Good Friday or shall I write FRI-YAY everybody?! đ I’m bringing you yet another” 5 for Friday” post. I’m kind of glad that this week is going to it’s end, the beginning of August caught me off guard and it was kind of a weird week, lots of work and errands, too little sleep and missing a good weather.
Patches are very popular this season! I have seen denim, camo and bomber jackets in stores and online which have some really cute and cool patches on them. I simply couldn’t pass on getting this bomber jacket, mostly because of the patch on the back that says “dream”. Yes… I’m a dreamer… Patched up one!
Hihamerkit ovat tĂ€mĂ€n kauden trendi. Olen nĂ€hnyt vaatekaupoissa tai nettikaupoissa farkku-, camo- ja pilottitakkeja, joihin on ommeltu nĂ€ttejĂ€ ja makeita hihamerkkejĂ€. En malttanut olla hankkimatta tĂ€tĂ€ pilottitakkia, lĂ€hinnĂ€ sen selĂ€ssĂ€ olevan Dreamer (uneksija) merkin takia. KyllĂ€…olen uneksija…paikattu uneksija.
Summer is my most favourite time of the year! Surprise, surprise, that was SO hard to predict. đ Ever since I was little, I was living for Summer and everything that comes with it, endless sunshine, happy times at the beach, swimming my heart out in the sea, eating tons of ice cream and just being carefree.
KesĂ€ on minun suosikki vuoden aika. YllĂ€ty, yllĂ€tys, olipa vaikea arvata đ Olen ihan pienestĂ€ pitĂ€en elĂ€nyt kesĂ€lle ja kaikkeen mikĂ€ siihen liittyy. Loputon auringonpaiste, iloisia hetkiĂ€ rannalla, estoton meressĂ€ uiminen, jÀÀtelön syöminen litra kaupalla ja huoleton fiilis.
One of the reasons why I’ve been loving Summer even more as I was growing older was ( and still is ) all of the happenings that seem to happen many times a week, every week, through the whole Summer. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with so many interesting events to go to and so many amazing Summer festivals to check out.
Yksi syy minkÀ takia aloin rakastamaan kesÀÀ vielÀ enemmÀn kasvettuani oli (ja on vielÀkin) lukemattomien kesÀtapahtumien mÀÀrÀ. Useana pÀivÀnÀ viikossa, joka viikko ja ihan koko kesÀn ajan. Lukemattomien tapahtumien ja festivaalien mÀÀrÀ joihin pitÀisi mennÀ, tekee minuun suuren vaikutuksen.
I’m 28 and am only 3 months away from my 29th birthday. I can honestly say that I’m excited to start the last year of my 20s. I’m loving the woman I’m becoming and I’m loving the outlook on life I’ve been carving by collecting all of the ups and downs, learning about my weaknesses and recognising my strengths… I don’t know why is everybody making a big deal about 30s because I can’t wait for my 30s and all of the smarts and confidence that come with them.
Olen 28 vuotias ja 3 kuukauden pÀÀssĂ€ 29 vuotis synttĂ€reistĂ€ni. Ja voin rehellisesti sanoa ettĂ€ olen innoissani siitĂ€ ettĂ€ viimeinen vuosi on alkamassa ennen kolmekyppisiĂ€ni. Rakastan sitĂ€ naista joksi minĂ€ olen muuttumassa. Ja rakastan sitĂ€ elĂ€mĂ€nkatsomusta jota olen veistĂ€mĂ€ssĂ€ itselleni kerÀÀmĂ€llĂ€ ylĂ€- ja alamĂ€kiĂ€ matkallani. Opin ymmĂ€rtĂ€mÀÀn heikkouteni ja vahvuuteni… En oikeen ymmĂ€rrĂ€ sitĂ€ ettĂ€ miksi kaikki tekevĂ€t siitĂ€ niin suuren numeron ettĂ€ tĂ€yttÀÀ kolmekymmentĂ€. Maltan tuskin odottaa sitĂ€ hetkeĂ€ ja sitĂ€ viisautta ja itsevarmuutta jonka se tuo mukanaan.
