Tag Archives: Latvia

Why go to Riga?

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From wherever you’re arriving, air, rail, tram, and bus services will deliver you very efficiently to the centre of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. But, once you get there, only one form of transport will do, and that’s… walking! It’s the only way to take in what this well-preserved city offers the discerning traveller.

Riga is definitely a feast for the senses, but don’t feel too concerned for the man with the world’s most enormous haemorrhoids… he’s still providing every passer-by nothing less than a jolly welcome…

Feeling lost? If at any time you’re feeling like you’re away with the birds… well, Riga has a neatly organised solution. Check out the colourful tree in one of the central parks, as here you’ll find one of the biggest collections of bird boxes……..

Then, when you’re lost for somewhere to park your spare zeppelins, check out the amazing Riga Central Market. Yes, back in the day, the 5 pavilions that now provide a home to Europe’s largest indoor market once provided the ideal hangars for WW1 military airships.

Meanwhile, strolling by the Dome Cathedral, if you suddenly feel peckish, they have a unique menu presentation (aka The Town Musicians of Bremen)… a strange sculpture based on a Brothers Grimm tale… apparently, rubbing the animals’ noses brings good luck!

Walking the city can be thirsty work, but no fear, if you need a reminder of essential Latvian culture, they will be happy to offer you a hint…

A House of Blackheads doesn’t sound like a healthy attraction. But this historic site dates back to the 14th century. However, what you see is the 1990s replica, the original having succumbed to some Nazi/Soviet target practice and demolition games through the 1940s. With several uses across time, it is now mainly a museum, but the basement is apparently an original part of underground Riga (see also a previous post on dining in Medieval Riga).

Then again, if you’re into collecting stuff, they’ve already got you covered… well, they’ve got a wall covered, at least. Regional badges from across the country. And to add to any local rivalry, the neighbouring Powder Tower provides an explosive mix… a place that the Swedish occupants of bygone years literally blew up through a combination of design & storage ineptitude…

For historic architecture, Riga spans numerous centuries… just ask The Three Brothers… well, only if talking to buildings is your thing…….

However, if Art Nouveau architecture is your thing, Riga has a delightful district of the stuff…

But, not everywhere is as stunning. No photographs provided, but one of the most boring buildings just happens to house the highly fascinating Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. If you’re of a Russian or Nazi persuasion, lookaway now… for this is a detailed exploration of Latvian courage and determination in the face of occupation and oppression across the majority of the 20th century. It’s an emotional story of human resistance against invaders attempting to completely obliterate Latvian culture and identity.

Riga offers an interesting take on this beauty in tension, being the home to the Freedom Monument…

While in close proximity, there is the Russian Orthodox Church… photograph it from the outside, because inside is a clear message to look but don’t snap! Ever wondered where your lost gold ended up?

Then again, sometimes it just pays to walk. Turn any corner, tilt your head back, and look up… Riga provides more than its fair share of well-preserved historic beauty…

Until we speak again, Riga also reminds you to spare a thought for the precarious nature of being a cat!

Georgia on my mind

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On a recent trip to Riga, I have to admit the write-ups about Latvian cuisine may have been on the up… but still not gripping my taste buds and demanding my undivided attention. Though the local dark breads are dense but tasty enough to definitely be leaders in their particular league.

So, my very own personal guide to the city stepped in with a vote for Georgia. The name Alaverdi might be giving off an Italian vibe to the casual observer, but look a little closer and give yourself up to that ‘Taste of Georgia‘ hint at what could be. We’re early, so plenty of choice of tables…

In my limited experience, Georgian red wines are hidden gems overshadowed by the European heavyweights bordering the Mediterranean. A glance at the wine menu here (see in the previous ‘Taste of Georgia’ link) lets you know you’re encountering a country with a serious approach to its falling over water!

So, where to start when it comes to the food? Khinkhali is the Georgian way of doing dumplings; and when they come filled with veal and lamb who could possibly refuse? The visual and textural presentation may be something you wipe your hands on after a particularly messy encounter with a seafood dish, but don’t be put off by first impressions. However, the Dolma with Duck with rice, greens and spices, supplemented by pomegranate seeds in a light spicy sauce… this was a dish that does wonderfully messy things with your mind, not with your hands! Suffice to say, when Donald met Dolma (that’s Donald Duck, not the orange fart in America version) the world became an altogether better place.

A main event to savour would be a difficult challenge for any chef after that dolma sensation of a starter. But, the idea of Beef Tenderloin Medallions with potato gratin and demi-glace sauce; well, that certainly provided the pomegranate bridge from the first course to the main, with a further wow factor baked in. The Pork Neck Shashlik on lavash with vegetable caviar, red onion and satsebeli sauce gave the whole event further depth and breadth befitting a new country’s cuisine to add to my taste bud travels.

This had already developed into a meal you don’t want to see ending. My trusty guide was in the mood for dessert… a cheesecake with a difference of stewed in red wine cherries, spices and caramelised pistachio with a few raspberries on the side as a nod to healthier times.

Me, I’m not habitually inclined towards the dessert section of any menu, so it was time to add a Riga essential to my local experience… a glass of Riga Black Balsam… not for the faint-hearted. No, that isn’t an extra glass of wine as dessert this time… It’s the national drink of Latvia, more of a 45% proof affair, purely imbibed for medicinal purposes, of course… a herbaceous floral thing, with a liquorice, lime, ginger, mix and no doubt a hefty kick. Like Coca Cola very few people know its exact recipe. Unlike Coca Cola it’s best used for an after meal digestif, rather than a toilet bowl cleaner!

Until we speak again, Georgia is definitely still on my mind. With this taste of some of what the country has to offer, it might well be under my feet sometime soon!

Medieval Riga

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A restaurant 822 years in the making just has to be a special event. Step up Rozengrals (The Rose Grail), in a building circa 1201, but can it produce a meal fit for a very discerning Russian princess?

Authenticity counts for something when claiming such heritage. So, traditional dress helps to put the welcome into context.

The wine list is fortunately quite spare and unappealing. This is just as well because this setting seems to call out for a honey beer… even for a princess, it seems! By the way, the cloth comes as a vessel for presenting mini bread roles… as is the custom in times gone by, no doubt. Fortunately, the eating irons are already present in a pot, or else I was going to start flexing my fingers.

The menu is rather simply stated… more focused on describing historical stories than culinary information. As if we’re not concerned with what we’re eating as long as it was enjoyed by some noble gent a few hundred years ago! However, it’s suitably presented in a format that implies you’re partaking of a little bit of history.

Salad starters don’t ring true in my recollection of medieval banquets, but I don’t fancy leaving here having to be winched back up the stairs. The honey baked beet and goat cheese salad was a delicate balance of tart and sweet flavours that tempted more quaffing of the beer. The poultry liver with bacon and almond salad hinted more of times gone by… further back than yesterday, that is…

It’s quite possible that the cost of food here includes a candle tax, as there is no discernable electricity generated light. This creates a great atmosphere, and fear not, it’s not so you can’t see what you’re eating so well! Our choice of main dishes spread our interests across surf and turf. Oven baked sea bass and a rabbit stew with prunes and cedar nuts.

I can certainly vouch for the bunny having lived a satisfied and fulfilling life by the greater quantity of meat falling off bone than my previous pursuit of these animals/pets/cartoon favourites. As for the fish, it was ably dissected and devoured by my partner in these historic crime recreations we happened to be enjoying.

Until we speak again, a candlelit washroom visit brought back other historic nightmares… particularly of power blackouts as a kid in the 1970s.