Max + Moritz, Belair, Luxembourg City

November 28, 2016 ~ Corie Bratter ~ Leave a comment

The opening of new places in Luxembourg is recently so much anticipated on social media that you cannot wait to visit a new restaurant / bar as soon as it is inaugurated.

For me this was the case when Max + Moritz, a cozy, slightly hipster new bar / eatery in Belair opens its door. I was very tempted by the concept advertised, as well as by the fact it is just around the corner of my new flat.

Unfortunately, twice I have been there this summer, twice I was extremely deluded. At that time, home made cocktails strongly advertised left us with ugly memories, mainly for the taste. Service was both times horrible – slow, not polite, almost rude. Prices, as said, were quite out of the market for being a bar in the middle of nowhere and when we asked for some chips/peanuts with our 16 Euro drink, the only option was ordering a pricey food platter to share. Another third time, I passed there around closing time – still, ten minutes ahead – the bar was quite full and I was alone, went to the bar for a quick drink and I was told “we are already closed” – really?

As always happens to me – even with people -, I decided to give Max + Moritz another chance. We passed there after a work meeting last week and we stopped by for a drink. We noted the bar team changed and the atmosphere was quite nice. One of the waiters stopped to talk with us and even gave us a ride home when they closed.

We were pretty enthusiast of this change that we booked for dinner on Saturday night – the online reservation system is one of the things I appreciate most in restaurants and little by little is starting to be a thing as well in Luxembourg. The restaurant side was quite packed but pleasant to enjoy.

We started with a drink, followed by a starter to share – caprese with bufala – and two pizzas – I had the Firecrackers one and my friend a gorgonzola cheese salami personalized one.

The menu has other interesting options as burgers and meat dishes and all of them arriving at other tables around looked pretty good.

Pictures of our dinner followed by general impressions.

What I liked about Max + Moritz:

The concept of the restaurant is very nice and the location is cool: it is the perfect place if you want to have an informal dinner, but in a young modern environment. Most of pizzerias are full of noisy families on Saturday night or they are just looking for you to empty your table to accommodate someone else. At Max + Moritz you have several different interesting choices for having a pleasant dinner with friends.
Our food was tasty: the pizza is prepared with a very tiny base – if in Italy I would call it “spianata” more than a pizza and the toppings were delicious. My pizza was marked as spicy one and it was indeed spicy.
Drinks and wine selection is good and fairly priced and the service is informal, young and smiling. Waiter take their time to serve you and to explain food choices and alternatives – praised to Andrea and the other girl who were serving us that night. Parking is not much issue in the area compared to the city center.

What I liked a bit less about Max + Moritz:

Let’s be honest, this is not a cheap place: our pizza were 16/18 euros and other main menu choices are on higher price level. You pay definitely the fancy decor and the fact you are in Belair. If you are on a budget, better book somewhere else.

In conclusion: I liked having dinner at Max + Moritz. It is the perfect place to catch up with friends or for a celebration and you can have some drinks at the bar before/after dinner, London style. Pizza was very tasty and I look forward to come back again to try other dishes. Service is great and I much appreciated the fact they had such a remarkable improvement since the opening. Well done.

Discovering Surroundings: Restaurant La Taverna, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg

June 9, 2016June 9, 2016 ~ Corie Bratter ~ Leave a comment

Sorry for being missing – it has been a mad period at work and, again, I am a bit behind in blogging, as moreover I have tons of new projects coming in the next month for Barefoot in Luxembourg that I have to follow up and, as usual, a pile of shirts from my husband to iron.

Anyway – more and more often on Sundays we tend to go out of the city for dining, as the weather is pretty pleasant (even if it doesn’t look like yet we are officially in summer!) and I am a bit fed up of the usual places in the city centre. This refers in particularly to pizza, as unfortunately my favourite pizza in town (I Quattro Mori) in closed on Sundays and all the other pizzeria we have been in the last months were a bit disappointing.

Last Sunday finally we decided to head to Grevermachen, that is very close to the German border and 15 minutes drive from Luxembourg city centre via motorway. I have been following “La Taverna” page on Facebook for some times and I was always attracted by the pictures they were posting.

This characteristic Italian restaurant is located in the city centre of Grevermachen and has a truly authentic appearance, with wood decorations and green and white checked tablecloths.

We got there around 7.30 pm and there were already some tables occupied. I ordered a starter with “bruschetta” and a pizza “Vagabondo” with Salami and Gorgonzola (hence the four sessions at the gym this week!), while hubby had a starter with rolled eggplants and a pizza “Turi” with sausages. We concluded with two homemade desserts, I had Tiramisu and hubby had a ricotta cake.
Scroll down after the pictures to discover my impressions about this restaurant.

