Heladería Los Italianos (Granada, Spain)

Calle Gran Vía de Colón, 4
18010 Granada
Spain
Phone: +34 958 224 034
Website

Lost Italianos is one of the oldest gelaterie in the city and the most  renowned. It has been open for decades, and one of the highlights to enjoy summer for most Granadians. Seriously! You know it is spring time when... Los Italianos reopen every year.

The owners are Italians so the production of the ice-creams has always been Italian traditional gelato making, with light textured flavoursome ice-creams and crunchy delicious waffle cones. Lost Italianos were the first to bring unusual flavours to the city's ice-cream world, although nowadays other gelaterie have more daring and interesting flavours. Still, the quality of the gelato here is undeniable, the selection of flavours excellent, and the taste wonderful.

My favourite flavours are pineapple and crema tostada and their cassata.

Their servings are decent in size, and the prices fair.

Service is fast and friendly, despite the fact that the staff is at times overwhelmed by a constant flood of people all day long. It can be chaotic.

I hate cueing for anything, especially for anything edible. This is the only place in the city where you find cues and, if there is no a cue,  there is a human suffocating mass around. Something that always puts me off.

Michelle Obama stopped here for her ice-cream when holidaying in town a couple of years ago. I thought it was cool Michelle and I have shared the same ice-cream :P

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Lot 20 Bar (Northbridge, Perth WA, Australia)

200-206, William Street
Cultural Centre
Northbridge
Perth WA 6000
Website
Hours
    Mon-Sat 10am-12am
    Sun 10am-10pm

  

Lot 20 is all-in one café and bar located in the heart of the Cultural Centre. The place has a wonderful layout with many different micro-spaces created in their alfresco yard and indoors: cosy spots, hide-in spots, alone spots, eating-with-your-pal spots, girly spots, macho spots, couples spots. Spottified! 

The place is woody, retro-industrial, very colourful and with plenty of funny and quirky elements of decoration and artwork. The painting with the jugglers freaks me out every time, I swear. The toilets are great with all those black tiny tiles and the chromed piping ending in those bottles of white creamy soap, really cool.

The atmosphere is also very cool, not only because of the design, but because of the various clientele that visits the place, all ages, all dressing styles, all kinds of humans, that are seasoned and stirred up by a mix of retro music.  

Opening times are awesome - food, coffee and drinks available in the city centre any time of the day from 10am to 10pm. Beat that! And the prices are OK taking into account that this is Perth city centre.

One of the things I like the most about the place is that they add new dishes very often, so if you happen to go often, you will always find something new to try. I love that. It keeps me going to places.

FOOD

Lot Twenty has a mix cart of post-modern pub food, with plenty of vegetarian dishes, and they use local fresh produce, which is always a guarantee of freshness and flavour. They have a great concept about the dishes they offer, but the food has been yummy sometimes, OK others, and absolutely blah others. 

The top in my chart have been the Son in Law Eggs with chilly caramel dressing and coriander, so beautiful looking, so smooth in your mouth, sweetish and with a wonderful mix of flavours, colours and textures. The home-made terrine was great, fresh, soft, smooth and very delicate, perfect with the dollop of mustard sauce. 

The asparagus on potato foam with yuzu and kaffir lime "magic dust" were wonderful, very simply prepared and beautifully presented. I also loved the beetroot salad, a mix of fruit and veggie salad infused in the beetroot juice, which was delicious; mine had apple, orange, compressed melon, beetroot and another veggie that I could not recognise. The warm vegetables salad was very simple, but very healthy looking and tasty, the veggies cooked to perfection, not too hard not too soft.
 
I liked their home-made onion rings and the fish and chips with the accompanying slightly spicy sauce dip - home-style unpretentious pub (oily) food and very filling. 

I had high expectations regarding the slightly smoked pork belly, but I had a ploff sort of moment. The produce was top notch, and the flavour of each separate item as well, but the mix was not complementary. The cardamom and apple gel was lovely in flavour, and nicely plated, but it was not enough quantity or texture to envelop with its flavour and moisture the very dry crunchy pork belly. The chestnut flakes were also lovely, but another dry element to add to another dry element, dry to the square, which prevented the pork belly from gliding down my esophagus toboggan style. 

The spiced cauliflower has been the main disappointment (absolutely ploff!). I love cauliflower, it is one of those vegetables that is easy to cook and morph into amazing things. However, the cauliflower was way too hard, the chunks too big, the dollops of herbed [sic] yoghurt sauce too thick to be easily spreadable and give moisture and flavour to the dish as a whole, while the wonderful pomegranate and nuts sprinkle were lost trying to seduce a frigid cauliflower. No chemistry, baby.  

I did not like the olives. Why anybody would choose mediocre olives over wonderful ones escapes me, like a butterfly passing by. Perhaps they should like olives first to choose good ones!!  

