Buy & Taste

Vienna: Pyscis

A can of sardines – what used to be considered an emergency solution when you didn’t have anything cooked is now a trend. High-quality canned fish is served even in fancy restaurants, often straight from the can. That’s healthy, environmentally conscious and tasty. Provided you get a good product. Marwan Saba and his daughter Song-I Saba offer a carefully selected assortment in their store Hans Reh on Vienna’s Burggasse, which specializes in fish preserves and recently also includes the gourmet and limited-edition preserves of their own label Pyscis. In tins that are as beautiful as they are environmentally friendly are petite vintage sardines, mussels with garlic and chili, or bullet tuna fillets in the best Andalusian olive oil – to buy, to order, or to consume on the spot. pyscis.com

milan: crosta

Two hearts and one soul: one heart beats for bread, the other for pizza. At the end of 2018, Giovanni Mineo and Simone Lombardi combined their skills and passion to open Crosta with two ovens, two baking sliders and a shared ambition to offer something truly well-made. Traditional, but updated. With carefully selected grains and different types of dough and fermentation processes. The result: the best pizzas and crispy breads. You can buy everything and take it away, but you can also stay at one of the tables in the minimalist-chic shop – in the morning for breakfast, for lunch or even for an aperitivo in the evening. crosta.eu

Paris: Tapisserie

Pandemic or not, Bertrand Grébaut and Théo Pourriat, owners of the Michelin-starred bistro Septime, continue to expand. Their empire already includes the fish restaurant Clamato, the wine bar Septime La Cave, and the relaxed 10-room guesthouse D’Une Île. At the end of December 2020, the patisserie Tapisserie was added, run by Nesreen Mroueh (previously Septime) and Fanny Payre (ex-D’Une Île). Some well-known bestsellers come from their confectionery, such as the maple syrup tart “Clamatarte” from Clamato, the “Choux à la Creme” flavored with reek grass from D’Une Île, or the legendary “Tarte aux Fleurs” from Septime. Everything is made from regional, seasonal and fair-trade products, and if you want, you can order a café au lait to go with your pastries and enjoy it with other like-minded people in front of the store. tapisserie-patisserie.fr

Accra: Midunu

In Ewe, one of the languages of the people of Ghana, Midunu means “let’s eat” and is an invitation to everyone within earshot to gather around the table. Midunu is also the name of a lifestyle company in Accra that organizes private culinary events as well as pop-up restaurants for everyone. It was founded by Selassie Atadika, who was born in Ghana but grew up in the Hudson Valley (New York). The restaurateur is considered the inventor of the new African cuisine. The basis of many dishes is chocolate, and the homemade truffles are the crowning glory of every Midunu menu. Recently, the colorful chocolates flavored with moringa, rooibos, honey, prekese or salt have also been offered for sale, so that you can also test the flavors of Africa at home. midunu.com

Photos: Francis Kokoroko

Berlin: Sofi

Did we really have to wait for a Dane to bring a cult bakery to Germany, which is considered the heartland of bread baking? Copenhagen star gastronome Frederik Bille Brahe has opened a bakery in Berlin’s trendy shopping location Sophie-Gips-Höfe. There he produces particularly aromatic, crispy and digestible breads and rolls, thanks to ancient grains, rare rye and wheat flours, as well as careful fermentation and a long dough process. In addition to sourdough wheat bread, porridge oat bread, and Italian focaccia, there are croissants filled with almond cream and blackberry jam, miso chocolate cookies, and the especially popular, fluffy Morning Buns with orange, cardamom, and cinnamon. sofiberlin.com