unique finds europe

© Amai

The lovely chocolate and wine bar Amai (=Japanese for sweet) is located near the famous Viktualienmarkt in Munich’s city center.

Amai is definitely a must on your next trip to Munich, if you are into chocolate as it offers you an abundance of mouthwatering chocolate creations.

Sabine Heinsch owns the small shop in red and dark, which shows her passion and attention to the little detail. A Wallpaper right next to the door shows her delicious Pyramid shaped pralines creations. Currently, Amai offers about 50 different flavors plus a couple of seasonal creations.

Amai chocolate creations are kosher certified, which guarantees high production standards. Upon order Amai even does lactose-free chocolates. Besides chocolate Amai offers wedding cakes and seasonal pastry such as Stollen (the famous Dresden Christmas cake) for the Holiday season.

Amai’s philosophy is back to basics. This is why Sabine puts her focus on the best available natural ingredients, taste and visual presentation. Since Amai chocolates are handmade in small batches, Sabine can quickly react to customer’s feedback and she also does custom orders.

Amai’s success is evident as it is collecting awards and mentions such as a listing by prestigious German food/ gourmet magazine « Der Feinschmecker ».

But we not only like Amai chocolates. The story behind is also inspiring as it is another example for the great entrepreneurship behind. It all started when Sabine identified a need for high-end handmade chocolate and decided to fill this niche.
As the owner of a hotel in Munich’s countryside she certainly had gathered some experience in running a business. However, she was afraid that Munich’s picky gourmet crowd might not approve her work as a chocolatière.

Thus, the most exciting moment in her chocolate making career so far has been the overwhelming response by Munich's gourmets. Due to such success of her chocolate business Sabine decided to open her dedicated coffee and wine bar about 2.5 years ago. Currently, Sabine is working on adding an online shop but you can already order by e-mail if you wish.

But go and see for yourself.

Enjoy!

More on Amai's popular Chocolate Making Workshops and Chocolate tastings

Discover chocolate and lifestyle concept store Truffe in Zurich, Switzerland

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© Organic Luxury

ORGANIC LUXURY is a paradise for all of you looking for innovative, cool, green but luxury beauty labels.

This treasure trove for high-end organic beauty products is located in Munich’s elegant city center – only a few steps away from the opera house and famous Maximilianstrasse.

To list just some of the brands they offer:

If you are looking for the often discussed « Detox Programs » of The Organic Pharmacy you will also find them at ORGANIC LUXURY!

And, owner Kornelia Rose is just lovely. She is truly passionate about organic beauty products and loves to support you in identifying the « right » organic beauty label for your needs.

Besides shopping for some great green beauty products you can also enjoy some holistic beauty treatments using « The Organic Pharmacy » or « Julisis » beauty products.

The spa menu offers a broad variety of treatments and you will certainly find something for your needs.

But go and see for yourself.

Enjoy!

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© A Outra Face da Lua

A OUTRA FACE DA LUA (= the other side of the moon) is the name of this awesome vintage fashion boutique in Lisbon’s city center.

We think the 70’s style hippie scenery is charming and quite unique. Another great statement against nowadays mainstream shopping boredom.

Besides the cool ambiance A OUTRA FACE DA LUA offers you an abundant selection of exclusive vintage clothing for women and men, accessories and footwear. It is a treasure trove and you will certainly find something special - no matter what you are looking for!

Besides vintage fashion from 1920’s onwards, A OUTRA FACE DA LUA offers you some truly unique customized clothing by Carla Belchior. Carla is known for her customized clothing made from recycled clothes.

And as you can see from the above pictures A OUTRA FACE DA LUA is also great for a shopping break as it offers you an authentic 70’s style coffee shop.

But go and see for yourself.

Enjoy!

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© Tibits

TIBITS offers you delicious, fresh and healthy fast food at reasonable prices in a stylish but cozy environment. Tibits is the ideal place to hang out, meet friends or just take a quick break.

Our favorites in terms of food & drinks are the fresh juices, the Mango Lassi as well as the curries.

But, it is not only the quality of the food that make TIBITS so special. We consider it a great meeting point any time of the day no matter what you are up for. And the mix of people is just great.

But go and see for yourself.

Enjoy!

