La Bottega Italiana

We first came accross this little Italian deli by chance- we were walking back from the Residence back to the Altstadt and decided to take some back streets when we stumbled across La Bottega Italiana (Sterngasse 7.....around the corner from Fruchtbar, near The Dom).  It has since become one of our favourite places to eat in Wurzburg.

This little deli is simple and no frills, the service  always friendly and efficient.  They have a great range of Italian meats and cheeses as well as fresh pasta and antipasti, making it a popular place for the locals. But what M and I always go for is the pasta....

There is a decent selection of options- you can choose your pasta type and sauce or one of the specials on offer.  The pasta is always cooked al dente, the sauces always fresh and not too salty (this can sometimes be the case here in Germany)!

M usually goes for the kurze nudeln mit spinat sosse, schinken und ein spiegelei (short pasta, spinach sauce, ham and a fried egg).  My favourites are the pasta tricolore (mozzarella, tomato and spinach) and pasta with champignon und aubergine sosse (mushroom and eggplant sauce). If you are lucky and it is not busy you can grab one of the few tables with a stool to sit on, otherwise prepare yourself for standing room only, especially on Saturday when this place gets pretty busy. Buon Apetito!

kurze nudeln mit spinat sosse, schinken und ein spiegelei

kurze nudeln mit champignon und aubergine sosse

Good Asian in Würzburg?

Finding good authentic Asian food has been one of our greatest challenges whilst living in Germany- as far as we are aware there are no "Chinatowns" in any of the big cities which can make it more difficult to find good places to eat. So far we have had good (but not great) Korean and Chinese in Frankfurt and really good (albiet slighly pretentious) Vietnamese in Berlin (http://www.monsieurvuong.de) and I am sure if we dug a little deeper we would find more great places to eat.  However, once you get out of the big cities it is even more challenging.

When M and I first came to Wü we tried out a few local "Asien" restaurants but were quickly disappointed.  Most places are the type that do all types of Asian cuisine i.e. Chinese/Vietnamese/Thai/Japanese, but none of them very well.  Just sloppy stirfries with the same generic sauces that seem to appear in every dish.

Semmelstrasse - pic of the store to follow!

So we soon realised that we were better off cooking at home.  Luckily there are a few shops here which stock more 'exotic' foods and one of them is the Asian food store in Semmelstrasse.   Here they have a really good variety of Chinese, Thai, Indian and Filipino (just to name a few) grocery items as well as fresh herbs and vegetables for really reasonable prices. If you can't find what you are looking for, just ask because they have so much stuff, its probably just hiding somewhere!






Just last night M and I were treated to an Indian feast by our friend S.C. (who originally hails from the south of India)- pretty much all the spices were purchased there and a few months ago, M and I prepared this amazing Red Cooked Pork. Even though this dish requires a few steps it is overall really easy and tastes just amazing.

Red Cooked Pork

But sometimes you just want someone else to do the cooking and luckily for us we recently discovered (again via our good friend M.S.) Bua Thai.  Finally authentic Thai food in Wü!!!!  We soon realised that we must not be the only people in Wü looking for authentic asian food as the place gets pretty busy, especially on weekends.  Now, I am no connoisseur of Thai food but what I love about this place is that the food tastes like Thai food!  No generic sauces and fresh and authentic ingredients (think tiny Thai eggplant and fresh Thai basil).  Plus you can order your food spicy, even Thai spicy if you dare!  Plus, get this....it is run by Thai people! But its not just the food that sets Bua Thai apart - the decor is modern and schick (without being pretentious) and the service is always friendly.  As such this little restaurant has become one of our regular haunts.

Restaurant Karthäuser and Cafe D.O.C

With M away in Paris for the weekend catching up with some friends from Australia (alas, I had to work) I decided that is was time to sit down and write our first proper post for this blog!  Having spent the morning in our apartment catching up with family over skype, I decided it was time to get out of the house and go for a Sunday afternoon Spazierien (basically German for going for a stroll).  With a grumbling stomach I knew exactly where I was going to head - Karthäuser!  

Located accross from the Mainfranken Theater, just off Theaterstrasse, Restaurant Karthäuser (Ludwigstraße 1) is a Würzburg stalwart popular of all things for their tasty roasted chickens. However, on my trip there today I had one thing on my mind- Pommes!  I don't know what they do but the pommes (aka Chips to Aussies, or Fries) are the best I have tried in town so far.  M and I often come here and order a portion of Pommes with ketchup and mayo to go (2 euro a serve, 30cents each for ketchup and mayo) then wander around as we graze on them.  My serve were hot and fresh, and loaded with ketchup and mayo.

While it was my initial intention to head to The Residenz and find a nice spot in the gardens to munch on my pommes, I opted to instead sit in front of the theater to eat them - partially because I was so hungry I did not want to wait and I also because did not want to risk getting ketchup all over myself!

Restaurant Karthäuser also offers a range of traditional German/Fränkische dishes - M and I can only vouch for their roast chicken and pommes (half a chicken and pommes will set you back around 7 euro) which we have found to be fresh and tasty everytime we have been.  They do take away (ask for it zum mitnehmen or you can also say to go) which you can order from the little hole in the wall near the entrance (open till late), but if you decide to dine in, be prepared to smell like roast chicken when you leave........

After gorging on my pommes I went for a quick wander through The Residenz gardens (which are looking particularly pretty at the moment) then decided it was time for another snack.  So I made my way to our favourite cafe and gelateria in Wü, Cafe D.O.C (Wolfhartsgasse 1).

D.O.C is located more or less on Augustiner Strasse, just around from the fountain across from the old Rathaus (town hall).  After the saltiness of the pommes, I needed something sweet but with a coffee kick so I ordered their Affogato.....

They serve their affogato (2.50 euro) with their creamy Hazelnut gelato (but you can ask for other flavours) which really hit the spot.  

When M and I first moved to Wü we were so disappointed by the quality of coffee at most cafes (the vast majority of cafes have those high tech automatic machines which are fancy but the coffee is pretty average).  We were so happy when our good friend and Wü local M.S told us about the italian-run D.O.C, where you can order and drink your espresso italian-style inside at the bar or relax in the chairs out front.  Whilst their range of gelati (or Eis which refers to ice-cream in general) is not the most extensive in town, its some of the best we have tried so far (90 cents per scoop).  D.O.C also offer a small range of drinks such as sekt and prosecco, aperol, beer, chinotto and juices and some light snacks.  On weekends it gets pretty busy but service is fast and efficient. They are open seven days a week till late so we often wander here in the evening for an after-dinner gelati.

Great coffee can also be found at Cafe Centrale....but more on that another time....

H

Beyond Kraut

As Australian expats living (and doing a lot of eating!) in the Bavarian town of Würzburg, we wanted to start this blog, to not only document our time here but to also share some of our experiences with others interested in living in or visiting Würzburg and other parts of Germany.  We are food-obsessed hence there will be a big focus on our eating out experiences (particularly on some of the great places to eat in and around Wü), tips on where to find non-German ingredients (anyone been searching for soft brown sugar??) as well as making the most of local/seasonal produce.  While it's hard to pass on traditional favourites such as fresh bratwurst with mustard (senf) or roasted pork knuckle (schwein haxe) with dumplings (knödel) and kraut, if you are travelling here for some time or living here you may want more variety in your diet. Germany has so much more to offer beyond kraut - you just need to know where to look! We hope that our "local's" guide to living and eating in Germany proves useful to others who enjoy eating and travelling as much as we do. Enjoy!  M&H