What is a Hepatopancreas?
Cascais
is a quiet, slightly upscale seaside town where Lisboetas and
foreigners alike head to soak up the sun during the overly hot
Portuguese summers. It was early December, so not much sun for us,
but we were heading to Mar do Inferno, so the lack of UV radiation
didn't bother us too much.
As
you know, when you have unbeatably fresh seafood, you should not mess
around with it. Keep it simple, execute it well and season precisely.
Mar do Inferno, which means 'Sea of Fire', knows how to do these
three things exceptionally well. We got the seafood platter for two –
whole seabass, tiger prawns and (godly) carabineiro (red, Portuguese spelling) prawns all
grilled and lathered with high quality olive oil, salt and garlic,
with some boiled new potatoes and broccoli thrown in.
You
might be getting bored of me writing about red prawns but I am
adamant that this crustacean is one of the best anythings on the
planet, never mind just the best prawn. Sweet juicy flesh. Unctuous,
creamy roe. And better-than-foie gras prawn Hepatopancreas (the
unctuously gooey stuff inside the head) - well, that stuff lacks
superlatives. Notice how I used to just call it prawn head fat, but
now, I've decided to get a bit technical. The hepatopancreas of a
Carabineiro prawn – words worth remembering.
Kind
of blew away the tiger prawns, which were also excellent, by the way.
The seabass was as fresh as expected but if I could find one
criticism of our meal was that the fish was slightly overcooked –
maybe the result of lying under a mound of piping hot prawns.
Their
clams cooked 'bulhao pato' – that is with garlic, butter and parley
– were also excellent, with the sweetness of the clams not
dominated by the extrovert garlic, a balance is is easier said than
done.
Now,
you might be thinking, fresh seafood in a slightly upscale seaside
town, especially including red prawns, equals expensive. But no –
seafood platter for two, which in fact fed three, only 79 Euros,
clams, 15 euros, and excellent wine, around 15 euros. Combine this
with good service, great vistas of the Atlantic Coast mean that all
in all it is pretty hard to fault this place, and definitely worth
the small excursion out of Lisboa.
Address:
Restaurante Mar do Inferno (Cascais e Estoril), Avenida Rei Humberto
II Itália
2750-800
CASCAIS
Phone:
+351 21 483 2218
Opening
hours: Thurs – Tues 12.30 – 10.30pm
Closed
Wednesdays
Be in the right frame of mind for Pasteis de Nata
The
last time I visited Lisbon, I ate the famous Pasteis de Belem in a
somewhat glazed-over state, for I must admit, I had been awake the
whole night prior. So whilst I did enjoy them, I didn't get to fully
appreciate them - so on my second visit, a much more relaxed and
civilised affair, I decided my brain needed to be in the right state
of mind to try Lisbon's other go-to Pasteis de Nata temple,
Manteigaria - Fabrica de Pasteis de Nata.
Having
had a adequate amount of sleep the night before, I entered this
narrow, sleek looking shop churning out little Pasteis at breakneck
speed. Speaking of which, I was highly impressed, within less than
thirty seconds of ordering I got my hands on one of these little
tarts filled with molten golden goodness.
Crispy
pastry, sweet, cloud-like custard filling, not to mention the
essential caramelisation on top, was everpresent in Manteigaria's
rendition of this famous treat. When these three elements hit your
palate simultaneously, you enter a dream-like state wherein you are
fixated solely upon the enjoyment of your Pasteis – or maybe that
only applies to me. Anyway, I'm no expert in this field, but having
eaten other Pasteis in both Lisbon and Macau, this place, for me, was
the best yet.
Manteigaria
Fábrica de Pastéis de Nata
Address:
Rua do Loreto 2, 1200-108 Lisboa, Portugal
Phone:
+351 21 347 1492
Opening
Hours: Daily 8am – 12am
Proper
Piri Piri
Nandos
has been selling us a rather twisted, albeit kind of tasty, version
of 'Piri piri chicken' for the best part of a decade. As you'll
discover upon sampling the food at Lisbon's numerous tabernas, the
Portuguese don't take too well to fiery chilli heat. So the notion of
grilled chicken smothered in pretty spicy sauce being authentically
Portuguese might seem like throwing a tiger amongst the chickens.
