first.

Pumpkin croquette with puffed green rice is new to me. The croquette is made from Hokaido pumpkin. I have never read before of green rice until right now. It is found in Vietnam. The sauce is a combination of tamarind, coconut milk, longan, chilli and shallots. Yummy sauce too. 

Short description of  Vietnamese Green Rice, known locally as “cốm,” is a special type of rice made from young glutinous rice grains. Unlike familiar white rice, Green Rice is characterized by its green color, which comes from soaking the rice with the juice of young rice plant leaves. Source from Keep Up Cooking.

Tastebud : Amida Kolgrill

18 April 2026

Grilled meat for dinner. This place was packed with diners. It sells kebab meat and grilled meat. I smelt of smoke when I stepped out from the place. There is a special corner to get your own tea. I am seeing this for the first time. 

Special tea corner. The four jugs on the top are filled with concentrated black tea, and then diluted with hot water from the taps at the bottom. The method of making the concentrated black tea is taking a few tablespoons of tea leaves in lesser amount of water, boil and then simmer for some times. Quite easy. I felt that the black tea tasted differently, although it is from Ceylon tea leaves. It does not taste like the chai masala that I make with Ceylon tea leaves. 

For my dinner, I had the chef's special - grilled meat pieces in aubergine mix (with yoghurt). Served with pieces of bread, tomato and cucumber. It was very filling. I could not finish up my food. Thankfully, I had help to finish up the food. Half of the portion would have suffice for me and I would have enjoyed it.