Meine Culinarische Reise durch Münster : Mongo's

I just got back from the Mangos - a Mangolian restaurant and my overall experience was good. Mangos is a restaurant chain operating in cities like Muenster, Munich, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, etc. The restaurant is a visual knockout! a fusion of simple, elegant with a traditional touch. The dining room features several golden chandeliers with 'lighted spoon' (see below), Mongolian-face relief in wooden frames and brass hanging plates . They give off a soothing yellow glow that creates a nice atmosphere..the animal prints add punch to the restaurant benches.. and the bar is decorated with wine bottles..

(a small light bulb attached to the spoon)

The process for ordering is simple. (1) Select your option (either buffet or 'one-way' meal). With the buffet option, you can keep going back for more as many times as you like. (2) Let the waitress know about the choice of marinade (there are 9 kinds to choose from). She will jot it down on the bowl-holder..(3) Hunt your food! Take a big bowl and make your individual dish from sliced meats, seafood, fresh vegetables and noodles. Hand your creation to Mr Chef, he will do the rest!

Enjoy half-price cocktails from 10.00pm!

The free starter @ tomato soup with coconut milk. It reminds me of the light-version of thai-spiced tomato soup.. "Goyo amttai baisan"!

My first creation: Chicken, noodles, and vegetables with the Malay Satay sauce. Sorry, they need to improve it - way too much of peanut and the flavor was not well-balanced!

My second creation: Stir-fried oryx with pineapples, vegetables and Thai Red Curry sauce. I like it! Nice aroma and not too spicy :) The meat really tastes good...

My third creation : Mongo's Ocean - recommended with the seafood. Slightly above average!

My final creation: Stir-fried turkey chunks with spicy noodles, pak choi, bell pepper and Curry Mango sauce. Not bad but not great either.. average!

• [food] A good variety of meat (e.g. oryx, kangaroo, lamb, beef, ostrich, etc.) and seafood. However, a limited selection of *fresh* vegetables.
• [service] The waitress was helpful and friendly.
• [price] 2 cocktails + Student's special (EUR 16.90) ~ EUR 28.00. The price is slightly expensive.. but not for an ardent buffet fan ;) With the happy hours, you can save a few more euros!
  
• [overall food quality] 3 1/2 stars .. The 1/2 is for Thai Curry and Oryx .. hu-hu..

Summary : A nice venue with great atmosphere; good food but there were not many WOW moments..I enjoyed a lot the 'hands-on' eating experience - looking forward to visiting another similar restaurant.. Any restaurants serving dishes from the Land of Five animals??

Meine Culinarische Reise durch Münster : Griechischen Taverna

I am always amazed by the Greek eating culture - It is fun! Poeple gather around a dining room to share delicious food, humorous stories and lots of laughter! I was so pleased when AB @ (my half greek friend) suggested me to visit Taverna - a Greek restaurant situated not so far from the city center. The restaurant is not overly decorated, spacious and cozy. The interior décor of Taverna features "face brick" installed on the main wall with some simple framed illustrations, few huge mirrors, a decent number of tables and chairs, etc. The menu is extensive, from mezze (a selection of small dishes) to grilled seafood, meat, fresh salads and wines.

• [food] I started with a glass of Apfelschorle @ apple juice mixed with carbonated water - didn't work for me! the juice was over-diluted and tasted more like water!! However, my appetizer "Kolokithakia mehliert" was excellent. The zucchini fritters were served with some pine nuts. They were warm and crispy on the outside and light and soft in the inside - like them a lot! My main dish was "Arnisio Fileto"- lamb fillet with rosemary sauce, grilled paprika and zucchini and served with Mediterranean vegetables. The lamb was tender and spiced very well. The juicy chunks of zucchini and paprika blended well with the grilled meat. My only issue was with the portions - they were SO huge and with LOTS of meat! it was just 'too-much' for me. It would be nice if the lamb served with some rice or more vegetables. My suggestion > if you are not a meat fan, then go for the seafood or side-dishes. We received free Ouzo at the end of our meal - if you like licorice or absinthe, then you will like Ouzo!
  
• [service] S L O W .... Service with a LOng Wait. Don't be surprised if you have to spend almost 2 hours to get your food..
  
• [price] Decent prices > Cola + Apfelschorle + Appetizer + Lam fillet ~ 22.00 EUR
• [food quality] Kolokithakia mehliert - 4 stars ; Arnisio Fileto - 4 stars

Conclusions : Great food, decent prices but requires more patience for waiting for the food!

Meine Culinarische Reise durch Münster : Buddha Palace

Buddha Palace is a medium-sized restaurant which offers Nepalese cuisine along with Indian and Tibetan specialties. The atmosphere of the restaurant is clean and comfortable. The decor is simple yet elegant, with the traditional touch. The bright orange walls are decorated with Buddha and Tara paintings. The dining room is festooned with several prayer flags. There is a large Buddha statue opposite to the entrance. Potted plants are arranged around the seating area.

Some items in my order are:

• Starters - papadom (Indian crackers), momos (dumpling stuffed with spices and minced lamb) and vegetable samosa. The appetizers are served with mango chutney, pickles, and yogurt-mint sauce. The dumplings are terrific, however the others are ordinary.
• A bottle of mineral water.. well, it is tasted bad/weird - like the chlorinated tap water. I will not order it again!
  
• Himali Masu (pieces of lamb flavoured with mint, coriander, green chillies, herbs and spices) served with a bowl of seasoned rice. Love it alot!! I would prefer a naan bread over the rice though. The lamb is cooked just right and it doesn't have the gamey taste. The gravy is a little spicy, but tolerable. If you want to try a similar dish but has a more sour taste, then go for the "Masu ko Achar".

The service is not good nor bad. It may takes some time to get your order. The price is reasonable. Rating : Himali Masu - 4.5 stars

In a nutshell, a comfortable dining restaurant; great food but forgettable service!

Meine Culinarische Reise durch Münster : Aspendos

The initial plan was to have a simple dinner, but we ended up in an exclusive Mediterranean restaurant. Aspendos is quite deceiving from the outside..It looked like a normal kebab house, but as soon as I walked in the door, I knew it was going to be a great dinner. I was impressed with the decor and overall ambiance which is much influenced by Middle Eastern concept. With four dining areas, there is plenty of space for guests to sit..The place was decorated with colourful rugs and curtains, nice paintings, ceramic wall tiles, Arabic lamps, a fireplace, table linen, cushioned sofas, and many more! The atmosphere was simply laid-back..

• [food] The menu includes various Mediterranian dishes. It is divided into different types of meat - very helpful :) Several vegetarian and seafood dishes, doner kebab are also available. I had the "Hähnchen Aspendos" - A huge portion of chicken breast served with tomato pesto sauce, baked potatoes, mushrooms and grilled feta cheese. The food presentation was great. The chicken breast could have been just a little more tender. The sauce was a bit salty for my taste. However, if you like a tangy flavour, you will probably enjoy it..
• [service] The staffs were very pleasant and polite.
  
• [price] Hähnchen Aspendo + Ginger Ale ~ 15.00EUR...The price is acceptable due to the large portion and decent food..
  
• [rating] Hähnchen Aspendos - 4 stars

Conclusions : We could see the owner put much effort in decorating the place - the atmosphere is beyond fabulous! Decent selection, reasonable prices and above-average food. Should give it a try :)