travellingimmy

[travellingimmy]

The juice that made me quit my job

My workplace had always been toxic. The manager of the restaurant I had worked in for over 4 years was manipulative, aggressive and a bully. Once, he crossed all my shifts off the rota because I wasn’t working enough - I was out of London visiting my terminally ill Mother.

Before I left, he’d been perfectly pleasant for months.

“Just wait.” I said to my other half. “He’ll turn soon.”

I didn’t expect him to turn on me specifically but when he did, about something so pathetically inconsequential as juice, I walked.

I’d put the expensive puree in the kilner jar still frozen; it was 30 degrees outside and over 2 hours ‘til service. My friend and I agreed agreed it would melt and stay nice and cold.

This manager, this jumped-up, tiny-cock-runt, took the juice into the kitchen and started showing all the chefs, saying what a stupid thing to do it was. He said it showed an upsetting lack of care in my work.

After 4 and half years, I finally saw that the pattern of manipulation and bullying would never end, no matter how hard I worked or the dead years I spent there.

So I said “I think I’m gonna go” and walked.

Over a fucking juice.

[travellingimmy]

Claire Newman-Williams photography

[travellingimmy]

On a cycle up the river we found this warehouse/clothes shop. In this area you'll also find First Dacha Club, Koya and Aqua Luna - all high-end restaurant/bars with incredible interiors and menus. All in the middle of nowhere. All empty.. 

[travellingimmy]

Galerija Istaba - A Feast for Foodies

Best for: food lovers

Bring: your other half

Price: €€€

http://www.liveriga.com/en/3819-galerija-istaba

Riga is an unknown mystery to many people, admittedly including me before I moved over here. Reactions to telling friends I was moving to Riga include:

"Where's that?"

"Who?"

"HAHAHAHA. What, seriously?"

Whilst it now has a reputation for stag dos, in between world wars it was nicknamed the Paris of the Baltics. Cue another guffaw.. IT'S TRUE.

So, when people visit I feel the need to show Riga off and prove that its a hidden gem. Which it is.

One way I decided to do this was to take visitor #1 to a quirky, cool, and ultimately TASTY eatery. Galeria Istaba is comprised of art shop on the first floor, with a mezzanine restaurant looking down to it on the second floor. The decoration is offbeat and mismatched: a plush velour sofa in one corner, exposed pipe and dishevelled chairs in the other. Its authentically downtrodden, but definitely in a down the rabbit hole kind of way.

For the meal you simply choose your main meat (vegetarians need not apply) - the day's selection was chicken, pork, duck, shrimps or sea bass. Included in this price come starters and sides. Having had a large lunch (Latvian sushi, you have no idea) we chose the shrimps as a meal and then just the solo duck breast.

First up was fresh, warm bread with a tantalising streak of pesto down the middle to dip into rustic hummus, olive tapenade and kidney bean dip. Yum. The main was just as good. Perfect little side dishes orbiting our massive bowl of shrimps and serving of pink duck. We were served moreish and creamy buckwheat salad, sweet roasted vegetables and potatoes with seasonal Chanterelles. Wil asked for more bread to mop up the earthy, rich shrimp sauce, to which they happily obliged. No mean feat in Latvia where there usually charge you 30 cents for a slice o' lemon.

The whole thing, two mains, starters, sides, drinks, coffees, a slice of marzipan cake, came to 40 EUR. It really was one of the best meals I have ever had. It was such a perfect evening, with or without the vodka and wasabi fuelled antics that followed after...

[travellingimmy]

[travellingimmy]

How not to prepare for meeting your boyfriend at the airport...

Friday morning: run around being extremely loud and excitable. Execute shoulder bump in morning broadcast (http://bit.ly/1sIGac2) then leave work. Light canter home. 

Friday afternoon: go to monster shopping centre for pillows. End up buying shoes, dress, sushi, ice cream, plastic cups..  

