Rome: The best gelatos in town

Hi!!! I'm finally done with my exams and back frm my short trip to Prague and Rome! In fact, I just got back from Rome ytd night! I had a wonderful time in both places and can't wait to share my experience with everyone!

Decided to do a short entry on the gelatos I've tried in Rome cos I really don't wanna start studying for my multi-station exams nxt wk (lol procrastinating again...) Anyhowz, I had so much gelato during my 5 days in Rome! I had a cup everyday and on some days, I had 2 cups!!! Sucha pig!
I knw gelato is somewhat different frm ice cream but sorry, I'm just a dental student, so I can't appreciate the difference between the two. Kinda googled a bit on this and read that there's different milk/ cream content and fat content in both of them but whatever, both gelato and ice cream are cold, taste good and are comfort food to me!!! So to me, they are essentially the same thing, end of story.

If you didn't knw, I used to work part time in an ice cream shop before I started college, so I can be rather picky when it comes to ice cream! Hopefully this will be an accurate review of what to expect of Italian gelatos!

Oh and almost all of the gelato places don't have an English signboard so it'll be good to know what some Italian words mean otherwise you wouldn't knw what you're ordering! Here's a list of the basic flavours you might come across:
Cioccolato -- chocolate
Bacio - chocolate and nuts
Stracciatella -- chocolate chips
Cannella -- cinnamon
Mandorla -- almond
Nocciola -- hazelnut
Crema -- egg custard
Fragola -- strawberry
Lampone -- raspberry
Albicocca -- apricot
Mela -- apple
Ananas -- pineapple
Malaga -- rum and raisin

During my trip, I made it a point to check out at least 1 popular gelateria in Rome everyday! Here are the few places I visited:

Gelateria I Caruso

Via Collina 13-15
Nearest metro stop: Repubblica

 

After dinner on the first night, I was still feeling a little peckish and was craving for some gelato. Decided to google the nearest gelateria in the area and found I Caruso! Took a slow walk over and got myself a small cup -- biscotti and pistachio flavour!

Sad to say... the gelato here was just average? It wasn't spectacular and the sccoper couldn't really speak English/ he didn't really seem interested in serving me. I absolutely cannot tolerate bad service (lol when I worked part time as a scooper, I made a point to smile whenever I served ice cream to the customers)

 

So will I go back for more gelato? The answer is... NO! This place is kinda out of the way unless you're staying near the area. And although there's a wide variety (abt 15 flavours), most places in Rome offered a wide selection of flavours too. SKIP.

 

Grom

6 outlets including:

Via della Maddalena 30A

Nearest landmark: Pantheon

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greedy face

I visited Grom twice! Not becos I love it, but becos I wanted to try their other flavours lol. And also, cos it was conveniently located and the queue wasn't too crazy. I tried their strawberry, egg cream, apple pie and one other flavour which I cannot rmb (haha probably means that the flavour wasn't that amazing) The apple pie flavour was their flavour of the month and it was pretty nice with little bits inside! The egg cream tasted pretty weird to me...

Even though the ice cream was pretty much average too, I kinda like this place? It seemed more organized than the other gelaterias I visited and the servers were nice and didn't rush me even though I took a while to decide on what flavours to get.

 

Verdict: I will probably pop by to get a gelato fix if I'm craving for one and I see a Grom outlet around!

 

Giolitti

Via Uffici del Vicario 40
(Just round the corner frm Grom, Via della Maddalena branch)

Nearest landmark: Pantheon

 

 

He was juggling between 2 cones!

Haha ice cream on his face!

 

Giolitti is perpetually crowded. We walked past it twice and both times, it was packed!!! Read that this was the oldest ice cream parlour in Rome. Hmm maybe that's why it attracts so many tourists.
Unlike the other places, you're supposed to pay at the counter and get your receipt to claim your scoops at the gelato counter. There's a wide variety of flavours here but becos everyone's crowding around the display, so it's pretty hard to see what flavours are available. And also, everything's in Italian so I've no idea what flavours there are except for the basic few.

