Restaurant - DAO

Moar sushi! That's right, my first post about a Japanese restaurant.

Before we had just a few Japanese restaurants in Lisbon, all very expensive with the typical minimalistic nippon decor, and the Hatori Hanzo looking chef. I've tried a few and I liked, not a huge fan but it was a good experience, the only problem was that they were too expensive(over 20 €) for me to go back more often.

Some years ago sushi restaurants start popping everywhere like mushrooms, but this time in a buffet style(all you can eat) and with prices under 16 €! Hurray... not so fast, it turned out that they were chinese restaurants making japanese food(at least most that I tried were), wait what? That's right, and it makes sense, chinese people love to copy your fancy stuff and make it cheaper. The drawback of course is a decrease in quality, and this was confirmed by my experiences. Hope was lost...

Then while ago a friend of mine invited me for a dinner with some friends, and as she told me about this great sushi place, cheap and near Martim Moniz, I thought, oh well another crappy sushi wannabe...

I was surprised! It was very better than all the others, cheaper (~10 €) and It was "à la carte" instead of the usual buffet, for those who are not familiar with the terms, it means you just point at the list and the waiter brings whatever you want instead of having to get up and pick the food from the buffet trays.

They have a wide variety of dishes, sushi, teriyaki, etc. (and sake!) everything you'd expect from a japanese restaurant, plus some other stuff I never tried before, all good, and the famous cantonese dim sum, nham!
I don't think the owners are japanese nor chinese, maybe somewhere in south asia.

The only problem is the service, they try to be very nice, but just mess up your orders, specially if the place is full, they forget stuff, bring you things you did not order, but as I am not picky I just eat them all. Maybe with practice they will get better...



Misc:
Average price: ~13 Euros
Multibanco/Visa: Yes
Smokers: No
Closes at: ???

Pros:
- Excellent price/quality ratio
- Good for groups
- Lots of variety
- "à la carte"

Cons:
- Service messes up your orders

- Not a very good neighbour

Facebook page

Polvo à Lagareiro - Homemade

Polvo à Lagareiro(roasted octopus) it's a traditional portuguese recipe, it's easy to make and fast preparation. Below is my latest attempt and I must say it was quite tasteful.
You can get frozen octopus in almost all supermarkets, but sometimes they inject so much water in it that shrinks a lot when cooked, this time I tried "Pingo Doce" supermarket and I was very please with the size and flavour.

Ingredients:
- For 3 meals, ~15 Euros
- 1 red pepper(the vegetable, not the spice)
- Garlic
- 1 Kg frozen octopus
- Small potatoes(the dark red ones for roasting)
- Olive oil
- Spices: black pepper(pt: pimenta preta), salt, bay leaf(pt: louro).

Preparation:
Pre heat the oven to ~200º C.
Defrost the octopus in hot water.
Cover the bottom of a large oven tray with olive oil and put 2 bay leafs, the smashed garlics, the octopus(cut the legs from the head), the potatoes and the sliced red pepper, spray with salt and black pepper.
Put in the oven for ~1 Hour, around 30 minutes check to see if the octopus released too much water, if so, remove almost all and put a bit more olive oil.
Poke the octopus and the potatoes with a fork to see if they are tender, serve with Broa(a traditional portuguese corn bread) and voilá! Bon apetit!

The wine:
You can go with the white or red wine, try the "Encosta de Pias" red for ~2 Euros, it's a simple wine with a good quality/price ratio. If you prefer the white wine go for the "Loios" for ~3 Euros.

Restaurant - Mestiço

The Kretcheu association has tried to establish itself in Lisbon several times, from what I know. They want to give this city a place that promotes the culture of Cape Verde, their music, dance, art and food.

The latest attempt is a restaurant, that may also serve for music concerts, workshops and art exhibits. I have been there 2 times and I liked it, the food, ambience and service was good, and it is cheap!

The manager(I think) is Aires Silva, a friendly guy that is also an African dances teacher, if you are interested give him a call.

Its a good place to make group dinners, and it is also very cosy, nice place to take your date. On weekends night sometimes they have live African music.

I have tried the Cachupa, Moamba and the Caldo de Peixe, all good, normal doses around 6 Euros. At the end ask for the Grog(strong sugar cane firewater) or the Ponche(less strong but sweet), traditional drinks from Cape Verde.

Its near the Terreiro do Paço subway station, and parking should not be difficult, afterwards you can go to Bacalhoeiro for a drink with your friends.



