Here come some more café reviews. I think I write them mainly so that I can map how many of the cafés in Malmö I have been to, and make sure to try different ones.
Chez Madame: This café re-opened in a place which used to be called Old Bridge. This is one of the new hot spots in town; it is trendy, organic, healthy... But also very noisy, long tables and very crowded. I was actually a bit disappointed, since cosiness is very important to me at cafés. Not too comfy (I can ditch a café if their chairs look uncomfortable) and there is just no peace and quiet. But I was there at rush hour, so it might be nicer at some other time of the day.
Café Agnez: This place is a bit more expensive than others, buuut it is vegan, they have some raw food snacks (that are cheaper than in other places) and a backyard where you can sit even if it is cold since they have heating and blankets. it doesn't get windy because of the high buildings surrounding it, but that means there's not much sun either... Everything is home made and organic, which makes your stomach and conscience happy, but your wallet a little sad.
Kungsgatan: Prepare to fight for your table and have lots of trolleys around you. this is the favourite hangout for Swedish "latte-mammor", but they have all the reason to be here - it is gorgeous. Their sunday brunch is crowded but used to include waffles, they make their own bread, and the interior design is beautiful. Big windows, 19th century furniture in white, blue and gold... Sweet and classy but still not overpriced.
Glassfabriken: The alternative, vegan, "I'm so cool I fuck the system" hangout. But it is really nice actually, nice furniture and good food, only home made (vegan) pastries. Prices are all right too, but since it is run completely by volunteers, the staff is the slowest and crappiest ever. Don't order anything they have to prepare for you if you don't have a lot of time. It will be yummy, but prepare to spend a good amount of time waiting for them to even notice you are there.
Puls Espressobar: One early morning I walked around all of town to find a nice place to study. This place has amazing coffee and the owner was super-nice, and you can really tell he cares about the coffee. The interior is not too interesting, no wifi and no cool pastries but I got to be alone on the almost secret second floor. Not too pricey either.
Showing posts with label Links. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Links. Show all posts
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Monday, 20 February 2012
Café review V-X
So, I have been to quite a few cafés that I haven't reviewed yet, so here comes a little guide to some tops and lows...
Café Grannen (the neighbour): Kind of artsy place that I like because it has cheap coffee, only 15 sek. They have a pretty unpretentious breakfast buffet for 65 which is a good deal. Moreover, they have big tables suitable for studying/working, and they have free wifi. It is located not too far from where I live, but not in the centre, which means that it's generally not too crowded. A place to spend time!
Café Mocca has a good location and is not too crowded, since it is big but still not noisy. They have good opening hours (until 20:00) and their pastries look all right. My friend said their smoothie was really good, and apparently they also have wifi. Still, it's pretty impersonal and slightly boring.
Café Mys: Seriously, don't go here. They charge extra for your coffee refill (5 sek more, and it is 20 for the first), all their (4 different) pastries were pre-made delicato and pretty expensive. Also, the door doesn't shut properly so we had to get up about 10 times during the time we spent there to close it, as our feet got cold. They had reasonably comfortable chairs though, and as we sort of expressed that it was pricey and had to get up to close the door all the time, the owner refilled our cups for us. Thanks for that.
Espresso House at Davidhalls torg: Now I generally try to avoid this massive chain and they sometimes feel like a plague (there are 15 of them in Malmö!), but truth is, they make good coffee and pastries. They are a bit pricey (25 sek for a coffee) but they give you student discount and they refill your cup. This particular one is located slightly of the beaten track and I chose it because of their comfortable chairs to sit and read, but I was still distracted by all the families. And of course they have wifi.
Café Simpan (simrishamnsgatan): Ah. This is one original coffee shop. Everything is odd and funky, they make extremely good soy latte, home made sandwiches and carrot cake... Open until 01:00 three days per week and wifi, in the most popular hipster area of Malmö. Awesome? Yes. Too crowded? Pretty much always, which is a shame. If you are heading out at odd hours, try it!
Café Grannen (the neighbour): Kind of artsy place that I like because it has cheap coffee, only 15 sek. They have a pretty unpretentious breakfast buffet for 65 which is a good deal. Moreover, they have big tables suitable for studying/working, and they have free wifi. It is located not too far from where I live, but not in the centre, which means that it's generally not too crowded. A place to spend time!
Café Mocca has a good location and is not too crowded, since it is big but still not noisy. They have good opening hours (until 20:00) and their pastries look all right. My friend said their smoothie was really good, and apparently they also have wifi. Still, it's pretty impersonal and slightly boring.