Read online that this place served really good nutella ice cream so I tried that. Got the scooper to recommend me a flavour and when I say recommend, I expected him to tell me what's good but he just scooped sth and placed it on my cone??? I don't even knw what he gave me... I think it's cream or sth along those lines. NOT impressed by his attitude.
The nutella was really thick. It didn't taste so much like ice cream though. It was more of like eating nutella out of the tub, except it's less viscous. I love nutella but I didn't enjoy the nutella gelato. It's too thick and after a few licks, I felt kinda grossed out cos I couldn't stop thinking abt the amount of calories lol. The other flavour wasn't anything special, in fact it was rather meh. Got a feeling the scooper just gave that flavour to me cos it was right in front of him and he wanted me to chop chop hurry go.

Verdict: I'd say check this place out when you're in Rome simply becos it's the oldest ice cream parlour and it's really popular with tourists. But I probably won't head back there becos it's just too crowded and in my honest opinion, the gelato was just average. Maybe it's cos I got the wrong flavours?
Oh and although Giolitti is a café, you're not allowed to sit down to have your gelato unless you order sth else frm the café. So basically, everyone just stands outside to eat their gelato!

San Crispino

5 outlets including:

Via della Panetteria 42

Nearest metro station: Barberini

 

Feeling really excited abt my ice cream!

 

This place is famous for their honey flavour! I got myself honey, ginger cinnamon and one other flavour which I cannot rmb haha. The honey was pretty nice but it wasn't wowza. Ginger cinnamon was okay too, nothing fantastic.

Plus points to San Crispino for having lovely scoopers who didn't rush me to decide on my flavours and they even made the effort to joke with me even though there were people queueing up behind me! All ice cream shops shld be giving off these kinda vibes!

 

Verdict: I promised the scoopers I'd go back for more ice cream (simply becos they were really nice to me) but I didn't have the time to make a trip back! What a pity! But yes, do visit this place for their honey ice cream!

 

Flor

4 outlets including:

Via Cavour 337

Nearest metro station: Colosseo

 

 

 

 

OMG I LOVE THIS GELATERIA THE MOST!!!!! Plz visit this place when you're in Rome! They've outlets in other parts of the world too! And I just found out that they're opening an outlet in Singapore!!!! I am so excited!

I visited this place TWICE on my last day in Rome simply cos I couldn't get enough of their gelato! Their pomegranate flavour was absolutely divine!! It was really refreshing and I really love it!!! I tried their tiramisu, cherry and Sicilian cassata cake flavour! All were really good too!
The ice cream shop I worked at before served one of the best tiramisu ice cream I've ever had and Flor's tiramisu was equally good!

The scooper was really nice! Becos it was kinda quiet in the morning and we were the only customers, she allowed us to sample most of the flavours they had. I'm so glad I sampled the pomegranate flavour becos it's just not one of the flavours I'd usually go for. I don't usually get fruity flavours unless it's banana (I love bananas!!!) But the minute I tried the pomegranate flavour, it was really love at first lick... I'm still thinking abt it now!!!

If you only have time to visit 1 gelateria in Rome/ can only afford enough calories for 1 scoop of gelato, plz just go for the pomegranate flavour in Flor!!!!! You definitely won't regret it!

Gelateria Old Bridge

3 outlets including:

Via della Scala 69-70
(In Trastevere)
 

 

 

Old Bridge was kinda like a chance finding! It was on my list of gelato places to visit in Rome but I thought they only had one outlet near Vatican City. And since it was too much of a hassle to go back to Vatican City to find this gelateria, I decided to skip it.

 

So when I walked past Old Bridge in Trastevere, I was like, "Wait a minute, is this the famous Old Bridge gelateria?" The shop looked really basic! There were no fancy sign boards etc. I was really skeptical initially. I thought maybe it's a "fake" Old Bridge gelateria haha. But anyway I decided to try their gelato just in case it's the "real" famous Old Bridge.

 

And after the first lick, I was convinced that this place is the real deal! The gelato was really good!!!! I had their hazelnut and another flavour which I really can't rmb! And the hazelnut was really good! Very rich and creamy! I love it!

If you're in Trastevere, plz visit this place for some gelato! Alternatively, you can check out their outlet near Vatican City!

 

That's abt all the gelato places I visited during my trip! I can't believe I ate so much gelato during my trip! Just thinking abt the amount of fats I needa shed makes me wanna cry. But it's okay, I mean after all, it's not everyday that I get to have such awesome gelatos.

