Amanda Bjorling, who grew up in the Chicago area, has been living in Europe for over 10 years. She worked at a boarding school in the Swiss Alps for three years before deciding that she wanted a “bit more excitement and people” in her life and moving to Luxembourg. Bjorling is now the school librarian at the International School of Luxembourg. “I am your book concierge, research expert, general kind of ‘check in with your day’ person and I manage the library space.”
Since her arrival in the grand duchy seven years ago, Bjorling has enjoyed trying new places to eat. “I love playing what I call ‘food bingo,’ which is where I try to find my favourite places of all the different types of food.”
A few favourite restaurants
Top of her list was Sodam, a Korean restaurant in Belair. It serves specialties like tteokbokki (spicy rice and fish cakes), gun-mandu (pan-fried dumplings with savoury chicken or vegetable fillings), kimbap rolls and bibimbap rice bowls with sautéed vegetables, meat, gochujang sauce and topped with a fried egg. After visiting Korea last year, “I really feel like Sodam is both delicious and really authentic,” said Bjorling, who added that she appreciated being able to get one of her favourite Korean beers--Cass--there.
Another favourite is Chiche, which serves Lebanese food. “Not only is the food delicious, but it’s a really good cause where they hire a lot of refugees and immigrants. And also, the decor is just so fun and eclectic!” It’s also where Bjorling had one of her “most memorable” meals: to celebrate her 40th birthday, she and her friends went for the “table of food,” which featured a variety dishes and a “wonderful, pass-around, homey kind of feel.” She added: “They have this cocktail that I absolutely love, which is called the Oriental Hugo: prosecco, pomegranate, mint and all the things that are lovely.”
Almost every conversation you have, everybody’s from a different place. And the food reflects this.
Bjorling also highlighted the pizzas at Partigiano; Tabor Food Concept, a food truck that offers Ethiopian specialties; the “fantastic” ramen at Manzoku (“the people are so sweet”); Himalaya for Nepalese food; Krishna Vilas for Indian cuisine; Taco Shop in Clausen as the “best place to get tacos”; Op der Breck in Kopstal for Thai food; and Caftan in Limpertsberg (”you walk in there and the restaurant feels like Morocco--great food and great cocktails; come hungry!”).
Coffee, brunch, ice cream
Favourite coffee place? Florence Café near the Gare, which has a “a fun, funky vibe with a very chill atmosphere” and is an excellent place to get some writing done.
Librairie Diderich in Esch--“this really cool bookstore”--is Bjorling’s favourite place for Saturday brunch. “Good coffee, lovely vegan and regular cakes, nice small dishes, the pancakes are great. And the atmosphere is just so nice; it really has that kind of funky bookstore feel.” Does she ever buy books there? Yep. “It happens every time! It’s a hazard of the job; I get books wherever I go.” “Definitely make sure you reserve because it’s not a big space,” she added.
Sunday brunch is a “category of its own,” but a “good trusty one for me is Paname,” said Bjorling. “I love their avocado egg toast with feta and pomegranate.”
And when it comes to ice cream, Nïce, next to Merl Park, is her go-to place. It has a “cute little terrace” and is “such a welcoming place.”
“Only getting more diverse”
“Luxembourg has a great amount of diversity,” Bjorling concluded. “They may only have just one of them, but they have a lot of different options. And one of the things I’ve always appreciated about Luxembourg is how expat-friendly it is. Almost every conversation you have, everybody’s from a different place. And the food reflects this. Over the seven years I’ve lived here, it’s been amazing to see all of the new places that have opened up, all of the new people that have come. I feel like the food scene is only getting more diverse… It’s becoming an even more global kind of community. And that is a really fantastic thing to see in this day and age.”
This article first appeared in the .