5 best roadside diners in Norway 2009

View Best diners along Norwegian roads 2009 in a larger map

How many times have you stopped by the road, in order to to get a meal, and found the meat to be burnt, the fish tough, vegetables over cooked and the gravy tasting like something out of packet. Well, Norwegian roadside restaurants have had a notoriously bad reputation. In order to get better, and more healthy food for those of us traveling along the roads summertime, a group studying nutrition at the University of Oslo and DHL drivers have tested food under offer at diners in Norway. Here are the winners.

1. Marché Storebaug Øst/Vest, Rygge
   Swiss restaurant chain operating in the Eastern part of Norway. Tasty food with a large selection of vegetables. Nice staff.
   
   
   
2. Sofias Café og Bar, Geilo
   Diner with a healthy focus. Local ingredients and bake their own bread.
   
   
3. Nye Spydeberg Pizza - Li Qua, Spydeberg
   Chinese diner with a large menu of oriental food. Pizza and burgers available for junk food lovers
   
   
4. By the Way, Kløfta
   Breakfast, lunch, and dinner available. A wide range of meat and fish on the menu, and a very impressive salad bar.
   
   
5. Marché Bistro, Kjellstad, Lier
   Swiss restaurant chain operating in the Eastern part of Norway. Tasty food with a large selection of vegetables. Nice staff.
   

More roadside dinners?

See what we ate at BJ's diner by the N3 highway between Johannesburg and Durban

Eat you heart out, Michael O'Leary

For those of you that believes that Ryanairs boss, Michael O’Leary is the most creative man in the business, think again! According to Sky News, the Chinese air carrier Spring Airlines has plans to offer tickets where you may choose to stand on their flights.

Passengers will be strapped to a kind of a bar stool to ensure safety during travel. Spring Airlines' Zhang Wuan hope that the airline may cut 20% of their costs and allow the planes to take 40% more passengers. It is now considering officially submitting it to the aviation regulator before the year is out.

It seems that creativity in the budget segment of the airline industry has no end. The question is when new creative solutions like these will ultimately threaten the overall safety on board. It may certainly be pleasant enough to be placed on a twig during a smooth flight, but how will it feel during takeoff, landing, and turbulent conditions? Let us hope that the idea is turned down by Chinese aviation authorities. If not, you may soon be standing on Ryanair flights as well, believe me!!

See full story on Sky News

(Photo: Follash)

Spring Arlines shows travelers how to exercise on board

See this little film from on Youtube:



Want some more bad news for air travelers

• Ryanairs O'Leary asks travelers to hold water during flights
• War of the skies - new costs to look out for

Summertime, and the living is easy!

The last days have brought temperatures close to 30C (84F), fair skies to Norway. The long awaited summer is finally here!! As everyone else, the Enjoy Food & Travel team will enjoy a good summer break. This means that stories will be published sporadically on the site in July. We certainly hope that you will come back to us when the fall season starts August 2009. when we will have new stories from fascinating destinations from Europe and beyond!!

THE ENJOY FOOD & TRAVEL TEAM WILL WISH YOU ALL A LONG, GOOD AND WARM SUMMER BREAK!!

On the photo: Merdøgaard museum is an authentic seacaptain's home outside Arendal. It dates back to the 18th century. It has belonged to the Dahll and Larssøn families, and they have left behind an important legacy, as most of the interior was donated to the Aust-Agder Museum. The house is open during the summer.

(Photo: Krg)

UPDATED: Sitges - disappointing second meal at Claudius

(UPDATED: June 16th 2009) One of our best meals last year was a simple, still elegant late night dinner at Claudius, a small modest pizzeria / ristorante by the Mediterranean. This meal was inspired by an important principle in good Italian cooking - less is more. From a few, but excellent ingredients the cook created wonderful food!! At Claudius all was perfect - nearly, as only Allah is perfect! Sadly, as we revisited this year, we found that much of the glory had disappeared. Our meal was, quite frankly a disappointment.

Location: BBBBB

There are few places better to eat by the Sitges beachfront. Claudius face the Mediterranean, located close to the church Santa Bartolmeu i Santa Tecla.

A better location for a good meal is very hard to find.....

Atmosphere: BBBBB-

A traditional colourful interior, well cleaned and maintained. But who would sit inside on such an evening? We decided to eat outside.

Price: BBBBB

I have sadly lost the bill, but the price for two dishes and a bottle of rosé wine to share was hardly chocking.

Service: BBBB+

Good service from a nice waitress that did her best to make us feel comfortable. The food was served quickly, but what food!!!!

Updated June 16th: Nice and discreet service, we did not have to wait long to be served.

