It’s been quite a while since we were in Leipzig – in the beginning of December for a Christmas fair (you should go in 2014!), but that’s where we had an opportunity to participate in a very interesting tour around town – very unconventional. Because it was a culinary tour! Not by ourselves, as usual, not 1-2 restaurants a day, but 6 places in 2 hours, with a guide, as part of the EAT THE WORLD programme.

Eat the World is interesting for everyone who loves to eat, and to discover and visit interesting places. Culinary tours take place in particular parts of town and you usually move from one restaurant to another, for 3 hours, trying what’s best and moving on… The walking part is as absorbing as the eating part. Although we visit 7 places in one afternoon, we don’t feel stuffed, and we have a chance to discover Leipzig in a different way than a conventional tourist. This is a great tour for a foreign tourist, for a visitor from another town, or for a local searching for new flavours.

Another advantage is that the culinary journey is associated with one neighbourhood, not with the city centre, that we usually visit when we come for a day or two. This time we visited the Südvorstadt area, and we started our walk from the university campus. The December sun was shining, and we set off for the first restaurant! We made a mistake by having early breakfast, as it turned out that every restaurant and cafe has something for us. Fortunately, portions are suitably small, and walking from one place to another makes you hungry, so you really can try everything!

We start with a small Mediterranean restaurant MIO. We wait for a moment and then get tiny portions of gnocchi with parma ham and rocket. The gnocchi are delicious and they remind me of the ones served in Dziurka od Klucza in Warsaw’s neighbourhood called Powiśle – I’ve only had them few times but I love them deeply. A good start! Let’s move on!

zaczynamy po włosku :) / an Italian start :)

Italian start 🙂

Another place turns out to be a small cupcake shop. Do you like them? I have ambivalent feelings about them: they usually look gorgeous but sometimes even I find the mouse too sweet, so I prefer the good “old” muffins. This cupcake shop is managed by an elderly lady and her daughter. The place specialises also in muffins and pancakes, and the trend for cupcakes came to Leipzig from London. They’re marvellous, wonderfully colourful and beautifully decorated, especially the Christmas ones. A small digression: do you know a great place with cupcakes in Warsaw, worthwhile visiting? 🙂 If you do, please let us know!

świąteczne muffiny, Mintastique, Eat the World, Lipsk, Christmas muffins, Leipzig

Christmas muffins in Mintastique

cupcake-bałwanek, Eat the World, Lipsk, Mintastique, cupcake-snowman, Leipzig

cupcake-snowman

We continue our tour with Cantona Cafe and oriental tofu soup. This is supposed to be their signature dish! It’s delicious! Cafe Cantona becomes my favourite when Maks receives his own special dish – spaghetti bolognese instead of the oriental soup.

Subsequently we visit a tiny coffee roaster hidden in Leipzig’s former industrial buildings. You can buy coffee and take it home, or enjoy a cup of coffee or a hot chocolate on the spot. Afterwards, Italian deli, however, it’s not too impressive if you know Piccola Italia in Warsaw. If you don’t, you absolutely have to visit it in the future! 🙂 Finally, there’s a small patisserie where we have a bacon quiche. Despite the fact that every portion was tiny, we feel like we’ve had a huge dinner!

palarnia kawy, Roskant, Eat the World, coffee roaster

Roskant coffee roaster

Patisserie des Cafe Maitre, Eat the World, Lipsk, Sudvorstadt, Leipzig

Patisserie des Cafe Maitre

In case you’re wondering why we’re in Leipzig, and the culinary tour isn’t about wursts, duck, red cabbage and beer, take a look at the name of the programme. Eat the World! You have a chance to try a few cuisines in one afternoon – Italian, oriental, French. Such sightseeing is great for those interested in food and cooking, especially that in every place the guide talks about the restaurant or cafe, and the cuisine.

I’d change one thing only… I’d add at least a glass of water in every restaurant, included in the price of the tour Eat the World!

Culinary tours that are part of the Eat the World programme take place not only in Leipzig. You can take part in a tour around Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, Frankfurt, Hanover and  Münster. Some cities even offer a few various options depending on the selected neighbourhood. Tours are for groups of 1 to 48 people and are also available as gift vouchers. I.e. in Berlin it costs 30 euro per person to take part in the Eat the World programme – you usually visit 7 places. Prices for other cities are available at the website.

So, if you’re planning a trip to one of the German towns, you should definitely check out the Eat the World website!

And maybe you’ve taken part in another organised culinary tour in another place, in Europe or around the world? 🙂 If you did, you have to share your experiences with us! 🙂 Have a lovely Sunday!