Portugal Archives - freespiritfood

Sublime seaside style #hotelalbatroz #cascais #portugal

Still dreaming about sunny days and relaxing by the pool at the beautifully restored and decorated Hotel Albatroz in Cascais.

We spent 4 days in this lovely seaside town on the Atlantic Coast enjoying fresh seafood, the quaint shops and even a pop concert by the beach.

The Hotel Albaztroz is right on the Atlantic Ocean, so the views are stunning. Being on a point, it is away from the main hustle and bustle of this popular coastal town, but the sounds of laughter and people enjoying the beach drifts up through the windows creating a happy and idyllic air to the place.

According to their website: The Albatroz Hotel started in the ’60s when it opened for the first time with the name ‘Estalagem Albatroz’ in 1963. Revamped and enlarged during 18 months in 1982, Duke of Loule Palace (the main building), also known as “the box of almonds”, was built in 1873 and was home to several royal families.

We stayed in an upstairs room in the original Place Building accessed by an old school lift. The room with it’s porthole windows overlooking the beach was reminiscent of staying on a ship. Luxurious bedding, and divine but eclectic interior decorations add to the feeling of luxury and elegance.

The food from the restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinners on the terrace, by the pool or in the dining room overlooking the sea was all really good, making it difficult to tear oneself away to explore restaurants and bars in the town…although we did that as well and enjoyed it greatly.

The restaurant in it’s own right is very worth a visit with beautiful salads, club sandwiches, fresh seafood and a good wine list.

We also enjoyed long walks along the sea to Estoril and the other way to the Lighthouse. The weather was perfect and whilst there were many tourists it was relaxed and very enjoyable.

Cascais is a great escape by the sea, only 30 minutes from the centre of Lisbon. We just caught an Uber down and then back to Lisbon airport. A lovely way to chill out on the coast without having to travel too far.

September 28, 2019

ShanthiniLeave a comment

Traditional fare with style @ La Taberna Das Rua Flores #lisbon

We were staying in Bairro Alto in Lisbon which is now a pretty touristy part of town, but peppered with lots of great bars and restaurants.

I had read that Taberna Da Rua Das Flores was a small but very popular restaurant serving traditional Portuguese fare in an atmospheric narrow terrace just near Lago Chiado. We arrived about 9.30pm and put our names down for the first available table which we were told would be about an hour later. When in Lisbon, plan to eat late!!

We wandered over the road to Palacio Chiado, a fabulous restaurant and bar in a converted palace. We ate freshly shucked oysters and had a few drinks as a pre-cursor to dinner.

When we wandered back over to the Taberna, we were invited to sit on the stairs inside and contemplate the blackboard menu with the daily specials all written in Portuguese while we waited another 15 minutes or so for our table. Even though it was about 10.45pm by now the restaurant was still hopping.

The waiter helped us understand the menu and we ordered grilled prawns, the tomato salad featuring multiple different types of delicious tomatoes and pork with onions and coriander.

Dinner kicked off in traditional style with bread and olives and we ordered a bottle of Vale Da Capucha Fossil 2016 organic red wine. Vale Da Capucha is a winery on the Atlantic coast near Lisbon. It was very nice.

In fact the entire dinner was lovely and we really felt like we had experienced a traditional Portuguese Taberna. See below the description of the restaurant with more details from the Lisboa Cool website.

And with the bill, came 2 complimentary glasses of Ginja, Portuguese cherry liquer to apologise for the lengthy wait! They had apparently unfortunately run out of the chocolate cups that the liquer is served in but it was delicious anyway.

(From Wikipedia: Ginjinha or simply Ginja, is a Portuguese liqueur made by infusing ginja berries (sour cherry, Prunus cerasus austera, the Morello cherry) in alcohol (aguardente is used) and adding sugar together with other ingredients.)

“The decor is reminiscent of old taverns and the menu, which is surprisingly presented to each table on a giant blackboard, displays the daily dishes/snacks. The selection refers to snacks of yesterday, genuinely Portuguese, from the north to the south of the country, covering our most typical food, but with a very simple contemporary twist.

The house wine is served in low glasses, the lemonade according to Portuguese tradition, and the snacks are always split up, after all, the Portuguese like to share!