Discover popular vegetarian restaurant Hiltl in Zurich, Switzerland

Discover Tibits' vegetarian fast food restaurants in various Swiss cities

Discover great vegetarian cooking lessons in Zurich, Switzerland

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© Edible Paris

Rosa Jackson, a Canadian food critic and writer living in France established this truly unique business EDIBLE PARIS, offering personalized gourmet discoveries of Paris.

Her professional experiences as a Paris restaurant critic and her love and passion for cheese, chocolate, pastries, bread and open-air food markets make Rosa the ideal person to advice you regarding must tries on your next Parisian gourmet mission.

The concept is a simple as this: you send Rosa an e-mail with what your likes and dislikes in terms of food and types of restaurants are and she will come up with a tailored itinerary for culinary discoveries of your taste in Paris.

So, it won’t be any more an issue to choose among the many restaurants in the gourmet capital Paris. And you will certainly not end up in a tourist spot but feel like an insider!

Alternatively, EDIBLE PARIS offers you a range of set half-day written food itineraries.
Each of these tours will take you through a beautiful Paris neighborhood and lead you into the very best markets, food shops and restaurants with plenty of background information and advice on what to try.
The itineraries include at least 20 addresses with an accompanying map to help you locate each one and the main sights.
And the best about them: they will always be up to date when you buy them as Rosa constantly amends them – she knows them all!

So if you like great food, if you like to discover new restaurants and if you travel to Paris, check out EDIBLE PARIS’ website. No matter which discovery you are up for, you will certainly have fun.

But go and see for yourself.

Enjoy!

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© Mariage Frères

The Mariage Frères tea shop and room is one of our favorite places in Paris.

If you like tea Mariage Frères is a name/brand you should remember. The tea house is famous for its selection of fine tea. You may choose from a huge selection of teas – white, yellow, green, black, red, blue, smokey, matured and compressed teas. There is tea from all angles of the world. And the best about their teas: they not only smell delicious but also taste so!

Our absolute favorite is the white tea « Thé des Mandarins Jasmin » - silver needles scented with jasmine flowers, which is so incredibly delicious and truly unique! But there are many more teas to discover such as the delicious green teas « Bouddha Bleu » and « Festin d’Or » or more classic green teas such as the « Sencha Midori ».

The mere sight of MARIAGE FRERES’ stylish boxes and the scent of their teas just make us feel good. By pouring a cup of MARIAGE FRERES tea you feel relaxed and pampered.

We trust that MARIAGE FRERES' abundant variety will certainly have something for you although the decision won’t be an easy one. May be you let yourself be inspired by their beautiful names? They also offer beautiful gift boxes. Their packaging is truly exceptional and there is nothing more to be added regarding the quality of their tea!

Once you have enjoyed MARIAGE FRERES teas you will just fall in love and become addicted to their creations. The only thing we have to warn you about: you will have very high quality standards afterwards! And the tea room in the lovely Marais neighborhood is just adorable.

But go and see for yourself.

Enjoy!

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© Petis Farcis

Food writer Rosa Jackson owns this cool cooking school in beautiful Nice, South of France.

Because Rosa is fascinated by Nice’s food and history, she decided to establish her own cooking school which she named after a popular Niçois dish « petis farcis », stuffed vegetables.

At PETITS FARCIS Rosa offers you various sorts of culinary experiences around traditional Niçois cuisine. You can either sign up for a three or five day cooking class. Your cooking experience will start off with a market visit where Rosa will select the best ingredients for your choice of menu and you will also do a wine selection. Afterwards you will prepare and enjoy your authentic menu in Rosa’s beautifully renovated 17th century apartment in Nice. Just to give you some ideas regarding potential mouthwatering experiences check out the menus of her upcoming courses and book your spot online.

Specials: But even if you are not so much into cooking yourself but otherwise interested in food you may decide to join Rosa on a three hour market tour. This will be a cultural-culinary experience of its own. While learning more about Nice’s history you will have the opportunity to taste some typical Niçois street food delicacies such as « pissaladière » (caramelized onion tart), « socca » (chick pea pancake), « fougasse » (Provençal flatbread) and « tourte de blettes » (a sweet pie with a surprise ingredient) while experiencing the special market atmosphere in Southern France. You will definitely get a feeling for the way of life in the South of France!

But go and see for yourself.

Enjoy!

