Cheira a Lisboa

On arrival in Lisbon and my wife said I had a smile on my face.I guess it was a home coming of sorts. With a million relatives, having been there before, and being able to speak Portuguese, I was in my comfort zone. We stayed with friends who had a house in a Quinta, meaning a farm, owned by the family. A charming space with a dozen houses, all, with residents related to each other. We were next door to the Jardim zoologico, in Sete Rios. The metro was just a couple of minutes walk, and I knew system like the back of my hand, so getting around was easy. We had the kitchen at our disposal again, so breakfast was at home, as were most of our dinners. Night life was non existent because of the kids.

Day one, First thing after breakfast I had to visit my ninety two year old grand aunt. After she was acquainted with the kids and my wife, who she met for the first time, she took us for lunch, to a restaurant she frequents. In Portugal, bread, butter, home made cheese and olives arrive first, as a rule. Our lunch was grilled Roubalo, a local white fish, baked in the oven, served with cabbage beans and chips, and butter garlic sauce. Chocos grelhados, cuttlefish grilled to perfection on coal, slightly charred on the out side and succulent on the inside. The Bitoque, grilled beef, looked like the sole of a shoe and taseted like one. For dessert we had Pasties de nata, also called Pasties de Belem, a flaky pastry pie with a heavenly creamy custard filling. My grand aunt was hell bent on proving that they, in Portugal did not miss Goan food, so dinner was Sarapatel, which she ordered from a popular Goan restaurant called Sabores de Goa. Though nothing like the Sarapatel we are used to, after fourteen day away from home it really hit the spot.

The next day we went to the Baixa area. Cobble stoned streets and roads, perfectly restored buildings and the tasteful blend of modern commercialization and heritage architecture make this area really beautiful. After wandering around the busy shopping area it was time for lunch. We sat at a street café, where people like to cluster, rubbing elbows and sipping beer or Tinto, and watching the world go by. We started with Pasteis de Bacalhau, fluffy salted cod fritters, crispy on the outside, with the potato lending a nice texture and the saltiness of the fish combined with onion and fresh coriander making this snack a perfect amuse bouche. followed by Bacalhau grelhado, fresh salted cod grilled to perfection, in olive oil. The boiled vegetables and potatoes make for perfect accompaniments. Frango assado, roast chicken that was overcooked, I think, because it was prepared earlier and reheated.

After lunch we visited the Oceanarium. It is Europe’s largest Salt water aquarium, built right on the sea. It is the biggest I have seen anywhere. It is truly an amazing experience, and worth every cent. All the walking around made us hungry again. The food court had a variety of menus, but what caught my eye were the grilled Portuguese sausages with mash potato and roast peppers. Every bite was a crunchy explosion of flavour as the jus oozed out. The buttery mash potato and soft slightly charred peppers complimented the sausage like a dream.

The next day, lunch was at a cousin’s house, in neighboring Oieras. The lovely aroma greeted us in the elevator. Bacalhau spiritual was the main dish, a mix of potato, spinach, onions, the cod, of course, and baked with cream and egg yolks. I must have four helpings. Then came a Mozambican style roast pork loin, crispy on the outside and perfectly done. It had the right amount of fat to give it that rich lip smacking glaze. I knew I was going to over eat, and that, I did. As accompaniments, we had a leafy salad and fried rice with raisins and almonds, not to be mistaken with Chinese fried rice.

On the way home we stopped at the supermarket and picked up sirloin steaks for dinner. I have to say that one thing I miss in Goa, is a nice layer of fat on the beef.why can't we have good beef in Goa?

The next day we went to Sintra, sixty kilometers north of Lisbon, a scenic hour’s drive from the city into the mountains. After visiting the Castelo da pena we went to eat at this quaint little family run restaurant, with extra polite hosts and typically local food. We started with olives marinated in oil and herbs, crusty bread and a home made goat cheese that was sublime. The speciality of the house was Chocos grelhados, which I had already tried and like so much, I decided to order them again. We ordered fish, but this time it was Dourado grelhado, with tomato rice and salad. To me fish is fish is fish, but the Chocos were really good. For dessert we tried their specialty, Quijadas de Sintra. Baked puff pastry tarts with a filling made of cheese, sugar, egg yolks and cinnamon.

