Summer in Portugal is the time to eat Sardinhas Grelhadas (grilled sardines) and Caracóis (Portuguese snails). While the sardine season starts right around June – before the famous Santo António Festival, the Há Caracóis (Have snails) sign pops up in most restaurants/tascas shortly after the Easter holiday.
Algarve, Portugal
You know you are with the right travel companions when after a trip, no only you still talk to one another, your friendship strengthens.
To be honest our week-long trip to the Algarve and Alentejo wasn’t entirely incident free – First, on the day of the departure, our Airbnb host cancelled our accommondation; Then we smoked the clutch on our manual rental car at one of the longest bridges in Europe; Thirdly we encountered a wildfire outburst, as soon as we reached the Algarve, near Monchique, it burned all night long, even spread to Portimão; Finally, just as we thought it wouldn’t get any worse, we scratched the side of our car making a tight turn in the medieval street of Estremoz Castle – Thank you American Express Platnium card!
Continue reading “Algarve, Portugal”Recipe: Chinese Braised Spare Ribs
I made Chinese braised spare ribs for a dinner party yesterday and it became one of the favourite dishes of the night.
Here is how I made it.
Continue reading “Recipe: Chinese Braised Spare Ribs”Lisbon Legends
Last week we went for an “immersive experience” called Lisbon Legends – a 360º multimedia show that takes us through the legends and historical episodes of Lisbon’s 7 hills – inside the ruins of the Carmo Convent, a 14th century Gothic style convent destroyed by the 1755 earthquake.
Recipe: Purslane Salad
I picked up a bag of organic purslanes for €0.78 at the farmers market and decided to turn them into a salad.
Arrábida Natural Park, Portugal
At the end of May, we made a day trip to Arrábida Natural Park on the Setúbal Peninsula.
We started the day with a visit to the Palmela Castle.
Recipe: Summer Fruit (Apricot & Plum) Cake
This recipe of Moelleux of Summer Fruit from David Lebovitz popped up in my Instagram feed the other day. I happened to have some local apricots and plums from my visit to Caldas da Rainha in central Portugal. So I decided to give it a try. It was super easy to make and turned out beautifully.
Gelatos in Lisbon
Located in the heart of Principe Real, Nivà is the first Italian cremeria opened in Portugal. The Rivolta family, whose restaurant Bontan was granted a Michlin Star back in 1991, has three locations in Turin and one in Cannes, France.
Vista Alegre Museum & Aveiro, Portugal
During the May holiday, we made a road trip to Aveiro – a city about two thirds on the way from Lisbon to Porto. One of the highlights of the trip is Museu Vista Alegre.
Vista Alegre is a high-end Portuguese porcelain manufacturer. If you’ve been to Lisbon, you are likely to come across its shop in the heart of the Chiado district.
The Vista Alegre Mussum is located in the city of Ílhavo, about 15 minutes by car from Aveiro.
The museum is in the old Vista Alegre factory building, alongside a small chapel
Continue reading “Vista Alegre Museum & Aveiro, Portugal”A Taberna do Mar, Lisbon
A Taberna do Mar is not your typical Portuguese seafood restaurant.
Chef Filipe Rodrigues learned how to cook from his grandparents growing up in the Algarve region, he then went on to work for several Japanese restaurants in Lisbon (helped opening a few) and broadened his techniques along the way. While the ingredients are locally sourced from the nearby Atlantic Ocean, the cooking is a combination of Portuguese and Japanese.
The restaurant offers both an à la carte and a 25 Euro tasting menu.
Continue reading “A Taberna do Mar, Lisbon”