 

Stay tuned for more of my adventures in Rome and Prague! X

Bangkok: Second visit in 2013

Before I continue on Amsterdam, I'm gonna post some pics frm my recent Bangkok trip! I realized that I tend to jump frm countries to countries and I have loads of back-dated posts which I'm supposed to write abt but nvr got down to it (Eg. Shopping places in HK, Amsterdam part 2, Seoul etc)
Really sorry, I will get down to writing abt them soon!

(You can read my previous entries on Bangkok here: http://weilingweilingweiling.blogspot.ie/search/label/Bangkok)

Anywayz becos I couldn't get enough of the shopping and amazing desserts in Bangkok, I decided to make a short trip back to The Land of Smiles in Dec with my mom! Flights frm Singapore to Bangkok are usually cheap (you can easily get a return flight for less than SGD$200) but becos I only booked my tickets in late Oct, we paid abt SGD$350 per person!

Once again, we stayed in my dad's apartment located in Sathorn area. And of cos, with only 5 days to spare, we spent most of the time shopping and check out food places! Brought my mom to most of the places I've mentioned in my previous entries!

So just gonna post some of the pics I took during the trip, mostly food pics!
(For more info regarding these places, plz look at the previous entries -- link provided above)

Another Hound Café
1st floor, Siam Paragon
Nearest BTS: Siam

 

Finally decided to try the food in this restaurant! This restaurant serves mainly western food!

Sea bass gratin, 320 baht

Risotto with shiitake mushrooms and shrimp roe oil, 220 baht

Red velvet waffles, 160 baht

Banana milkshake, 95 baht

My mother ordered the sea bass gratin while I had the risotto. The risotto was okay, nothing special or remarkable abt the dish. I had the banana milkshake too which was disappointing. I'm a huge fan of banana milkshakes but the milkshake served here was slightly too diluted and not sweet enough! Also, for the price I paid, I was kinda expecting a bigger cup...

The red velvet waffles were the best thing we had that night! Absolutely divine!

 

In short, I'd say just visit this place for their desserts and DO NOT miss out on the red velvet waffles! You can skip the food here!

 

After You

 Ground floor, Siam Paragon

Nearest BTS: Siam

(Other outlets including Silom complex, Central Plaza Lardphrao etc)

 

Green tea mille crepe



Ferrero toast, 195 baht

Abt to dig into the best dessert I've ever had in my entire life!

Decided to be more adventurous this time and try sth besides their toast! Had the green tea mille crepe which wasn't too bad but I've tried better ones! Nonetheless, a good alternative to their famous toast!

 

Roast Café

2nd Floor, Seenspace
Thong Lor Soi 13
Nearest BTS: Thong Lo 

Don't rmb what this was but it was good!

Can nvr go wrong with this seafood stew!

French toast stuffed with bananas, strawberries and cream cheese

Banana pudding

Matcha latte

Visited Roast Café again this time round! I ordered the same dish again, the seafood stew, which was very yummy! My mom had the dish pictured in the first pic, which was equally satisfying!

Decided to try the desserts in Roast instead of heading to Mr Jones Orphanage. Both desserts looked really appetizing but sad to say, they fell short of my expectations. The French toast was far too sweet and after a few bites, it was just too much for me to handle. We could not even bring ourselves to finish it! The banana pudding was just awful.

Not sure if it's becos I ordered the wrong thing or all their desserts are equally bad. Sucha disappointment as the desserts looked really good!

 

Thai food

Mango sticky rice

Sliced pork noodles soup

Pig trotters

Clear tom yum soup

I was addicted to Thai sliced pork noodles soup this visit!!!! It's so yummy!!! If you haven't tried it before, plz do so! You can find it very easily at any food court or roadside stall! The soup is so flavourful and tasty!

Also, the pig trotters were really tender and juicy! Love it! And the clear tom yum soup was so good. Although I was crying while eating (lol cos it was so spicy!!!), I still managed to wipe out the whole bowl! Yum!

Okay that's more or less some of the photos I took during the trip! Gonna end off with a pic of MBK and its Christmas decorations (although Christmas is long over now haha)!