Food: BBBB (2008: BBBBB)

2008: Gnocchi with a creamy ruccola pesto and gorgonzola sauce: BBBBB

I know it does not look good, but this grey food was delicious. Perfectly prepared gnocchi, dumplings made from flour, potatoes and eggs served in the most exquisite sauce. This dish has been an inspiration for my own culinary activities, as I have prepared this sauce at my summer home, and ruccola pesto - oh-la-la!!!

2008: Profiteroles with strawberry sauce and cream: BBBB+

Profiteroles are among my favourite desserts, and at Claudius they really knew how to make a great presentation of them. You really looked forward to the first bite.

The syrup was out of this world, whereas the strawberry and regular cream tasted less of the delicious berries. The cream puffs were perfect.

2009: Pizza Parmesana: BBBB-

I ordered from the large selection of pizzas. The Pizza Parmesana was described as pizza with mozzarella, cured ham and parmesan cheese.

Presentation: The Pizza Parmesana looked decent, but was served on a plate to small for the pie, and as it was not flat, it made the pie difficult to eat.

Texture: Topping slightly dry, and whereas the gnocchi ordered by my friends were served with fresh parmesan shavings, my pizza had the dry, low-quality, powdered parmesan variety. The pastry was very dry and cracked into small crumbs. Cured ham was tough.

Balance: Slightly bitter tomato sauce, lacking a little sweetness. Extra pepper needed.

Taste: Very average in taste

Price: At 9 EUROS you were not robbed, but even though the low price, pizzas at Claudius is not recommended.

Beverage: Leonardo Chianti Classico: BBBB-

We ordered a Chianto Classico, priced at EUR 17,90 for a bottle, a fruity wine, with very little character.

Rating the Claudius experience: BBBB+ (4,33 points)

A climb down from the review in 2008. Even the gnocchi ordered by my traveling companions were of completely different character. Pizza was dry and not very good. Location, atmosphere, service and price saves it from even a lower dip in rating.

Park Inn Arendal

In my childhood, Central Hotel was the least preferred of the three hotels in my home town. After a period as Arendal Maritim Hotel, I was surprised to fin that the German Rezidor group had made it into the second Park Inn Hotel in Norway. I stayed comfortable here for two nights.

Location: BBBB+

Park Inn Arendal is located at Vestre Gate, one of the city's main streets. It is easy accessible from points of public transportation. Only a 5 minute walk from the main bus terminal, and 10-15 walk away from the railway station.

Service: BBBB

Good service from a nice and helpful staff, both in the reception and in the breakfast room. Staff at reception was also in charge of hotel bar, and managed both tasks perfectly.

Another great experience is that we were allowed to keep our rooms past the time we were supposed to vacate them, giving us a less stressful departure.

Room: BBBB

Medium sized room and bathroom on the 3rd floor of the hotel facing the street and overlooking the city. In spite of this, it was quiet during night. If staying during peak season (medium June - medium August) you are advised to ask for a room facing the back yard, as the city may be rather noisy during night.

The room had a maritime theme, with reproductions of sail ship paintings on the walls, light and navy blue colours and dark wood furniture. Flat screen TV with multiple national and international TV channels available. Good air conditioning. I enjoyed two nights in a very comfortable bed.

The room was relatively well maintained with only few signs of wear and tear. The bathroom was newly redecorated to a high standard. Hygiene was good as well.

All in all, a very decent stay in a comfortable room. Another great Park Inn stay.

Breakfast: BBBB

Breakfast was served in the breakfast room and was included in the price, a great thing considering that you increasingly have to pay extra to get a good start on the meal. The maritime character of the hotel followed you into the breakfast room, as much of the buffet was served in a small wooden boat, very neat!!

And it was a very satisfactory, what was under offer. You could choose scrambled eggs (from REAL eggs) and bacon if you wanted something to get you going until lunch. Different breads and rolls, fine or whole grain, and different kind of cheese and meats, mayonnaise salads and herring.

Freshly brewed coffee, tea, milk, and juice.

For those of you that like a healthy start to the day, you can choose from yogurt, cereals, and fruits.

Facilities: BBBB-

Entertainment: Inhouse bar and restaurant serving breakfast and evening buffet.

Exercise: "Fitness centre with solarium througout the hotel. only 2 min" according to the hotel website - to be declared.

Well-being: Good airconditioning throughout the hotel. Free wireless access even on rooms, and good resting areas inside (bar) and outside by the street. Free coffee in bar during the day.

Overall hygiene and maintenance: Very good.

Price: BBBB

At a price of around 800 NOK (88 EUR) it is an affordable and good alternative to the more expensive hotels in Arendal. Be aware that the rates are more favourable when booking on the net.

Total rating: BBBB (4,19 points)

Another good Park Inn hotel, providing good value for money on the south eastern coast of Norway. Recommended by Enjoy Food & Travel.