Friday early evening: crash and burn. Have used copious amounts of energy being excited and generally sweating anticipation. Try to nap. Get woken by German techno. Decide to eat fistfuls of hummus. 

Friday evening: put on make up. Ruin make up with jittery hands. Remove and attempt again. Ask friends (who may not be friends for much longer if you keep acting like a pre-walked Jack Russel) if you look nice. Get angry at friends for not choosing more exciting synonyms. Get cab. Check flight status en route... 20 minutes early. Schiesse. Late. Run to gate. Accidentally run to incorrect gate (there's more than one?!) and greet people landing from Milan. Ciao. Run across airport... 

22:20: FIND BOYFRIEND. 

22:45: introduce boyfriend to about 20 drunk Germans at your student pad.

02:00: wish you'd booked a hotel. 

[travellingimmy]

Old Town - Riga

Like In Bruges... But in Riga

[travellingimmy]

Spikeri District - Riga

Art galleries, creative industries

Dali Cafe - closest to artisan coffee I have found in Riga

http://www.spikeri.lv/en/ 

[travellingimmy]

KKC (Kultura) - Hipster hang out

Best for: quiet drinks

Bring: good friends

Price: €€

http://www.kanepes.lv/

When I first moved to Riga I was put up in a hotel. With beds as hard as their graying boiled eggs and staff that seemed disappointed with my presence, the experience was a muted introduction to Eastern Europe. One perk of this brief stint in hotel hell however was the walk to work. Yes, crossing the roads here is always a fun game of life or death, but the main interest was walking in wonder past what I now know to be KKC.

Kaņepes Kultūras Centrs (which translates to Cannabis Culture Centre, the owner's surname is Cannabis!) has a large, wooden outside seating area complete with seemingly flung about fairy lights which makes it seem like a private backyard party. On entering the traditional wooden building the interior is even more inviting. Dark wooden panels adorned with posters give a homely, and satisfyingly edgy feel to the place. The bright, open bar is complete with an English menu. All the spirits, feature wines etc and even a couple of nice ciders. Sinead and I went for Prosecco at 3.15 Eur per glass. You can’t really say no. And we didn’t… about 5 times.

As the Winter came seemingly overnight here in Riga we couldn’t sit outside, instead nestled in a corner with a candlestick. Ben arrived, and ordered his new favourite of gin & tonic. A generous amount of gin was served in a tall glass and served us well through the night. The people in the bar were friendly and the right amount of arty, your typical Hoxton bar if it ran into a Lativan cow shed. I mean that in the best way.

[travellingimmy]

Aspara Tea House

Best for: sleepy cup of tea

Bring: a book

Price: €€€€

http://www.apsara.lv/tea-houses/

I love tea. Fruit tea, green tea, oolong, matcha…. Granted I usually just steal it from work, but 2 buddies and I decided to take tea to the next level and visit Riga’s riverside tea house.

To select your tea you are invited to smell the pots. Ignore how many noses have been in there and choose from fruit, Rooibos, green or black teas. We started smelling with gusto but in the end just went for a couple that didn’t smell too strongly of soap. Pot pourri was referenced on multiple occasions.

It’s a circular, grotto-like building with the Moroccan-style decor and cushions for seats. Rest your back up against the inner circle and snuggle up. Sit facing out and look through the glass walls to the river outside. Or if you’re the other side look to the not so appealing Double Coffee across the street… It’s best to come in a two or three as the seating makes it hard for group conversations, but considering how comfy it is, you might just fancy a nap.

As for the tea, Charlie’s expensive Jasmine tea needed three instruments to pour it and really just tasted overpowering. Ben’s Orange City  was a gem among the crowd, but my tea was weak and insipid. I added sugar to help the taste but then realised that I was pretty much drinking hot sugary water. Not really worth the 3 euro price tag. Ben did have a tasty Bannoffee Pie though, and I can imagine that after a few goes you would land on your tea soul mate. Tea mate.

The location and interior of this place really is special, and the perfect place to while away a few hours. That considered, it might be worth sticking my head in a few more pots.