 

Have a great 2014 everyone! X

Seoul: Cos stuffing your face with good food is the way to go

Finally decided to get down to blogging abt one of my fav cities in Asia! How can anyone not love Seoul? There's cheap and good food, loads of stuffs to see/ do and best part is, you can shop until you die becos the malls in Korea are opened 24/7 (or at least till 5am I think)

I love Seoul!!!! If you love Bangkok, you'll definitely love Seoul too! I really think that Bangkok and Seoul are pretty similar in terms of getting cheap and good food and shopping (except of cos things will be cheaper in Bangkok!!!) But you can afford to spend a longer time in Seoul becos there's more things to do there compared to Bangkok.

So I've been wanting to visit Korea for the longest time ever esp since I'm really into Kpop and Korean TV shows. Was really excited when my dad proposed a family trip to Seoul and Jeju Island in summer 2011. Was there for exactly a wk but pity I didn't get to do much becos I had my eye surgery done on the first day I arrived and so I was pretty blind the entire time. Nonetheless, I had loads of fun!!!

And becos I couldn't get enough of Korea, I decided to visit Seoul again in summer 2012 with my best friend, Ashley! This time, I did all my research before travelling so we managed to check out loads of nice places!!! We were there for a wk too and I really felt that we shld have stayed for 1.5 wks instead becos there's really so much to do (Read: SHOPPING!!!) I bought so much stuffs but still felt like I'm not done with the shopping yet!

For the trip with my family, we stayed in Best Western Premier Hotel Kukdo which is conveniently located in Euljiro-4-ga. It isn't a really fancy hotel but it was a nice place and was 5mins way frm the nearest subway station, Euljiro-4-ga.
(Check out Kukdo Hotel for more info)

Too happy to be in Seoul!

When I visited Seoul again in 2012, Ashley and I chose to stay in a Namsan Guest House (Check out http://www.namsanguesthouse.com/ for more info)
Namsan Guest House is located in Myeong Dong but it's not on the same side as the shopping area, so you don't have to worry abt noise/ crowd. Two thumbs up for the superb location! It's really cheap too, I think Ashley and I paid abt SGD$25 per person per night and we got ourselves an ensuite double single room. Again, don't be expecting a nice fancy place for the price you're paying, it's somewhat like a hostel. But it's clean and safe! Will most probably stay there again if I plan to visit Korea on a budget!

Gonna be blogging abt Seoul in parts and first up, here are some of the yummy food I had in Seoul and some of the MUST try famous food places:

Korean BBQ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is a trip to Korea without Korean BBQ!!! You can find Korean BBQ places all over Seoul! Minjung, my Korean friend brought me to this Korean BBQ place in Myeongdong which served excellent food at a really reasonable price! Really enjoyed the marinated meat a lot! And it is best paired with some soju shots! Yum yum!!!

 

Bing soo
빙수

 

 

Royal milk tea bing soo

Pat bing soo with matcha ice cream

Rooibos milk tea bing soo, BEST bing soo I had and also the most ex (approx SGD$20)

 

For both my trips, I was there in July aka summer period and so I had bing soo almost every single day! Bing soo is a popular shaved ice dessert in Korea esp during the hot summer months! You can find a huge variety of bing soo in cafes all arnd Seoul. It's very different frm the ice kachang (also another shaved ice dessert) you get in Spore. Bing soo is way nicer!!!!

 

In fact, Ashley and I were pretty addicted to bing soo during our trip. We had to have a bowl every single day haha. I think out of all the bing soo, the nicest had to be the rooibos milk tea bing soo we had in a nice café in Hongdae! So so so so so yummy!!!!!

 

If you're in Korea over summer, DO NOT miss out on this delightful and refreshing dessert!!!

 

Mukshidonna Tteokbokki
먹쉬돈나

Jongno-gu
Anguk-dong 17-18
Nearest train station: Anguk
 

Directions frm Anguk Station:
Take Exit 1
Turn right at Anguk building and Pungmun Girls' High Sch
Walk 500m down the road (past Family Mart)
It is in the alley on the left hand side

 

Ashley and I got pretty lost trying to find this place. But so glad that we managed to locate this little restaurant after searching for almost 30min! We arrived arnd 12.30pm and there was alr a long queue outside the place! Waited for almost 30min before we were seated!!! Was really hungry by then....

 

 

Articles frm magazines featuring this restaurant!

Look at the queue!!!!

Our tteokbokki!!!

Happy and greedy Ashley, hee hee!

