Tag Archives: Chinese food

Sundays

Our first visit to a German Freibad… and Chinese food in Nagold!

This morning, I took note of the warm, sunny weather and the fact that I love a good swim.  I said to Bill, “Why don’t we go to the pool in Nagold?”

As expected, Bill was down on the idea.  He doesn’t like pools, mainly because he hates being seen in his bathing suit.  I wasted no time reminding him that just a month ago, he joined me in the buff at a spa in Bad Wildbad.  He had a great time.

“Please…” I begged.  “We don’t have to stay long!”  I was really wanting to try the cool slide at Nagold’s awesome Freibad.  Finally, Bill gave in to my pleading and we headed over there at about noon.  It was four euros each to enter.

It wasn’t too crowded or hot today and we easily found a spot in the shade.  I took a quick dip, then thought better of the slide, which was crowded with kids… some of whom didn’t seem to be paying much attention to people coming down after them.

I enjoyed a brief swim in the super deep pool where the diving boards are, then watched some of the kids doing flips into the water.  A few were doing their best to make the biggest splashes they could– and doing painful belly flops in the process.  They were so full of youthful exuberance.  I remembered when I was a kid, jumping fearlessly off the high dives and sliding down the slides.  We had none of that today, but it was still a lot of fun… at least until the clouds started rolling in…  Anyway, I was mightily impressed by Nagold’s pool.  It beats the ever loving hell out of the public pools we had when I was growing up.

In case you were wondering, yes there are changing rooms (this was one of Bill’s concerns!).  

And there are lockers, too!  You put in a one or two euro coin to take the key.  When you bring the key back, you get your euros back.  There’s also a Biergarten (of course!) that serves food.

Check out that slide!  I will have to try it next time.  We’ll get there earlier so I don’t have to worry about crashing into any kids.  I didn’t see anyone directing traffic, making sure people got out of the way.  I did hear at least one adult screaming all the way down, too.

Bill looks snarky as he takes a seat.  I had to point out that I brought four towels, two to sit on and two for drying off.  He never did get in the water, though.

They have a low dive, high dive, and a platform.  The platform appeared to be closed. 

Bill watched the divers…

This was the main pool, complete with the creepy mushroom shower thing…  It was about waist deep for me.

The rules for the slide…

I liked the deep pool better.  It was really nice, even if I am no competitive swimmer.  I did have to pass a swimming test to graduate from college, though.

Action shot!

The clouds were threatening and I was getting cold, so we decided to go have lunch.  It was raining when we left, but the rain had stopped by the time we put our stuff in the car.  Parking in Nagold is free on Sundays.  There’s also an indoor pool at this park.

We decided to try the Pavillon China Restaurant in Nagold.  It was our first time there.  They have a late pause that starts at 3:00, so we were there in plenty of time.

Obligatory shot of Bill.

We were given cold, refreshing plum juice with our beers.  The inside of the restaurant is very nicely decorated with Asian decor and a large fish tank.  

Bill had a special that included beef, shrimp, and chicken, as well as assorted vegetables.  I had my usual crispy duck, which was served with no mushrooms in it!  Yea!

We got rice…

And pineapple infused sweet and sour sauce came with my duck.  

I really enjoyed the duck.  I didn’t really try Bill’s dish because it had mushrooms in it.  He pronounced it excellent and brought some home for tomorrow’s lunch.  The crispy duck had carrots, peppers, bamboo shoots, and zucchini mixed in.  I really enjoyed it.  The bill came to 28 euros and change.  Bill left a generous tip, which made the waitress smile big.  She enthusiastically wished us a good day.  I would definitely go back to the Pavillon China Restaurant next time I want Asian food.  It was very good.

The front of the restaurant has these cool looking columns.  

Not the greatest shot of the front, but there were people sitting out there.  It’s very close to the Edeka in Nagold.

We had a very nice afternoon in Nagold.  I really think it’s becoming one of our favorite places to chill out on the weekends.  It’s pretty, there are a lot of good restaurants, and things to do.  A bonus is that it’s never as crowded as some of the other cities near us and it’s only about four kilometers away. I think I managed to talk Bill into visiting the pool again.  Maybe next time, he’ll even get in the water!

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Chinese food and high end grocery shopping in Stuttgart!

I had fleeting thoughts of attending the Spring fest in downtown Stuttgart today, but Bill and I are getting too old to enjoy big crowds and really loud music.  Besides, for a long time, we had been wanting to shop at Feinkost Böhm, which is a really nice (and very expensive) food store.  When Bill realized that Feinkost Böhm has a sushi restaurant, we decided that was where we were going to spend our Saturday afternoon.  It’s been ages since we last had sushi.

