The more we look, the more it seems an allusive thing. Finding that perfect combination of ambiance and high-quality coffee. And particularly difficult to track down good handcrafted coffee nestled in a place where you want to sit for more than just a few minutes.
And with that, I introduce our readers to Elbgold Kaffee.
Located in an artsy neighborhood of Hamburg, Germany, they have a great selection of coffee for purchase in-house or take-away. They partner with well-known local shops to offer pastries and other baked goods through the day. And their selection of fair-trade beans, all roasted in-house, is quite extensive. Not quite the perfect combination that we are ultimately on a quest for, Elbgold nevertheless offers great coffee and a fun atmosphere.
Aesthetically pleasing coffee shops that offer excellent coffee are always a plus.
Elbgold incorporates several common elements of the current wave of coffee shops into their location: chalkboards, high ceilings and exposed rafters to create that warehouse vibe, a neutral color palette, and seating crafted from coffee bags. The overall feel is relaxed but not overly cozy, leaning instead more towards trendy, a place to be seen. It is busy, and it can get a bit loud [not necessarily the worst thing when you have the kids in tow].
Ample seating indoors and out provides plenty of opportunity for sitting and enjoying a fine coffee. The traditional tables and chairs were a bit odd to me, but they do offer a number of food options on the menu.
I know, I was shocked as well. Who knew people went to coffee shops for something other than coffee?!?
For many people, the atmosphere makes or breaks a place.
But to us, it really is about the coffee. And Elbgold offers quality coffee. We were definitely pleased with what we ordered. Of course we have only been once and that was last year, so I can only speak to that experience. But with such a massive space and such quality beans, it would sure be nice to see some more time and attention given to handcrafted drinks.
Still, the coffee was really good. And in the summertime, a nice cold brew is always a welcomed treat.
Overall, we enjoyed the coffee at Elbgold.
Daniel enjoyed it as well! He is always
more than happy to finish off the last sips.
A kid who loves black coffee?!?
So much so that we decided to take one more for the road!
You can learn more about Elbgold here(I hope your German is better than mine!).
It’s funny, the things that we get excited about when living overseas. Often it comes in the form of things we did not really indulge in when we lived in the states. But there is just something comforting about the familiar.Over the past couple of years, we’ve had several chances to enjoy some foods that gave us just a taste of our home country.
And sometimes that can provide just what you need to combat a bit of homesickness.
Those that visit our city typically end up taking home a bag of Sandefjords Blanding (Sandefjord’s blend) coffee, purchased at a shop downtown. And that coffee is actually roasted by a company based in Oslo. That company, Solberg & Hansen, recently opened a concept shop in Mathallen, in one of our favorite areas of Oslo.
How can I describe Mathallen? As I’ve mentioned before, mat is the Norwegian word for food, so the name translates to The Food Hall. Located on the river in an area that was formerly comprised of factories and mills, Mathallen sits on the edge of Grünerløkka, home and play place of all of Oslo’s cool kids.
To call Mathallen a food court seems a bit unfair, because it is so much more than that. In this massive warehouse-style shrine to gourmet delicacies and discriminating palates, you can buy superior cuts of meat and hard-to-find cheeses, grab lunch from one of the varied counter-service shops, or sit down and relax with friends for a drink or a meal. Weekends also include cooking demonstrations and delicious samples.
You can also take a break and enjoy a fine hand-brew at Solberg & Hansen. Their new concept shop offers coffee, tea, retail sales, and even some courses and cupping.
We have always been pleased with their coffee when we’ve bought it here in Sandefjord. So we were anxious to see what they had to offer at Mathallen.
They have a nice variety of beans available for purchase, and the styling and presentation at their pour-over bar is impressive.
The overall feel of the space is nice. The relaxed pace certainly fits the brewing technique, but seems to stand in contrast to the loud environment where it sits.