This is a simple and small place, so don't expect a fancy restaurant. And even though it might be a long walk to get to this place, I assure you that it's worth it. In fact, Ashley said this was one of the best thing she had during the trip.

So if you don't know, tteokbokki is actually Korean rice cake stew. The rice cakes are chewy and sticky and they're served with a reddish orange sauce made frm gochujang (which is Korean red pepper paste)

In Mukshidonna, you get to pick what you want to add to your stew. Ashley and I added ramyun (instant noodles), eggs, seafood, cheese and ham which turned out to be a great combo! The stew was served in a huge pot which was placed on top of a gas stove. This ensured that our food was kept warm throughout the entire meal.

 

The tteokbokki was really yummy and filling! And after we were done with our tteokbokki, they added rice to our sauce and mixed it up for us! Really delicious as well! Definitely coming back to this place for more tteokbokki when I visit Seoul again!

 

Myeongdong Gyoja
명동교자
2 outlets including:
25-2 Myeongdong
2-ga, Jung-guNearest train station: Myeongdong

 

Directions frm Myeongdong station:
Take Exit 8
Turn left onto Myeongdong 10-gil Road
Walk for abt 150m
(You will pass by 2 intersections)
Restaurant is on the right

 

Crazy queue!

Kalguksu goodness! (7000 won)

 

So this is the famous kalguksu restaurant in Myeongdong! Ashley and I had our first meal here! We arrived at the restaurant slightly before 12pm and managed to get a seat without queueing! Lucky us becos when we were leaving the place, we saw the crazy long queue! And it was only abt 12.30pm then??? Madness! So if you're gonna try the kalguksu here, go early or be prepared to queue!!!

 

We ordered their kalguksu which is knife-cut handmade noodles. It's somewhat like Chinese la mian except it's slightly flatter. It was served with mandu (Korean dumplings) which tasted exactly like Chinese dumplings. Do try their kimchi while you're there as it has a really unique taste!

 

This place also serves bibim guksu (noodles with vegetables and red hot pepper paste) and kongguksu (noodles in cold soy milk broth)

 

Yeolbong Jjimdak

열봉찜닭

A few outlets

(Sorry no address!!!)

Nearest train station: Sinsa

 

Directions frm Sinsa station:
Take Exit 8
Walk straight for 2-3min
Turn left into Garosu-gil St
The restaurant is on the 2nd lvl

 

Se7en greets you at the door!

Traditional jjimdak chicken stew (19,000 won)

 

Jjimdak is a dish made of chicken marinated in a ganjang-based sauce (Korean soy sauce). Ashley and I visited Se7en's restaurant for this dish! (Se7en is a Kpop singer I like lol...)
This isn't the best jjimdak place in Seoul but I really wanted to check this place out cos of Se7en!!! And also becos we were shopping arnd in Garosu-gil area so it was convenient for us to drop by the restaurant for lunch!

Jjimdak is definitely one of the best thing I ate during the trip! Omg so damn good!!!!!! The chicken stew is served with thick cellophane noodles which looks like transparent pho, best thing ever!!!!!! You can choose how spicy you want your stew to be, and I think we got the least spicy option but it was still kinda spicy for me!!! Even though Ashley and I ordered the smallest portion and shared it, we still couldn't finish. It was HUGE. Most Koreans would order a bowl of rice and mix it with the remaining stew but we were too stuffed to do that. Maybe the next time....!!!!

 

Ttarojip Sogogi Gukbap

33-4 Myeong-dong

2-ga, Jung-gu

Nearest train station: Myeongdong

 

Directions frm Myeongdong station:

Take Exit 8

Proceed between La Bellavita and Crown Bakery

Walk for abt 230m

(You will pass by 3 intersections)

Restaurant is across Missha

 

 



 

We had dinner really early that day at abt 5pm so this place was empty when we arrived. We had their famous gukbap which is beef soup with rice. The soup is made by boiling beef leg bones for 24hrs and then adding spices, beef, coagulated blood and beansprouts. Hmmm sounds really yummy right? BUT truth to be told, the soup tasted pretty average to me. Don't think I'd visit this place again!

 

Pro Ganjang Gejang

프로간장게장

9 Gangnam-daero

97-gil, Seocho-gu

Nearest train station: Sinsa

 

Directions frm Sinsa station:

Take Exit 4 and walk straight

See Kookmin bank

Enter 2nd alley and turn left

Geaal bibimbap (20,000 won)

Ganjang kejang (55,000 won)

Our steamed crab LOL...

