Category: Jonathan

On a Friday evening I often have pizza, as I rarely feel like cooking anything more extravagant. Last Friday I made my own for the first time, and was surprised by how easy it was and how good it tasted. Admittedly I bought a ready-made base, but on top put a tomato and basil...

It was my second marathon of the year, this time in Frankfurt where I am currently based with work. I’m getting quite used to preparing for these now, and like previous times I bulked up my diet with carbohydrates in the couple of weeks leading up to the run. Breakfast was normally...

I spent the past week in Moscow with work, and was amazed at how expensive it was. If you think a small coffee and croissant in Starbucks cost £8, you get the idea how much a three-course dinner with wine might be. As I result, somewhat reluctantly, I tended to eat in...

I was in Leipzig with work last week. My schedule was very light as we only have one client there, which left plenty of free time for sightseeing and enjoying the hotel’s pool and sauna. My colleague had done some research on restaurants and suggested “Auerbachs Keller” in the Mädlerpassage, the second oldest (but best...

It was my first marathon of the year, and took place in Darmstadt a short train ride south of Frankfurt. As per normal I changed my diet in the days leading up to the race to include lots of carbohydrates, and ate more than I normally would do. The...

The evening started well, sipping beer in the old town square of Leipzig and watching a recording of one of Jean-Michel Jarre’s concerts in China. After a stroll around the sights I came across a restaurant called “Goldene Kugel” on the Richard-Wagner Strasse near the main station. It advertised as-much-as-you-can-eat Vietnamese...

I was in Vienna last week with work, a perfect opportunity to have schnitzel as it should be done. I ended up in the restaurant of the Hotel Kaiserin Elisabeth, as it was fairly informal and not packed with tourists. I chose veal schnitzel, as I understand that is the traditional recipe...

As an alternative to chilled wine or beer on a summer evening, I quite enjoy Apfelwein which is the German form of cider. It’s the state beverage of Hesse, and Frankfurt has many traditional Apfelwein bars in the Sachsenhausen district (just south of the river) which are worth a visit. The brand I buy to enjoy on my...

I was visiting clients in Dresden, and had a couple of hours to look round the city and eat lunch. After visiting the opera house (Semperoper), the Zwinger and the superbly refurbished Frauenkirche (pictured), I started looking for a place to eat. I came across Vapiano on the St Petersburger...

I am intrigued by the wines you can buy in a country itself, and the wines from that country that UK supermarkets choose to stock. Most striking perhaps is German wine, and wines from the Moselle in particular. In the UK supermarkets, these wines are generally acid-dry or sugar-sweet, with little in between. The...