Café Mys: Seriously, don't go here. They charge extra for your coffee refill (5 sek more, and it is 20 for the first), all their (4 different) pastries were pre-made delicato and pretty expensive. Also, the door doesn't shut properly so we had to get up about 10 times during the time we spent there to close it, as our feet got cold. They had reasonably comfortable chairs though, and as we sort of expressed that it was pricey and had to get up to close the door all the time, the owner refilled our cups for us. Thanks for that.
Espresso House at Davidhalls torg: Now I generally try to avoid this massive chain and they sometimes feel like a plague (there are 15 of them in Malmö!), but truth is, they make good coffee and pastries. They are a bit pricey (25 sek for a coffee) but they give you student discount and they refill your cup. This particular one is located slightly of the beaten track and I chose it because of their comfortable chairs to sit and read, but I was still distracted by all the families. And of course they have wifi.
Café Simpan (simrishamnsgatan): Ah. This is one original coffee shop. Everything is odd and funky, they make extremely good soy latte, home made sandwiches and carrot cake... Open until 01:00 three days per week and wifi, in the most popular hipster area of Malmö. Awesome? Yes. Too crowded? Pretty much always, which is a shame. If you are heading out at odd hours, try it!
Thursday, 16 February 2012
Sugar free: Day 1
Stumbled out of bed early this morning and got my body onto the scale. For a dietary experiment, controlling my weight seems like a good idea. I am very happy about the digits on the display, but I would like for my body to have a little more muscles and a little less fat. Let's see where this month will take me.
So, my food intake of today has looked like this:
So far, so good, I would say. I have had some slight sugar cravings, but I'm pretty sure they arise because I know I'm not allowed to. I need to stock up on berries! (after defrosting the freezer...) I saw another Ted Talk the other day about keeping your goals to yourself, since talking about them apparently made you less likely to fulfil them. In this case I think they are wrong! Another Ted Talk was more into the same thinking as I am, that sharing the updates of his challenge gives him supportive pier pressure. Let's do that!
And how is Martin doing? Check out HERE
So, my food intake of today has looked like this:
| 7:30 Breakfast | 12:30 Lunch | 16:00 Snack | 18:30 Dinner | Other |
| Smoothie: Banana, kiwi, oat flakes, spiroulina, oat milk | Veggie stew with coconut milk | Whole grain bread with mozzarella cheese and tomato | Bulgur with panfried vegetables (broccoli, zuccini...) in soy sauce | two apples, ½ litre of water, more coffee and tea |
So far, so good, I would say. I have had some slight sugar cravings, but I'm pretty sure they arise because I know I'm not allowed to. I need to stock up on berries! (after defrosting the freezer...) I saw another Ted Talk the other day about keeping your goals to yourself, since talking about them apparently made you less likely to fulfil them. In this case I think they are wrong! Another Ted Talk was more into the same thinking as I am, that sharing the updates of his challenge gives him supportive pier pressure. Let's do that!
And how is Martin doing? Check out HERE
Monday, 13 February 2012
30 Day Challenge: Sugar free diet
So, inspired by a TED talk by Matt Cutts about trying something new for 30 days, Martin (Cornish traveling friend) have decided to cut out sugar for 30 days. We both really need it. I mean, really.
So, we are to start on the 16th of February to end the 16th of March. Right now we are in the build up period: say goodbye to all the good stuff, meaning we just shared a Terry's chocolate orange for dinner. Great. (I'm going running tomorrow morning). And to put pressure on myself, I am going to blog about it so that someone reading my blog will come and kick me on the shin if I break the rules.
We still need to clear out the rules though. Martin has spent some time today researching sugar free diats, to see what is considered sugar and what's not.
Ruled out: Chocolate, sweets, alcohol, ice cream, pastries, crackers and cookies, desserts, pies, squash (as in mix juice/concentrate crap), flour: meaning white bread, rice, pasta, syrup, all kind of marmalades and jellies, all kinds of food with refined sugars (sweet chili sauce for example), sweetened soy milk, sport drinks, sweetened coffee.
Still in: Fruit, fresh juice (make sure no added sugar!), raisins, nuts. Obviously all kind of veggies, cereals, whole wheat bread, rice and pasta, lactose such as milk and unsweetened yoghurt, eggs, coffee, tea, mate and honey, but only for cooking.
Wish us good luck because we so need it! And I hope our day 31 will not look like Matt's.
Thursday, 2 February 2012
TED talks
Ted talks is note just one guy, but randomly brilliant people from all over the world who hold speeches for 3-20 minutes about... anything. The slogan is "Ideas worth spreading" which results in a lot of science, but also generally cool projects, some economics, just good stuff.