Croatian gastronomic scene grew tremendously in the past 2-3 years and many already “established” restaurants such as previously written about Pelegrini, took their service, food philosophy and presentation to a whole new level that meet the worldwide standards of fine dining.
Unfortunately, there’re still way too many tourist traps, restaurants with endless menus which are always very convincing about freshness and quality of their food… That is until you’ll possibly fall for it, order your food and that’s where the romance will stop because you’ll realise that food is not freshly made, fish wasn’t caught “this morning” and most of the owners and restaurant managers couldn’t care less about what people are going to eat, as long as the portions are huge, prices are low and endless pasta, pizza and meat prepped in million ways with the grande finale of pancakes for the dessert are on the menu, tourists and locals will keep on returning.
On the other hand, there are people who are world travelers, people who are true foodies, people who don’t see food just as a fuel and who are taking a visit to restaurant equal to a mini trip to another “world” which will give you an amazing experience that you’ll gladly share with your certain special someone, family or business partners. Food is more than just a gas for your body, food is the best and most hedonistic way to enjoy your life, socialise… Food is a cultural thing and just like with fashion, I take a very sophisticated approach to it and see the whole picture, from how much love, time and effort it’s needed to just start a restaurant, all the way to how much nerves, smarts and once again appreciation for food and believing in what you’re doing is needed to present you with only ONE plate of perfectly homemade pasta with the best truffles and a glass of white wine specific only for the a certain part of the country or region…
This was the case with a charming restaurant in the middle of Zadar’s old town known as Poluotok among the locals. Pasta & svasta is the name you should mark down if you’ll be visiting Croatian coast this Summer since it’s worth taking a small d-tour even if you’re not planning to stay in Zadar.
Pasta & svasta opened it’s doors about two years ago, back in Spring of 2014 by it’s masterminds and true foodies Mr.Ivan and his lovely wife Ivana. Ever since the opening, Mr. Ivan, together in collaboration and agreement with his kitchen staff have been creating a wonderful crossover kitchen of traditional Croatian food/ cuisine presented with a modern twist. Whilst the authenticity of taste is “spot on”, the presentation is far from traditionally known in Italian/ Mediterranean restaurants. No big portions of everything and anything on the plate, but carefully presented, simple but bursting with the taste dishes are about to blow you off if you haven’t or have tried this cuisine before.
Just when I thought that I can’t be impressed by “yet another” bruschetta, pasta, etc. I was completely proven wrong. Mr. Ivan, who has a phd in costumer service and hospitality is very strong driven restaurant owner, meaning that he has a clear vision of what he wants to offer to his costumers who come from all over the world. One of the most surprising facts is that his restaurant has a Kosher food certification which is to me “unheard” of in this part of the country. He is the only one who has such certificate on Croatian side of Adriatic coast and that def. sets Pasta & svasta highly apart from any other restaurant nearby.
As a starter, we were presented by a home wine, bubbly Krauthaker sauvignon which comes from a certain vineyard in Istria of which Mr. Ivan is being part owner. Warm, crunchy and perfectly salty bruschetta with marinated sardines on the bed of arugula were divine “appetite opener” for everything that was about to follow up.
For the, so called 1st plate we were served home made, wonderfully al dente tagliatelle with hand de-shelled prawns in tomato sauce with big slices of truffles. I must say that I was having a very high expectations for this dish because I’ve been told by the owners that if I ever try this same dish somewhere else, it must taste the way it did at Pasta & svasta or better if possible but def. nothing less than what I was about to taste. Only one bite was already enough to understand what they meant, it was a perfect marriage between al dente pasta, sourness of tomato sauce and taste of the sea via the most delicious prawns I have ever tried anywhere. To top it all off, the truffles were like eating pure gold, absolutely prime ones, straight from Istria which is famous all over the world as the region for some of the best truffles.
We drank perfectly matched white wine, Galic chardonnay with our 1st plate.