DESSERTS

Regarding the sweets, the Pear Friand was great! Very small (cute actually) but wonderful regarding flavour, moisture, texture and level of sugar. In contrast, the chocolate pudding sorta thing was a  "does he love me-does he love me not" sort of dish. A 3-dollar dessert really puts me in the mood of anything good, so I did enjoy it. On the other hand, what I got was, basically, jellied condensed sweetened milk zombified by a bit of Milo. You could think, genius! I agree! But I prepare similar things at home in summer and takes no culinary skills to do so; I was just expecting something beyond my poor-dessert-making skills, that happens when your expectations are expectant. And... why not calling it Condensed Milk Pudding so my imagination does not fly mid way to crash hard against concrete reality too soon? Anticlimactic!

DRINKS AND COFFEE

I love their wine and drinks chart, and the prices of the international wines are terrific for Perth standards. I absolutely loved the Lopez de Haro red wine, smooth like a nice kiss. 

Their coffee is well prepared and creamy, but the beans they use produce one of those "weakienikis" that we find throughout Perth. Perfect for you if you like smooth weak coffees. Otherwise, my easy-solution kinda solution is ordering a topped-up long macchiato instead of your usual flat white. I did so and I was happy with the strength an flavour of my coffee. Oh Wittgenstein you know how wording works on the tongues of people. 

SERVICE

Most of the staff are really welcoming, helpful, very friendly, and very cute! The problem is the organisation of the service at times. It was chaotic, confused and inattentive during my first visit, a bit of a disaster and got me annoyed. Fortunately, first impressions are delusive and I always give a second opportunity. Glad I did because the service has dramatically changed in my following visits, and these guys have been pampering my regal butt since then. Kiss Kiss. 

The main problem with the service is not the people, is that the dishes take quite a while to come out at times, no matter the difficulty in the preparation or how empty the local is. Almost half an hour for a dish of simple eggs is unacceptable. I wondered if they were helping the chicken to lay the eggs directly cooked onto the plate. Bang Bang. 

However, I mentioned the issue to one of the waiters, and my eggs were on my table presto!, and my second dish came 5 minutes after ordering it! The Sound of Music.  

That is willingness to please! Kudos to all them for the effort. The more I go, the more attentive they are to my needs, and that is always a great sign, and what turns customers into regulars. 

***

I will go back, I like the place, there are many things I want to try, like their visually enthralling burger and Dutch chips, fish and chips, and all the new dishes they are incorporating into the menu. They have so many different veggie and meaty things that is impossible not to like at least a few of them. Having said that, their food can easily improved, and needs to improve, it takes a willingness to work the textures and flavours of some of the more avant-garde dishes a bit better to do so. Nothing really wow. But you don't want to be wowed that often; otherwise your wows would be less genuine. 

EMERGENCY!

Coffee takeaway cup size is minuscule ridicule. Fix it! You need at least a large cup to make any coffeeholic happy!

NOTES OF INTEREST

* Free Wi-fi for those who just communicate with their antennae.
* No PayWave. Wave your fingers athletically to introduce your PIN, instead

FLEETING THOUGHTS

>> I hope they have big umbrellas for the patio area once summer comes, because the place is already hot, and you don't want to seat al fresco to get hot.<<
>> How many steps or kilometres do the waiters do going upstairs/downstairs the kitchen the whole day? Good workout!<<

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David Jones Store (Perth WA)

This is my favourite store in Perth for many reasons

WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT MR JONES
+ Location Location, in the heart of the city, so there is always easy to visit if you happen to work in the CBD.
+ Size, big but not too big.
+ Posh Classy Factor.
+ Brands Factor. Some of my favourite brands have stands here, Allanah Hill, Ted Barker, Karen Miller, Oroton, and many fancy international designer clothing I like to look at.
+ Display style. I love the way they exhibit their stuff. Open, touchable, stylishly placed.
+ Shoes Section. It was reorganised and renovated a few weeks ago and is looking even more splendid. They have a mix of posh and medium-range brands, and it is my pass-by favourite area in the store.
+ Millinery section, which is great always, also very expensive, but especially wonderful in the weeks previous to the Melbourne Cup. Unlike other shops selling millinery in the city, they do not inflate the prices for the season, and the quality and design of their fascinators is way superior.
+ The stationary area.
+ The cosmetics and perfumes area, which has a mix of surf and turf, but with very posh and exclusive products (Tom Ford, Bottega Venetta, Joe Malone, among many others.)
+ The high-end designer clothing on the 3rd floor. Stupendous.
+ The toilets on the third floor. Like in the movies.
+ Their Christmas decorations seasonal sections. Fabulous.
 