So I found this smashing guy today talking about The happy secret to better work - his name is Shawn Achor, watch it HERE. Its really funny and his sister Amy is a unicorn.
Another super-inspiring woman is Karen Tse who holds an amazing speech about how to stop torture. Watch that HERE.
And last but not least, Sarah Kay is a spoken word poet who reads a jaws-dropping poem called "If I should have a daughter". Please watch it HERE.
Enjoy my dear ones, and please give me your favourites too.
So I found this smashing guy today talking about The happy secret to better work - his name is Shawn Achor, watch it HERE. Its really funny and his sister Amy is a unicorn.
Another super-inspiring woman is Karen Tse who holds an amazing speech about how to stop torture. Watch that HERE.
And last but not least, Sarah Kay is a spoken word poet who reads a jaws-dropping poem called "If I should have a daughter". Please watch it HERE.
Enjoy my dear ones, and please give me your favourites too.
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Eyes on food and consumption
About doing something for someone else in this harsh world - there is a group in Malmö, Sweden, called Matförmedlingen - the food distribution. They get food thrown out by ab anonymous bakery and grocery store and then distribute it to people. It can for example be given to a shelter for homeless or distributed in the streets, but the main goal is to lessen the waste and show people that our consumption is ridiculous. They have a blog in Swedish that can be found HERE, have a look and get inspired!
Friday, 16 December 2011
Living cheap II
So here comes a special to all girls, women and ladies. There is something in our lives that makes us pay a little fee every month, buying tools that increase the amount of garbage in the world. You know what I'm talking about. A different way of managing the red issue can help you save money, help the planet and keep your inside happy.
Lesson two - Mooncup®
"The Mooncup is a reusable menstrual cup, around two inches long and made from soft medical grade silicone. It is worn internally a lot lower than a tampon but, while tampons and pads absorb menstrual fluid, the Mooncup collects it. This means it doesn’t cause dryness or irritation, and also that it collects far more (three times as much as a ‘super-absorbent’ tampon’!). Because the Mooncup is reusable, you only need one so it saves you money and helps the environment, too.
The Mooncup is designed to be folded and inserted into the vagina, then removed, rinsed and reinserted up to every 8 hours. A light seal is formed with your vaginal walls, allowing menstrual fluid to pass into the Mooncup without leakage or odour. This seal is released for removal, allowing you to empty the contents, rinse or wipe and reinsert. Comfortable, convenient and safe: the Mooncup can be used overnight and when travelling, swimming or exercising." (Text from www.mooncup.co.uk)
Some numbers given buy the american mooncup webpage:
$35 + $2 (Includes International shipping also)
Over 10 years, that's 29 cents per month!
Compare with other products at $4.00 per month:
$4.00 X 120 months = $480.00 - $35.00 = $445.00 Savings!
This little thing can be pursued online from the UK:
www.mooncup.co.uk and costs £20
of from the US:
www.mooncup.com where it costs $35 + $2 international shipping
or bought in a store in Sweden, see Where
[Personal experience - it takes a little while to get used to it, if it is not applied well you can feel it and you also have to develop a feeling for how often you need to check on it. Another issue is if you are in a bathroom where the sink is outside of the booth, but it is handable with paper tissues. I'm now greener and richer!]
Lesson two - Mooncup®
"The Mooncup is a reusable menstrual cup, around two inches long and made from soft medical grade silicone. It is worn internally a lot lower than a tampon but, while tampons and pads absorb menstrual fluid, the Mooncup collects it. This means it doesn’t cause dryness or irritation, and also that it collects far more (three times as much as a ‘super-absorbent’ tampon’!). Because the Mooncup is reusable, you only need one so it saves you money and helps the environment, too.
The Mooncup is designed to be folded and inserted into the vagina, then removed, rinsed and reinserted up to every 8 hours. A light seal is formed with your vaginal walls, allowing menstrual fluid to pass into the Mooncup without leakage or odour. This seal is released for removal, allowing you to empty the contents, rinse or wipe and reinsert. Comfortable, convenient and safe: the Mooncup can be used overnight and when travelling, swimming or exercising." (Text from www.mooncup.co.uk)
Some numbers given buy the american mooncup webpage:
$35 + $2 (Includes International shipping also)
Over 10 years, that's 29 cents per month!
Compare with other products at $4.00 per month:
$4.00 X 120 months = $480.00 - $35.00 = $445.00 Savings!