The highlight goes to the clams, very tasty, as well as the fresh tuna in sesame, topped off with a chocolate mousse with cherry and liquor dessert, which together, makes a great combination. Never count on the same dish: dishes are made with whatever is fresh that day, and are generally guided by the chef’s taste and inspiration.

Here you can only pay in cash, so forget the credit card, just like in old Lisbon!” From Lisboa Cool website

September 22, 2019September 22, 2019

ShanthiniLeave a comment

O’ Surf and Turf #timeoutmarkets #lisbon

There are mixed reviews of O’Surf and Turf, Famous Portuguese chef Kiko Martins’ Time Out Market restaurant in Lisbon, where he combines meat and seafood in innovative recipes.

However, we thought the opportunity to try his food without the fuss of organising a booking or the expense of his most famous restaurant A Cevercheria at this informal restaurant was a good one and it certainly worked out that way. It was also fun to soak in the busy, buzzy atmosphere of the markets and watch the chefs at work by sitting inside at the bar for lunch.

Whilst I admittedly have had better prawns in garlic sauce that we shared as a starter, the other dishes and the bread and snacks were excellent.

The toasted corn kernels and the dips served with the bread, including the soft egg with Paprika was interesting to kick off the meal.

The cod served on a bed of chestnut purée was a fabulous combination of sweet and salty, and the roasted octopus with a smoky paprika sauce and sago flavoured with black squid ink was delicious.

Probably not the place for those looking for more traditional Portuguese fare but definitely a great place to sample some of the emerging and exciting foodie scene in Lisbon.

September 5, 2019

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Fabrica #coffee #breakfast #Lisbon

Stumbled on Fabrica in Rue Das Flores in Lisbon when we were looking for good coffee and breakfast in Bairro Alto quarter in Lisbon.

The aroma of coffee brewing drew us into this very hip, urban cafe, with what I would describe as a mix of organic and industrial interior design, not knowing that the coffee is all grown and roasted in Portugal.

According to their website which I looked up later:

“Fabrica was created with the strong belief that it’s time for Portugal to get to know genuine specialty coffee. Independent from the root, our family’s goal was to establish a unique coffee experience by being involved in every step of production. By forming direct trade partnerships with farmers, roasting on site in Lisbon, and offering a variety of extraction methods, we deliver a remarkable final product to your cup.”

And our experience lived up to this claim. Great coffee, friendly service and a delicious and simple breakfast menu. Just the light breakfast we were looking for after our wonderful Michelin Star restaurant experience at Bel Canto the night before.

Apparently, they now have three locations in both Lisbon and Porto and offer an international subscription service for all of their home-roasted beans. https://www.fabricacoffeeroasters.com/en/about-us/

September 5, 2019

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Beautiful Belcanto: taste sensations, beyond expectations #2michelinstar #lisbon #joseavillez

We went to Belcanto on our first night in Lisbon as a special 50th birthday treat for me, gifted by generous friends.

We had read all the rave reviews and arrived with very high expectations, all of which were well and truly exceeded. I have tried to capture the spirit of the restaurant, the atmosphere and the taste sensations here but it is not easy to do.

We arrived at the low key entrance and were warmly greeted and quickly seated by friendly staff. We instantly felt welcomed and relaxed.

The restaurant itself was a quick 5 minute walk from the apartment we were staying in the Bairro Alto district of Lisbon, an area known for it’s cafes and restaurants.

It is in a beautifully renovated building and reflects an upmarket, elegant but relaxed vibe. The colour scheme is subdued but brought to life with splashes of colour from strategically placed flowers and plants. The tables are set without cutlery with napkins elegantly draped off the tables. The lighting is perfect creating a warm ambience without being dark.

According to a story I read in http://www.wbpstars.com/belcanto.html: “The original Belcanto restaurant was opened in 1958. The name Belcanto derives from the opera style and the famous national opera house in Lisbon is located only a few metres from the restaurant. José Avillez took over the restaurant in 2012 and totally renovated it again in 2016. Today, the interior of restaurant Belcanto is bright, combining lots of wood, green chairs, and luxurious elements.”