MR JONES IS REALLY SURPRISING
++ Their sales and discounts are fabulous, and apply to seasonal stuff, not to last year's unwanted stuff. I especially like the discounts at the shoes and watches areas, Oroton and Allanah Hill stands.
++ Did you know there is a BreastScreen WA on the 3rd floor at the David Jones Rose Clinic? Yes, I know, it surprised me as well. Let your breast to be squeezed in style...
++ Oh, I cannot forget their food hall and gourmet area. Descend into a  pleasure-oh-able state by using the escalator!

MR JONES' AIDS OF CAMP ARE AN INTERESTING BUNCH
Most of the ladies at the shop are lovely, and willing to help even though sometimes by doing so they have to go out of their way or out their own stand.

However, it takes two uptight inattentive rude ones to make you forget the nice ones. This is the way the brain of humans work, not just mine. I have found examples of staff looking down at customers, passive-aggressive comments on the product being too expensive for you (as if they knew what the budget of the buyer is!), staff so interested in talking to other fellow-staff members that forget about you, put the beeping machine in the bag, or do not say hello or thank you, staff who get annoyed because you just make a question or because you ask something that "their divinities" think you should be asking. So It is a mix of things. I don't find that at Myers, you see, so if the price is the same or similar I will go there because the staff are friendlier.

Some of the stands don't have staff until mid-morning, so if you want to buy something, you won't be able to do so. Thanks for making me save my money, Mr Jones.

NO-NO, MR JONES!
-- Poor book section. But I guess that not many people to to David Jones for the books. My guess. 
-- Mac dominated electronics area... some people don't like apples and prefer oranges.
-- Some of the staff's behaviour towards customers.
 
FIX IT FOR ME, PLEASE, MR JONES
= Clean and repair the toilets on the second floor more often! They are the most popular with passers-by, and I have found them sometimes dirty, with no hand paper, with some of the flush not working, a bit smelly. You know, not very posh at all.  
= Train and and select your staff better, they represent your brand. Unless you want to be the brand of the uptight butts, do something to avoid a minority that give a bad image of David Jones' customer service.

SOME FREE SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS, MR JONES
>> Why are you opening half an hour later than Myers? You just want me to save money, right?
>> Update your bag section, your wallets section, and your medium-range watches section. There is something called Internet shopping, a magic world where one can buy many of this stuff cheaper because they are last season stuff in the Northern Hemisphere. Think about that when you choose the items you want to display.
>> Remove cheap brands from the cosmetics section... like Revlon. I Buy Revlon a lot, but not from here but from the Chemist Warehouse at least 30% off. The products are not displayed as nicely, but they are the same products. Why not having other brands? I mean DJ is posh, right?
>>  Their stockings section used to be the most glamorous hosiery piece in Perth, and a drop by for me. However, with the refurbishment of the last weeks, it has been dramatically reduced to stands with boring pricey tights. You can still find some of the fashionable stuff online, but not in the city. This being the case, Myers is at the moment more appealing and more varied, so I will be spending my money there... Your fault!
>> The OPI stand used to be exclusive in Perth. Now, it is not. Myer got one, and they are making reductions and sales on the whole range quite often, so unless you match that, Mr Jones, I will be heading that alley.Your fault!

I love you David Jones (and I curse you at times, too).

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Maletas Martín (Granada, Spain)

Calle Obispo Hurtado, 20
18002 Granada
Spain
Phone: +34 958 253 006
 
This is one of those shops that are disappearing from the city, an old traditional family operated leather and luggage shop. Local and international franchises and the big stores' tough guys are making life difficult for businesses like this, so one has to give big kudos to these little shops and buy from them. The owners' children won't continue the family business; they, as many others, have left the country and are working in "more important" things overseas.

The shop's space is minimal, and the shop's space is crowded and nothing to rave about. What you can rave about is the service your get from the owners (Manuela especially), who also happen to be the shop attendants, the variety of luggage they have, and the pricing. Moreover, these people know their trade, where the suitcases are made, material of the handles, anything you need to know about suitcases or leather goods. Old times savoir faire.

They have been specialising in Samsonite products since... forever, but they have some beautiful trendy arty luggage items by other brands, Ágata Ruiz de la Prada's being my favourite. Pricing is fantastic for Samsonite and good priced for other brands.

They also have a small selection of basic leather goods, some of them branded, some others unbranded, made by hand from the leather itself to the stitching. Awesome quality at good prices. However, I found most of the stuff a bit boring for me, perhaps perfect for my mum or my grandma if I had any alive.

I bought my new cabin suitcase from here, great brand, great quality, great price. Hurrah!

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Baba-Shop (Granada, Spain)

    Calle San Antón, 16
    18005 Granada
    Spain
    Phone: +34 958 521 638
    Website

Baba-Shop is a must stop for me each time I visit Granada.

