Danish Design

If I had to choose one item of furniture for my dream house, that would definitely be the Egg Chair.

The Egg Chair was designed by Danish architect and designer Arne Jacobsen for the lobby and reception areas of the Royal Hotel, in Copenhagen in 1958. He was commissioned the design of the whole hotel's furniture and interiors but the Egg remains his most famous design. The design of the Egg makes it an elegant complement that creates privacy in open spaces.

So, when I think about design, I immediately think about the Egg and then of course, of Denmark, home to one of the most important design centres of the world. The Danish Design Centre carries out a variety of activities such as workshops, inspiration and feedback meetings, courses, conferences and exhibitions which help provide a better understanding of the potential of design as a tool for innovation. 

When I think of Denmark I think of design, because it is an integrated part of the living in this country, because every detail in any space is taken care of and I appreciate its functional, a bit minimalistic, yet cozy approach.

So, what are my favorite brands and addresses in Copenhagen for design?

Here's a quick list:

- Royal Copenhagen: let's start with a classic. The Royal Porcelain Manufactory was founded in 1775 under the patronage of Queen Dowager and King Christian VII. Its beautiful and elegant designs can be admired (or bought) at the shop in Amagertorv 6, a beautiful renaissance building from 1616 and one of Copenhagen’s oldest houses.

- Georg Jensen : next to Royal Copenhagen's shop, there's Georg Jensen, where you can find stylish and functional pieces of design for the home, the office, the table and even jewelry (look for Arne Jacobsen's line of silverware).

- Illums Bolighus: but why walk around the city looking fror design shops when there's a shop that hosts them all, and right in the same square, Amagertorv. At Illums Bolighus 'a store with furnished interiors, where textiles and furniture interacted with art' (as they describe themselves) you can find all kinds of brands like Royal Copenhagen, Georg Jensen, Stelton, Ilse Jacobsen, Margit Brandt, Rosendahl, Fritz Hansen, Louis Poulsen, etc.

For a more affordable piece of Danish design to bring back home, walk a few steps to get to Illum or Magasin, the two high-end department stores of Copenhagen. There, in the higher floors, you can find brands like Bodum, Normann Copenhagen, etc. sometimes offering really good deals.

Still hung on danish design? Then head to Designmuseum Danmark, Denmarks largest museum for Danish and international design and a central exhibition forum for industrial design and applied arts in Scandinavia.

Check the following map to pinpoint these places and many more you should definitely stop by:


View Danish design in Copenhagen in a larger map

If you are an Arne Jacobsen fan, you should visit the Restaurant Jacobsen north of Copenhagen (in Klampenborg, to be more precise), its interiors are an homage to this great designer.



Here's my wishlist of my favorite Danish design pieces:

A good guide for a three-day design visit to Copenhagen can be found here.

Smørrebrød

If you have been to Copenhagen (or to any place in Denmark) then you must know what Smørrebrød is. If not, you should really reconsider your traveler skills... For those of you who don't know, smørrebrød is an open sandwich made with rye bread (rugbrød) and butter (smør), typical from Denmark.

Rye bread is typical in Scandinavia, it is dark and heavy and you can usually find it already sliced. Butter is spread in the bread and then a topping is added.

Toppings can be of various ingredients, the most common and traditional are: pickled herring, shrimp and egg, cured salmon, liver paté, roast beef and remoulade, chicken salad and many more.

Veliero 23, Milan

I've been posting about Mexico for the whole month so I guess it's time to give you a break and write about Milan... Milanese restaurants, to be more specific.
Looking for a good seafood restaurant in Milan can be a difficult task, especially when you're looking for regional specialties, fresh seafood and honest prices. Apart from a couple of milanese classics like the old-fashioned Arcieri in the north part of the city and the hip Zio Pesce in the Navigli area, there are really few places in which we've felt we were having a good seafood dinner out. That's until we found Veliero 23. The place is located in the Piazzale Lodi area (south-east) of the city, not a great neighborhood, probably very few restaurants or bars in the area. The decor of the restaurant is not very fancy, actually it kind of reminds you of a 1980's trattoria (the 80's Italian music in the background helped me come up with this comparison). Anyhow, it is a Sardinian specialties restaurant with decent prices and super-kind staff.
We got to book a table at their "privé" (it is a raised area in a corner of the restaurant with a table, 2 couches with a slightly private atmosphere - nothing fancy) and enjoyed a very quiet evening. We ordered the cold and hot starters which included opctopus and potato salad, salmon with red peppercorns, scamorza cheese with caviar and artichokes, mussels, etc. Then I had spaghetti with bottarga (or botargo, the roe pouch of grey mullet) and G had the seabass cooked with vernaccia wine sauce and olives. All dishes were very good, hearty protions and fresh taste. Perhaps my spaghetti were too much, because bottarga has a very strong, special taste so I got full with pasta and wasn't able to order desert, which I was very much looking forward to. We had a bottle of a fresh sardinian vermentino wine (Telave') and G had some sardininan pecorino instead of dessert. We were also offered mirto, a digestive liquor made of myrtle. The total was around 80 euro for the 2 of us.