Address:

Park Inn Arendal
Vestre gate 11
N- 4836 Arendal
Phone: +47 37 00 07 20
Website: www.arendal.rezidorparkinn.com

More Park Inn Hotels:

• Chic living at Park Inn Alexanderplatz

St-Martin-d'Ainay - Lyon

When you roam the quarters of the Presqu'ile district of old Lyon, you find a hidden historic gem in one of the narrow street. St-Martin-d'Ainay is a beautiful Romanesque basilica that has survived the centuries unscathed, left by the architect as it was when built over 1000 years ago.

St-Martin-d'Ainay is a sand coloured building with wonderful round arches decorated with red and yellow stones. The oldest part of the church goes back at least 1200 years. Most of the church was finished by 1100, the century when the gothic style took over as the predominant among church builders.

On the site there has been more churches, and a larger may go back to the first Christian era, when the martyr St. Blandine, according to Gregory of Tours, suffered a gruesome death after the lions of the Amphitheatre refused to eat her and her 48 fellow Christians.

It was consecrated by pope Paschal II in 1107. It is a massive building with thick walls and a dark, mysterious interior. Massive doors and deep windows reminds you that it may have served other purposes, to protect the members of the community from other domestic and international enemies. The once independent region of Savoy was just on the other side of the river and Italy was just behind it, so the international borders were not as far away as today.

The tower at the west part was also used to sound alarms to protect against enemies.

St-Martin-d'Ainay is a beautiful, and very different church from the others found in downtown Lyon. The other churches are not as original in style, and when I visited Lyon a year ago, they were in process of restoring the church back to its former glory. Whereas the other church buildings I saw during my long weekend in Lyon were dirty and in decay, the church of St-Martin-d'Ainay was standing, maybe as it did when it was consecrated over 900 years ago.

On St. Blandine:

• See story on The Amphitheater of the Three Gauls (Amphithéâtre des Trois Gaules) where Blandina started her martyrdom.

More churches in Lyon

• Lyon - remains of a tower
• Saint Bonaventure's Church Lyon
• Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Lyon
• Lyon - Church of Saint Paul
• An ancient Christian centre

UPDATED JUNE 2009 on Enjoy Food & Travel - recipes from A-Z

To make it easier for you, I have compiled all the recipes on Enjoy Food & Travel for the year 2009 on this page. Enjoy!!

A

• Asparagus with Italian pancetta (June 20th 2009)
  

B

• Broccoli Pie (March 10th 2009)
  

C

• Cheese Ball (February 19th 2009)
• Cheeseburger Quiche (March 10th 2009)
  
• Chicken breast Jeanette (March 14th 2009)
• Chicken pie from Holmen Culinary Laboratory (April 11th 2009)
• Ciabatta with Coppa and pesto (June 20th 2009)
  
• Cranberry sauce (February 11th 2009)
• Crostinis with blue cheese and jam (May 13th 2009)
• Crostinis with duck confit and truffle oil (May 13th 2009)
• Crostinis with marinated cherry tomatoes (May 13th 2009)
  
• Crostinis with red pesto and parmesan (May 13th 2009)

D

• Delicious all natural cold remedy (June 22nd 2009)
  
• Divine eggplant (February 19th 2009)

E

• Escargots with garlic and parsley butter (June 20th 2009)
  

F

• Fried tomatoes (February 11th 2009)
  

G

• Guinea fowl with Italian pancetta and shitake mushrooms (April 30th 2009)
  

H

• Hungarian goulash (February 11th 2009)
  

L

• Long roast peppery pork for Easter (April 9th 2009)
  

M

• Monkfish with fried potatoes, baked asparagus and Nantua Sauce (March 27th 2009)
  

O

• Open sandwich with akvavit marinated juniper smoked salmon with creamed scrambled eggs with Dijon mustard and tarragon (January 3rd 2008)
• Open sandwich with prawns and spicy mayonnaise on rye bread (January 3rd 2008)
• Open sandwich with warm pepper paté, crispy bacon, fried mushrooms and pickled cucumber on rye (January 3rd 2008)
  

P

• Potato pancakes (February 19th 2009)
• Pudim de Maracuja (April 17th 2009)
  

R

• Rice cake (February 11th 2009)
  

S

• Scalloped potatoes (February 19th 2009)
• Stilton Treat (January 9th 2008)
• Stress free home-made duck confit (May 12th 2009)
• Stress free chicken stew (May 30th 2009)
  
• Swiss Salmon Pie (March 10th 2009)

T

• Toast with Dijon mustard, ham and buffala mozzarella (June 20th 2009)
  

Tapas moments at Ronda Sant Pau

Our address in Barcelona was Ronda Sant Pau, a small street located between La Rambla and Montjuic, the hillside overlooking city centre. In this street, as most in the Catalan capital, there are a great number of small restaurants serving breakfast and tapas, small Spanish finger food. We were tempted to three tapas moments. Here I will give an account of two - bocadillos wiith cured ham at El Ajali, and small fried fish at Moritz.