The next day, we were at Fatima, a hundred kilometers from Lisbon, at the sanctuary where three little peasants had the vision of Our lady of the Rosary. There besides the sanctuary was a small restaurant known for its Costeletas. In Goa, a Costeleta is a pork chop, normally the size of my palm. This one, however, was a beef rib section and it was a foot long, and half an inch thick. Slightly crispy, flavoured with only salt and pepper, with succulent sections of fat, cooked medium, now that’s what I call a Costeleta. For dessert they had Serradura. Our Serradura at the restaurant is much much better, if I should say so myself.

The drive back was long and scenic, but I was fast asleep after all that food, and missed it all.

We met a cousin of mine the next day and we met her at Praça do Rosio. She took us for lunch to a popular restaurant called João de grão. We had Presunto, the Portuguese equivalent to Spain’s Jamón, as an appetizer. For mains, we ordered Arroz de Pato, It is a kind of Pulao, but made with duck, Portuguese sausages, and bacon. It was one of the most amazing dishes, the soft rice the crunchy sausage, the tender duck, and the greasy bacon just leaves u wanting more. I had the Bife na pedra. A huge chunk of meat, completely raw, on a super heated slab of rock, rock salt, mustard and demi glace on the side. The beauty of this dish is in the simplicity of the 'do it yourself ' style it is served in. For dinner we had pork ribs, and pork belly that we barbecued on coal. A Perfect end, to our already super high protein meaty day.

The next day, our last, in Lisbon we went with my grand aunt to Sabores de Goa. Here I realized that people, specially Goans, not only don't miss Goan food, but eat better Goan food here in lisbon. My grand aunt went all the way. We started with beef samosas pronounced as shamosaz, a favourite amongst portuguese goans, followed by prawn curry with rice, Goan sausages, Fish recheiado, masala fried prawns and grilled pork. The curry the curry was flavoured with prawn heads and was really creamy, the prawns were perfectly cooked, the masala was perfect, and the fish recheiado melted in the mouth. I wasn’t very impressed with the sausages. For dessert we had Manga de Goa, meaning Goan mango, that, it definitely wasn't. Overall it was finger licking good.

It was a Fantastic culinary journey for me, and if we hadn't walked as much as we did i wouldn't have burnt off all that protein. It was a great holiday, I little tiring towards the end, but it was time to head home. I wish I could have stayed longer. Ill be back

Eating sans frontiers - part III - Madrid

Madrid is where my culinary experience truly started. We stayed with a dear friend who gave up her personal space to accommodate the four of us. After about ten days of cold breakfast we had a kitchen at our disposal and an artisan bread store just next door. Chef was in the house so it was eggs to order, bacon or Jamon (smoked ham) or both, Queso fresco, cream cheese, and bread that was not allowed to cool after coming out of the oven, and of course freshly brewed coffee. This was a daily affair. Day one, We headed out to Plaza Mayor a beautiful square surrounded by residential buildings and dominated by one building, the Casa de la Panadeira, used for municipal and cultural functions. The square is filled with restaurants and souvenir shops, and hundreds of tourists entertained by musicians and street artists and painters.

Just besides it is an artisan market called Mercado San Miguel, it is one of the most amazingly quaint markets I have seen, a lot like the Bouqueria of Barcelona, but a gourmet version. They had the most amazing Tapas. The first stall had a variety of olives and pickles. We tried olives stuffed with fresh cheese and sweet pimentos, olives stuffed with pickled onions and anchovies, olives with goat cheese and pickled chillies, Gherkins stuffed with tuna and pickled onions and roasted peppers stuffed with cream cheese. My favourite, though, was Queso de Cabra stuffed in Pimento piquillo. Soft goat cheese stuffed into tiny semi spicy red peppers, pickled in vinegar. It was finger licking good. The next stall had seafood Tapas. We went with smoked mussels on crostini, fresh marinated Bacalhau on toast, dried Bacalhau with egg on toast, sardines on toast and a variety of diffently coloured caviar with blinis. We washed it down with a jug full of Sangria, like only the Spanish make it, Orange slices cherries and lots of ice. Then came the cheese platter, an assortment of goat’s cheese, fresh cheese and cured cheese with toast. Then the main attraction the cured meat stall where they had two guys carving paper thin slices of heavenly Jamón ibérico salted and smoked to perfection. We sampled the Spanish Chorizo, the Picante version is a lot like our own Goan sausage, but less spicy. They had variety of sausages on display and choosing becomes really tough. I was in heaven, food heaven. The sweets and pastries stall was full of beautiful cakes and chocolates. We tried the chocolate eclairs, chocolate gateaux a variety of cookies, and other chocolaty sins. Talk about a sugar rush. Now my wife and kids were also in heaven.