If you find yourself in the Vulkan or Grünerløkka neighborhoods of Oslo, we highly recommend a stop at Mathallen. And while you’re there, why not take the time to check out Solberg & Hansen as well?
While every morning deserves a little coffee to get things started, I think Mondays typically require even more!
So what better day than Monday to share some of the coffee
shops we’ve visited in recent years…
On our first edition of Kaffetur, I’m highlighting Ministerstwo Kawy (the ministry of coffee) in Warsaw, Poland. (Website here)
When we visited Poland we discovered a number of noteworthy coffee shops. This particular cafe offered excellent hand brews, and delicious baked goods as well.
William has promised to build one of these for us!
The decor was simple and modern, with a bit of a Scandinavian feel to it.
Both of the ladies working behind the counter at Ministerstwo seemed to be quite knowledgeable about coffee – and spoke excellent English as well.
Did I mention that they sell amazing sweets? Zack and I enjoyed sharing a slice of this unusual yet delicious cake.
We ordered a Chemex with a very freshly-roasted African coffee.
The coffee was delicious – some of the best we had on this particular trip.
The location is close to a large roundabout, and a short walk to a Metro station. We highly recommend Ministerstwo in Warsaw!
Yeah, yeah. It’s really more of a mediterranean or Middle Eastern food. But I don’t think it is possible to drive through a city in Norway – regardless of the size – and not find at least one kebab restaurant. It is like the national fast food of this country.It is also one of the cheaper restaurant options. It’s usually available fairly quickly (prepared to order, but doesn’t take long), and typically at a counter service establishment. It isn’t the healthiest food, but from time to time I find I must indulge! The meat is typically lamb, but many restaurants offer a chicken option, as well as some beef or blend options.
The lamb is often cooked on a large upright spit. In that case, the meat is shaved from the spit. At other restaurants it is chopped.
Daniel prefers kebab i pita: a warm pita filled with lettuce, meat, and other toppings like onions, corn, tomatoes, cucumber and sauce. We all like kebab tallerken as well. It has all the stuff you would find in a pita, but spread over a bed of French fries.
Kebab
(noun) Kebab.
Used in a sentence
Det er min mening at man ikke har vært i Norge før man har prøvd kebab.
(It is my opinion that you haven’t been to Norway until you’ve tried kebab.)
Related Words
kjøtt – meat
tallerken – plate/platter
salat – lettuce
løk – onion
agurk – cucumber
sterk – spicy
The Five Healthiest Foods in Norway (original post here) – carrots came in at number one.Carrots are fairly inexpensive here. And very common, as are most root vegetables. I often have a big bag of carrots in the fridge. I use them in soups and stir fry, and last week I made carrot apple bread (it was really good! – I found the recipe HERE via Pinterest).
I’ve had a lot of Pinterest success stories lately – I really should start sharing them more often! In the meantime, feel free to visit and follow my Pinterest board “Pinterest Success.”
The NRK article stated that everyone likes carrots, both raw and cooked. I am afraid I must disagree. I can handle them cooked in things, but I have a difficult time eating raw carrots (unless they’re covered in dip or humus!). I really want to find more ways to prepare them since they are so good for you. So if you have any favorite recipes involving carrots, I would love to hear about them!
Gulrot
(noun) Carrot.
Used in a sentence
Jeg trenger to gulrøtter for suppe.
(I need two carrots for the soup.)
Related Words
grønnsaker – vegetables
fiber – fiber
vitaminer – vitamins
rot grønnsaker – root vegetables
The Five Healthiest Foods in Norway (original post here) – at number two was mackerel in tomato sauce. (And hooray – Zack is writing today!…)
Would you eat a food if the nickname for it was “plane crash”? Yeah, me neither. I grew up seeing my dad eat sardines from time to time when we were fishing or hunting, but I think mostly his reason for doing it was to try and gross me out. Probably the same reason why he would eat raw chicken liver when we were fishing for catfish.