As
with most of my food trips, I run out of time to eat everything I
originally intend to eat – but since my last visit did not spare me
sufficient time to try the real piri piri, this time, I had no
choice. Frangasquiera Nacional, which basically means National
Grilled Chicken Shop, looked like my kind of place – simple,
uncomplicated, with a focus on doing what they do best – grilled
chicken, Portuguese style.
Unlike
Nando's whose chickens are pre cooked then finished on the grill,
this place takes raw, whole chickens, seasons them appropriately and
places them atop a charcoal grill. No spicy, overly salty 'piri piri'
sauce here. That's not the way the Portuguese do it. Nacional's piri
piri sauce is just a mild chilli oil lathered on the chicken
post-grilling. That's all.
The
result – smokey, crisp on the outside chicken, with juicy interior,
with only the subtlest hint of spice. No complicated flavour profiles
or anything spectacular. But tasty, honest charcoal grilled chicken –
which, in my eyes, can only be a good thing, especially when executed
this well. To accompany your bird, get some of their home-made chips
– now I'm using the American definition of chips here – hot and
uber crunchy, lightly dusted with salt and the ingeniously
interesting addition of dried marjoram.
The
only downside is that this place is takeaway only – but then again,
order a chicken or two, chips and some beer, retreat to the comfort
of your hotel, watch some TV, soak in the bath if there is one, now
that's a pretty good way to enjoy proper Piri Piri, no?
Frangasquiera
Nacional
Address:
R. da Imprensa Nacional 117, 1200-214 Lisboa, Portugal
Phone:
+351 21 241 9937
Opening
hours: Tues – Sun: 12 – 3pm, 6.30 – 10pm
Closed
Mondays
When to trust Tripadvisor
Sometimes
I really hesitate to follow Tripadvisor's advice. Sometimes I don't
trust the reviews, or sometimes I'm too much of a snob and would
happily go to the same place if only it was found on somebody's
secretive blog somewhere and not on mainstream websites. But when
backed up by solid reviews on yelp, google, facebook and other
platforms, I should stop being that snob and just go try the food and
make my judgment later on.
Upon
entering Taberna Ruas das Flores, those doubts quickly dissolved
away. A narrow, maybe 20-cover restaurant, slightly dark, mysterious
with that distinctive 'local' feel, gave me some comfort. More
reassuring was the menu, from which we ordered bacalhau (salt cod)
with chickpeas, and roasted mackerel with coriander and potato.
The
bacalhau, accompanied by perfectly cooked chickpeas, flavoured with
paprika, olive oil and parsley, was just one of those tasty dishes
that you might not write home about, but in no way you could fault
either.
More
stunning was the mackerel – of course, the mackerel was fittingly
fresh, but the clever combination of uplifting coriander and earthy
potato, with the ingenious addition of savoury-but-not-fishy dried
shrimp really made it stand-out – not only for it's inherent
umami-ness, but also for giving the dish an added crispy dimension.
Very, very good cooking.
Complement
such dishes with very fairly priced local wines, and you have good reason
to believe all those Tripadvisor reviews.
Taberna
Ruas das Flores
Address:
Rua das Flores 103, 1200-194 Lisboa, Portugal
Phone:
+351 21 347 9418
Opening
Hours: Mon – Fri 12 – 11.30pm, Sat 6 – 11.30pm
Closed
Sundays
Where to take your Chinese parents
So
you bring your parents to a city for the first time. They don't like
high-end eateries but the quality must be uncompromising. As all
Chinese do, they like sharing and there must be sufficient choice.
Lisbon's tabernas could've been a decent shout but depending on where
you go, the menus can be quite limited. So I went for something which
could've been a big hit or a big miss; the Timeout Market (Mercado da
Ribeira), a food hall comprising of mini-restaurant versions of
well-established, well-to-do eateries around Lisbon.
Even
though online reviews are generally upbeat about this place, when
I've been to similar concepts in other cities, sometimes the choice
of vendors can really let the place down. The Timeout Market was
actually pretty, no, very good in that regard – pretty much
everything we tried was on point, tasty and not overly priced.
First
up, the Wednesday special at Marlene Vieira – Coxinha de Chef –
belly pork cooked with clams, potatoes and parsley, a banana cake and red
wine for only 12.50 Euro. Not brilliant, but tasty, especially the
pork, and definitely a bargain.