Things I liked about La Taverna in Grevenmacher:

The place, as said, is really authentic – for example they don’t bring you the commercial bottle of spicy oil, but a pot from the kitchen with fresh chilli marinated. You feel you are at home and the service was very kind and accurate.
Pizza is super delicious – good spot, finally! – and there are several nice “Italian” combinations – no pizza with chicken on top, but only kind of dressings you would find in Italy as well.
The prices are very fair: pizza starts from 8.5 euro for a Margherita and got up maximum to 15 euro for pizza with Parma ham and bufala (in the city, I paid 23 euro for the same pizza…)

Things I liked a bit less about La Taverna in Grevenmacher:

I like my pizza to be a bit bigger, honestly, maybe because I am used to Milan where the pizza is getting out of the dish when it is served. At La Taverna the size is on the smaller side, but as my husband noted – as he liked it – in this way you can easily have a starter and a dessert without feeling full.

So – I was definitely very happy to have discovered La Taverna: this restaurant jumps in my top three of the best pizza in Luxembourg, definitely. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a place to have an informal Italian dinner, at a very reasonable price, with amazing ingredients and home made products.

Discovering Surroundings: Atelier del Gusto, Remich, Luxembourg

May 12, 2016May 12, 2016 ~ Corie Bratter ~ 1 Comment

So – as short break during our moving days – we head to Remich last Thursday afternoon, as it was public holiday and the day was too good to stay at home. After a short walk on the river, we decided to stop at Atelier del Gusto, the new branch of the famous Italian restaurant – shop located in Bonnevoie. We were very curious to try it, as because of the wood oven.

The location is very nice: set next to the river, big parking outside compared to other venues on the Esplanade and has a lovely, huge terrace, with a pleasant Italian atmosphere.

We started with drinks, I had a lemonade and hubby some beer, as starter we ordered a mixed platter of cold cuts and cheese to share, followed by a pizza Vagabondo for me – with Parma ham – while hubby had a “puccia” – a huge sandwich prepared with the pizza dough, plus some more water.

Bill was 62 euro in total.

Curious about my impressions? Scroll down after pictures.

Things I liked about Atelier del Gusto in Remich:

I loved the atmosphere: it is so pleasant to spend some relaxing time on their peaceful terrace far from the busy city centre! You just put your sunnies on and you can stay there hours…
The kitchen is open without stops over week-ends, so if you are late and you want to have your lunch or pizza at 4 pm, it is perfectly fine. You can even start with a drink ad decide to move for some food later.
Ingredients are amazing, fresh and authentic: the smoked burrata in the mixed platter was to die for and the pizza dough is another league compared to most I have had in town.

Things I liked a bit less about Atelier del Gusto in Remich:

As Italian myself, I would have loved to see more authentic pizzas and dishes on the menu: we have exceptional products, so why don’t use them instead of proposing all the same boring pizzas for “Italians abroad”? I hope to see pizza with eggplants or nduja or provola or speck etc. next time I will come – and less “pizza for tourists”.
As said, the place is very relaxed, that means that service can be slow for cosmopolitan standards. This is not a restaurant for a business lunches indeed, but a place to spend couple of hours for a meal without bothering about time. If you are in a hurry or you are easily fed up, this is not the place for you.

In conclusion: While the menu still miss some Italian brio, we liked our late lunch/early dinner at L’Atelier del Gusto in Remich. Their terrace is lovely, products are fresh and pizza very good. Relax and take it easy. Perfect for a Sunday-long lunch with friends or family with kids.

And if you want to visit Remich but you don’t have a car or you plan to drink some nice Italian wine during your meal, why you don’t think about booking Drink and Drive Luxembourg? They even organize mini van if you want to have a safe celebration.

Good food, missing spark: Divino, Cloche D’Or, Luxembourg

January 21, 2016January 21, 2016 ~ Corie Bratter ~ 3 Comments

I have been a client at Vinissimo shop since they were still located in Livange and now they opened the door in the huge premise of Cloche D’Or is almost a weekly appointment for charcuterie, cheese and wine tasting.

Before holidays, I had a very nice lunch at the restaurant in their premise (Divino) with Patricia, so I was really excited when my friend Anna told me she booked there for one of our usual dinners.

Unfortunately, even if the food was (almost) great, I did not like so much the place in the dinner atmosphere – later I will explain why.

We shared a charcuterie platter and, as main, I went for gnocchi with gorgonzola cheese while Anna had a pizza.
We drank a Nebbiolo Gattinara 2008 and concluded with coffee and a digestif made with red Oranges.

After the picture you will find my impressions about the dinner.

Things I loved about Divino:

Charcuterie is unbeatable. The small platter was actually huge and the selection very interesting (lardo di Colonnata, liver salami, crudo ham, mortadella and focaccia).
Service is great. Waiters are available, smiling, always on side. Wine was decanted and we never had empty glasses.