Misc:
Average price: ~9 Euros
Multibanco/Visa: No
Smokers: No
Closes at: Open every day

Pros:
- Good ambience and service
- Good for groups and dates
- Live African music
- Very good quality/price ratio

Cons:
- Nothing to point out



Facebook page

Google maps

Restaurant - Cantina Baldracca

If you like Italian pastas, then you should try Cantina Baldracca, very good price/quality ratio, good ambience and well served. They also serve steaks with special sauces but you have better places for that.

The pastas... nham! Farfalle, Spaghetti , Penne amongst others and lots of sauces and ingredients, you can make your own or just pick one off the menu, and what better to go with that than a nice Sangria :)

Good for groups, and also for a date, but gets a bit noisy when full. In the summer is too hot, they should get an air conditioner... The service is good and you can have a nice dinner with drinks for under 10 Euros, probably one of the cheapest restaurants with Italian pastas in Lisbon.

Photo from IMatLX

Misc:
Average price: ~9 Euros
Multibanco/Visa: No
Smokers: No
Closes at: Sunday

Pros:
- Good ambience and service

- Good for groups and dates
- Lots of pastas, sauces and ingredients
- Very good quality/price ratio

Photo from IMatLX

Cons:
- Difficult parking
- No near places for a drink afterwards
- In the summer is too hot inside

Google maps

Facebook page

Restaurant - Alcaide

Some times you go to a place, and you have that strange feeling, you can't really explain it... but you just feel at home.
One of those places is Alcaide, a small restaurant located in Mouraria district, but as soon as you get there you will realise that it is much more than a restaurant, it is a place where friend meet for a drink, chat, listen to  music and dance. The owners Sandra and Walter are also very friendly.

Most nights, I think, they have live typical music from Brasil and Africa, and if you have some music talent in you feel free to join in.

They have brasilian, african and portuguese food, all good at affordable prices, my favourites being the chicken Moamba and the prawn Muqueca. You can make a reservation and ask for traditional dishes that are not usually in the menu(check the site).

For all of you visiting Lisbon, this restaurant is on of those "must go" places, I promise you will have a great time there!



Misc:
Average price: ~13 Euros
Multibanco/Visa: No
Smokers: No
Closes at: Sunday

Pros:
- Feels like home
- Good food from Africa and Brasil
- Live brasilian and african music
- Moamba!

Cons:
- Small, not good for large groups
- No near places for a drink afterwards

- Sometimes the music is too loud, not good for chatting

Website

Google maps

Espiral

Espiral is a place about nature, ecology and spirituality. There you can find a bookshop, a bioshop, a gym for therapy and martial arts, and a vegetarian restaurant(also serving fish).

I have only tried the restaurant, so this post is about that. Being a meat lover I don't know many vegetarian restaurants, but so far this is my favourite. It is cheap and well served, calm and cosy and some nights you get live music. There is free tea with your meal, and you have a variety of dishes to choose from(check the website), the ones I tried were good.

It is a good place to take your date, specially is she/he is eco/bio/vegan nature lover, the decoration is good and they have candles ;)

Misc:

Average price: ~8 Euros

Multibanco/Visa: Yes

Smokers: No

Closes at: Does not close

Pros:

- Excellent quality/price ratio

- Cosy and calm

- Live music

- Great food variety and large doses

Cons:

- Not good for large groups

- No near places for a drink afterwards

Facebook page

Website

Google maps

Restaurant - Toscana

Almost every time I meet a new person and we end up talking about restaurants in Lisbon, Toscana is referenced as one of the best places to eat fish.

It is small, typical, is not expensive and the waiter is very funny, treating the ladies with cute names and always multiplying your order by 10(but you really get what you ordered).

I strongly advise the codfish, but only if you like it with garlic and olive oil. Every other fish is also good and I can't tell about the meat because... I haven't tasted it yet.

It is a known place so you may see there some celebrities and expect it to be crowded, book a table or get there early ~19:30.

Misc:

Average price: ~13 Euros (not sure)

Multibanco/Visa: Don't know

Smokers: Don't know

Closes at: Sunday

Pros:

- Good quality/price ratio

- Excellent fish

- The waiter is very funny

- Afterwards drinks at Santos, not far

Cons:

- No near Subway

- Difficult parking

- Small, not good for large groups

- Crowded, go early or book a table

Google Maps

Restaurant - O Pocinho

In portugal we have a lot of restaurants, most of them are what we call Tasco, they are small, family managed, cheap and have typical Portuguese food.

Pocinho is one of my recurrent options because of its location(in Santos), good quality/price ratio and of course, it is smokers friendly. There are also 2 strategically placed TVs, always good for football nights, and for a snack while watching the game you have Tremoços(lupines?), Clams and Snails!

They have different dishes every day of the week, like roasted pig leg, duck rice, grilled fish, feijoada, cozido à portuguesa, codfish, etc. You can check out the Portuguese cuisine here.

