We started by stopping at a local bakery that we hadn't been into before. There were two lines and number systems; one for pickup and the other for dining in. There was an interesting pastry, Pao de Deus, that we had to order. The clerk told us it was coconut although it was yellow in colour. Plus, Lana wanted a croissant. We added a chorizo stuffed inside some bread and a raisin swirl bun. Yes, this trip is not to lose weight.
Pao de Deus (coconut bun)
We walked down to the Museu de Design e da Moda (Museum of Modern Design). Lana had read about it the night before in our Lonely Planet Portugal travel guide. It is free all the time. Very interesting four storey space as it is a former bank. Lots of concrete inside and they have renovated each floor to incorporate the bank feeling yet create a space that inspires their design work. For example, on the basement floor they have placed a couture exhibition from Christian Lacroix (amazing per Lana) inside different bank vaults. On the main floor where you enter they retained the marble counters. The designs range from the 1930s to present. In addition, the top floor (4) has an exhibition to represent their national airline (TAP) from its origins to current. Even plastic food trays. Basically, designing of uniforms, advertising, branding etc. We spent about an hour. The furniture designs were very cool. No photos allowed except for the top two floors.
Yes, a hot dog advertisement with a sardine inside. This is Portugal.
Chester drawers.
Chester drawers.
Store mascot?
Andy Warhol style take on Portugese Sardine cans.
Coloured toilet paper Lana found in the Ladies WC (Washroom) in the Museum.
My Macbook power cord European adaptor wasn't working with the local wall sockets and I couldn't power it up. We went into a small store and the clerk indicated that the local "mall" might have it. He didn't give us good directions, but we eventually found this mall titled Armazéns do Chiado. The FNAC store had what we were looking for at 9.90Euro. Another couple was looking for the same adaptor. Before this occurred though we were on an upper level and Lana cautioned me about an older guy who was inching toward me. "Watch your bag." The older guy turned out to be very helpful in telling us where to find the adaptor. You can't judge a book by its cover.
We finished this chore by getting into Starbucks for an Ice Chai Latte and ate some of our goodies. No Starbucks Lisbon card for Lana. :-(
* OBSERVATION *
In Lisbon, so many people you see carrying maps and stopping and looking at maps. Within five minutes you might see at least a couple of people. This occurs regularly. Good reason is this city is very hard to navigate on foot or any mode of transportation. Streets disappear and/or morph into new street names or just go in a different direction.
We wanted to get to the area of Belém which is west of Lisbon. Highly recommended by friends and references. You catch Tram 15 at Praça da Figueira in Baixa neighbourhood. We were super lucky as by the time we figured out which corner Tram 15 picked up it just pulled up. We scored two seats despite the fact it was super busy and a long queue of people for the busiest tram in Lisbon. About a 25 minute ride and we got off at a stop and weren't too sure exactly where we were in Belém?
Tram 15 - very long, very clean and lots of seating.
Solar powered kiosk selling wine and non-alcoholic drinks in Belém area.
We eventually walked to a major tourist attraction located on the Tagus River. Another big recommendation, but it was free until 2 pm so a long lineup in front of us. At 2 pm you would need to pay. After waiting in the long queue (see below) for 15 minutes and it was close to 2 pm we decided to get out of line and get something to eat. Too bad, as it looked interesting and was 500 years old. Right on the Tagus River with a nice breeze blowing which made it much cooler and took away the incredible heat in the direct sun.
One observation about the Belém area is that it is full of museums and many are extremely large. They are mostly pretty close together and the tourism office offers package deals.
Casual lunch spot in Belém. We went inside and Lana ordered a Passion Fruit with Pineapple Solero ice-cream and I ordered a lemonade. We grabbed a table in the shade and Lana finished her chorizo sandwich and I ate my raisin swirl treat. It was now around 14:15 so time to get moving.
The Jéronimos Monastery was recommended by friends and it did not disappoint. Our major challenge was the long queue. We were in line and then an official came out and said we could lineup at another entrance and then enter. Hmmmm.... We got in a shorter and newer lineup in another building. Wow, was it slow! Then, the clerk said we couldn't get in at their entrance, but needed to walk back to the original entrance. Oh well, we did that and bypassed the huge queue and went straight in. 10Euro each for a ticket. We walked around this imposing structure which was built for an order of monks about 500 years ago and their major job was to pray for the King. Hmmm, good gig. As well, in their order you weren't allowed to do any physical labour. Any volunteers for that? :-)
Jéronimos Monastery imposing entrance.
Jéronimos Monastery inside view from courtyard looking up.
Lana's picture of Jéronimos Monastery entrance.
