Thursday, October 15, 2015

Bohemian like you

This is the second time that I write a post about burgers, and that is not because I am crazy about burgers, but because I like to explore and find cool new places in Tirana.
Bohemian Burgers is located in the Myslym Shyri Street, apart from the Blloku area, but very easy to find. The comfy atmosphere makes you feel like home, with nice books to read while you wait (a little bit longer) for your burger. The open kitchen is a very good idea that suggests transparency and trust, and the kid’s corner is a simple good idea that is generally missing in bars and restaurants (even though I don’t really know why).

© Bohemian Burgers Facebook Page

© Bohemian Burgers Facebook Page

The Menu at Bohemian Burgers is very nice, with an extended choice of burgers, including vegetarian and vegan ones. The used ingredients and the combinations are very creative and not easy to find in other places. 
For starters we ordered the soup of the day made with coconut milk and bananas and homemade lemonade, both very tasty.


Then we ordered the Persian Burger and the Bohemian Deluxe Cheese Burger. The Persian Burger made with the chickpea patty, goat cheese and salad, vas overall nice but, I was expecting it to be a little more flavored, with more spices and a little bit moister. The Bohemian Deluxe Cheese Burger was good, but I would have preferred it medium cooked. I liked the idea of homemade pickles but they weren’t that sour as they are supposed to be and both burgers were missing that kind of tanginess. The bread on both burgers wasn’t the sweet bun that I would have preferred, but I’m OK with that, as processed bread is not a healthy choice.

Bohemian Deluxe Cheeseburger 

Persian Burger
The price range is between 440-640 Leke (3-4.5 Euros) for the burgers, which is fair price especially because everything was homemade and the ingredients were chosen with care.

For sure I will be back for more: Sweet!

Friday, October 2, 2015

Places I Love in Tirana: Hemingway Bar Tirana

I don’t know exactly how many bars there are in Tirana, but I know for sure that many of them are boring and do not have any clear style and/or ‘temper’.
I imagine that the idea of having your own bar is exhilarating (especially the idea of being the boss), but generally it doesn’t work like that. It takes much more than some money to invest; it takes a lot of passion, enthusiasm, ideas, love and devotion to make it all happen. Beside that, the market in Tirana is totally unbalanced by informality and unfair competition.
So if you are in the business you can distinguish who is doing it professionally or driven by passion and love, and who is doing it just for the sake of having a bar.
I generally like those small, cozy places with lots of personality and taste, and Hemingway Bar Tirana, is exactly one of the kind. Hemingway is a great place where every detail is well thought.  
© Courtesy FB Hemingway Bar Tirana
There is a very large choice of drinks, from long drinks, cocktails, beers, wine but the real highlight is the collection of Rums from different origins. So many flavors to taste, all of them served with so much care, that only someone like Rudi (the owner) can manage to do.



It is curious how the best places always attract the best people. Hemingway Bar Tirana has the greatest community of special people who have their own passions, styles and beliefs, and this is something you can hardly find elsewhere in Tirana.
I can go on writing about everything I like about Hemingway, but I really think that if you just pass by that old narrow street in the very heart of Tirana, and have a drink in the street, you can feel the true essence of Tirana.
Jazz & Bossa Nova Night @ Heminway Bar Tirana
The only one thing that I would have loved to add to Hemingway is a kitchen! First because I always like to have something to eat while having a drink and secondly because I know that Rudi can prepare the most surprising dishes from all over the world, but I know that the place is so tiny that we will have to get used to order out (which is totally fine @Hemingway).

Super Sweet!