Vapiano

I don't know why McDonald's gets such a bad wrap, since everybody who walks in the door knows exactly what their in for. There are no far reaching promises involved. It is what it is. Maybe that is the way I should look at Vapiano-Pasta-Pizza-Bar. It's hard to do though since these are my very favorite things PIZZA, PASTA and BARS.

Because of that I'm probably not the best person to judge them. I'm just me and they are a pretty decent size international food service chain with over 30 franchises all over the world. No McDonald's though.

I'm not going to go into the whole how anybody who walks in the door doesn't matter thing in this post, if anybody is interested you can check out ranting on that subject matter on the following link http://allweneedisloveandmarketing.blogspot.com/.

Back to food, it's simple and not bad. That is not a compliment. Not bad is not good and considering that good is the opposite of excellent, not bad is pretty bad. They tried to cut cost by eliminating waiting staff and also by hiring people who try hard to impersonate chefs behind the counter visible for every visitor. Not sure why this was necessary. Yes it is always fun to watch a highly skilled people in the kitchen, but if you don't have them, it's not such a great idea.

Let's not forget that little mistakes like dropping one of the shrimp on the prep counter instead of the skillet and then picking it up and adding it to others would be hidden from the eyes of people who ordered scampi e spinaci. I wonder if the five second rule would've also applied with the floor contact?

The whole process of food preparation that is visible to diners reminded me of a inefficient factory floor from a time that I have personally not witnessed and only seen from black and white movie footage. It also made me dream of possible distant future culinary adventures prepped and controlled by super-smart robots. Well...

I have to admit that I did go back with my kids and they gave it a thumbs up. They also like McDonald's.

Bruxelles

Once again I'm trailing off course with the post I'm writing right now. It has nothing to do with eating out in Tallinn. Being away and different locations, specially the ones I've never been to do that to me.

Brussels being small enough for me to develop habit forming favorite spots in just few days is an absolute gem when it comes to street food and people watching. Two activities that I have been missing for a while. Yes, you got it, street food is more than just food - it is an activity.

Frites at Maison Antoine located at Place Jourdan reminded me once again that getting the starch out of the potato and frying it to a golden perfection in a way that leaves the inside fluffy and the outside crunchy is as much art as making a picture perfect chocolate truffle. Don't let me get started on truffles.

Waffles with whipped cream, strawberries and chocolate topping, waffles with whipped cream, bananas, walnuts and chocolate topping and waffles with way more elaborate toppings. Need I say more.

Only thing that will top all that heavenly sweetness...?
You guessed it - beer. Blonde, brune and all the wonderful lambics. This is not your usual get me a lager - I'm thirsty and get me drunk affair. Tasting and smelling all the different palates, some fruity and sweet, some honestly earthy is an experience in itself.

Oh yeah and I discovered a fourth meal of the day while people watching, here's a picture