Excellent presentation of this exhibit of the Monastery and its history/timelines relative to the world and Portugal.
A very important date if you have ever had the opportunity to eat one of these delicious tarts.
OK, on our list was to get to Pasteleria de Belém for allegedly the best Pasteis de Nata in the country. We loved the ones we were eating from our local place so it would be interesting to compare. There was a huge queue. In fact, two lines so we got in each line. Lana made it quicker to the front where they give you a receipt and then you pick up your order of the goodies.
Our conclusion regarding the tarts were that both are good. The local place has an awesome inside custardy filling. The ones from Belém are more like creme brulée, but their crust is buttery, golden brown phyllo. Different styles, but both delicious.
Pasteleria de Bélem window presentation of Pasteis de Nata dish.
Check out the number of people lined up outside of Pasteleria de Bélem for a Pasteis de Nata!
Before we left Belém, our last chore was to find some Gravol. I use these when travelling to minimize jet lag insomnia. I only had one on this trip. I tried Benadryl, but it kept me awake last night. We went into a Pharmacie and they had Draminal so I'll give that a shot tonight.
More luck with catching the Tram 15 back into Lisbon as we showed up at the stop and within a couple of minutes we were on board and then back to the original starting point which is near the famous ginja place.
Yes, one of tasks today was to sample the famous national drink of Portugal being a Ginja. According to all the best sources, the A Ginjinha shop near Rossio Square is the best place. It is the only spot in Lisbon using the original Benedictine monk recipe. Basically, this alcoholic drink is a sour cherry liquer. You can order it with cherries in your drink or not. It is famous in Lisbon so we had to get there.
This is a MUST visit for any visitors to Lisbon: A Ginjinha shop for a shot of Ginja.
This is a photo of the small shot glass you are provided. Plus, the even more famous Pasteis de Nata we purchased earlier at the Pasteleria de Bélem. We thought it would be a great idea to pair them at 17:00 sitting in Rossio Square enjoying the sun and crowds. We both loved the ginja and in fact I went back and purchased a bottle of the drink for 7.90Euro! The small cups cost 1.40Euro each.
Oh yeah, after we left Rossio Square we were walking with the crowds and Lana was approached by a young guy to buy drugs. He tapped her and then gestured to his hand and in it was a brown plastic oval-pilled shaped container. I told her later it was probably hashish. She was shocked and is pretty naive about this subject. As well, she was a little high from her small shot of Ginja.
**Lana here--shocked is THE understatement of the year. And to say I'm a little naive about this kind of thing is totally true. I have never even tried to smoke a cigarette!!! I was seriously offended that I apparently look like the type of person who would even be interested in buying drugs. I'm not judgemental about recreational drug use--if that's your thing, you're free to do whatever you wish. It's just not my thing. Randy tries to make me feel better by telling me "he probably thought you looked young and that's why he offered it to you".
We walked back to our apartment and we are gaining more confidence in navigating around central Lisbon. We made it back without getting lost and in fact were asked directions by another lost tourist. We had time to get some photos uploaded and then grab a taxi to the restaurant.
Our reservations for 7 pm were at Restaurant Leopold. We read about this in the NY Times and other references raving about the food and ambience. I organized the reservation by email and responded yesterday to confirm we were attending.
When you greet someone in Lisbon you say "ola" which is just like in Spanish.
Our taxi driver was quite the character. Before he got started he needed to see the address and our Google Map directions. He spoke decent english. He kept on saying "because" to us until we figured out he wanted to know why that particular restaurant out of the hundreds in this area? Yikes! He has been a taxi driver for five years and did some other type of profession before. He really didn't know this location, but we made it there a couple of minutes early for about 8Euro including a generous tip.
Upon arrival, Anna the co-owner stated they were running late due to a previous large group and could we come back. Great opportunity to check out this neighbourhood. It is the Mouraria neighbourhood and very old. It dates back to the time when the Moors ruled Lisbon and Portugal. In fact, when the Moors were ousted from the country some of them stayed in this small area. This place is full of small streets, stairwells and confusing directions. We were told that the sailors and thieves used to live here as they could hide so much easier and party. Lots of Fado singing here as well.
We walked back to our apartment and we are gaining more confidence in navigating around central Lisbon. We made it back without getting lost and in fact were asked directions by another lost tourist. We had time to get some photos uploaded and then grab a taxi to the restaurant.
Our reservations for 7 pm were at Restaurant Leopold. We read about this in the NY Times and other references raving about the food and ambience. I organized the reservation by email and responded yesterday to confirm we were attending.
When you greet someone in Lisbon you say "ola" which is just like in Spanish.
