Storyline: Portugal by trains
(Or in a glass for that matter)
These series wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t touch on our modest experience with the food and drinks in Lisbon, although Porto is even more exciting and well known for its food scene. “Porto on a plate” will be coming in due course.
Our food encounter in Lisbon was mostly random. Except three: Antigua Confeitaria de Belém, known for its Pastéis de Belém; Santa Clara dos Cogumelos, specialising in mushroom dishes and tapas; and Casanova, a woodfired pizza restaurant. The last two were recommended to us for local experience by our host Lucia We usually had our breakfast, more like brunch, and often dinner in the apartment. Mentioning food, it is time to note that groceries were not cheap for our weak currency. Booze on the other hand was (Yay! – A).
We had watched the Portugal episode of the “Scenic Railway Journeys” series and the show took us to Belém for the Pastéis de Belém, the recipe of which has been secret for centuries. It was something on our list to try.
One lovely day we took the short train ride to nearby Belém. We’ve seen videos where the line ups are so long that it would seem to take the entire day to get your hands on the pastries.
We also read that it is easier to get into the restaurant next door. Perhaps a bit more expensive, but we were in it for the experience.
Still had to line up but we were seated very quickly. In January the lines outside for the store were not that long either.
We ordered one pastel each to begin with and the traditional espresso for me and cappuccino for Alex. The pastéis were warm, fresh out of the oven.
The shell resembled a conical nest of hundreds of crisp layers, similar to the French pâte feuilletée (puff pastry). Inside, the custard-like filling, caramelized on the top, was sublime. There were powdered cinnamon and vanilla shakers on the table that we didn’t use. Absolutely out of the world!
We ordered a second time with a glass of port each and took six for home. Needless to say, that these six didn’t make it back. Not even to the train.
They were still warm as we fished them while we sat in the nearby Praça do Império Garden after touring the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.
So, what is the difference between pastel de nata (custard tart) and the pastéis de Belém? Let’s start with grammar. Pastéis is plural of pastel. So, one can have a pastry/tart which is pastel or many pastries/tarts, which in Portuguese is pastéis. Pastéis de Belém are produced from a secret recipe and only at the factory next to the Monastery. It is said that there are many bakeries around Lisbon that produce good pastéis de nata. After visiting Belém, we didn’t try to find the recommended bakeries in Lisbon. The tarts we tried in restaurants were not even close to the original. I bet if you are attuned to flavours, you’ll notice the difference.
Pastéis de Belém originated in the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos in the 17th century, when the monks were using the egg whites to starch their laundry and ended up with leftover yolks that they needed a use for. That’s how these tarts were created. After the 1820 Liberal Revolution, the monastery was forced to close. Some monks began selling their pastries in the shop down the street.
It is said that in 1837 a desperate baker sold the recipe to the shop that is now Antigua Confeitaria de Belém. The recipe has been fiercely guarded ever since. It is also said that only a few people in the world know the secret recipe that remains unchanged to date.
That same day, after getting of the train at the Lisbon’s Cais do Sodré train station we walked to Praça do Comércio. I haven’t mentioned it, but this square reminded us St. Mark’s Square in Venice. It had been home to Lisbon’s Royal Palace until the 1755 earthquake leveled it to the ground. It is a lovely place by the river and we’ve walked there many times. It was still light and after having the pastéis for lunch we needed a small bite for dinner. The square is lined up with restaurants. We chose the “Nosolo Itália” for a small bite.
Mainly because of the vegetables. It was a bit on the shady and chilly side for a patio. Inside the place was really nicely decorated and very spacious. I am saying this because here in the Greater Toronto Area we are used to tiny tables in small and crowded Italian restaurants. We shared minestrone soup, beef carpaccio and grilled vegetables. One thing to mention is that the minestrone we had in Portugal had no pasta in it. It is mainly seasonable vegetables often with small cubes of potatoes.
Another random experience was the restaurant in the Farmacy Museum in Barrio Alto.
I am not sure if the museum was actually functioning when we stopped there for a bite, but it has a lovely restaurant with a patio and a green space with rustic chairs for an afternoon drink, overlooking the water. The previous post touched on it, so mentioning it here is more for completeness.
Neither of us has had well-prepared octopus back home. But here we ordered a stewed octopus with sweet potato purée and wilted vegetables.
Alex added French fries. It was really delicious (so was the octopus – A).
One day walking near the science museum by the Oriente train station we ran into series of restaurants with lovely patios.
It was windy by the water on Cais Português. A seafood restaurant grabbed our attention, with great selection not only of fresh fish dishes but a list of traditional paellas.