Then,
our favourite stall, Alexandre Silva. Roasted bacalhau, boiled
potatoes and spinach. Brilliantly flakey and fleshy salt cod, doused
in olive oil with a touch of sea salt, a really great way to
introduce my parents to Portuguese bacalhau. Quite a few of the
stalls had a touch of Asian fusion, and this was no exception – as
my dad is the king of rice, he was pretty happy with his black squid
ink risotto, jazzed up with wakame seaweed and the freshest, melt in
your mouth slices of sauteed scallop (which could have been bigger).
Not
very Portuguese but very up my alley was the Sardine Nigiri Sushi at
Sea Me (the two on the left of the pic below). This dish had a slightly heavy price tag, but it was
accompanied by priceless spectrum of flavours – oily, rich sardine,
charred on the outside with a blowtorch and brought to life by a few
crystals of sea salt, atop slightly sweet and sour sushi rice.
Really, really good stuff. I could say it matched some sushi I tried
in Tokyo, but I won't, as I'm not a man of controversy, generally.
Less memorable was their Cod and Almond nigiri sushi, which was
lacking in both the simple, sophisticated and the punchy, bold
flavour departments. Don't do what we did, get two portions of
Sardine Nigiri Sushi instead.
There
are many, many more choices available here, not as many as a
Singaporean Hawker Centre but for European standards, it's pretty
good. Go forth and discover this gem.
Mercado
da Ribeira (Timeout Market)
Address:
481,, Av. 24 de Julho, 1200 Lisbon, Portugal
Opening
hours: Sun – Weds: 10am – midnight; Thurs – Sat 10am – 2am
Almost kind of like a hipster place
I
don't really know what a hipster is to be honest. I've even been
labelled one, but I can't be bothered to look up what it strictly
means,. There's probably no proper definition anyway so I shouldn't
even consider wasting my thoughts on this matter. But I definitely
felt like I was in Lisbon's Hipster-Ville when I visited LX Cantina.
An
old converted warehouse, was what it appeared to be, with a random
array of second hand furniture dotted everywhere and a rather
inconspicuous wood fired oven in the middle. Maybe that's
what
hipster means?
But
I was here on a friend's recommendation, and I more than most, rely
on word of mouth to feed my voracious appetite. So I had to ignore
the fact that I may or may not be surrounded by hipsters and focus on
the food. And the food didn't disappoint. Slowly simmered and then
finished in the wood fire oven octopus tentacles – tender, meaty
and full of that taste of the sea – almost as good as the one I had
in La Vucciria market in Palermo. Slow roasted leg of duck, equally
excellent, finished with a slightly sweet sauce for which I tried to
ask for the recipe, but to no avail. Probably some kind of fruit
based liqueur adding that je-ne-sais-quoi. We finished with a crumbly
of the bottom, gooey and zingy lemon tart, not brilliant, but very
satisfactory nonetheless.
I
wouldn't say the food is amazing here, but it is very good, and the
ambience, whilst suspiciously appearing to be Hipster in what
probably is a Hipster part of town, was relaxed enough for friends,
family and couples alike.
LX
Cantina
Address:
R. Rodrigues de Faria 103, 1300-501 Lisboa, Portugal
Opening
Hours: Tues – Sat: 12.30 – 3pm, 7.30 – 11.30pm; Mon – Sun: 12
– 13pm
The Brilliant Mr Avillez
Jose Avillez, one of Portugal’s most promising young chefs,
has created an affordable and unmissable dining experience at Cantinho do
Avillez (http://cantinhodoavillez.pt/?lang=en).
Casual, laid back atmosphere, creative twists on traditional Portuguese dishes,
great young (green) wine; what’s not to like?
Two starters really stood out for me. Firstly, a ‘small
partridge, bacon and chive pie’ displayed a perfect balance of lightly salty,
gamey interior partnered perfectly with a light, crumbly exterior. ‘Bulhao
pato’ shrimp (no photo unfortunately), simply cooked with garlic and olive oil
were just divine – this was all about the freshness of the sea dwellers.
For mains, don’t miss the flaked cod with breadcrumbs, LT
egg and exploding olives. Individually, the elements are delicious themselves.
Soft, flaky cod – tasty by virtue of simplicity. The LT egg, an egg poached at
low temperature, whose gooey yet somehow cooked interior is one of the tastiest
eggs I’ve ever eaten. And the exploding olives; olives which ooze out olive
puree when the exterior is penetrated, was rather magical. Eaten together, is a
display of culinary wizardry.