Tucked away in Calle San Antón, this bazaar has an ample shop with a large but non flashy shop window.

This would have been my perfect shop if it had existed when I was at University as it has everything that my younger self (a bit hidden now underneath my more glamorous me) loved and love: unique pieces of clothing and jewellery, colour, textures, earthy stuff, alternative fashion, world jewellery and decoration items, new-hippy, hipster, grunge - Paradise! Their website does not make justice to the shop.

I don't wear the sort of clothing they have or most of their accessories any more, but I do still wear and purchase some of the pendants and jewellery they sell, which are always beautiful and original. I super-love their silver jewellery cabinet, which is not too expensive for foreigners (a bit for locals).

This is a pricey shop in general, which offers sales just on sales periods. That is possible because they have a loyal clientele who returns over and over again, and prefer to pay for one unique alternative piece than for three mass-produced ones.

The attendants are matter of fact and won't bother you in your browsing unless you want them to open the magic cabinet or bring something down from the upper shelves. Browse peacefully, buy if you want.

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Jean Pierre Sancho (North Perth, Perth WA)

391-395 Fitzgerald St
    North Perth Western Australia 6006
    North Perth
    Get Directions
    Phone number (08) 4441 904 
    Website:
   Hours
      Mon-Wed 8am to 3pm
      Thu-Sat 8am to 4pm
      Sun 8.30am to 3.30pm

 

Jean Pierre Sancho in Fitzgerald Street has become one of my handy stops while going to the North Perth Plaza to do my grocery shopping. What brings me there is mostly their coffee and the lovely staff. Great combo for me. 

Coffee is nicely prepared, strong enough for my sensitive tongue. Yes, I like my coffee to taste like coffee. I like their colourful macaroons and sweets, and the staff have been and are lovely every time I visit, very friendly, smiley, and accommodating about anything. No-fuss people.  

The place, unlike its predecessor, is a bit bland and dark regarding ambience and vibe. I was expecting a bit of more "Frenchiness" in the decoration and style, but concrete looking floors and almost bare walls are not that chic. However, the place is n the decoration and atmosphere, still the place is quiet and comfortable.

Food has proven to be a bit of a disappointment. They are very generous with their servings (point!), but somewhat the food tastes just OK. Not bad, but not remarkable either.  

My first breakfast there was total knock-out, tinned beans, stale harsh brown, like... I didn't like it. They have improved since them, but their cooked breakfasts are still not their forte in taste or plating (sometimes they put too much on the plate, carelessly, in ways that make the food look unappealing, like in the photo).

Their house-flag dish is very French... Gosh Bless Hamburgers. They are very tasty and come with fries and salad, huge size. That always makes me happy, size does matter, and tasty hamburgers as well.

In short a nice place to drop by if you just want a nice friendly quiet café to hide from the world and have some simple cooked food or nice pastries and sweets.

Notes to myself
> I love their coffee cups! 
> They have lovely loaves of bread for sale
> It would live up the place having some French posters or photographs on the walls.  

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Phone House Mesones (Granada, Spain)

    Calle Mesones, 1
   18001 Granada
   Spain
   Phone: +34 958 190 162
   Website
   Hours
      Mon-Sat 10:00-21:00
      Selected Sundays

Phone House is a Spanish franchise chain (part of an International Company) that sells mobiles, mobile accessories and mobile internet and has also a repairs service. They usually have seasonal catalogues and the variety of mobile phones, mobile brands, mobile carriers and mobile and-or Internet plans, and pricing are unmatchable in Spain.

So, what makes this shop different from the others?  Many things!

+ Location location. This branch is located at the beginning of Calle Mesones, five steps away from Puerta Real and five minutes from anywhere in the city centre.
+ The staff really knows their stuff. They are not just selling or repeating like lorikeets. They can advise you properly on anything you need according to your own needs. I received unbiased advice from one of the guys. I was most impressed, and I got what I needed at the price I needed.
+ The staff will give the attention and time you need, no matter is five minutes or twenty, so you get your problem solved or your phone purchased and ready to use.
+ The staff would help you dealing with little faults in your phone, if you purchased it from them, and help you with settings and things like that, or safety measures not to get your super-duper smart phone stolen!
+ There is an in-house mobile technician at this branch, which works full time a few days a week, so he will be able to sort out many of the issues you have with your phone, for free, unless you need a spare part and your phone has run out the warranty.
+ The staff were always friendly and lovely to me!

The not so good things:
= Waiting 20 minutes or 10 in a cue is never acceptable, especially because they could easy install another desk and have an extra staff member to attend to the public.  Also, why not having cueing by numbers or waiting stools?
= Their selection of mobile accessories is poor, pricey and a bit boring! 

TIP 
Best time to visit at Spanish lunch time. Everybody is eating, cues are minimal, and service way faster.

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