After many years browsing the roads of Lisbon for Tascos, I'll let you in on a few secretes to find the good ones:

#1 - They are almost never located on the main streets, look for the secondary small roads.

#2 - Check the prices on the window/door, good Tascos have dishes around 5 ~ 6 Euros.

#3 - Look for typical Portuguese daily dishes, like stews.

Misc:

Average price: ~9 Euros

Multibanco/Visa: Yes

Smokers: Yes

Closes at: Sunday or Monday, not sure

Pros:

- Good quality/price ratio

- Lots of places nearby for a drink afterwards

- Try the roasted pig leg!

Cons:

- No near Subway

- Difficult parking

- Small, not good for large groups

Google Maps

Association - Ilusão Paralela

UPDATE - Unfortunately Ilusão Paralela has closed on 1/12/2011.
-----------------------------------------
Translated to Parallel Ilusion, it is an association, and as many others in Lisbon, it's a place where you can have a drink, eat, play board games, listen to music, attend workshops, read a book, watch art exhibitions, have parties, watch football games, etc. Make yourself a member to get discount at the bar, and like the facebook page to receive the events notifications.

Thursdays it's board game night with Vasco Chita, if you like board games you should go there, you will discover new games, make some friends and have fun!

They have lots of games like, Settlers of Catan, Dixit, Puerto Rico, Times Up, Tichu, Atlantis, Chinatown, etc. And thursdays Vasco brings even more games.

Quiz nights are Tuesdays, so if you are into general knowledge trivia feel free to show up, teams are of five, 50 questions and the winning team gets a prize. Don't worry if you can't round up a team, just show up and ask to join one of the teams.

There is also the Origami workshops and the role-players gathering, and many other activities, check the facebook for the dates and details.

You can talk to the owner and have a private dinner and/or a party, or have an exhibition with your photos, paintings, sculptures, etc.

Misc:

Beer price(20cl): 80 Cents for members

Smokers: yes

Multibanco/Visa: yes

Closes at: Sunday and Monday

Pros:

- Nice place to take your friends for a drink and chat

- Many different activities

- Stays open till late

- Restaurants and bars nearby

Cons:

- Difficult parking

- No near Subway

- Lots of smokers

Facebook page

Restaurant - Grill 20

There are days I feel like having a steak... a good large yummy steak. Usually I would go to Tachadas, but it has a problem, sometimes the meat is not excellent, just OK. So if you want to pay a bit more and have an excellent steak I advise Grill 20.

You can have the several types of meat and sizes, varying from ~6 to ~14 Euros and a free buffet of vegetables and sauces, with rice, French fries or spinach as a side dish.

I usually go to the Braancamp restaurant, as you can see in the site(link below) they are in 5 locations, also from the same company there is a butcher's shop, maybe the secret for their great meat.

Misc:

Average price: 10 ~ 20 Euros

Smokers: no

Multibanco/Visa: Yes

Braancamp closed at Sunday

Pros:

- Excellent meat, salad buffet

- Good for large groups

- Central, Subway near

- Good service

Cons:

- Can be expensive if you are not careful

- Difficult parking

- No near places for a drink afterwards

Website

Restaurant - Farah's Tandoori

I must admit I love Indian food, hot spicy and strong flavoured tastes, there are many Indian restaurants in Lisbon but unfortunately most of them have been slightly occidentalized so that we better accept the Indian gastronomy.

There are few restaurants that feel a bit more genuine, this is one case, in Farah's you will get good strong flavoured food, nice sauces, tasteful samosas and a good service!

But beware when asking for hot food because it will burn you!

Misc:

Average price: ~16 Euros

Smokers: no

MultiBanco/Visa: no

Closed at: Monday

Pros:

- Good tandoori food, large doses

- Sometimes they have different dishes, like crab curry

- Cosy and quiet, good for couples

- Good Samosas

Cons:

- No near subway, difficult parking

- No near places for a drink afterwards

- Small place, not good for large groups

- Not very cheap

Google maps

Restaurant - Zuari

Probably the oldest Goan (Goa is a state in India) restaurant in Portugal with more than 30 years, Zuari is one of those places that you feel like being transported to another country and culture, with all those strange and different flavours, not your ordinary Indian restaurant for sure.

And it is true, Mr. Orlando (the owner) has pride that all of his recipes are still the same that he made in India!

This may be a problem for those of you that don't like hot spicy food... as he says "All my recipes are original, and they are all spicy, so if don't like spicy... well you better go to another restaurant."