Lastly, a dessert described by our waitress as the best
dessert in the world. ‘Hazelnut3’ , three textures and three
temperatures of hazelnut, topped off with a sprinkling of sea salt to
accentuate the nuttiness. All I will say is this: “Thank you, Mr Avillez.”
Mozambican food + sun = great day
One of the best restaurants I have accidentally stumbled
upon in recent times, Zambeze (http://www.zambezerestaurante.pt/Default.aspx),
ideally situated near the ‘Castelo de Sao Jorge’, has a most enviable terrace
wherein one can sit in the sun, eat Mozambican food and drink an afternoon
away.
Ok, I haven’t eaten Mozambican food before and nor have I
been to Mozambique. But the food was pretty tasty, especially when doused in a
good dose of Iberian sunshine.
For starters, a light, fresh octopus carpaccio
was got the juices going. My only complaint here was that the octopus could’ve
been more thinly sliced but other than that, a pretty good effort.
For mains, we shared two dishes; ‘laurentina wild prawns’
and a crab curry. The former was all about the sauce, whose freshness and
richness (owing to the beer in which the prawns are cooked) helped the
sweetness of the prawns stand out (though the prawns were a tad overcooked).
The crab curry, well spiced and brimming with tonnes of shredded crabmeat, was
also a perfect complement to the sunshine.
And the dessert buffet, for just 6 euro, was surprisingly
brilliant. Going clockwise from the left in order of brilliance: orange cake,
layer cake and mango cream cake. Not pictured; an uber rich, dark chocolate
mousse. Not sure if there are better ways to spend 6 euros.
Colonial food
Not every aspect of colonialisation was beneficial for
mankind, but the spread of cuisines from one side of the globe to the other was
undoubtedly a force for good. Lisbon showcases some of Portugal’s former colonial gastronomic prowess at Comida
de Santo (http://www.comidadesanto.pt/),
where one can indulge in some hearty Brazilian treats.
First up is moqueca; a vegetable, palm oil and coconut stew
with a super juicy and tender octopus lying within. Being new to Brazilian
cuisine I can only best describe it as a mildly spiced dal (Indian lentil
curry), albeit slightly smoother in consistency with hints of coconut running
through.
Also at our disposal was a comforting feijoada; the national
dish of Brazil, comprising of a black bean stew filled to the brim with beef, pork
and sausages. Meaty and hearty but clearly not so good for vegetarians.
Continuing on the theme of meat we also ordered a ‘abobora
recheada’, a pumpkin stuffed with shrimp and palm hearts; a delicious and
well-balanced stew with again, an almost Indian influence was on display here
with spices probably originating from Portugal’s foraging in Goa.
The most European of the dishes consumed was the ‘virada a
paulista’, a pork chop with fried banana, grilled sausage and homemade chips.
All very moreish, but nothing spectacular to write home about (surprisingly the
homemade stringy fries were incredibly addictive, however).
Quintessentially Lisbon
Simultaneous consumption of beer and seafood, the essence of
a ‘cervejaria’, is the quintessential Lisbon dining experience. Cervejaria
Ramiro (http://www.cervejariaramiro.pt/?lang=en),
with its laid back atmosphere, stunningly fresh seafood and equally refreshing
arsenal of beers, makes for an excellent example of these eateries. Aside from
beer, we demolished three dishes:
Firstly, a whole crab stuffed with a creamy sauce was right
on the money; fresh, juicy crabmeat, creamy yet not overpowering sauce, the
perfect partners for spreading on wholesome, crusty bread.
Second; clams sautéed in garlic and olive oil; another
showcase of fresh seafood working its magic, with the sweetness of the clams
married well with the earthy heat of the garlic.
Last, but by no means least, the grilled scarlett shrimp.
Huge, red and pretty damn expensive shrimp (15 euro each!) simply grilled and
served with a drizzle of lemon juice. For prawn lovers, this can’t be beat.
Sweetness of the sea personified. And make sure you drink the head juice.
Pasteis de Belem
I’m not sure why I need to blog about this: it’s as simple
as this, if you come to Lisbon, you have to eat this. Eat these flaky, creamy
yet not overly sweet delights at the home of the Portuguese egg tart (pasteis
de nata): Pasteis de Belem (http://www.pasteisdebelem.pt/).
