All-You-Can-Eat Sushi in Maastricht

This article was original published at Maastricht Region: to Live.

Sushi must be pretty popular in Maastricht and it seems like every Asian restaurant from Chinese to Thai has the delicacy on its menu; and at a variety of price points. Personally, when I go out for sushi, I always choose to eat it at a Japanese restaurant. As for price, the best deal we’ve found for a nice evening meal or a special weekend lunch, is the all-you-can-eat menus found at both Sashimi (off the Vrijthof) and Kaishu (near the VVV).

Coming from Boston I was initially a little nervous about an all-you-can-eat option. Generally in the US that would mean a buffet and buffets are rarely as fresh as you’d like. Fortunately these menus are more like an a la carte menu where you get to pick your preferred rolls and nigiri in a series of “rounds” for a set price. All the restaurants ask is that you eat what you order. If you ask for more than you can consume, you may end up paying for it.

The first all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant we tried in Maastricht is Kaishu, which offers dinner for €23-25 (slightly less Monday – Thursday) and lunch for €16,50 daily. In addition to a fine selection of rolls and nigiri, they also offer a nice mix of tempura and other cooked items as part of the all-you-can-eat menu. Kaishu offers more rounds in their all-you-can-eat option, but I’ve personally never made it past three. You can learn more by visiting their website or reading my review.

Our current favorite option is Sashimi, which has a slightly more modern ambiance and, in my opinion, superior rice. Their sushi menu is a bit more extensive and includes more handrolls and many cooked items in addition to rolls and nigiri. Actual sashimi (raw fish without rice) costs extra. Lunch will run you €16,50 and dinner costs €23. The available rounds vary by whether you’re eating lunch or dinner, but the dinner menu has more choices. You can learn more by reading my review (unfortunately I couldn’t find a website).

Of course if you’re looking for sushi that isn’t of the all-you-can-eat variety, that is available as well. In addition to the aforementioned offerings at many Chinese and Thai restaurants, budgets diners can look out for Sushi-ya, a sushi take-away which I haven’t tried. For the high-end diner, Kobe Restaurant offers a traditional a la carte sushi and teppenyaki menus. Do you have a favorite sushi restaurant in Maastricht or the surrounding region? Please share it in the comments.

Crafting: Book-Purse & Steampunk origami

I’ve been getting off my computer in the evenings lately and working on a handful of crafty projects. I’ve always been impressed by people who make things and frankly would like to be one. Given my current small apartment I’m starting small. Currently I’m focusing on creating things from used materials with a Steampunk flair. Here’s a taste of what I’ve done so far.

Woordenboek Purse

This “purse” is actually a small book I hollowed out and attached to a leather strap. Language dictionaries are great for this type of project because they tend to be thick for their cover size.

I purchased the book and the leather (as a briefcase actually) at the Kringloop Zuid and the brass ring on the top at Mattie’s Kringloop. The thread also came from Mattie’s. The snap I purchased new at the Panhuis on Markt square.

Steampunk Tulips

After cutting out most of the pages of my purse, I was left with a lot of rectangular paper. It didn’t seem right to throw it away so I did what I usually do with scrap paper. Origami. Because the text comes from a Dutch to English dictionary, I chose to make tulips using a traditional origami method (and a few lilies). The leaves are my own design and left me with very little scrap to be recycled.

I picked up the stems and copper wire at Pipoos. I’m now looking for containers or objects to build bouquets around.

A Future Project: Umbrella Rain Pants

Ok, so this one isn’t about Steampunk, but it is about reusing material. Around Christmas it occurred to me that there are a lot of broken umbrellas laying around Maastricht and that while the metal parts may be busted, the fabric is almost always still intact. So I’m going to collect umbrellas and make things with them. I’m starting with a pair of rain pants and maybe some tote bags, but ultimately I think it would be fun to create a tent.

But to do all that I need more umbrella fabric. If you’ve got some umbrellas you’re planning on trashing anyway, why not send them to me (or if you’re local, let me know and I’ll pick it up). Email me for my address if you’ve got a trash umbrella or two to spare.

Places Around Maastricht: Lumiere Cinema

Type of Place: Independant Movie Theater

Location:Bogaardenstraat 40-B; 6211 SP Maastricht

Website

This article was originally published at Maastricht Region: to Live.

Last Sunday, Dan and I finally made the time to see a film at Maastricht’s independent film house, Lumiere Cinema. Not your typical destination for the usual Hollywood blockbusters, Lumiere brings a collection of films from around the world that otherwise would not likely be aired locally.

A trip to the Lumiere Cinema will take you up past the Markt Square and into an attractive old building which houses 5-6 theaters and a nice cafe. The cafe in fairly inexpensive with finger foods and drinks available for before and after your film. Just remember that snacks are not welcome inside. Because the theaters are on the small side, popular films often fill up quickly (our first attempt to see True Grit at Lumiere met with failure; it was sold out). To avoid disappointment, especially on the weekends, it’s best to reserve your seats in advance via their website. You don’t have to pay online, so it is quite convenient. Tickets are reasonable at 8 euros for adults and can be even less with a yearly lumierepas.

