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 - 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

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.