 

So on the last day of our trip, we decided to have some crabs for dinner. I had high expectations for this place becos Minjung said that this is her FAVOURITE Korean dish and I came across loads of positive reviews regarding this restaurant online.

 

Located in the posh Gangnam district, the restaurant wasn't difficult to find at all. This restaurant is in a 4-storey high building and the minute you enter the place, you're greeted with pictures and autographs of Korean celebrities who have been there before. Impressive.

 

I read that this place is famous for their ganjang gejang which is soy sauce marinated crab. And so, Ashley and I ordered a portion to share. We also ordered their geaal bibimbap (crab roe bibimbap) to share.

 

So here comes the epic story. When the food was served, Ashley looked somewhat uneasy. At that point, I wasn't too sure what's wrong so I just continued to snap my pictures etc. After which, I proceeded to try the famous crab dish. But lo and behold, I didn't expect the crab to be RAW???? Omg I nearly died becos the fishy taste was really strong and I just couldn't swallow it. It certainly wasn't what I expected it to be.

Ashley and I decided that there's no way we could eat raw crabs so we got the waitress to steam the crabs for us. Pretty sure she thinks we're weird but whatever. Omg really, why didn't Minjung tell me that the crab was raw???

 

And so even though this place may be really popular among tourists esp Jap tourists, I really don't think I'll visit this place again. Raw crab just isn't my kinda thing. I guess you could visit this place and try their ganjang kejang if you're adventurous enough but don't say I didn't warn you!

 

Okay and here are some other dishes you shld try when you're in Korea. You can get most of them in the food court or any small Korean restaurants.....

 

Kimchi jjigae

Definitely kimchi jjigae! Kimchi jjigae is a type of Korean stew made of kimchi, scallions, onions, diced tofu and pork. Unless you're only gonna be in Seoul for like 5 days then I'll say, skip this dish since you can probably cook it yourself (Really easy lol) Nothing beats a piping hot bowl of spicy soup on a cold rainy day. And yup it's boiling hot when served, as seen in the pic.

Sam gye tang

I'm not a die hard fan of sam gye tang, but I'd say a trip to Korea wouldn't be complete without trying it. Sam gye tang or chicken ginseng soup is essentially a soup dish containing a whole chicken, ginseng and other herbs and is usually eaten with rice.
It was my first time trying sam gye tang in Seoul and I was expecting it to taste really strong, like those traditional Chinese herbs. But it wasn't strong at all, in fact it was somewhat bland? Tastes really healthy though lol. Definitely worth a try.

Rabokki

Rabokki is basically ramyun (instant noodles) +  tteokbokki (rice cake) My dad's favourite Korean dish and one of my top fav as well!
Warning: It is VERY spicy.



Gaeran jim topped with silver fish

 

Korean steamed egg or otherwise known as gaeran jim can be found in most Korean restaurants as a side dish. I'm no stranger to steamed egg since my mom used to make them when I was younger. However it was my first time trying the Korean version in Seoul and I have to say that, I prefer my mom's version, or rather, the Chinese version lol.

The Korean steamed egg is denser and less smooth compared to the Chinese version. As you can probably see frm the pic, the egg doesn't look silky and smooth. I'd say skip this dish and come to Spore to try the best steamed egg ever! But then again, if you're at a Korean restaurant thinking abt what side dish to order, this can always be an option.

 

Galchi jorim

 

Galchi jorim or steamed hairtail is a fish stew kinda dish. I knew abt this dish frm all the Korean variety shows I've been watching. The celebs on TV seem to like this dish very much and hence I knew I had to try it when I visited Seoul.

Surprisingly, it wasn't as fantastic as I thought it would be. It was nice though but just not epic enough. Once again, it is very spicy and be careful while eating as the fish contains many bones.

 

Okay that's abt it for all the food I've tried in Seoul in my past 2 trips! Will blog abt the cafes in Seoul, where to shop in Seoul, jjimjibang, Noryangjin fish market and Everland soon! I foresee myself writing at least another 3-4 more entries on the things to see/ do in Seoul. Whoop can't wait!

 

Ahh.... really missing Seoul now~