Bar El Jabali - a place with a past

First day - after lunch hunger!! We had a stroll to find a place to eat, and ended up at El Jabali after we had walked around the block. It was a part neighbourhood, and part delicatessen founded in 1926.

Located on the corner we found a table in the shade. We could see into the deli, where patés, cheese, cured ham and other scrumptious specialties were on display. Traffic in and out of the door showed that this was a popular place for the neighbourhood, a true supplier of culinary goods!! If you should happen to visit - look at the window, filled with memorabilia of old film stars Spanish ham hanging in the background.

What to order? We looked through the menu. At El Jabali there were traditional tapas, salads, subs (or bocadillos) under offer. Our eyes rested on the sub section and we decided on a grilled sub with cured ham and brie.

For a relatively modest sum we were served a generously sized bocadillo, rubbed with oil and garlic, then covered with slices of ham and topped with sliced brie cheese. Great grub, for hungry travelers, filling with a cold pint of Estrella Damm, the local beer. True summer food, leaving us slightly comfortably numb and well filled up.

Address:
Bar El Jabali
Ronda Sant Pau 15
08015 Barcelona, Spain
Phone: 934 427 235

Fried bait at Moritz

Mediterranean culinary traditions and culture differs greatly from our Scandinavian. You are sometimes served the most unexpected foods, and we were slightly surprised at another small tapas bar in Ronda Sant Pau.

Trying a small tapas is a good idea when ordering a beer. Moritz, a small bar in our street, specialized in seafood, and I went to order small mussels as had been served at our neighbouring table. The waitress, did not "habla inglese" and suggested "pesquaditos" as I tried to explain what we wanted. When I thought she had understood fully, I nodded, and I went back to our table, waiting patiently for our mussels.

But we were served tiny fish instead, and they would, in Scandinavia, been used as bait, as you would have had a hard time gutting and filleting these minute fish. What to do? Shake them in flour, throw them in hot olive oil for ten seconds or so, then serve with skin, bone, guts, and heads. Let us eat bait!!!

The funny thing - they tasted great, very fishy, as fish should, and very good to our cold pint of beer - and let us face it, very healthy for you. Those small bait are a part of the diet that make people here live longer not dying from cardiac arrest.

If you are up for it - try the pesquaditos yourself. You will be surprised.

Address:
Moritz Marisqueria Braseria
Ronda Sant Pau 7
08015 Barcelona, Spain
Phone: 934 411 088

Sitges: House of Santiago Rusinol

We had a walk around Sitges the morning of June 15th. It took us through the old pary of town. Along the beach north of the old city, we found the house of Santiago Rusinol. I have told a little of his story earlier, in connection with the El Greco monument, found at Passeig de Ribeira.

Santiago Rusiñol (1861-1931), was an Art Nouveau painter and writer that regularly stayed in his house at El Cau Ferrat in Sitges. He frequently hosted Art Nouveau festivals in his home and he grew deeply fascinated by the art of El Greco.

In Sitges, you find his house still standing, and you can also see a monument of him.

He had, as painter, a strong influence on another world famous artist, Pablo Picasso. Through his love for the Art Nouveau style, he left his mark on Sitges, far beyond the statue of El Greco.

Read more on what Sitges has to offer here

Delicious all natural cold remedy

I have one of those pesky summer colds. I would like to be outside in the sunshine, but with a nasty cough and a runny nose, all I have the energy for is sitting on my couch, reading a magaine. While I do, this is what I drink to clear my sinuses and releive my cough.

By guest writer Susanne Koch

In my largest mug, I put one or two slices of luscious organic lemon (I don't want a cup full of pesticides). I add a teaspoon of zesty grated ginger and a teaspoon of golden honey.

This time of year I have pots of aromatic herbs on my balcony. I add four leaves of sage and two sprigs of earthy thyme to the cup and fill it up with boiling water.

The lemon is added because of it's high content of vitamin C and the ginger's hot sting will clear the sinuses. Honey has anti-bacterial properties and will calm a sore throat. Sage has a calming effect both on the mind and on throat infections and thyme is anti-septic and relieves coughing.

And as an added bonus, this golden concoction tastes delicious. Give it a try!

Susanne Koch is an Internet professional who works as an e-learning and web communication adviser at the University of Oslo. She blogs about search engines and search engine optimization at Pandia.com. Susanne loves to travel and blogs about her journeys at Susi's Souvenirs. You may also want to have a look at Susanne Koch's homepage.