froyo @ i love leo, Munich

Since Yoli opened its doors in 2009 frozen yogurt has become fairly common in Berlin. Especially in Mitte and in Prenzlauer Berg, where the young folks are anxious to go with the flow, you can get froyo in nearly every frequented street now.

A little introduction for those who don't know about frozen yogurt:

• Its origin (whether it was in Britain in the 1970ies, in Israel or in the U.S.) couldn't be assured but for sure it wasn't until 2005, when it started to be widely distributed via Pinkberry in West Hollywood, L.A.
  

• As it consists of yogurt and milk instead of heavy cream it has roughly half as much calories as does regular ice cream.
  

• Because of its rather plain flavor, it is to be topped with sweets. So if the topping is e.g. chocolate and caramel, the caloric value wouldn't be so much different. Here you can get more nutritional guidelines.

• The regular froyo-serving is double the size of a regular scoop thus be prepared to pay twice as much.

• Conspicuously often the owners of froyo-stores come from the creative or highly academic business and have studied in California, New York or London. Thanks to the corresponding clients froyo is still considered as a yuppie-dessert on this side of the pond ;)
  

• Why froyo-store-interiors have to be white and remind one of the clinical or aerospace industry isn't clear ;)

When I visited (stunningly pretty) Munich last weekend my friend brought me to a froyo-store that his flatmate recently opened: i love leo.
Located ideally between the university buildings and the English Garten, it was spacious and friendly. They serve a single flavor together with a whole lineup of good quality toppings.

The sunny and peaceful surrounding was enough reason to elevate one's mood and it was the best froyo I have tried so far. So happy lunch-break folks around - enjoy this dessert in the park!

i love leo (Maxvorstadt), corner Kaulbachstr./Veterinärstr.
every day 11 am-7 pm.

Froyo-Stores in Berlin:

• Yoli (Mitte), Invalidenstr. 112 or Münzstr 11 c.

• Efa's frozen yogurt (Mitte), Weinbergsweg 24.

• DÄRI (Prenzlauer Berg), Oderbergerstr. 6.

• Yobarca, (Prenzlauer Berg) Schönhauser Allee 122, (Friedrichshain) Simon-Dachstr 40 or (Charlottenburg) Windscheidstr. 22.

• Miss Zucker (Schöneberg), Winterfeldstr. 46.

• YoMunchy truck, Strandbad Mitte and other places.
  

Other beautiful and tasty cafés in Munich:

• Der Laden (Maxvorstadt), Türkenstr. 37.

• Giulia Bar (Maxvorstadt), Theresienstr. 114.
  

Magnolias @ Factory Girl, Friedrichshain

I have a new addiction. It's a dessert named Magnolia, named after the Magnolia Bakery. This is the kind of food you better don't reproduce at home in order to consume it in controlled amounts ;)
You can find it in Berlin's most crowded food-and-drink-mile around Boxhagener Platz at Factory Girl café.
It is declared as a modification of Magnolia's pudding: vanilla pudding with mascarpone, eggs and variable sweets. Creamy with some texture, it is not too sweet and comes close to Tiramisu. The presentation would be probably more appealing by serving the pudding in an extra-glass but fancy it is.
The café owner adores the cupcakes from the New York bakery but did not want to rival Cupcake Berlin on the opposite side of the street. So she recreated this dessert. The surrounding was cozy and the waiter (Hussein - fluent in Turkish) generous with extra wine and sample bites.

Factory Girl,
Krossenerstr. 16,
everyday 11 am - 8 pm.

Turkish Delight

Since I started reading food blogs and contemplating food (probably too much) food gifts have become high in rank in the permanent wish list. No matter if plain ingredient, store-bought food or homemade gift - I find them all adorable :).

A privilege of this time of general mobility, you can gather produce from around the globe that dear friends bring as souvenirs. As suitcase space is usually scanty these far shipped gifts are the most appreciated treasures in my pantry. At the moment it features exquisite coffee from Colombia (thanks Anne!), Gyokuro and Matcha tea from Japan (thanks Henning & Su Hyeon!), dark orange chocolate from Switzerland (thanks Anne-Loyse!) and light maple syrup from Quebec (thanks Marlen!).

This beautiful confectionary called Lokum or Turkish delight is the latest acquisition that was a gift from my friend Selin from Istanbul: hazelnuts bound by a gel of cornstarch and sugar and coated with dark chocolate. It has a chewy, marshmallowish consistency with a little to bite. A perfect accompaniment for a strong coffee. Thanks to Selin I have already tasted the plain uncoated version years ago, partly colored with mint and rosewater. With a slight preference for the plain white ones I deeply adore them all.

Now, who can get me some clotted cream for a batch of strawberry scones? Any volunteers?? ;)