Munching Madrid
A quick whistle-stop munch through Madrid showed me a few things; that being a few hundred kilometres from the sea wasn’t enough to prevent the city from becoming a seafood superpower and that the humble threesome of egg, onion and potato can actually make one of the finest taste sensations around.
Bacalao in All Forms
Madrilenos love to snack on croquetas, particularly the kind filled with creamy potato and pieces of bacalao, otherwise known as cod.
Having refused to eat the fine offerings of easyJet cuisine I needed a quick pitstop upon my arrival in Sol metro station. Casa Labra (Calle Tetuan 12), fellow foodies had blogged, was a good place to catch some croquetas filled with bacalao. Meaty cod, enrobed in creamy and slightly sweet potato, was adequately encased in crispy breadcrumb coating. Pretty tasty but nothing overly spectacular.
The world’s best Spanish Omelette?
Your average tortilla Espanola is tasty at best. Perhaps very tasty. But hardly ever mouth-wateringly good.
However, exquisite excellence is exactly what Juana La Loca (Plaza Puerta de Moros 4, Madrid) managed to achieve. Transformation of the understated trio of egg, onion and potato into a stellar dish. Perfectly cooked, perfectly sized divisions of potato lie peacefully in the secret of the dish, an undescribably unctuous onion reduction whose intense caramelised onion appeal is sweet and goey; not overpowering yet somehow addictive. And when finished off with expertly cooked light egg casing, all I can say is well done Juana La loca, well done.
Madrid’s answer to La Boqueria
Ok, I haven’t been to the Catalan capital and haven’t had to joy of gorging on the delights of La Boqueria. But I do think that the Madrilenos have their own little gem in the form of the Mercado de San Miguel. Modern, sleek and above all filled with quality produce, this food-oreinted market will draw you in, even after a filling meal.
As my belly was rather full I couldn’t quite decide how to fill the precious space which remained. Fine Iberico jamon, hanging from the ceiling, always a good choice. But I kinda ate a ridiculous amount of it the night before at a tapas bar. Chocolates, in artisan form, would have been good had I craved something sweet.
A popular seafood outfit seemed to do a bustling trade in pulpo (octopus), so I went for that. Stunningly fresh and sweet, the soft octopus slice sat perfectly aloft a crunchy mini bruschetta, enhanced by a dash of pimento (paprika).
Andalusia in Madrid
A little green tapas bar by the name of La Perejila on Calle Cava Baja brings a touch of Andalusia to this famous tapas street. It was here that I learned of an interesting dish by the name of salmorejo, a gazpacho-esque concoction which packs a seriously refreshing punch.
The thick tomato ‘soup’ provides the sweet and slightly sour refreshment, whilst the salty and earthy iberico jamon, creamy egg and occasional punctuation of cherry tomato create an almost rejuvenating taste sensation.
Chocolate con churros
Undoubtedly one of Spain’s more famous sweet exports, chocolate con churros (long, thin Spanish donuts with hot chocolate) is probably why you would seek out a beautifully sleek cafe by the name of Chocolateria San Gines (between Sol and Opera Metro stations).
I’ve tried this dish in several other locations outside of Spain and I must say this has set the benchmark in my books. The churros are reasonably light and above of crispy on the outside, and not too sweet. But the real differentiator for me was the chocolate itself. I expected it to be like hot chocolate you’d normally drink at home, very sweet, creamy and not very thick. This embodiment was almost like a chocolate dipping sauce, though only subtly sweet, with the cocoa beans really being allowed to show their soothing overtones, and not overpowering the churros themselves. In true Madrid fashion, this place opens late, and I’d recommend it as a post-tapas pre-clubbing chillout spot.
Little squid after watching Real Madrid
Having observed Los Merengues ease past Levante at El Santiago Bernabeu, myself and fellow spectators went in search of grub. We stumbled across Taberna de Castellana (Paseo de la Castellana 117), a lively looking outfit packed full of locals.
Using my highly fragmented Spanish, I managed to order chipirones a la plancha, or grilled baby squid. Succulent and fresh, these little sea-dwellers were enhanced by the fried garlic and lemon juice laden upon it, though the subtlety of the squid flesh was still allowed to play its part. Though I didn’t get to try many other seafood specialities, on the basis of the chipirones I had just indulged in, I’d say this restaurant has a solid grounding in the art of pescados y mariscos.