2nd plate was slow roasted lamb with baked potatoes and pancetta. The meat is slowly roasted for many hours on a low temperature. This is one very traditional dish known to be prepped in Dalmatian households for generations, but the sophisticated and the most delicious version ever has been right this dish at Pasta & svasta. This is very manly dish which is perfect for all of the meat lovers. The meat was so soft that it’s been falling off the bone as you start to “dig into it” and it was beautifully matched with the crispy pancetta and aromatic potatoes. To maximise the ultimate experience of this dish, we drank red wine Skaramuca Plavac mali premium .
By this point of our dinner, we have already become great buddies with our hosts, Mr. Ivan was happy to see that his food philosophy was understood and appreciated, so we have already made agreements to come and visit him again sometime soon to try couple of more dish-gems that he has hiding up his sleeve. đ
No ending of any dinner is good without something sweet, so we couldn’t resist the calling of deconstructed cheesecake with berry sauce and warm, melty goodness of chocolate suffle! Yum!
It was one of the best traditional, Mediterranean food experiences I’ve had in a long time. Without any doubt, I’ll be back again to Pasta & svasta. đ
*This collaboration has been made in agreement with Pasta&svasta. All of the opinions are my own.
*Thank you to Mr. Ivan and Mrs. Ivana for the warm welcome and for making this collaboration possible.
*Photography by: Natali K. photography
Good morning world and hello FriYAY!! I’m back with my 5 for Friday post where I’m sharing my favourite 5 Instagram photos from the past week. If you wish to follow my daily adventures on Instagram, please do check out my profile HERE!!
One more working week is almost behind us and “the” mark of 1st of May is coming this Sunday! I just can’t wrap up my head around the thought that 5th month of this year is kicking off… Time flies and there’s still so much that I want to do and complete in this year. I better start driving bit faster and take my foot off the break for a little. đ
What are your plans for the month of May? I’m taking off to Croatia soon and I can’t wait for that. I will do my best to bring /create some awesome content to share with you. It’s such a gorgeous country, esp. in the end of Spring and whole Summer, there’ s just no better place to be at. đ Also, as I’ve mentioned already, my childhood friend is getting married so I’ll be happy to get all dolled up and celebrate with her!! It’s been about time to go out “properly”. đ
After a week of rain and clouds, it’s finally sunny in Helsinki and I’m about to hit the gym and after that, I’m off to two meetings, but in between, I’ll make sure to inhale some of that natural D vitamin in some of adorable cafe terasses in the city center.
Have a great weekend everybody!
New week is here and I love the “freshness” that each Monday brings! đ How was your weekend? What did you do? I had a relaxing weekend spent with my friends, walking around the city, enjoying the sunshine which finally arrived to Helsinki, went for a dinner date with 3 kids being part of it and have loved every moment of it! I have possibly drooled over my friend’s new bag and I have possibly purchased one too… đ
Good morning dear readers! This Friday I wanted to write a bit different kind of post. Five things that make me happy lately. When it’s cold and dark outside for many months, it’s easy to feel bit lethargic, unmotivated, etc. I have tried to “cope” with the Winter the best way I know of, by surrounding myself with things and people that make me feel great, give me the drive, motivation and an over all great feeling when I’m with them or doing those, mood lifting things.
Good Monday morning my dear readers! I hope that your weekend was a good one and was filled with holidays’ spirit since it’s the most beautiful time of the year and we have less than a month left until the Christmas and New Year’s Eve festivities. đ Many of you have left comments on either my Instagram or on my blog that you’ll be visiting my city of Helsinki in December, so I thought that it was a perfect moment to present you Hotel IndigoÂź as part of my “Visit Helsinki” series of posts in which I present you the best places to go and explore in Helsinki, from shops, spas, restaurants, to hotels, museums, etc.
My love… LOVE… Such a short, yet important and BIG word. A feeling that can move mountains! It’s incredible what pure, real and deep love can do!? I also do know what lack of it can cause… What happened last Friday in Paris, France was absolutely horrible and left me in shock, but what made me even more upset is that the LACK of love, common sense and acting in the name of “religion” took away so many innocent lives. Only 2-3 days before the Paris tragedy, horrible blood was spilt in Beirut… Tomorrow it might be your city and the lives taken might be of somebody whom you LOVE, or even your own…