I just love the Vindalho (a recipe that has origins in the Portuguese gastronomy), the Prawn Curry and the Samosas, yummy! remember to ask for the Mango Achar(a sauce) and the Apas(flat bread), finish off with the famous Bebinca.

Misc:

Average price: 10 ~ 16 Euros

Smokers: no

MultiBanco/Visa: no

Closed at: Monday

Pros:

- Genuine Goan food

- Central, is in Santos, lots of places for a drink afterwards

- Very good quality/price ratio

- Great Samosas!!!

Cons:

- No near subway

- Difficult parking

- Small place, not good for large groups

- Sometimes closes early

Website

Bar - Bomb Shelter

If you are looking for a cosy calm place to go for a drink after dinner, Bomb Shelter is the place.

It has a unique decoration, very British, dim lights, signs everywhere and the walls are filled with writings from the customers, very funny to read.

You can go with your friends, or if you just go alone sit in the balcony, chat with the owner(Sr. Domingos) and the usual customers about the weather, football, politics, etc. very "Cheers" style.

The music is normally 90's Rock I think, not too loud fortunately and the drinks are cheap, if you are a bit hungry you can ask for the famous toasts.

I don't realy know what days it is open nor what time it closes, but you can try asking in the Facebook group page.

Have fun!

Average price:

Beer 20 cl. - 1 Euro

Pros:

- Cosy, calm

- Good decoration and ambient

- Cheap

Cons:

- No near subway

- Small place, not good for large groups

Facebook group page

Google maps

Restaurant - O Tachadas

Being one of my favourite restaurants in Lisbon, "O Tachadas" has one of the best quality/price ratio I have ever found.

A normal dinner(olives for starters, main dish, house wine and coffee) will cost you 10 ~ 14 Euros, but note that some dishes are huge, so you can order 2 for 3 persons.

Usually we go there for the grilled meat(which is great), but many of the other dishes are also very good: Rice duck with orange, Portuguese cozido, codfish, alentejano soup, grilled fish, but unfortunately some are only available at lunch.

Beware of Friday and Saturday nights, it's crowded so go early(8:00 pm) or late(11:00 pm).

Pros:

- Excellent quality/price ratio

- Central place, in Santos, nearby places for a drink afterwards

- Lots of different meat and fish dishes

- Meat!

Cons:

- Difficult parking, no near subway

- Gets crowded on Friday and Saturday

- No smoking

- Service is slow sometimes

Facebook

Google maps

Guilherme Cossoul

Founded in 1885, Guilherme Cossoul Theatre School Society is on of the oldest societies in the field, with a vast array of cultural options, you can take theatre classes, watch plays, music, comedy, attend workshops, quiz nights or just stop by to have a drink with friends.

Pros:

- Central place, in Santos, good nearby restaurants

- Lots of different shows and plays to watch

- Usually cheap tickets

- Bar is smokers friendly and closes late

Cons:

- Difficult parking, no near subway

- Small Bar, can become crowded

- Sometimes lots of smoke

- Small theatre, book tickets

http://www.guilhermecossoul.pt/

Couscous - Homemade

The other day my girl made me Couscous for dinner, I really enjoied it so I decided to add the recipe to the blog.

Being a north African dish, you can expect a rich and exotic flavour with lots of spices, usually couscous is made with lamb, but this time she made it with chicken(good alternative if you don't like lamb).

The best place in Lisbon to get spices and other strange ingredients is Martim Moniz mall and surroundings, located near Rossio, you can find stuff mostly from Africa, India and China. You can buy most ingredients in your local market.

Ingredients:

- 1 red/green pepper(the vegetable, not the spice)

- 1 onion

- Garlic

- Chicken or Lamb

- Potatoes

- Carrots

- Chilli peppers(optional, hot)

- Olive oil

- Spices: cinnamon(pt: canela), cumin(pt: cuminhos), black pepper(pt: pimenta preta).

- Couscous

The meat:

Get a large pan or a wok and pour a bit of olive oil, when hot add the onion(chopped) the red/green pepper(chopped) the chilli peppers(chopped) and the meat in small pieces, fry until the meat is cooked, add the salt, chopped garlic and a teaspoon of black pepper and cinnamon (if you like cumin pour just a bit) and stir for a few more minutes.

The vegetables:

Put the small unpeeled potatoes and sliced carrots(you can add other vegetables that you like) on a recipient(oven resistant), spray the with olive oil and salt, and put it in the preheated oven, remove it when the vegetables are cooked(stick them with a fork to see if they are tender).

The couscous:

Although it is the dish name, it is actually the small wheat semolina grains that accompany the rest.

You can buy it simple or already with spices and other stuff, my advice is to get them already prepared and cook them following the instructions in the box.