The next day we went sight seeing. The food on that day, was everything that was quick. Sandwiches, croissants, and an all u can eat buffet, that had a salad bar with 20 odd vegetables, 5 dressings, some nuts for toppings, ham and pineapple pizza, Paella, roast chicken and sautéed potatoes. For dessert they had fresh fruit pastries and ice cream. It was a filling meal but not a soul satisfying. It was our hostess’s birthday that day and she had invited a couple of friends over for dinner, so for starters she had made olive Tepanade, a paste made of olives, garlic, anchovies and olive oil, served with toast and Foie Gras with cranberry marmalade. I cooked smoked salmon and spinach lasagna, Pommes Dauphine and mini steaks in garlic and red wine. For dessert One of her friends had made a rich chocolate mousse. The dinner could be described in one word, scrumptious!!

The next day we were taken to a restaurant called Lateral, it is here that I was really impressed by the tapas. We started off with mini tornados grilled medium topped with caramelized onion and Foie gras on crisp bread, cream cheese and chives wrapped in smoked salmon on bread, fried eggplant with a balsamic dip and sweet red pepper stuffed with Queso fresco on toast and a potato tortilla which is basically a potato and onion omelet, one of the most simple and amazing things I’ve tasted. The difference in the tapas I ate in Barcelona was that they were all ready on display and were just popped in the microwave to reheat, and that’s what I didn’t like. At lateral they were made fresh, to order, and that makes all the difference.

Our dinners were at home, so it was grilled perch fillets, roast chicken, grilled beef tornadoes, lots of salad and a different type of bread, every day. On our last night we had roast chicken and Arroz con chorizo picante and for myself a huge rib eye steak, medium rare, with green peppercorn sauce, a perfect ending to our stay in madrid. Our last breakfast was at the airport, waiting to fly to Lisbon. To be continued…….

Eatind sans frontiers - part II - Barcelona

We arrived in Barcelona at eight in the morning not realizing that our check-in time was two in the afternoon. Important tip: always confirm check-in time before booking your ticket.

The hotel had a restaurant attached to it, called Top Tapas. Their menu had illustrations of what they were serving, and the breakfast menu had fried eggs sunny side up with thick slices of bacon, hash browns, crispy bread with butter and coffee. This was our first hot breakfast since we left home. The Bacon was divinely crisp or crisply divine and possibly the best I’ve tasted. Our plates were wiped clean, egg yolks, bacon fat and all.

After our brief indulgence, we found we still had some time to kill. Our hotel was right on the Ramblas, the most famous street in Barcelona. We walked along the kilometer long street, stretching from the Columbus monument to the Plaza Catalunya. It is a vibrant street, always crowded with tourists and lined with souvenir shops and Tapas bars. What I loved about this street though, were the painters and caricaturists displaying and creating their art, right there on the street. Street artists amused passers-by with their antics. There were guys in different costumes, right from Edward Scissorhands to the Joker and a Flamenco dancer. There were break dancers, magicians, jugglers, all so talented, it made me wonder what they were doing on the streets. At night, the street takes on a different avatar and is vibrant for different reasons.

After finally checking–in at the hotel, we went for lunch. We had steak, tapas and shawarma for my fussy son. The tapas were grilled chorizo, potato, meat croquettes and stuffed olives. The shawarma was the best part of our meal.

Back at the hotel, breakfast was included, and it was quite a spread. Cereals, fresh fruit, yoghurts, juices, cheeses, chorizo, two types of ham, jamon, croissants and a variety of other bread, and my favourite: an automated coffee maker. The kids were not enjoying the tapas, and neither was I. Maybe we hadn’t eaten at the right places.

So with kids in mind, we had shawarma--which was very good, and KFC a few times. The kids loved it. We tried out paella at a few places and frankly, it was nothing to write home about. I was not happy with the cuisine in Barcelona, but then again maybe we ate at the wrong places.

Just off the Ramblas was a market called the Mercat de la Bouqueria, a colourful place with fruit stalls, candy stalls, chocolate stalls, cured meats, and fresh produce and of course there are legs of Jamón Ibérico all over. The vendors really displayed their stuff well and we felt like buying everything.

The best way to see the sights in Barcelona is on the hop-on, hop-off tour bus. It gives u a choice of two routes, covering everything that needs to be seen.