Our opinion is that this is a good option for a cheap, normal dinner with no-frills. So if you are looking for a beautiful milanese restaurant in which you pay more for the location, the nice tablecloths or overpriced wines, then this is not the place for you. But if you are looking for a good, inexpensive seafood place with no fancy stuff but truly kind staff and you don't mind the area then this is the place for you.

Here are the details:
Il Veliero 23
Via Pier Candido Decembrio, 26 

20137 Milano‎
Tel. 02 546 0663

Website: http://www.ilveliero23.it/ (under construction)

FB page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Il-Veliero-23-Ristorante-tipico-Sardo-a-Milano/265984710117890

Summer drink

So, I already wrote about Club Med's rooms, beach, food and every other detail, but I was forgetting another important aspect: the drinks!
I love Mexican all-inclusive resorts because the national drinks are included and, what is Mexico's national drink? Tequila!
As I told you about Club Med's food, the quality fo the drinks was also nice, no fake liquors or watered drinks, everything was just perfect. I'm sharing one of my favorite from Club Med Ixtapa's beach bar, the Electric Lemonade:

Colors of Mexico

Mexico is a country full of colors, which reflect also on its people and of course, on its food.
Here are some pictures of my recent trip to Mexico City. Notice that being a foodie, I focused on the food :)

Foodporn - Club Med Ixtapa

We've been to a lot of all-inclusive resorts, some with beautiful rooms, beaches, interesting activities, etc. but Club Med Ixtapa beats them all in Food & Drinks quality and taste. Food here is a serious matter, no cafeteria-like trays filled with greasy food that was just tossed there, instead you get the chefs to prepare your plate in a gourmet-like presentation, taking care of every detail, this way you get a quality, tasty dish in a perfect portion, without wasting any of it. Have a look at some of the super-delicios food we got to taste (I know, it's cruel but I just had to show you!):

Details of Club Med Ixtapa

As I mentioned in previous posts, Club Med Ixtapa is one beautiful resort, all small details are taken care of to make every corner special. Here are some examples:

Club Med Ixtapa - Part 2

As I was telling you, the sea at Club Med Ixtapa is calm (as the name Playa Quieta says), the waves are small and it is nice to swim in it. The water is warm and clean but very different from the Mayan Riviera, the sand here is darker but still soft. There are sunbeds and cabanas among the palm trees, giving you a great shadow from the boiling sun. The beach bar Miramar serves delicious a la carte snacks (like tuna wraps, burgers, tacos al pastor, fruit salad, etc.) and the bartenders prepare good cocktails (piña colada, margaritas, etc.).

Club Med Ixtapa - Part 1

After an early flight to Ixtapa (45 min. from Mexico City) we arrived to Club Med Ixtapa Pacific.
The resort is located in a relatively new area of the town in a beach called Playa Quieta (calm beach) due to the calm waters. The nice Isla Ixtapa is in front of the resort, stopping the huge waves from entering the bay and providing the calm waters where you can swim, sail or practice other water sports.

Club Med Ixtapa Pacific

Playa Quieta

Soumaya

Soumaya Domit was a philantropist and art promoter, she was the wife of Carlos Slim Helu, the world's richest man. He named the new spectacular art museum of Mexico City after her. It holds an impressive number of art works (66.000) by Mexican and European artists and it was designed by architect Fernando Romero, his son-in-law.

Soumaya museum in Plaza Carso

Swordfish pasta

Unfortunately, the holidays are over... But before I start posting and posting about my holidays in Mexico, here's an easy and delicious recipe, the kind I like the most!
Here's what you need:

Swordfish Pasta

(serves 2)

1 swordfish steak (about 150 gr.)
16 cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon of green peppercorns
1 teaspoon of red peppercorns
1 teaspoon of black peppercorns
1 teaspoon of himalayan salt
1 garlic clove
1 red chili pepper
200 gr. spaghetti
salt
olive oil
parsley


Rinse and dice the swordfish.

In a mortar, grind the peppercorns and himalayan salt (I also added some coriander).

Mix the swordfish with the peppercorns mixture and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl, let it marinade for about 20 minutes in the fridge.

In a pan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil, the galic clove (peeled) and the pepper, minced and w/o the seeds. After a couple of minutes, add the sworfish marinade and cook for 3 minutes at medium heat.
Rinse and dice the cherry tomatoes.

Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and add them to the pan, cook for 5 minutes and remove the garlic clove.

In the meantime, cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water. Drain and add to the pan with the swordfish. Mix and cook at low heat for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle with minced parsley and serve.

Wine pairing: Sauvignon Blanc