Meine Culinarische Reise durch Münster : Issel Konditorei Cafe

Cafe Issel - an absolute treasure! Luv it ALOT!!! The cafe, located at 42 Hammer Str., has a pleasant seating area inside as well as an outdoor patio with several tables. It offers a selection of cakes, tarts, cookies, handmade chocolates and pralines (to eat in or take away).

Various hand-made dark and milk chocolate bars... Some unique flavours of chocolate: (a) Tomato (perhaps, sweet and tangy?), (b) Nutmeg (c) Rosemary (both are interesting!) (d) Ginger (I prefer ginger snaps to ginger chocolates...), finally (d) Pumpernickel ?!! - very unusual, for me!

The cakes range from classic to innovative...they are SO tempting ^O^...

Yummy pastries - I will give them a try on my next visit ;)

Bicycle-powered delivery service is available...

Here are the slices of cakes we tried (each slice costs 3 euros) :

• Schokoladen Trüffel Torte or Chocolate Truffle Cake (4 1/2 stars) : A moist layered cake with bittersweet filling, topped with chocolate ganache and decorated with fine chocolate crumbs. Unlike other truffle cakes, it is not overly sweet and not too buttery. A perfect indulgence for the chocoholics! Well, to put it in a nutshell, the slice you should not miss!

• Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte or Black Forest Cake (3 3/4 stars) : Thin layers of chocolate cake and very thick layers of cream filling, and some cherries between them. A slightly dry bottom layer, but it's no big deal!
  

• Champagne Truffle Torte or Champagne Truffle Cake (4 stars) : This is pretty much the same as the chocolate truffle cake but with champagne ganache filling. It has strong alcohol taste (at least for me) ... If you are a boozy cake fan, this is worth a try ;)
  

Summary : If you have a sweet tooth, then Issel is the perfect place for you :)

Meine Culinarische Reise durch Münster : Maredo

Maredo is an American-style steakhouse with over 50 restaurants in Germany. Although it is best known for its steaks, the restaurant menu includes several appetizers, salads, chicken, seafood and desserts. The place looks like it has just been recently refurbished with the emphasis on casual atmosphere (comfy booth seating, exposed brick walls, live plants, etc.).

• [food] I had the Spring special dish- 220gram New Zealand's lamb rump steak (medium doneness) served with creamy mustard sauce, papa asada (a baked potato with sour cream) and fried vegetables. The steak was very tender and juicy. The mustard sauce went well with the meat. The fried vegetables were really good, but it had way too much onion. My only dissatisfaction with the dish was the sour cream - it was too creamy and a bit too sour. I prefer the one with a mild flavour.
• [service] Fast and pleasant!
• [price] Spring special - EUR16.90 (free warm water, danke!)
• [rating] Steak - 4.0 stars ; Baked potato with sour cream - 3.0 stars

Summary: Good food, nice setting and decent portions... recommended! (although, my personal preference would definitely be ScharferZahn over Maredo...)

Meine Culinarische Reise durch Münster : Vapiano

Vapiano is a self-service chain restaurant. The restaurant offers a simple yet 'chill' atmosphere. The dining room is huge and features high ceilings and glass windows. There are plenty of carefully spaced long tables and sofas. Reservation is not required - don't worry if the place is packed...at Vapiano, it's easy to share a table with strangers...Another nice things about this restaurant is it has a great outdoor seating!
The restaurant serves reasonably-priced pizzas, pastas, desserts and antipasti. The pizzas and pastas are grouped according to price on the menu. With a chip card, you can directly order your food at the food-serving counters. The food is prepared in front of the customer. There are different types of pasta (e.g. spaghetti, fusilli, ravioli, campanelle, penne, linguine, etc.) available. The chef can assist you in the selection of pasta that goes well with your dish. If your order (like pizzas) takes some time to prepare, you will be given a wireless device which vibrates when your food is ready for collection.

• [food] I had the Asian fusion pasta "Tacchino Piccante" - Campanelle served with chicken, orange-chili sauce, pak-choi, and peppers. The pasta was cooked properly - al dente! The sauce was thick and flavorful :) Some minor drawbacks (my personal opinion) : The pasta lacked vegetables, perhaps, some mushrooms... and the food was a little bit oily!
• [price] Pasta + Orangina ~ 7.50 EUR (reasonably priced and well portioned!)
• [food quality] Tacchino Piccante : 3 3/4 stars

Summary: A great place to enjoy pasta/pizza in an informal and relaxed atmosphere. The price is right and the food is acceptable but not overly exciting!