This little thing can be pursued online from the UK:
www.mooncup.co.uk and costs £20
of from the US:
www.mooncup.com where it costs $35 + $2 international shipping
or bought in a store in Sweden, see Where
[Personal experience - it takes a little while to get used to it, if it is not applied well you can feel it and you also have to develop a feeling for how often you need to check on it. Another issue is if you are in a bathroom where the sink is outside of the booth, but it is handable with paper tissues. I'm now greener and richer!]
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Living cheap
Sometimes, your financial income is not as high as you want it to be. Worse, it might not be as high as you think you need. If that is your case, or you just feel like cutting down your living cost for an other reason (environmental, moral, personal challenge etc) I will try to provide some tips. So this is to be a little serie of blog enties on how to lower your expenditures without significantly lessening your life quality.
Lesson one - Literature
Fact: many students consider themselves poor and find themselves struggling to make the month. In Sweden, students are paid fairly well (funding from the government and low-rate loans) but still complain. One grand cost for students is the required literature. Then there's also the fun reading, which depending on your taste can get quite pricey too. The green bonus here is obvious - buying new items has a greater impact on the environment than re-using, by doing so we maximise the gain from each product.
What to do?
Step 1 - Try your libraries. If you live in a university town, maybe all the books are lent out to other wise people. Then try libraries outside of the city - perhaps your aunt 20 km away can look for it at her local library and you can pick it up on a family reunion.
Step 2 - No luck at the libraries. Then you ask around to borrow - are you a member on Facebook, post it on your wall. Is it course literature, maybe someone in the year above you still has it.
Step 3 - Still no luck. It's time for the second hand shopping. Have a look around on the internet.
Sweden/Swedish books:
Blocket - not the easiest one to manage, but you can be lucky and find very cheap ones here. Try to search not only the title, maybe the category or just course 'literature'.
Kurslitteratur - well organised, easy to find.
Tradera - not specialised on books and you might have to bid, but still worth a try.
English/English books:
Abebooks - supercheap and a great variety of books. (For me, it was cheaper to order the book from the US and get it shipped to Sweden than buying it second hand here)
For more online bookstores look Here (The mighty book blog's list)
Step 4 - Maybe you just have to suck it up and "bite the sour apple" as the saying goes in Sweden. That is, buy the new book. Do online research before, the prices vary and some stores might have offers/sales. Ask granny for coupons.
[Personal experience: I am to obtain 4 books for my next semester at university, buying new copies would add up to 200€. After looking around, I found two of them at different libraries, bought one online for 9 USD and am looking at the las one for 20-35€. In total, I will pay around 20% of the original cost.]
Lesson one - Literature
Fact: many students consider themselves poor and find themselves struggling to make the month. In Sweden, students are paid fairly well (funding from the government and low-rate loans) but still complain. One grand cost for students is the required literature. Then there's also the fun reading, which depending on your taste can get quite pricey too. The green bonus here is obvious - buying new items has a greater impact on the environment than re-using, by doing so we maximise the gain from each product.
What to do?
Step 1 - Try your libraries. If you live in a university town, maybe all the books are lent out to other wise people. Then try libraries outside of the city - perhaps your aunt 20 km away can look for it at her local library and you can pick it up on a family reunion.
Step 2 - No luck at the libraries. Then you ask around to borrow - are you a member on Facebook, post it on your wall. Is it course literature, maybe someone in the year above you still has it.
Step 3 - Still no luck. It's time for the second hand shopping. Have a look around on the internet.
Sweden/Swedish books:
Blocket - not the easiest one to manage, but you can be lucky and find very cheap ones here. Try to search not only the title, maybe the category or just course 'literature'.
Kurslitteratur - well organised, easy to find.
Tradera - not specialised on books and you might have to bid, but still worth a try.
English/English books:
Abebooks - supercheap and a great variety of books. (For me, it was cheaper to order the book from the US and get it shipped to Sweden than buying it second hand here)
For more online bookstores look Here (The mighty book blog's list)
Step 4 - Maybe you just have to suck it up and "bite the sour apple" as the saying goes in Sweden. That is, buy the new book. Do online research before, the prices vary and some stores might have offers/sales. Ask granny for coupons.
[Personal experience: I am to obtain 4 books for my next semester at university, buying new copies would add up to 200€. After looking around, I found two of them at different libraries, bought one online for 9 USD and am looking at the las one for 20-35€. In total, I will pay around 20% of the original cost.]
Monday, 25 October 2010
Links
Hate is the new black. Go get'em!
http://unhappyhipsters.com/
http://stuffhipstershate.tumblr.com/
http://hackneyhipsterhate.tumblr.com/
http://hipsterhitler.com/
http://unhappyhipsters.com/
http://stuffhipstershate.
http://hackneyhipsterhate.
http://hipsterhitler.com/
(cred to Richard)
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