Thursday 30 June 2011

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


Tuesday 28 June 2011

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


Monday 27 June 2011

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


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

Friday 17 June 2011

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.

Tuesday 14 June 2011

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

Travessa do Pasteleiro, 22
Tuesday, 22h00

AL Café
Rua Dona Estefânia, 151-C
Wednesday, 22h00

Av. D. Carlos I, 61 - 1º
Wednesday, 22h15
Cascata - Last Wednesday of each month

Rua de Entrecampos, 12 (ao Campo Pequeno)
Thursday, 22h00
Cascata - First Saturday of each month

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

Monday 13 June 2011

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!

Thursday 9 June 2011

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

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!