Anyway. Plane Crash or mackerel in tomato sauce. Sounds delightful. And with a shelf life of just over a decade, why not??
I was not much of a fish eater when we lived in the US. I ate some fresh water fish that dad caught and then salmon and tuna from time to time. I had to make some adjustments to my diet when we moved here because people (most people) eat a lot of fish. Beef and chicken are crazy expensive, and we found cod and salmon to be quite reasonable.
The day after our first Norwegian constitution day here, we went on a weekend cabin trip with some friends. We stopped on the way and bought some food to share over the long weekend. My friend K bought some mackerel in tomato sauce and brought it along.
Let me set the stage. It was hot by Norwegian standards, probably low 80’s and we had been hiking most of the day. We are in an awesome cabin that was very rustic in many ways. It did have a toilet, but the toilet (poop, bæsj, crap- whatever you want to call it) basically went through the floor and into the woods outside. To help cover the odor, you put bark and soil over the top of it to “flush”. It worked great and we had no problems at all, IF the rules were followed.
The first – and possibly most important – rule was to keep the door closed. Well, D and W apparently did not really remember that rule too well and we had just sat down to lunch. My friend K opened the can of “plane crash” and smeared some on a piece of whole wheat bread. He offered some to the boys and to Jenn and me as well. The boys loved it and asked for more. Jenn declined politely refused, and I took a piece.
Just before I put the piece of bread with the fishy tomato sauce smeared on top, a gentle breeze blew outside, coming up through the toilet and through the door that one of my little guys had left open. It went right up my nose and felt like it punched me in the face.
I went ahead and put the bread in my mouth and took a bite. My first thought was, I’m gonna hurl! I silently asked Jesus to help me swallow this food and he did. I am not very good at hiding what I am feeling or thinking, so they knew I didn’t like it. After some good natured teasing and ripping, it died down and I was able to finish eating. K did however send D to shut the bathroom door, for which we were all thankful.
Fast forward about 1.5 years later with some small intervals of teasing from my friends about mackerel in tomato sauce and I am now eating it. I eat it once or twice a week. How did this happen? I will explain.
I was at a leadership conference in Kristiansand (south of Norway) last year and I saw a guy whom I consider to be in really good health and in good shape eating “plane crash” for breakfast. Mental note number one.
I heard a commercial on the radio where the mom was talking about healthy food and she was talking about mackerel in tomato sauce, but she had to speak English because she didn’t want the daughter to understand and know that she was eating something so delicious and was so good for her. She then switches to German when the older son comes in (because he’s school age so he would of course already be learning English!). Mental note number two.
My family has a history of heart problems and strokes. I know taking care of myself is very important. Fatty fish is good for your heart, memory, skin and also helps with seasonal affective disorder. I decided to give it another try. I bought a can of mackerel in tomato sauce and brought it home. I opened it up and put it on a slice of bread and it wasn’t bad at all. I continued to eat it, but just out of the can with no bread and I REALLY liked it.
So now, at least 2-3 times a week I eat a can of makrell i tomat (Norwegian). I like it a lot and it is great to take with you on a hike, in the car, to a meeting, when your wife has surgery and you are at the hospital all day and just for a snack before going skiing or something when you need some quick energy.
(Here are a few TV commercials about mackerel in tomato sauce, based on a song ‘tre små fisk‘)
Makrell i tomat
(noun) Mackerel in tomato sauce.Related Words
fettsyrer – fatty acids
fisk – fish
sunn/sunt – healthy
tre små fisk – three small fish
The Five Healthiest Foods in Norway (original post here) – at number three was oatmeal.
The nutritionists that participated in the study encouraged the importance of whole grains. Oatmeal is a good source of fiber, vitamin B, iron and other important minerals. (I also like the way it leaves you feeling full for quite a while.)We eat quite a bit of oatmeal. I probably cook it an average of three times every week for breakfast. I use it when making multigrain bread. And it is a major component of the granola I make as well. The boys love it, especially with a bit of jam mixed in.