Our taxi driver was quite the character. Before he got started he needed to see the address and our Google Map directions. He spoke decent english. He kept on saying "because" to us until we figured out he wanted to know why that particular restaurant out of the hundreds in this area? Yikes! He has been a taxi driver for five years and did some other type of profession before. He really didn't know this location, but we made it there a couple of minutes early for about 8Euro including a generous tip.
Upon arrival, Anna the co-owner stated they were running late due to a previous large group and could we come back. Great opportunity to check out this neighbourhood. It is the Mouraria neighbourhood and very old. It dates back to the time when the Moors ruled Lisbon and Portugal. In fact, when the Moors were ousted from the country some of them stayed in this small area. This place is full of small streets, stairwells and confusing directions. We were told that the sailors and thieves used to live here as they could hide so much easier and party. Lots of Fado singing here as well.
Grafitti on walls.
Grafitti on walls.
Camilla Watson created an interesting homage to the citizens of this community on the walls of some of the houses in this neighbourhood. She is an English photographer that lived in the area and these photos are a homage.
Another Camilla Watson piece.
Example of the very narrow streets/walkways in this hood.
How narrow? The only car to navigate down this street is a Smart Car. Not sure how he was going to open his door?
Example of residences in this hood. Multi-coloured, wires, balconies...
This is the front of Restaurant Leopold. This restaurant has been in existence for about 18 months. We were really excited about getting reservations. When we did come back at 19:15, we were the only diners until around 20:30 and then at 21:00 two more tables were occupied. There are only four tables in the restaurant. One chef and then the server/owner Anna.
Menu for tonight on a chalkboard outside. Basically six courses and then a 'box' to complete your dining experience. Overall, excellent ratings from both of us. High quality food, contrasting textures, very unique food pairings within a dish, high quality plating, fantastic tastes, great small ambience, lots of attention to detail etc. In terms of price comparison to Vancouver for the same experience this was cheaper including the two glasses of wine and a beer.
I drank a delicious Hesse beer which was an artisanal lager. Lana ordered a glass of Fraga Alta Couro 2012 white wine. The producer is Lucinda Todo Bom blended three different white wine grapes. I ordered a glass of red wine; Pegos Claros Vinhas Vehhas Reserva Palmela 2010 from Castelâo grapes done by Herdade de Pegus Claros. Both Portugese wines were excellent. Oh yes, they play jazz music in the background.
The dishes were not "Portugese", but were all locally grown or sourced and mostly organic. Very modern cooking by the chef, but loyal to his Portugese culture.
Course 1: Our favourite dish of the night. It was warm and delicious comprised of raw spinach leaves dotted with miso drips and you dip each leaf by hand into the turnip puree. Lots of poppyseed, sunflower seeds and amaranth. Competing textures, good crunch and smoothness from the puree. The flavours were so good.
Course 2: Two types of Portugese bread with sheep butter (local) and orange blossom honey. We both enjoyed the sheep butter and typical European hardy bread. The honey was similar to the honey we get from our bee hive in Toronto.
Course 3: Grouper fish (basically raw) marinated in lime and olive oil. The peaches were cooked in white wine sauce and then blueberries and almonds. This is 'crudo' style making of the fish according to Lana. Again, lots of textures and quite a feat in successfully pairing peaches with fish. Good job chef!
Course 4: Thinly cut organic beef lightly seared by a blowtorch (Lana wants one now) with sea asparagus and two types of seaweed. One of the seaweeds was pickled in the restaurant. Different textures again and the beef was tender and tasty yet it had no seasoning. The red wine we were drinking matched perfectly with the beef.
Course 5: A sous vide cooked egg with shittake mushrooms and buckwheat seeds. More texture differences. The egg and mushroom balance each other out. Delicious dish. Some saltiness as well. Another taste experiment that works.
Course 6: The dessert dish of curd, home-made muesli, oregano and strawberries. Very yummy and not too sweet. We loved the dessert and are both pretty full.
The 'box' which was comprised of locally made cookies (fundraiser for a new roof for the church) and fruit jelly composed of candied figs with mint leaves on top. Lana couldn't finish her share so I took one for the team and finished. Fortunately, for both of us we are walking back to our apartment. :-)
Inside of the box.
Check how small the kitchen is! They can't have a stove as the space was formerly a bakery, therefore, no venting. They use a sous vide instead. The chef gets very busy with all four tables occupied.
As you can see, we got a lot packed into our day, yet we were not overly busy. The two museums were very meditative and calming. I have stayed up until almost 12:30 am to complete this blog while it is still fresh in my memory. I do make some notes in a written diary for reference, but they are not extensive. Lisbon has been great! 15 kms of walking today inclusive of many steep and long hills.
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