Lisa Nilsson Concert

29 September 2019

Volunteer duties with Kompis Sverige - this time, we watched Lisa Nilsson live at Hotel Rival. She was a famous songstress in Sweden in the 90s and today, she is less in the limelight. She sang and talked about her background. First, she related a short text on her background and then she sang a song related to the text. She has a powerful voice and it was a good performance!

Tastebud : Thongwiset

28 September 2019

Thai food! This is a small restaurant and one has to squeeze in with the next table. It is also a squeeze to move around inside the restaurant. It will definitely be difficult to move around in the place during winter as one comes in with their huge jackets. 

We had fried fish cake for SEK135, scamp salad for SEK149 and pad thai with prawns SEK149. Really good food! Also, don't forget to book a table because there are a couple of drop-ins too that did not get their tables.

Tastebud : Berns

29 September 2019

Brunch at Berns. Lots of people said that Berns has a good variety of Asian food for brunch. The buffet brunch costs SEK395. Gosh, it is expensive. We booked our spots a month before. There were different kinds of Asian food - Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Thai, which I think were too expensive for SEK395. That is because I know how these food are made and I have eaten most of them before, so I did not think it was worth the place, but it was worth the try. The restaurant has a posh and oriental design.

Tastebud : AG

26 September 2019

Best birthday meal ever! At AG - the place that everyone should go to if one loves meat. My tummy was happy and full. I felt lucky today.

We had main dish from the menu - Ribeye on the bone with baked potato, sauce béarnaise, tomato & salad with parmesan, serves 2 persons for SEK950.

Our pre-starters - grilled bread and the dip is butter mixed with animal fat. 

We had a grilled octopus tentacle for SEK185 and mozarella for starters.

Tastebud : Sushi Sho (Michelin)

25 September 2019

Today, I treated myself and my kitchen helper to Sushi Sho from the profit we got from the sales in the Malaysian Food Fair held last month. Sushi Sho is the only japanese restaurant that has a Michelin. Funny enough, the chefs were Swedes, but the chefs studied in Japan. We had omakase and tsumami menu for SEK785 per person where we got 12 (I think) different kinds of sushi and sashimi. The sushi and sashimi were made in front of us. Drinks were not included, so I had the first sake that was offered. My kitchen helper took the sake menu where there were 4 different kinds of sake (that comes in different types of ceramic cups and glass).

I do not have the name of each sushi and sashimi. I have to say though, that the sushi rice is so good! It is cooked with vinegar too. I could not find another place with better sushi rice. 

Art

22 September 2019

Art - a comedy performance by threee Swedish comedians, that was held in Hotel Rival. It was about a man who bought a white painting for SEK6million and his two friends were shocked by his act. The man took offence in one friend who said that the painting was shit but did not take offence with another friend who was politically correct in giving his opinion. There were quarrels between the three and in the end, the man took a marker pen (the painting was actually a white board) and drew a line across the painting and his friends did the same. They went out for dinner after that. 

And thanks to Kompis Sverige for letting me watch this play. I was a volunteer today.

Tastebud : Oliver Twist

22 September 2019

Yums! 500g of mussels with fries for SEK149 at Oliver Twist (it is more of a bar than a restaurant). That is a lot of seafood! 

Mushroom picking at Kungshättan

21 September 2019

Today, I went mushroom picking at Kungshättan (pronounced as 'kungs het-tan' which means The King's hat). We took the red line to Liljeholmen, bus 133 to Ekensberg and finally, boat 89 to Kungshättan. It was a sunny day but cold at the same time due to the wind. The boat ride took 15 minutes only.

Most of the participants found some mushrooms. I did not make much effort to look for mushrooms. I was just happy to be out in the nature and be in the green. 

Tastebud : Mumbai Garden

18 September 2019

Indian food for lunch at Mumbai Garden. I went to this place twice for the lunch offer. SEK85 for the lunch offer that includes rice, salad, hot soup, papadum (thin, crisp, round flatbread. The dough is usually made from peeled black gram flour, either fried or cooked with dry heat), soft drink and coffee or tea. Quite price-worthy if you ask me. I had chicken curry and ordered a naan bread.

Knitting - New Interest

16 September 2019

Today, I learnt how to knit! I have always wanted to do this since forever. This has always been something that I wanted to learn for a long time. I registered myself for a Meetup activity where I met with other girls who were very good in knitting. One of them taught me how to knit. This is a 2-hour free session. I have been going every week and my knitting has progressed to many rows. I cannot wait to post my final product! Which may take months.. Haha! 

Tastebud : Da Luigi

16 September 2019

Gosh, this pesto pasta is so expensive! SEK169 at Da Luigi. I have learnt how to make pesto and this is way too expensive for a pesto pasta for me. It is filling, yes, but costs way too much for me. I think this is one of the cheapest in the menu.

Kraftskiva (Crayfish party) 2019

14 September 2019

Today is the last day of summer where days after today were chilly and windy. Today, the sun was out and it was 18 degrees. It is a rare summer day as I thought autumn would have set in already. 

I was invited to a crayfish party for the weekend in Vadstena. Here is the definition of crayfish party according to Wikipedia.

A crayfish party is a traditional summertime eating and drinking celebration in the Nordic countries. The tradition originated in Sweden, where a crayfish party is called a kräftskiva. Crayfish parties are generally held during August, a tradition that began because the crayfish harvest in Sweden was, for most of the 20th century, legally limited to the late summer. Nowadays, the kräftpremiär date in early August has no legal significance. Customary party accessories are novelty paper hats, paper tablecloths, paper lanterns (often depicting the Man in the Moon), and bibs.

