During the past three weeks I’ve escaped the ‘on-off’ Scandinavian summer weather to spend my vacation in France, Germany and Malta enjoying bottles of Bordeaux wines in Parisian bistros, American-style dining at Disneyland Paris, bratwursts and sauerkraut in Germany and right now, pastizzis and pasta in Malta.
The weirdest food experience so far has to be Disneyland Paris where restaurants and menus cater (obviously) for families and kids … in the Disney Village there’s a Konig Ludwig Bavarian castle where you would expect to be served German cuisine but no, it’s half roasted chickens with chips, steaks and the occasional Frankfurter. Inside the Disneyland park the collection of themed restaurants – everything from Pirates of the Caribbean spots to Wild Western saloons and steakhouses – despite their different decor all offer the same kind of food so if you don’t like hotdogs, steaks, chicken wings or burgers, bring your own! We dined at Walt’s on Disneyland’s “Main Street” – a charming colonial style New England style wooden house with pretty good (and healthy) food. It’s probably the most upmarket restaurant in the park.
Paris didn’t disappoint me, well not the wines anyway and certainly not the fantastic pastries and croissants. Yet the very best meal we had during our three-day stay was a self-prepared picnic on the Sacre Coeur hilltop overlooking the city and enjoying a spectacular sunset, just like the locals. We scoured a downtown supermarket and raided their impressive cheese counter to put together our own picnic. Smoked brie, Camembert, fresh goat’s cheese and newly baked baguettes washed down with some great local Rose wines …. fantastic! If you’re a cheese addict like me, this is heaven!
Another taste of heaven … chocolate eclairs with a cafe au lait at a cafe close to the Opera in the center. The French certainly know how to make great croissants and even greater eclairs, not to mention the macaroons!
From Paris to Germany and wholesome hearty meals with bratwursts, plenty of pork, kartoffeln (potatoes) and hefty portions of cheesecake and plum cakes. Huge portions of food at a price that won’t make a hole in your wallet with alcohol (spirits, wines, beers etc) costing less than half the price of their counterpart in Sweden.
And now, I’m enjoying the scorching heat in Malta where pasta joints and pizzerias and English breakfasts have taken over the local menus but you’ll still find the occasional local dish like rabbit stew here and there. Portions are big, prices are good and you’ll need to know a few locals to find the real hidden restaurant gems as for every excellent restaurant, there’s also a tourist trap!
Tags: disneyland paris, germany, malta, paris, vacation
Dear Alannah, I just thought I would point out to you that when in Malta besides relying on the locals for advice on eating out you could also refer to our impartial, survey based restaurant guide called The Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants in Malta & Gozo which can be purchased online from http://www.restaurantsmalta.com. It lists the top 150 survey based restaurants in Malta & Gozo. Should you like to register on the site you can participate in our online survey which will start on the 1st September 2009.
Denise
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Thx for this great information that you are sharing with us!!!
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