We parked the car in an adjoining garage.  My Mini Cooper convertible, which we bought on the way back to the States in 2009 and which still has under 30,000 miles on it, fit very neatly between a Porsche and a BMW.  Sadly, my car is currently filthy, so it looked pretty sad between those sexy sports cars.

When we got to Feinkost Böhm, we found it teeming with people.  The sushi restaurant was packed and I was dangerously approaching hangry mode, thanks to a high carb breakfast this morning.  We walked back outside.  Bill asked me if I felt like going to a Turkish place near where our dentist’s office is.  I said no, which disappointed him.  But then, as we turned onto the main shopping drag in Stuttgart, we spotted China Garden’s huge sign on Königstraße.  It had also been ages since we last had Chinese food.  We walked up two flights of stairs and were promptly welcomed to sit down at a freshly vacated table by a window.

The big sign… you can’t miss it!

I see on Google that this particular restaurant does not get good ratings.  That’s a pity.  Today, we had a pretty good experience.  We both had hefeweizens and I had a bottle of mineral water.  Then we both ordered specials.  I had the crispy duck with asparagus and Bill had spicy chicken with peppers and onions.  The service was pleasant and the food got out to us quickly.  It also tasted good.  I felt a lot better in no time at all.

Bill checks the menu.

My crispy duck arrived quickly and was kept warm on a heater.  It came with white asparagus, bamboo shoots, carrots, and peas.  

Bill’s chicken was very tender, though not really that spicy.  I enjoyed both dishes, which came with a big pot of rice.

 

Total damage for this lunch was about 47 euros.  We left there full and contented.

The decor is very traditional looking.  It’s surprising to find this place on a higher level of an office building.  I happened to notice the music, too.  At one point, they were playing an odd Asian inspired cover of James Taylor’s classic “You Can Close Your Eyes”.

Fortified by lunch, we headed back to the Feinkost Böhm, which was still teeming with people.  Bill grabbed a cart and we started taking in the scene.  Lots of people with expensive tastes were walking around the place.  It was like Whole Foods on steroids.

We stopped for cheese first.  I’m not a cheese lover, so I let Bill do the choosing.  He left with goat cheese and a hard mild cheese.

I was tempted by the champagne bar… sadly, I didn’t wait long enough for my camera to focus.  There’s also a very impressive wine and liquor area.  Some wines are available for tasting.  We ended up getting a couple of Rieslings and a Gruener Veltliner, as well as a Sangiovese.

 

Feinkost Böhm is loaded with pricey goodies from all over the world.  You can find everything from escargot to mango flavored vinegar there.  I had to laugh, though, when I saw them selling things like Pepperidge Farm chocolate chunk cookies for over 6 euros a bag.  As I noticed the American goods, I was reminded that they were probably loaded with high fructose corn syrup.  Someone must buy them, though.

Your escargots…

Lots of meats…  Bill bought us a Scottish roast for about 30 euros.  It’s big enough for the two of us.

Very fancy vinegars.  I took this shot because the colors were so pretty.

There’s a sushi bar apart from the restaurant.  We picked some up for tonight’s dinner at home.  You can also sit at the bar and have wine with your raw fish.

Fancy oils abound…

And fancy desserts, too.  We came home with a small Sacher torte and an “American” chocolate cheesecake.

And there’s lovely produce, though we didn’t get any.

 

All in all, I believe Bill spent about 180 euros on our small order of food, although it’s very nice quality stuff.  We like trying different things from around the world.  We found Spanish tuna, bierwurst, Italian butter, fresh squeezed orange juice, and some exotic cookies from Scotland and Switzerland.  This store also has some beautiful food baskets that would make nice gifts, although they probably cost a fortune.  Luckily, Bill was able to use his credit card with no problem.

A less frilly shopping experience in downtown Stuttgart is the Markthalle, which also offers exotic goods, but for seemingly less money.  Every once in awhile, we like to splurge… although I don’t know if I’m going to want to go back to the Feinkost anytime soon.  There are way too many people in there at any given time and shopping there is as nervewracking as it is expensive.

After driving past a protest attended by polizei in riot gear, we stopped by Patch on the way home.  I had a good laugh when I noticed one of the security guy’s shoes.  He had silhouettes of curvaceous women on the sides of his sneakers.  They reminded me of the silhouettes of women one sees on the mudflaps on trucks.

All in all, it was a nice day downtown.  It was good to have Chinese food again.  And tonight, we’ll enjoy the sushi we were craving.

