Lisbon is a beautiful city and you can spend the day walking and exploring from sunrise past sunset and well into the night. Walking for hours, up and down hill, is not only quite exhausting but gives you the excuse to stop and eat anything and everything you want, though it you eat well – and you will in Lisbon – you’ll still definitely consume more calories than you burn.
I had a brilliant time eating my way through the city.
Day 1: As I landed early from the US I checked into my hotel, I was fortunate that my room was already available. After I had freshened up and grabbed a delicious cappuccino I headed out to feast my way through the city.
My first stop – and I cannot recommend this highly enough – was the Time Out market. I was a bit dubious having grown up reading Time Out Magazine in London, but humbled by my ignorance – the market is FANTASTIC. The building was inaugurated in 1882 and much of the original building remains, though with significant upgrades. Time Out won a competition and the current format opened in 2014.
There are two sides to the market: the original fish and produce market and the revamped, brilliant, halls of food stalls, books and events. When I visited there were 24 restaurants, 8 bars, a bunch of shops and flowers. It’s a credit to the team that put it together, some of the best chefs have outlets .
After a quick visit to the produce and fish market (the freshest fish and most colorful fruit and vegetables) it was time to eat. I had a delicious visit at Manteigaria Silva. Don’t miss the marvelous sheep’s milk cheese, Azeitão , that is cured with thistle flowers ( so technically vegetarian) scooped out on fresh crusty bread. Also, try a variety of Pata Negra, they have a range of ages and Black through green labeled hams. I was really surprised at the range of flavors and enjoyed trying some .
Wandering over to Tartar-IA I was fortunate to sample the most sublime tartares ( salmon and tuna), the best quality fish and super (unique) flavors that honored the fish completely.
My next tasting came with a history lesson. First, what we ate was called peixinhos da horta, a battered and fried green bean served wrapped in paper with a dipping sauce. The fascinating history, is that the batter was what the Japanese call tempura: apparently the Portuguese introduced this dish to Japan in 1543. The beans were substituted for fish by the poor, and sailors fried the beans to preserve them during ocean voyages.
I had a long day of eating planned to I didn’t eat anything else at the market but I could have – there are steaks, and fish, sushi and éclairs, wine and beers, pizza and ice cream.
It was time to take a walk. Lisbon is an easy city to navigate – grab a map at your hotel – and you can wander around safely everywhere.
I was hunting for Sol Pesca, the tiny store/restaurant/bar Anthony Bourdain visited, to try canned seafood and shell fish. It wasn’t hard to find, it’s in the Bairro Alto and is well worth a visit. There are cases of canned goods, most beautifully decorated, fishing rods and accoutrements on the wall. They will open anything that you buy and you can accompany your choice with olives, order off the menu, imbibe a beer or a jug of wine – they fill from a larger jug, it’s a bit spritzy but with the fish and a hot day, so refreshing. The fish were really tasty, sardines (of course) tuna, mussels and clams, it was hard to believe they came out of a can.
I wandered around the town for a while: popped into some fashionable stores and grabbed a chocolate or two and swept through a couple of churches on my way to a visit to the Convento do Carmo – a Gothic church that was ruined in the 1755 earthquake but still has an exquisite roofless nave. Luckily, it’s also across the street from Restaurante Carmo. It was time to try some traditional Portuguese cuisine and wines.
The Portuguese love garlic prawns – the one’s at this restaurant were fresh with a delicious pop and the garlic assured no vampires for at least a year. Next I nibbled on some octopus – I struggle to eat these critters but tried them here and confess they were tasty. It was time to try bacalhau à bras. I chose the version they give to children as it has salt cod with eggs, potatoes and onions that “soften” the fishiness. Much to my surprise I really liked it.
Then “Pica pau = woodpecker’ no, no, no, not a bird – it was actually small bits of beef you eat by stabbing with your fork or pieces of bread. The sauce was delicious, seemed to have onions, mustard, garlic, some wine and maybe even brandy. Accompanied by a red wine that was a blend of 4 varietals. Amazing and unique flavors, perfectly prepared.
Restaurant Carmo is a pretty, family run establishment, with friendly and efficient service. Prices are very good.
I waddled out of the restaurant and wandered around the neighborhood. Lots of boutiques, some art galleries, gelato stores ( the gelato looked scrumptious but I decided to wait for that). It was time to head towards the Praça Luis de Camões – a quaint city square with a statue of the legendary 16th century poet. Going to see the statue was really a ruse to get close to the fabulous Manteigaria pastry shop for the best Pastéis de nata in Lisbon. These are the creamiest most delicious and fragrant custard (cinnamon dusted) tarts you can eat, warm from the oven. I was told the tiny location makes 9,000 a day in the peak season. Have an espresso with them. I dare you to order just 1, even if you do, you’ll want more.
One of the benefits of being on foot and wandering around a beautiful city like Lisbon is that you can stop for bubbles just to see an interesting interior of a wine bar. Yes – the entire ceiling is wine bottles. Cava is the bubble of choice and is a very refreshing mid-afternoon repast.
I had made reservations at Largo before I knew how crazy and fattening my eat/drink tour would be, but it would have been rude to cancel at short notice, and I am many things but not usually rude. So I kept my reservation.