Things I liked a bit less about Divino:

The location is not impressive. While at lunch time it might appear good to eat in the middle of a shop, during the evening lights are too strong and tables really too close – our neighbors were less than one hand from us.
The food missed the spark. My gnocchi were one of the plainest dish I had in a long time. I appreciated they were really home-made (first place in Luxembourg probably), but were totally missing taste. Anna’s pizza was very disappointing – and the charcuterie or cheese you can order with the pizza are on side not on top.

In conclusion: Divino is a very good alternative for an upgraded lunch if you are in Gasperich or want to go out from the busy center (huge parking available). The mixed charcuterie and cheese platters are exceptional and you can combine them with great wines. I would anyway not come back for a proper dinner as spaces is too small, lack of atmosphere and not all the food options are remarkable (avoid the gnocchi and the pizza, go for Paccheri with Rabbit ).

Lanzarote bites

August 31, 2015 ~ Corie Bratter ~ 7 Comments

I am just back in Luxembourg after two chaotic weeks of holidays and now, just in front of my office windows, the most chaotic event in Luxembourg ever is taking place – the summer Braderie. I have a wedding and funeral band playing louder than my printer and a pile of posts to open. So, the laziest, I decided what would be better than looking back at my vacation pictures?

We had great time in Lanzarote, the island is amazing – something totally different from what you have seen so far – and you can spend days visiting around. Or you can just lay in the sun, eat and drink. We tried to do both of them, indeed, and I have to admit the quality of the food and drinks was above my expectations.

Enjoy this gallery and have a lovely week.

Best pizza in town: Pizzeria La Torre, Luxembourg

August 28, 2015 ~ Corie Bratter ~ 7 Comments

For an Italian, pizza is not an easy matter, I know.
I suppose it is like going to the hairdresser for girls. The one you find A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, was the shittiest experience ever for your friend (#truestory) and the one you would never enter again, it is your pal’s bf. Definitely like that: it is a question of taste. So for example, hubby loves really tiny pizza – the one in Italy we call “alla romana” – while I can have it just as a slide for snack and, on my side, I prefer the really thick one – “napoletana“.

This short preface was requested, as I know my favorite pizza place, in Luxembourg, could not meet your expectations. I love “La Torre“ in Limpesberg – just next to the water tower, short pleasant walk from Glacis – as they are doing a thick pizza and they have my favorite version – white focaccia with mozzarella cheese, tomato and Parma ham.
They have several “really Italian” pizza tastes, I mean, nothing with kebab or fajita chicken spread over – another favorite of mine is the one with porcini mushroom and sausages – and if you are not up for a pizza, they are also thick on the menu side, so you can go wild – I have never had anything different from pizza, so I couldn’t help with suggestions.

Be aware – pizza could be expensive here – for example, my favorite Parma ham is over 20 euro sigh. I don’t come here too often*, so I still find it acceptable and a good quality value.
The atmosphere is Italian and informal. Service is very friendly.

*It could seem strange I declare my unconditioned love for a place and then state I am not visiting it often.. You know what, there I had my last date with that boy and after years (five?), I still cannot look out of those windows without feeling uncomfortable. Illegitimate, but honest.

Sunday dinner at “La Veranda”, Luxembourg

July 9, 2015July 8, 2015 ~ Corie Bratter ~ 6 Comments

Since hubby has started to work again with busy schedule during week-ends, the only night we can actually have a proper dinner out is Sunday.

Before my business trip to Amsterdam, we decided to spoil ourselves with some truly Italian food and we went for “La Veranda” restaurant in Howald.

We had some starters (charcuterie, cheese, pizza) and then, as main, I had grilled meat and hubby went for lamb. We accompanied it with a bottle of Tuscan wine from Bolgheri, a lovely one.

See the pictures of our night and find after some impressions about the dinner and the restaurant.

Things I loved about dining at La Veranda:

– Food was definitely outstanding quality: I loved the cheese and the pizza was yummy. My main course included lamb, entrecote, beef filet and sausages. Everything was very good, special mention to the entrecote that was just perfect, thin and soft.

– Portions are huge but the quality is so great you can arrive at the end of a glorious dinner like ours without feeling sick.

– Service was also extremely fine: attentive and available for suggestions and clarifications about the origin of the productions and the dishes composition. Not very common in Luxembourg.

Things I liked a bit less:

– The interiors are a bit dated and old fashion and the terrace is overlooking Route de Thionville that is definitely not a fancy view.

– If you are choosing a good wine and meat/fish main and you add up some dessert and digestives, the bill is growing pretty fast.

In conclusion, I definitely enjoyed our dinner at “La Veranda”, it is a good place for an informal dinner with friends and family and, even if the surroundings are not fancy, it is definitely worth a visit.