The Chef Jose Avillez is obviously now world renowned having gained his first Michelin star just 18 months after taking over Belcanto. He trained at El Bulli and according to those who know the Belcanto menu features techniques reminiscent of that famed establishment.

It was great to be able to choose from the a la carte menu, because we knew the tasting menus would be beyond our appetites and budgets! We were so glad we did because even with us just choosing an entree and main each, we were treated to a series of serious amuse bouche (surprises as our charming and playful waiter Joao put it).

We started proceedings with a glass of beautifulPortuguese sparkling wine as we contemplated our menu choices.

We then began our Belcanto experience with the arrival of our first surprise – a small bao style sweet fluffy steamed pastry bun with a delicious salty fish filling reminiscent of the traditional Portuguese sardines paste but worlds away! The tiny bun is served on a plaster cast of the Chef Jose Avillez’s Hand, a symbolic gesture of his offering to his guests. Nice touch.

This was accompanied by an inverted dry martini: the liquid is olive juice and the “olive” is a sphere of gin which just dissolves in your mouth leaving you knowing you have eaten an olive but not quite sure where it went! The combination of ingredients, tastes and sensations of this amuse bouche sets the tone for the rest of the meal and the surprises along the way.

This was followed by a light cherry gazpacho, accompanied by treats in a number of forms including fake cherries filled with a cummin spiced soft cheese, and avocado tempura! My descriptions cannot truly describe the taste sensations or ingredients used. Needless to say it was a delicious combination, as was the divine sardine fillet with tomato flavoured “snow”, smoked eggplant topped with rosemary ash. In our books we were up to course 3, then the bread arrived with 3 types of butter – including rosemary, tomato and normal.

Our palettes and appetites were certainly ready for our menu choices, which included famed “Garden of the goose that laid the golden egg” and European lobster with caviar, marrow, spinach and a white bean purée.

The golden egg actually uses edible gold leaf to encase a slow-cooked egg and is surrounded with crunchy breadcrumbs and mushrooms.

For mains we enjoyed the Suckling Pig with Sarapetel (meat and offal in a vinegary sauce), soufflés potatoes, a fave bean stew with orange peel purée and a peppercorn sauce and Hay-roasted squab (cooked medium rare) with a zuchinni flower filled with foie bras with roasted eggplant and a hazelnut and cinnamon sauce. Each mouthful of our mains delivered flavour, taste and texture of new dimensions. Air filled potato soufflé puffs, squab dissolving with tenderness, crispy pork encasing tender pork, and perfectly spiced sauces accompanying it all.

We had already decided that this was the best meal we had, had in our lives and that every accolade and very Michelin star earned by Belcanto was very well deserved before we even encountered the absolute stand-out of the night – dessert!

Of course, our jovial Head waiter Joao and his band of friends who were looking after us with great service, wine recommendations, jokes and stories (like trying to convince us the squab had been shot by them in the adjoining square) revelled in presenting another surprise in the form of a tantalising palate cleanser of sorbet before presenting the piece de resistance, the renowned Mandarin dessert.

Here’s a description of the making of the Mandarin dessert which explains it much better thanI can: “The dessert with mandarin is exceptional in terms of flavours and experience. It derives from a childhood memory from the chef where children went searching for mandarins that felt from the trees. At Belcanto, the mandarin is a reconstruction filled with mandarin foam, on a custard of mandarin, and accompanied with a sorbet of mandarin. A crumble of mushrooms finishes the dish and refers to the earth where the mandarins were found. In his kitchen José Avillez is assisted by his right hand Head Chef David Jesus and a driven, international team. The staff works dedicated and in utmost concentration in the kitchen. The fine wines at Belcanto are superb and the perfect accompaniment of the dishes coming out of the kitchen.” And a link to their story on Belcanto http://www.wbpstars.com/belcanto.html

It was a divine end to an absolutely stunning dinner…. a series of dining moments that seem to transcend each other as the dinner progresses. What made it truly special was the fun, playful but utterly professional service which ensures a truly enjoyable evening without the expected stuffiness or snobiness of a restaurant of this world class calibre. Also, all the generous surprises along the way gave us an insight into the gastronomical techniques that one would normally expect only from a degustation menu.

It will be a night we will remember for the rest of our lives and for this the cost was well worth it for a special occasion as it was.