On the first route we visited the Barri Gòtic district, where stands the La Seu cathedral. The construction of this beautiful gothic cathedral commenced in 1298, but due to civil wars it was finally completed in 1913. What followed were all of Antoni Gaudi’s weird yet beautiful masterpieces of strangely shaped buildings with stranger décor and beautiful mosaic tile work. The Batllo house and Guell park are a must-visit, but I’ve never been more amazed by architecture and detailed sculptures and carvings, as was when I saw the Sagrada familia, Gaudi’s pièce de résistance. Its construction started in 1884, is still on today and, we learnt, is going to take another thirty years to complete. It truly is one of the most awesome structures.

The second route took us to Camp Nou, home of FC Barcelona, indeed a grand stadium. We visited the zoo--which was quite impressive--and the aquarium. The kids enjoyed themselves.

The weather was great through the duration of our stay, except for our last day, when we were caught in a small rain shower as we got off the tour bus to return to the hotel. Barcelona didn’t do much for my culinary sense. It was time to fly to Madrid.

To be continued .............

Eating sans frontiers - part I - Paris

My recent family holiday to Europe turned out to be a culinary experience. When I say culinary experience, I mean pigging out to the maximum. We landed, first in Paris. I think it’s the most beautiful city I have seen, in terms of architecture, preservation and conservation. Now the people, that’s a different story. If you don’t speak French, the experience is a little less enjoyable. But nothing a map of Paris and a spirit of adventure can’t fix.

The day we arrived, were greeted with cold weather and the reality that our room was on the 3rd floor and there was no lift. Our first meal was Chinese take away as the hotel only had the number for Pizza Hut, and for me Chinese beats pizza. The next morning, breakfast was croissants with butter and cream cheese and good coffee. The French really, and I mean really, can make croissants and bread and pastries. We headed for the Torre Eiffel, normally a fifteen minute walk from where we were staying, but with the kids, fifteen minutes turned to half an hour. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Narrow streets, colourful flower shops, street cafes, Boulangeries (pastry and bread shops), Charcuteries (butchers) and ornate heritage buildings form part of the sight on the way. Then we reached the banks of the river Seine, lined with boats and floating restaurants, sculptured statues and beautiful bridges. We had already burnt our breakfast so it was time for a snack. Crepes filled with Nutella, sugar crepes, Jamon (smoked ham) and cheese crepes and chicken Pannini was what we had. It was nice, not thrilling, but nice. The Torre Eiffel was worth the walk and it definitely is an amazing erection.it is much bigger than i expected. We then went to the Louvre, a beautiful area with its glass pyramid in the center and palatial buildings on three sides. The Jardin du Luxembourg was impressive, with its never ending landscape, colourful flower beds, ponds full of ducks and strangely sculptured rectangular trees. Later we met a friend we had made in Goa, at the Notre Dame, a beautiful cathedral with eerie looking ghouls looking down, on the outside and amazing stained glass and intricately carved statues adorning the inside. From there we went to the Sacré-Cœur, a majestic church on top of a hill with the most amazing view of the city. They had musicians and dancers entertaining people. Then we walked down the charming narrow cobbled streets of Montmarte. A very charming area. The next day, after breakfast, we met our friend again. This time she took us to Champs-Élysées, where the Arc de triomphe stood. A triumph of architecture, the huge structure in the center of Place Charles De Gaulle, was Built in honour of those who fought for France, particularly in the Napolionic. Then as expected, when women get together, shopping malls and boutiques become part of the sightseeing and Champs-Élysées amply provides for this indulgence. Paris is a beautiful city and the French know how to maintain it. We met some Other friends who we were introduced to on facebook. They took us around and gave us a local feel of the city. It’s always nice to have someone known in a new place. More crepes and sandwiches followed. Then one night I had to have the Cote de boeuf, notwithstanding its ridiculous price. what i got, was four hundred grams of perfectly marbled goodness grilled medium rare. I think that was the highlight of my French culinary experience. Eating in restaurants was prohibitively expensive. I think only the Escargots Bourguignon (snails cooked in garlic, parsley, anise liqueur and loads of butter, served with goat cheese and garlic bread) and Pommes Dauphine (sliced potato baked in cream, egg yolks, cheese and garlic) are the only two French dishes that impressed me. The croissants of course are unparalleled. They also have great cheese and great bread, but then most of Europe does.

It was time to leave for Barcelona, where we hoped the weather would be better. On our way to the train station the rame came to bid us farewell. To be continued