Because Lumiere’s films come from both Dutch and international producers, its important to check if the film you want to see is in a language you’ll understand. Most films are shown in their original language with Dutch subtitles, but a small collection are also shown with English subtitles. Their website is an excellent place to double check language (as well as times and available films), and it even features an English Section, which lists films either originally in English or subtitled in the language.

In addition to their normal rotation of films, Lumiere also participates in several film and artistic festivals throughout the year. This week they will be showing films for the “Queer It Up” festival (February 15-20). Another ongoing series is “Footprint Films”, a series of sustainability themed films arranged by Maastricht students intended to raise awareness in their peers. The 2011 “Made in Europe” Film Festival will also be screening several films at the Lumiere.

To learn more about the theater and all it has to offer, visit the Lumiere Cinema website.

P.S. – Unlike some Dutch theaters, Lumiere has done away with the pause in the middle of films (or at least it had for True Grit). Welcome to the 21st century Dutch cinema.

The cowboy image is (c) Randy Pertiet and used via a Creative Commons-by Attribution License.

Electric Kettles & Stroopwafels

We all have these sorts of things right? Things from your new country that you’ll never be able to live without, even if you move away again. For me, this list starts with stroopwafels, but a new player now rivals the top of my list: an Electric Kettle.

If you’re not American, you’re probably asking yourself what’s the big deal? If you are American, allow me to explain what’s so awesome about this humble piece of kitchen equipment. I need boiled water a lot. I make tea nearly every day for myself and my husband. I cook pasta at least once a week. And I frequently eat soups and ramen noodles for lunch since hot lunch is always superior to cold. With a kettle or pot on the stove, I have to wait a considerable amount of time to warm said water. With the electric kettle, it’s practically ready in an instant. Who knew?

Of course the downside is that the faster access to boiling water is throwing off my cooking rhythm.

I actually decided to bite the bullet because Aldi was selling these nice looking metal kettles for a mere 20 euros. It has a separate base for heating, auto-switch-off, and a metal filter since apparently electric kettles can build up grit over time (or something). Based on some research I’d done over the holidays, these are all features I’d have to pay a lot more for if I purchased it in a regular store. But despite being a shot in the dark, it runs very well, if noisily, and I have really been putting it through its paces with tea every night, pasta dishes, and even hot water for the Chinese glutenous rice balls we had for dessert yesterday. We’ll have to see if it holds up for the long haul.

And I know I’ll never live without one again.

Silly of me? Maybe, but I really love having this tool in my kitchen. And it took moving abroad to a country where people think I’m mad for not having one to actually convince me to give it a try.

Electric kettle image is by IK’s World Trip via Flickr. Used under a Creative Commons-By Attribution License.

A Parade of Princes

This article was first published at Maastricht Region: To Live.

Carnival proper may not take place until March 6th, but the many activities that lead up to the actual event are already well under way. Last Sunday Dan & I lucked upon one such event while taking advantage of the monthly Sunday shopping day and eating lunch out.

In the Netherlands, shops are only infrequently open on Sundays; a fact that continues to throw me off, even two years later. I always seem to have something I desperately need to buy on Sunday around 11 am. Fortunately, many of the stores in Maastricht are open on the first Sunday of each month from noon until about 5pm. This week we needed some extra power converters for our various electronics and ended up a MediaMarkt; the only place we’ve ever found flat-faced converters.

Our first clue that something special was happening was a knot of people dressed in white uniforms loitering in front of one of the local cafes near Markt square. Next we heard the bright strains of a brass band warming up and saw that a stage was being assembled in the square. Clearly something special was about to happen.

On our way home, we decided to stop in John Mullin’s Irish Pub for lunch. Besides having good food (and authentic atmosphere), we knew that any parade in the city was sure to swing by the big picture windows.

The parade itself ended up being a small version of the official Carnival parade that will take place next month. It focused on some bands and many amusing floats, each playing their own music, and hosting a different gentleman (and in one case two adorable kids) in the classic silver hat/crown of the Prince of Carnival.  As float after float pasted, we surmised that the parade must be of all the princes from the region around Maastricht. Each town in Limburg can elect their own to host local festivities. Many of the costumes and bands were familiar from last year; as was the raucous and happy energy that always surrounds such events. Carnival is simply a lot of fun.

The parade wound through the large crowd towards the stage set up on Markt square, and although Dan & I didn’t stay for the actual voting, we later learned that the parade and stage were to host the selection of this year’s official song of Carnival.

Naturally this is only the beginning of yet another entertaining Carnival season. Personally, I’m hoping for a warmer celebration this year and I can’t wait to see the full parade with floats.

Carnival 2011 will be taking place from March 6-8. For more information, read my commentary about why I participated in Carnival last year and check out this post is you’re looking to complete the perfect costume. Get the full scoop of Carnival activities on http://www.tempeleers.nl (Mestreech/Dutch only & music plays automatically).

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