For cooking the simple just google it because I really don't know how :P

The wine:

Being in Portugal, you can get very good wine for a very low price, and you can find it in your local market or grocery shop. For this dish I advise a 2 ~4 Euros red wine: "Fontanário de Pegões", "Loios", "Quinta de Cabriz" or "Quinta da Esperança".

After everything is ready just get a large dish and add everything and serve! voilà! Enjoy.

Quiz nights!

In Lisbon we also have quiz nights, a good way to get together with your friends, chat, have a drink, and test your general knowledge.

For those of you that have no idea what I'm talking about, its a game, a bit like "Who wants to be millionaire" but with teams(5 members max.), the quiz organizer shows 50 questions in order and each team writes down the answers, in the end the winner is announced.

There is also the "Cascata" quiz, more difficult and the rules are a bit more complex, and it usually needs reservation: The questions are asked directly to a team, if the answer is correct they win 2 points, if not, the same question is asked to the next team(only win 1 point) and so on until there is a winner or it reaches the last team.

Pros:

- Relaxed, fun and good mood

- Test your knowledge and learn new things

- Win prizes

- In most places you can smoke

Cons:

- Normal quiz ends at 00:30, and Cascata at ~3 a.m.

- Lots of smokers

- Only 1 place with quizes in english(that I know of...)

- Some places are not cheap

Bar Kai

Zona de Ampliação do centro de Congressos de Lisboa galeria comercial, Lojas 3 e 4,

Rua da Junqueira. (Parede lateral da antiga FIL)

Tuesday, 22h00

Ilusão Paralela

Travessa do Pasteleiro, 22

Tuesday, 22h00

AL Café

Rua Dona Estefânia, 151-C

Wednesday, 22h00

Sociedade de Instrução Guilherme Cossoul

Av. D. Carlos I, 61 - 1º

Wednesday, 22h15

Cascata - Last Wednesday of each month

Domínio Público

Rua de Entrecampos, 12 (ao Campo Pequeno)

Thursday, 22h00

Cascata - First Saturday of each month

Magic Pool Bar

Rua Augusto Gil, 30-A (à Av. Roma)

Sunday, 22h00

O'Gilin's Irish Pub (English quiz)

Rua dos Remolares, 10, Cais do Sodré

First and third Sunday of every month, 8.30pm

Santos Populares!

One more year!

Every year in Lisbon we have the "Festas dos Santos Populares" or roughly translated - Popular Saints Festivities, in June.

Older neighbourhoods organize their own street caravan, with dancers, cars and music to compete for the first place, a bit like the Brazilian Carnaval.

The main avenue is closed to hold the parade, and the caravans march down the road one by one, and then the jury votes for the winner.

Afterwards the party continues on each neighbourhood(until 4~6 a.m.), where the streets are closed for traffic and most restaurants, snack-bars, coffee shops, associations, even households become street shops for grilled sardines, steaks, chorizos, beer, sangria, etc. with loud popular music and a good mood.

Some places become so crowded you can hardly walk, and the noise will make phone-calls impractical so keep an eye for your friends! and texting may be helpful, check your phone regularly.

Average Price:

Sangria/Beer(20 cl.) - 1~1.5 Euros

Sardine - 1~2 Euros

Pros:

- Party everywhere

- Good excuse to round up your friends

- Sardines!!!

- Popular Portuguese music(for those who like)

Cons:

- Too much people everywhere

- Where are the toilets??? I need to pee! (specially for you girls)

- Popular Portuguese music(for those who hate)

- Transport - no Buses, no taxis, no parking...

Hope this is helpful to anyone curious, have fun!

Restaurant Sr. Taco

Today, I'm having my birthday dinner in a Mexican restaurant, I don't go there often because its a bit off my usual budget(under 10 Euros), but when you have to choose a place for a large group there are several aspects to take in consideration(see below on pros & cons). Its inside the Amoreiras Mall, so also good to take your other half and see a movie afterwards!

Average price:

~15 Euros

Food:

Mexican, grilled, hot, tacos, sauces, etc.

Pros:

- Large groups

- Smoking area

- Free parking

- Average/Good Mexican food

Cons:

- Its inside a Mall

- No good nearby places to have a drink afterwards

- Not cheap

- No TV

Google Maps Link

The beginning!

Hello all and welcome to my blog.

This blog is about my experiences in Lisbon(Portugal) starting at 8 PM, from home made cooking, eating out, bars, events, etc.

I think it could be very helpful to anyone who wants to know Lisbon from the eyes of a local person. I will show you that hidden places, with good quality/price ratio, to hang out with friends or even to meet new people.

Have fun and please comment!