How to eat cheaply in Luxembourg!

It’s a strange thing.

I’m a terrible cook, but I do like writing about food!

I have a bookshelf crammed with recipe books from the likes of gorgeous Nigella Lawson – the Domestic Goddess, the Scot – Gorden Ramsey, the local geezer – Jamie Oliver, the wholesome Delia Smith, the hilarious Ainsley Harriott, and the old-time Victorian favourite – Mrs Beeton! I even have German cookery books from such people as the German gourmet chef – Tim Rauer, the everyman chef Tim Mälzer, and his Green Box, the energetic, but pretty nice guy act of Ralf Zacherl – Martin Baudrexel and – Mario Kotaska from Die Küchenchefs!

I love watching cookery programmes, devouring fantastic gourmet food, and writing about the delicacy of good food.

Sadly, I just don’t like cooking!

But is this a hinderance as far as writing about food is concerned?

Not in the least people.

Not in the least!

It has to be said that even though this blog is about culture, history, and travels around the world, I also enjoy writing about food. Here are food posts that I wrote in the past in alphabetical order:

BELGIUM / FLEMISH:

• 10 reasons why Nord-Pas de Calais otherwise known as Northern France, is more than just stinky cheese and a paté made from goose!

THE CZECH REPUBLIC:

• I didn’t kiss a girl but I ate fried cheese in the Czech Republic. And I liked it!

DENMARK:

• Top 9 reasons why Danish food isn’t just smørrebrød, seasonal berries & herbs, but can be awfully tasty!

ENGLAND:

• Have you ever been to Bristol – Let’s eat & drink ’till the cows come home!
• London Calling: How to eat and drink for under £25 or $30 a day (including the service charge)!!
• To be or not to be? That isn’t a question, that’s the Queen’s dinner & A Night Out with William Shakespeare!

ESTONIA:

• A simple guide to Estonian food and Russian beer!

FRANCE:

• 10 reasons why Nord-Pas de Calais otherwise known as Northern France, is more than just stinky cheese and a paté made from goose!

FINLAND:

• Helsinki is the capital of Art Design so how was it that I went to Finland, and ended up with sushi!

GERMANY:

• 10 surprising reasons why food in Germany isn’t just grit and stodge but is pretty awesome, in my opinion!
• An introduction to the international kitchen of Berlin. Go on. You know you want to. Go on. Go eat the world!

HUNGARY:

• If you’re looking to go to a new European city then Budapest is surprisingly nice. And the food is Hungarian but really Turkish. And Italian too!

LATVIA:

The magic drink of Latvia is basalm and I drank it!

LITHUANIA:

• We had a pig’s ear in Lithuania and it was chewy!

POLAND:

• The food of Poland and how much I have to eat!
• The secret of eating & drinking in Warsaw – How to make pierorgi and eat it!

PORTUGAL:

• 7 remarkable things to eat & drink in Portugal!

SCOTLAND:

• Haggis, tatties and neeps: 10 things to do in Edinburgh. 
• A wee drab of whisky is just the thing to make you itch!

SPAIN:

• Spanish food & how to eat it! Spanish plonk & how to drink it!
• Oh what fun! Tapas, Sangria and a food walking tour in Madrid!

SWITZERLAND:

• Why you should visit Switzerland, and eat cheese!

THAILAND:

• Thai food is going to kill you: Eat it or die!
• Thai food is going to kill you: Cook your own!

Nom! Nom! Nom!

So without further ado, let’s talk about Luxembourgish food!

Here we go!

HOW TO EAT CHEAPLY IN LUXEMBOURG!

Like Switzerland, trying to sample local food while on a modest budget is downright impossible, so one just has to bite the bullet, and run with it!

Luckily, we were hosted by the Visit Luxembourg Tourism Board so we could stay at the luxury Meliá Luxembourg Hotel, and not have to worry that we would starve!

As such, we didn’t have to rely only on sandwiches, salad and cake, but could afford to splurge here n’ there!

IF YOU’RE ON A BARE-BONES BUDGET READ ON:

If you really can’t spare any pennies, then the best option is to make sure you have a hotel or hostel that includes breakfast so that you can have your fill, and then go to a local supermarket.

Be warned, because at first, we couldn’t find any!

Now, let me re-phrase that. What I mean to say was that we couldn’t identify what the local supermarket looked like from the outside, as most of the shops looked quite expensive fancy!

When we did find them, the supermarkets were based in buildings that I would classify as a bank or a financial institute, as many of them had revolving doors leading to the supermarket itself! I’ve been to many a country and you tend to have an idea of which business happens to sell food, but it’s Luxembourg. And like Switzerland, it’s pretty neat and tidy with few straggly bits of dirt and grime!

We went to a local supermarket called City Delhaize Gare.

We bought:

A Caesar Wrap – €3.59

A box of doughnuts – €3.40

We found a French supermarket – CarreFour Express.

