Category: 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.

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Lunch at Alma, Lisbon

Yesterday I found out that I had a new appointment date at the SEF for my residence card in Portugal. Due to the lockdowns, all the appointments since the beginning of the year were postponed up until Monday April 19th, when the office reopened. To celebrate this – because nowadays any good news warrants a celebration – I booked a lunch at Alma, a Michelin two-star restaurant in Lisbon, three years in a row.

Alma means soul in portuguese.

Below are my experience:

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Douro Valley, Portugal

At the Porto airport, a Sixt rental agent was trying to upsell us a Mercedes-Benz. It’s only 42€/day she claimed – 18€ more than the Smart car we booked off Expedia – and it would come in handy when you drive those mountain roads. She almost had us, that is, until we reviewed the total amount and realized that, contrary to our understanding, the daily rate had now jumped to 66€ (almost tripled the amount we had initially signed up for) and we were going to be driving for 9 days. We politely declined her offer and kept our Smart.

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A Day Trip and More to Eat in Porto, Portugal

It’d been almost an hour since we’d been waiting for bus no.2 by the Braga train station. “C’est compliqué en Dimanche” – said the Portuguese woman to a French couple nearby before she jumped on her bus and took off, leaving us clueless tourists behind.

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We decided to grab a taxi, which conveniently delivered us to the hilltop of the religious sanctuary named Bom Jesus do Monte, that boasts a beautiful church

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Antiqvvm Restaurant, Porto, Portugal

It was of pure luck that I picked Antiqvvm – a Michelin one-star restaurant helmed by chef Vitor Matos – for dinner on our second day in Porto.

The restaurant sits on top of a hill overlooking the Douro river

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What to See (and Eat) in Porto, Portugal – Part 3

Ponte Dom Luis I

The iconic Dom Luis I bridge that links Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia was built in 1886 by Théophile Seyrig, a disciple of Gustav Eiffel.

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What to See (and Eat) in Porto, Portugal – Part 2

Palácio da Bolsa

The Stock Exchange Palace was built in the 19th century by the Commercial Association of Porto in Neoclassical style. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a spectacularly decorated interior.

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