Largo is a pretty restaurant with a good reputation, but they seemed out of sorts seating a solo diner. It wasn’t that the service was bad, rather that it was indifferent. I started my evening with a nice glass of white wine from the Douro, it was fruity enough to accompany the Foie Gras I had ordered. I know there are people who don’t approve of Foie Gras, I am not one of them. I love it. The Foie at Largo was okay, cooked slightly less than I liked it didn’t have anything on the plate to bring out the luscious richness. My main course was a tiger prawn risotto- I’d seen so many of these prawns in the fish markets that I thought this would be superb: it was good but not great, rather under-seasoned and the prawns could not make up for that. I perused the dessert options but wasn’t inspired.
So what did I do next? I popped into the Palacio Chiado – an 18th century palace turned into a foodies Eden. Every part of the palace has a different theme. Bar, Tapas, Italian, Vegetarian/Vegan, Charcuterie, Fish and seafood, Desserts. When I was there I had delicious sushi, but I’m told that they’ve closed the sushi. UPDATE: in late 2018 Chiado Palace changed a lot. Check before visiting.
Day 2: Espresso, a little fruit and a pasteis de nata for breakfast. A girl has to eat! I had hired a driver to take me to Sintra, stopping at all places of interest on the way. My driver was Portuguese but had spent most of his life in New Jersey, only returning to Lisbon the year before, so language was not an issue.
We sped past the Belem tower and headed for Cascais along the coast. Cascais is pretty town with lots of British expats in residence, and the lovely Museum Conde Castro de Guimaraes . Having walked around the museum and grounds and a quick stop at a famous blow hole, it was time for lunch.
I had reservations at Furnas de Guincho just north of Cascais. It is a large restaurant but it was a wonderful lunch overlooking the ocean. I started by trying the percebes, the weird and adored by Portuguese gourmets, goose barnacles. They look like dinosaur toes and taste like the sea and fresh mussels – I don’t need to try them again. I moved on to a stuffed crab – basically a shell of crab and cream, which I paired with a lovely dry white Alvarinho. Next I felt fortunate to order a whole grilled Turbot , delicate flavors, perfectly cooked with vino verde. A quick espresso and then off to Sintra.
The Palacio Nacional de Pena is a superb 19th century palace high on a rock where a monastery had been. It’s surrounded by a magnificent park – which I merely drove through but was still impressed. It’s definitely well worth a visit. I alas, had not allowed enough time to visit and eat so I sacrificed a tour of the palace for a pasty. On the square in Sintra is the Café Paris –where you can order a travesseiro. This isn’t the famous Piriquita but it’s easier to get in and you can sit and people watch. This travesseiro is a delicious puff pastry with almond cream, egg yolk ,sugar and spice, served warm with whipped cream and scrumptious hand churned cream gelato.
We had to speed back to Lisbon as I had reservations at Jose Avillez’s Mini Bar Teatro. Mr Avillez has a number of restaurants, all in walking distance of each other, but I couldn’t get in to Bel Canto, to this was my next choice. It was an experience, and being solo was not a problem.
As I probably won’t be in Lisbon again for a while I chose the Epic menu with accompanying wines. Yippee. Here is a brief recap – in case you don’t want to read this missive just know it was fabulous.
I started with a Portuguese sparkling rose, Murta; beautiful color, balanced, great mousse and very dry.
Act 1: Apple with margarita flavor, an olive with the pit replaced by olive juice, ( fascinating would be great in a martini, you have to eat it whole.) Foie gras rolled in hazelnut with gold leaves, it was designed to look like rocher chocolate. Wow, bring me a bucket of the foie balls; absolutely delicious.
2nd. A prawn on lime with spices and amazing avocado reduction with a wafer of chicken masquerading as a tortilla chip. The contrast in flavors and textures was splendid. Changing wines to a white blend comprised of 3 Portuguese varieties and viognier:; dry and aromatic.
Act 3. Beef tartare and tuna tataki ( from the Azores). The beef was good, everything you want in lean red meat, subtle seasoning enhanced the flavors; the tuna was sublime.
Act 4. Soft cooked egg, black truffle oil ( I could smell it as they came to the table) crunchy parmesan cheese: you swirl it all together… I was running out of superlatives. This could be a superb brunch, but you’d need really fresh eggs. The effect of all this food and wine is making me feel as If I could face plant – the utterly charming waiter suggested this is not an uncommon reaction.
Act 5. A new wine. Yippee. The grape is Baga, from Bairrada, alas when they say it it sounds like bugger! Similar in flavor profile to pinot noir. Scallops with citron, lemon grass and a sliver of Thai pepper. The Baga is interesting, big and bold, fruity and tannic. People eating at Bel Canto should know that the staff are so cool, you’ll want to take them home – especially me as we don’t get service like this in SF.
- A mini burger, very succulent slider with fancy tater tots, despite my terrible description, it was very good.
7 and final. A late harvest semillon accompanying a dessert like a Russian doll: Citrus inside citrus wrapped in citrus. Silky, decadent, fruity and refreshing. A perfect finale.
So, did I eat 10000 calories? I didn’t count them, but I’m pretty sure it was at least that, and worth every extra mile and lettuce leaf in my future to offset it.
Lisbon is a foodie Eden. I shall definitely return.