We have had black squid-ink pasta before, but not paella. We decided to try this place. With the gusting winds we didn’t brave the terrace.
They sat us on the second floor with a creatively decorated ceiling. We chose black paella with cuttlefish (Negra com choco) and a jug of white sangria.
The paella was listed as a dish for 2-3 people. It was not easy to finish, but it was exceptionally delicious. Who knew cuttlefish can be so tasty (all I knew about cuttlefish as a child was that the bone was good for my budgie’s beak – A).
And as with most of our lunches in local places we were probably the only tourists among people from the nearby offices having their lunch break. I vaguely remember those days (when we’d go for lunch with colleagues during a lunch break that is). I still sometimes miss the camaraderie, but not so much the work.
(Note: Photos for the pizzeria section, except the last one, don’t represent the place. They are random shots of restaurants we walked by. We were shy to take photos of the workers behind the glass or the people too close to us.)
Another place where we sat for lunch with the locals from the nearby offices was the pizzeria by the Santa Apolónia train station. Casanova, called also the modern cantina by the Tagus has wood-fired oven, a lovely terrace facing the river and long tables inside where people are sat together at first available slot or slots depending on the party size.
Our host sent us there for the local experience and we were not disappointed. From outside, a flat uninspiring building resembling more a warehouse than anything else. We checked the address a few times before we decided to enter the only door to the building.
We then walked by a window where the dough was made, basically half a meter away from the workers. We though we were entering through the back door, so quickly progressed in until we reached the long tables. Didn’t take any photos there. We didn’t have to wait long for 2 spots on one of the tables.
It was just after 1pm and many people were leaving, heading back to work. But there were no spots on the terrace. We had to squeeze by everyone since our spots were by the wall at the end of the table. Soon after though, the ladies next to me and Alex on the other side left and we had more space. waited for quite some time.
No one was taking our orders or even bringing us a menu. Above the table there was a string of lights hanging almost over every pair of seats. I eventually noticed that someone flashed the light at the table in front of us and a waiter went there. I did the same. A lady who was the only one with a few English words came to us with menus and told us to flash the light when ready to order. Mystery solved!
On our last day in Lisbon, we had the time to try the mushroom restaurant “Santa Clara dos Cogumelos”, just up the hill next to the flea market, around the corner from our place. (Cogumelos is the Portuguese word for mushrooms.)
Of course, it was Saturday and the market was open. This makes it a very busy area, cars and pedestrians. But because of it the restaurant was open at lunchtime. They usually work only evenings and as most of the places here opens at 8:30pm, which is almost our bed time.
So we booked a table. The first available was at 2pm. It was worth the experience though. Have you ever had mushroom ice-cream? And as every local place only a one waiter spoke English. But they had an English menu.
We ordered the usual white sangria jug and the couvert to begin with. I’ve written about the cover many times but if you are just reading this one, the cover is optional, with base price, plus a selection of items one can add to it. For a price of course. Usually, it is not expensive but we were in a specialized place. Although they had a big selection of mains, we decided to share the couvert which looked interesting and sauteed shitake appetizer. The latter was a really small portion.
The couvert had a trio mushroom pate, mushroom flavoured butter, marinated mushroom of the day and selection of home-made breads. The marinated mushrooms most probably were wood ears, but the waiter didn’t know the English name. They could have been black fungus too, however they were so thin that the first is more likely. In cuisine, both are interchangeable.
I added glass of espresso porcino specialty coffee. As everything else, it had a mushroom twist. Added to the espresso and vodka was boletus edulis (known here as porcini or king mushroom) syrup. Absolutely delicious. However, the best came at the end. The waiter insisted that if we didn’t want desert (all of them mushroom themed) we had to at least share their porcini mushroom ice-cream.
That I must admit was heavenly! (No joke. This was probably the best-tasting ice cream I’ve had – A.) Alex and I debated whether we should order another one, but by that time the bill arrived so all that’s left are the memories of sublime mushroom flavoured food.
The place also plays with their name SCϞDC (Santa Clara dos Cogumelos) stylised the same was as the Australian rock band name ACϞDC. The association is the word poisoning.
Mushrooms if not prepared properly and many just like that can be deadly. The band lead singer Bon Scott died from “acute alcohol poisoning”.
(The Saturday lunch menu continued the heavy metal theme – its heading, in the band’s font, was “Black Sabbath” – A) \.
This lovely afternoon concluded our Lisbon adventures. Time to pack and off to Porto for more.
Carly, add sangria, port and sierra cheese. But that’s Porto.
You had me at wine and pastries!