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Baden-Württemberg, Herrenberg

An unexpected change of dinner plans– China Panda in Herrenberg

My husband, Bill, is about to step into a new role at his company.  To celebrate, we were invited to have dinner with Bill’s bosses, as well as his soon to be ex boss who is heading for a new job in Hawaii.  On our way to the restaurant, a very nice looking Greek place in Möhringen, we were sidelined by a massive Stau.  Rain was pouring, traffic was crawling at a snail’s pace, and the GPS put us at at least 45 minutes late for our appointment.  Because it looked like we would be keeping our dinner companions waiting for too long, Bill called and canceled.  Then we turned around and went home an unfamiliar route.  I took note of at least one more restaurant on the way that I want to try sometime.

Although there were a couple of tempting places on our way home, we ultimately decided to have dinner at China Panda in Herrenberg.  It was really about time we stopped there, since in the four years total we’ve lived near Herrenberg, we’d never had a meal there.  I noticed that their very convenient parking lot always had cars in it and they advertise some very cost effective deals on their windows.  Besides, it had been ages since our last Asian inspired repast.

Upon entering China Panda, I took note of a very large group of Asians who were sitting in the very nice bar area.  They were an animated group and I could tell they were enjoying the food.  I took that as a good sign.  I don’t pretend to be an expert on Asian cuisine, but I do remember when Bill and I were dating fifteen years ago and we ended up in a Chinese restaurant in Falls Church, Virginia.  We walked in and were the only Caucasians in the place.  Everyone stared as we sat down, but then we had the most amazing lunch.  I took the leftovers with me back to South Carolina, where I was attending graduate school at the time.  No one stared when we walked into China Panda, but we did end up having a great dinner for not much money.

We were invited to take any open table we wanted, so we selected one right next to the impressive looking buffet, which several guests were enjoying.  I eyed it curiously, but then decided I’d rather order off the menu.  Bill and I each had beer to drink.  His was a Lamm Export from Sindelfingen, a beer that was new for us because we rarely venture into Sindelfingen.  I had a Malteser Hefeweizen.  We both had spring rolls.  For our main dish, I ordered crispy duck with pineapple, vegetables, and rice.  Bill had Szechuan beef with vegetables.  As we waited, I enjoyed the soothing sounds of German pop music and watched a young girl drop a scoop of ice cream on the floor.  The ice cream was there less than five seconds.  😉

These spring rolls were off the chain!  They were very fresh and tasty.  I thought I would only be able to eat one, but I managed to eat both.    

Obligatory shot of Bill sporting a newly fuzzy face.  He’s been working on growing a beard this week.  I think it suits him, but honestly it’s like kissing a Brillo pad in the morning.  We’ll see how long this new look lasts.

The main dishes.  The crispy duck was delicious!  My only complaint was that there were two creepy mushrooms included in the vegetables.  However, there were only two and Bill graciously took them out.  The beef was fabulous.  Very tender and flavorful, with beautifully cooked fresh vegetables and no fungus to speak of.  Yea!  

Again, I thought we’d be stuffed, but we managed to finish most of these two dishes.  Bill took the leftovers with him for lunch today.  When our gracious hostess noticed we were finished eating, she cleared our plates and brought us each a scoop of bourbon vanilla ice cream with fresh melon.

The large Asian group was clearing out and they all got on a big tour bus.  I have seen lots of tour buses full of Asians in other parts of Europe where there’s a lot of tourism, but I guess Herrenberg is on the map.  They seemed to be very pleased as they left.  I could see why.

A nice dessert surprise!

As we were enjoying the fruit and ice cream, I noticed a woman who appeared to be a regular coming in.  She gave the proprietor a big hug and kiss and sat down in the recently vacated bar area.  I think I’d like to sit in the bar area too, not just because I like my booze, but also because it just looks really nice in there.  The bar itself is very ornate and attractive and the room has pleasant lighting.  As I get older and my sweet bloom of youth begins to wilt, I realize that I appreciate romantic lighting more and more.

When Bill called for the check, it was presented with two fortune cookies.  The hostess handed me a strange box.  I wasn’t sure what it was.  At first, I thought maybe she was giving me tea or something.  I honestly didn’t know and she didn’t explain it because she wasn’t an English speaker and my German skills still stink.  It turned out to be a small bottle of plum wine.  We’ll probably enjoy that over the weekend.  Our total came to 34,20 euros before the tip.

Sorry this picture sucks.  It was pouring rain and stormy when I took it.  In any case, if you’re near the train station in Herrenberg, this place is super easy to find.  If you’re driving, there’s plenty of parking.  The food is good.  The service is friendly.  The decor is interesting and inviting and I’m sure we’ll be back.

I give China Panda high marks for food and service.  It’s also a very economical place to eat.  I’m glad we stopped there last night, even if we were supposed to be eating Greek food with Bill’s bosses.  Ah well, I’m sure there will be a next time.