Read our entry on Katrepices, a hip cooking school in Geneva, Switzerland

Read our entry on back to basics cooking classes in Zurich, Switzerland

Read our entry on great vegetarian cooking classes in Zurich, Switzerland

Read our entry on great chocolate making classes in Munich, Germany

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© The Very Essence

The beautiful « THE VERY ESSENCE » spa in Hamburg is offering you interesting organic beauty treatments with cool natural & organic brands, which you can also buy on the spot.

To name some of their brands:

We very much like THE VERY ESSENCE concept because it is truly unique to have a variety of cool organic brands to choose from for your treatment. THE VERY ESSENCE spa menu offers everything for your body’s needs from classic beauty treatments for the face to massages such as:

The ambiance is also great as it is stylish but cozy at the same time. You feel relaxed and carried away. In other words: The ideal scenery to enjoy your treatment with all your senses!

We would wish for more such great « green » spas that offer personal pampering indulgence with hip organic cosmetic brands in a cool but cozy setting.

This is why we consider THE VERY ESSENCE truly unique and another statement against the mainstream « shopping » boredom.

But go and see for yourself.

Enjoy!

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© Bookbinders Design

The Swedish company BOOKBINDERS DESIGN does these wonderful stationery products for your home and office. Their mission is to « make your life memorable ».

To capture your memories in a more sustainable way is great because it allows you to re-experience your feelings, to go back in time and may be more importantly to share those happy moments with some beloved ones years later. Wouldn't it be a great to start doing so today? Ever dreamt of writing a book, a travel journal or keep track of a beloved project in a stylish and more personal manner? May be now is the right time to start.

BOOKBINDERS DESIGN offers a wide spectrum of materials, bindings, shapes and colors to choose from. We love their modern yet classic designs. And their shops are just gorgeous examples how an urban oasis of well-being looks like. Once you enter one of their beautifully designed stores you feel like in a different world and you just can’t stop looking around. It is the colorful but very elegant interior design focused on their products that makes their shops so special.

Our favorites are the diaries with colorful motives, the guest book in snow white or the notebooks covered in cloth, which you can personalize right at the store by embossing a title or other little something. Their design and craftsmanship is unique so you will be able to enjoy them for a long period of time.

Trust us - it will be very difficult to make your choice and you will come up with excuses to buy more!

By surrounding yourself with these chic but timeless classics or by visiting BOOKBINDER DESIGN stores, you just can’t help but feel good. So be sure to have a look at their products to capture your memories in style! And remember, it is said that colors have a positive impact on your well-being.

Besides the high quality of their unique products BOOKBINDERS DESIGN is another statement against the boredom of mainstream shopping areas. And the best about it: it is said that they produce all their products at their own bookbindery in Sweden where they use only environmental friendly materials and manufacturing processes. Thus, these stylish products may be considered « chic green » alternatives to mainstream stationery items.

But go and see for yourself.

Enjoy!

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© Greekalicious

Maria Benardis, an Australian-Greek woman and owner of « GREEKALICIOUS », a fabulous cooking school for Greek cuisine in Sydney, is organizing a culinary travel adventure to Greece once a year. During this 19 days journey you will explore the beauty and history of Greece with its different regions and islands from many angles. As the title already indicates, the focus is on a comprehensive culinary discovery of Greece - on the spot.

Just to give you some idea regarding the exciting sites you will visit - based on the 2011 schedule: Athens, the Islands of Chios, Crete, Kalamata, Ancient Corinth, Koroni and Pylos.

There is plenty to see and explore but be assured that you will also be able to take some rest to enjoy the Beauty of Greece and to let the flow of information and inspiration settle.

Besides some sightseeing you will also be able to discover some authentic regional dishes and local ingredients on the spot. You will do some hands-on cooking and experience how the locals live. Besides market tours you will visit farms where you will meet with local organic farmers to learn more about their production techniques and products. This will of course include some tastings to fully benefit from the typical Greek flavors.

One thing's for sure: you won’t get bored. For more information regarding this « on the spot » culinary learning experience for all senses, check out Maria’s website.

But go and see for yourself.

Enjoy!

Check out « GREEKALICIOUS », Maria's popular cooking school in Sydney

Discover Maria's cookbook « My Greek Family Table», which won the « GOURMAND World Cookbook Awards 2009 - Best Mediterranean Cuisine Book » in Australia.

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