Akvavit and other kinds of snaps are served, as well as beer, and traditional drinking songs (snapsvisa) may be sung. The crayfish are boiled in salt water and seasoned with fresh dill – preferably "crown dill" harvested after the plant has flowered – then served cold and eaten with the fingers. Bread, mushroom pies, strong Västerbotten cheese, salads and other dishes are served buffet-style.

We arrived on Friday evening and had chicken paella for dinner. It was cooked on a grill. The place that we were in is a summer cottage and did not have a wide stove or huge pots. It was very convenient to cook on the huge grill. The summer cottage is also strategically located opposite the sea. So, one can just take a dip in the waters and get back inside the cottage within 25 steps. 

Chicken paella for dinner! Really so good!

The next day which is a Saturday, we sat ourselves outdoor to enjoy the sun. We had warm hotdog for lunch. It was my first time eating such a hotdog. I took a liking to it!

Tastebud : Maestra Vida

10 September 2019

Today's dinner is Peruvian food at Maestra Vida. I was surprised to know that there is a Peruvian restaurant in Stockholm. The staff here speaks mostly Spanish and is unable to communicate much in Swedish. We did have good food, nevertheless. For the first time too, our receipt was hand-written (like how foodstalls are in Malaysia!) which is unlike all restaurants that give printed receipt. 

I had Inca Cola for SEK30, a carbonated drink that does not taste like Coca Cola. I was surprised at how yellow it is! Scary stuff! But drinkable. 

One friend ordered raw fish marinated with lime, coriander and salt for SEK180. This is good!

We had fried cassava too for SEK70. This is a kind of sweet potato.

I had beefsteak for SEK180. There is even a fried banana too. This is a plate full of carbs! Rice, banana and french fries. The meat was slightly dry for me.

Another friend had fried seafood for SEK180. It was all fried stuff. This is the first time I see fried oyster in its shell. 

Tolvskillingsopera (Threepenny Opera)

9 September 2019

Today's show is courtesy of Kompis Sverige - The Threepenny Opera at Folk Opera Theatre, an opera originated from Germany that made its debut on 31 August 1928. This is the Swedish version. A fantastic music play with a couple of burlesque dances too. 

Here is an overview of the play from Wikipedia.

Set in Victorian London, the play focuses on Macheath, an amoral, antiheroic criminal. Macheath ("Mackie," or "Mack the Knife") marries Polly Peachum. This displeases her father, who controls the beggars of London, and he endeavours to have Macheath hanged. His attempts are hindered by the fact that the Chief of Police, Tiger Brown, is Macheath's old army comrade. Still, Peachum exerts his influence and eventually gets Macheath arrested and sentenced to hang. Macheath escapes this fate via a deus ex machina moments before the execution when, in an unrestrained parody of a happy ending, a messenger from the Queen arrives to pardon Macheath and grant him the title of Baron. The details of the original 1928 text have often been substantially modified in later productions.

Sörmlandsleden 11, 12 & 12.1

7 September 2019

Rainy morning but I insisted to go on a hike - Sörmlandsleden 11 (9km), 12 (8.5km) and 12.1 (4km). I did Section 11 and 12.1 in August 2017 where we did an overnight hike. We took the commuter train to Södertälje Centrum and from there, bus 785 to Järna station. It was raining upon our arrival.

It took us about 2 hours and 15 minutes from Section 11 to 12 of a distance of 9km. 

At Section 12, we passed by a number of abandoned mines. Also, I bumped my forehead into a thick branch as I was looking down to watch my steps on the wet ground. A bump grew immediately. It took 2 weeks for the bump to go down. 

We did a wrong turn and went into 12.1 instead of proceeding to the rest of 12. The detour sapped out some of my energy. It was at this junction where we proceeded to the left immediately into 12.1 instead to the right to continue section 12. We were midway at 12.1 when we realised the mistake and the group agreed to hiked back to the junction. I followed but that was a mistake on my side because I was tired. When we took a break after the junction, two of us decided to go back to 12.1 because that is where the nearest bus stop is and took the bus home.

Today, it was in total a 21km hike but it was tiring because it rained and it took up a lot of my energy. The group was really fast and I thought that they are really strong, but I was cold and with my forehead's bump, I was not in the best condition.

Tastebud : Indian Curry House

2 September 2019

Indian food today at Indian Curry House. I have come to the realisation that all Indian curries are similar but named differently. It is either mild or spicy. I have come to realise too that I do not crave Indian food anymore. Haha! 

Today's meal is Chicken Adrak for SEK130. 

Skansen - Coop Members' Day

1 September 2019

Today, I went to Skansen for free! It is free for Coop's members, so my friend invited me to go. Usually, Coop has free entries twice a year into Skansen. It was also the last day of the warm summer. You can imagine that the town is packed and everyone just wants to go out and absorb as much sun as possible. We arrived there by 10am and walked around Skansen. I have been to Skansen twice - my first time as a tourist in September 2015 and my second time in March this year to celebrate Fire Festival which is to usher in the Iranian New Year.

We walked to the Rose Garden, Herb Garden, some of the traditional houses and finally found our way to a small square where food was sold.

I treated my friend and myself to a Fried Elk meat in flat bread cone that costs SEK100. Warm meat. Tastes really good.