This brand I knew!

We bought:

• A bottle of Arizona Blue Berry Tea  – €2.79
• A salad – €4.99
• Nonna Thon Piquant Baguette – €3.59
• A bottle of 7 Up Cherry – €1.24
• A can of Orange Tango – €1.10
• A cheese salad – €3.00
• A packet of pistachio nuts (not for me of course!) – €2.86
• A Nonna Anc Thon pasta salad – €3.59

IF YOU’RE ON A MODERATE BUDGET READ ON:

Last week, I told you that in the summer season, Luxembourg has an annual summer programme called Summer in the City, organised by the Luxembourg City Tourist Office (LCTO).

This programme offers a series of summer events, which turn pavements and public squares, into open-air stages of cultural festivities that are mainly free of charge!

As such, we spent a lot of time wandering around, and strolling through various parks, open-air markets, and urban music festivals.

In one of the parks, we stumbled onto an international initiative called the street food Tabor Food Concept in which trucks selling international street food are based in locations around the city, on specific days. We stumbled on one, on our way to the Villa Vauben museum….!

It was an Ethiopian food truck.

I’ve only eaten Ethiopian food twice in my life,  so I was intrigued…!

We wanted to try out the Doro Wot (chicken) sautéed with onions, garlic, ginger, cardamom, chili powder, and a herbal butter stew, served with a boiled egg on an East African sourdough-risen flatbread, and the national dish of Ethiopia and Eritrea, but I had run out of cash!

And they didn’t take cards so we had:

• An Ethiopian burger and a soft drink was – €6.60

We also went to a place called the Urban Bar for a bit of a drink, and to do some people-watching. It was a bit of a hipster enclave and quite busy, but there were plenty of spaces, and you could sit outdoors.

We didn’t know this previously, but the Urban Bar is considered to be a retro find, and quite the place to be. In fact, it’s one of the world’s best bars with fabulous cocktails, and the young and beautiful all around.

Just the right place then!

It was very hot in Luxembourg so the open air terrace seating was a priority!

• A small Luxembougish beer was €3.50
• A small glass of cola was €3.00

Yep! We truly felt a part of the Luxembourg summer spirit!

For dinner we went to a lovely historical place near the river. You know how much I like water-side living!

We were actually looking for a completely different restaurant, which we never actually found, but we stumbled upon this little treasure instead! A restaurant called Brasserie Bosso.

It’s a popular restaurant so I recommend that you make a reservation!

Luckily, they were able to squeeze us in as we were only a party of two. But be careful, if there’s a group of you, you do need to make a reservation especially if you prefer Al fresco dining! We observed a number of people who were put on a two-hour waiting list, so do yourself a favour and don’t leave the restaurant booking until the last-minute!

We were excited to finally get our teeth into a local speciality, so we opted for the Bosso Spätzle.

A spätzle otherwise known as Spatz, is a kind of soft egg noodle found in the cuisine of Southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, France, and Northern Italy!

The linguistic origin of Spätzle is highly debated but in Germany, spätzle is considered to be a Swabian speciality, from the German state of Baden-Württemberg.

The Booso Spätzle is a dish of fried egg noodles in a gorgonzola-mozzarella-white wine-sauce, combined with bacon, onions and a Bologna sausage, otherwise known as a Lyoner. A fried egg is also placed right on top of the dish!

We loved it!

I’m familiar with Spätzle, but this meal was delish!

We also had a Poulade Auflauf which is a sort of chicken bake!

It was served on a griddle and had chicken stripes, potatoes, cheese and herbs involved! It was lovely!

• Bosso Spätzle – €13.50
• Poulade Aufluf – €15.00
• Two (2) small glasses of fanta – €5.00
• Two (2) small glasses of wine – €6.00

Not too shabby me thinks!

That’s all for now.

Next week, I’ll be writing about our travels to Slovakia, with travels to the German Baltic Sea to come, as well as a comprehensive post on how to use the train in Europe!

In October, I’ll be preparing to go to the TBEX ASIA travel conference in the Philippines, and an extra Asian country, but I’m still not sure where, but heavily leaning towards a Chinese-speaking country!

HOW TO EAT CHEAPLY IN LUXEMBOURG!

This article is part sponsored, and even though Visit Luxembourg Tourism Board very kindly offered to book us a complimentary stay at the luxury Meliá Luxembourg Hotel, and provide us with Visit Luxembourg tourist pass City Cards, all opinions and the yummy Luxembourgish food that we stuffed into ourselves, are my very own!

Please also note that there is now an Amazon affiliate link UK and Amazon affiliate link DE (for the very first time) connected to the cookery books. I told you that I liked reading ’em! Everytime a book is sold via my link in Amazon UK or Amazon DE, I get a little percentage, but at no extra cost to yourself! A win-win for all!