It seems the majority of people eat oatmeal with something sweet added, whether it be fruit, jam, or cinnamon and sugar. I am a bit odd in that I prefer mine with butter, a splash of milk, and a little salt. I blame it on my mom; that’s how she gave it to me when I was growing up. So sweet oatmeal is really weird to me!
Havregryn
(noun) Oatmeal.
Used in a sentence
Vi spiser havregryn omtrent tre ganger hver uke.
(We eat oatmeal about three times each week.)
Related Words
havre – oats
fullkorn – wholegrain
grøt – porridge
jern – iron
The Five Healthiest Foods in Norway (original post here) – at number four was blueberries.
Homemade blueberry muffins, made
from the berries the boys picked in
the mountains on a hiking trip
Berries are quite popular here. And berry-picking trips are popular in the summertime. Last summer, the boys enjoyed picking lots of blueberries while we were hiking in the mountains.
We all like blueberries. Sometime alone, other times in a fruit salad or smoothie, and occasionally in a treat like muffins.
The NRK article’s nutritionists appreciated the antioxidants in blueberries. They were concerned that people do not eat enough berries, and also focused on the importance of ‘five a day.’ Furthermore, they liked that picking the berries yourself means additional physical activity!
Blåbær
(noun) Blueberry.
Used in a sentence
Guttene plukket blåbær og vi laget muffins.
(The boys picked blueberries and we made muffins.)
Related Words
bær – berry/berries
antioksidanter – antioxidants
The Five Healthiest Foods in Norway (original post here) – at number five was milk.The article explained that is the best source of calcium in Norway, and also a good source of iodine. We typically buy Ekstra Lett Melk because it has added Vitamin D – especially important in the dark winter months! (Eskstra Lett also has less saturated fat.)
We really like the milk in Norway. It is refrigerated! Sounds strange to some of you maybe, but in Ukraine we learned that this is not always the case. Yeah, unrefrigerated milk was kind of strange to me!Price
There are two brands we can choose from: Tine Melk or Q-Melk. Most of the time we buy Tine, mainly because I have better luck finding the kind I prefer in the 1.75 liter carton instead of the 1 liter that seems to vanish as soon as it is opened.
The 1.75 liter costs a minimum of 21.90 Norwegian kroner. Our current conversion rate is quite favorable for us (not for Norwegians traveling to America!), so that is currently around $2.90 for 1.75 liters. That is the equivalent of about $6.24 per gallon (about double the price of a gallon in Georgia!)
We are occasionally able to find it marked down for as much as 50% off due to only a couple of days left on the expiration date. But the boys love milk, and we use it in a lot of recipes, so a short date is no problem!
Tine changes their packaging at Christmas and Easter. For the majority of the year, the photos on the cartons show scenes from the dairies located in your region. But at Christmas the nisser (the little trolls/elves) show up. And at Easter, Tine pays homage to the Norwegian tradition of Påskekrim – Easter crime novels* – by including mystery-based comic strips on the boxes.
Variety
Like in the states, there are plenty of varieties: whole milk, low fat, lower fat (with the added Vitamin D), skim milk, as well as chocolate milk, culture milks, and kefir.
[Okay, I just have to say that this may be the most boring post I’ve ever written!]
Melk
(noun) Milk.Used in a sentence
Kan du kjøpe inn en melk for meg?
(Will you buy a carton of milk for me?)
Related Words
hel melk – whole milk
lett melk – low fat milkekstra lett melk – lower fat milk
skummet melk – skim milk
sjokolademelk – chocolate milk
geit melk – goat milk
økologisk melk – organic milk
laktosefri melk – lactose free milk
kulturmelk – culture milk/soured milk (similar to buttermilk)
*You read that correctly – Easter crime novels – I should probably revisit this in a couple of months!