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A visit to King’s Palace in Vaihingen…

Bill and I had made tentative plans to go out yesterday.  We ended up staying in because our dog, Zane, somehow hurt his paw while Bill was walking the dogs yesterday morning.  After a trip to the on call vet in our area, where Bill dropped 88 euros for an office visit, x-ray, anti-inflammtory shot, and pills, we decided to stay home and make sure Zane was okay.  I’m not complaining about the vet’s prices, by the way.  In the United States, we would have spent way more money.  Zane is fine today, so we decided to stop by Panzer and Patch.  In between stops, we had lunch at King’s Palace, an Asian eatery in the Schwaben Gallerie complex in Vaihingen.

The front door to King’s Palace…

The last time I ate at King’s Palace was when we lived here the first time.  In fact, I think it was during the six weeks we lived at the Vaihinger Hof hotel in Vaihingen, so that would have been October 2007.  I remembered the interior of the place to be kind of fancy.  Having walked past the restaurant dozens of times since we moved back, I can see that it hasn’t changed at all.

At about 1:00 today, King’s Palace was hopping with business.  A young, hardworking waiter directed us to a two top table on the side of the restaurant nearest to the sun.  They had drawn the shades, so the sun wasn’t directly in our faces.  Unfortunately, the restaurant was pretty warm because the weather today was unseasonably spring like.  I was feeling cranky because I was hungry.

We sat down at table 31, noticing that we arrived at the same time as a large party of Asians.  It was someone’s birthday.  They were all speaking German, but hung up a banner in English that read “Happy Birthday”.  As the large party greeted each other and got situated, Bill saw the look of irritation on my face.  When I start getting hangry, I get impatient and bitchy.  But he laughed and said I wasn’t the only one who was feeling grouchy as the partygoers settled at their table.

Bill checks out the menu.  Prices are reasonable, especially on the lunch menu, which is apparently not available on Sundays.

It took a few minutes before a waiter took our order.  Since King’s Palace has a rather extensive menu, the slow service was kind of welcome.  It took time to figure out what I wanted and what was most likely mushroom free.

Bill gives me an obligatory disinterested look…

I took this for Untappd…  It was refreshing in the stuffy restaurant.  Bill’s Krystalweizen came with a slice of lemon.

I made Bill laugh.  I think this is a memeworthy photo.

I started with chicken skewers, which curiously came out before Bill’s bowl of Thai soup.  They were welcome, since I was hungry.  The peanut sauce was surprisingly subtle.  I would have appreciated a little more peanut flavor.  However, I have to admit to scarfing these down…

 

Bill’s spicy Thai soup with shrimp.  I almost ordered this.  I’m glad I didn’t, because it had mushrooms in it.  Yecch!  Bill liked it, though.  He said it had a kick to it.  He likes that in his food… and his women.

Bill had chicken curry which was pretty good, except it too came with mushrooms.  I tasted a piece of the chicken and it was pretty good.  Too bad I hate fungus.

I had crispy duck with pineapple.  This was pretty good.  The pineapple didn’t appear to be fresh, but the peppers were.  I ate most of this, which was surprising.  But, like I said, I was feeling “hongry”.

Rice and my sweet and sour sauce.  We were relieved that they only brought out one pot.

 

Like many German Chinese restaurants we’ve been to, King’s Palace has warmers on the table.  Everything was served family style.  I appreciated that, even if the fungus in Bill’s selections precluded me from sharing his dishes.  We were pretty satisfied after lunch, which ran us about forty euros.  On the other hand, Bill and I had some take out Chinese food in Kemnat back in August 2014 that was absolutely delicious.  You wouldn’t think a take out place would have better food than a sit down place…  now I wish I remembered the name of the restaurant and lived in an area where I could get it more easily.

King’s Palace offers good food and the interior is kind of cool looking, but I’ve had better Asian food.  On the other hand, I’ve also had worse.  I’d recommend King’s Palace, though the atmosphere was pretty hectic and sort of uncomfortable today– crowded, stuffy, and warm.  I did appreciate how industrious and hard working the staff appeared to be, though.  And today’s choice was a nice change of pace from the German, Greek, and Italian places we’ve been frequenting lately.  My kingdom for a pu pu platter, though.

A house shot with the bill.  It reminded me a little of upscale Hawaiian Punch.

 

We stopped by the commissary to pick up a few items for the week.  While we were there, we donated a ham and a turkey to the USO and I chatted with one of my fellow Facebookers…  Then we went to the Class VI store, where I spotted the wine pictured below…

I’m always skeptical when I see wine so obviously presented to sell to tourists…  I skipped it and picked up a few bottles of plainer wines.

 
 
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