I visited Lido Restaurant in Riga in March 2017
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I was very hungry when I arrived in Riga. Having left for the airport after work, then travelled on the plane for an hour, it was a long time since lunch. When I arrived in Riga all I could think of was food. My friends had arrived from Norway a few hours earlier, they had already eaten.
I visited 8 Taps Beer Pub in Jimbocho in September 2016
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Leaving the store with my newly purchased books I was not sure what to do. I was to meet a friend in just over two hours, had to find something to do until then. I certainly could not visit more book stores, I had already blown that part of my budget. A visit to another store would surely lead to another purchase. The prices and selection here is great.
I visited the bar Øl Tokyo and the café Fuglen Tokyo in Norway Street in Tokyo in September 2016
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‘You know this street is called Norway Street, right? The locals now call this street Norway Street.’ He looked at me and smiled. I laughed. ‘What?’
He continued. ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. People call this street Norway Street now. You see. You have the bar in this end of the street, the café in the other end. And then there is the furniture store in the middle. Three Norwegian places in one street. And it has become known as Norway Street.’
I visited Titans Tap Room in Otsuka, Tokyo in September 2016
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Once we were close the place was easy to find. The whole street outside the tap room was filled with people. Standing in groups. Chatting. Drinking. A small bar had been set up outside where two different beers on tap were served. Inside the selection was a lot bigger. The lines for both bars, inside and outside, were long. The bartenders very busy. I recognised a friend working behind the bar out on the street. I got in line, wanting a beer.
I visited several night markets in Taipei, Taiwan in September 2016
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I started with the mussels. Perfectly cooked in a spicy sauce. They tasted amazing, and the whole portion for only TD 60. A scoop. They were so tasty I wanted to finish them all, but I couldn’t. There was so much to try here, for such a cheap price, I could not fill my stomach up on the first few dishes. I threw over half of my mussels away.
I followed up with Taiwanese sausage, oysters, various meat grilled on various sticks. Then a beef noodle soup. The stalls offering food were spread out all over the street. All the food looked delicious. Further down the street the stalls offered various games for kids. Shoot balloons, throw darts, fish for presents. I was mostly focused on all the delicious food.
I visited Beer Dream in Kyiv and tried some Ukrainian beer in January 2017
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I am a big fan of beer, and love to try out the local brew when travelling. I was a bit disappointed about the beer in Ukraine, most places seemed to have imported beer, the normal boring stuff like Carlsberg and Heineken, I had not found many places serving local Ukrainian beer. Maybe I had simply been to the wrong places, I don’t know. But on my last day in Kyiv I found Beer Dream.
I visited Ramen Burger Restaurant in Kyiv, Ukraine in January 2017
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It is not always that mixing two good things leads to something better. Especialy when it comes to food. In Sweden having banana on pizza seems to be a big thing. It has never been to my liking. When visiting Kyiv I found another peculiar mix. The Ramen Burger. A burger where the bread is replaced by Ramen. The burger is prepared like any other burger, Except you replace the bread with ramen. The ramen needed to be fried a bit before serving to obtain a bread-like consistency. I was sceptical, but had to try it. Ordered my meal with low expectations, so low it would take a lot for me to be disappointed.
I visited Nikka Bar in Kyiv in January 2017
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‘Come on my friend, why don’t you come sit in the bar.’ The bartender looked at me, pointed to one of the chairs in the bar. They were all taken, but some quick words in Ukrainian from the bartender and one of the regulars vacated his seat, made room for me. I took my drink, moved over to the bar, sat down. Only a minute later we were all engaged in conversation.
I visited Output Rock Bar in Naha, Okinawa in September 2016
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It did not feel like a bar or night club at all, it felt like a private party. Just a group of friends getting together to play some good tunes, talk and enjoy themselves. It just so happened to be that they did this in a bar in Naha. And I was invited and immediately accepted as one of them. I was sitting on a bar stool, a beer in my hand, feeling very happy. This is what I travel for. This is why I love to leave the comfort of my home. To meet new people, make friends across the globe. Learn about a place through my interactions with the local citizens. I was having a great time, and had a smile on my face impossible to wipe off.
I visited Output Rock Bar and Sakurazaka in Naha, Japan in September 2016
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‘You know what’ the bartender says. ‘I close the bar, then we go to Sakurazaka. I can show you good bars. Real Okinawa nightlife’ He has been telling me of this great bar district in Naha, Sakurazaka, he compares it to Golden Gai in Tokyo. Now he apparently wants to show it to me. Never mind he is currently working. It is a slow night, closing the bar won’t make much of a difference.