Our Lisbon Food Tour

If I’ve said it once, I’ve probably said it a hundred times – I travel to eat.  

Now don’t get me wrong, I like a good art museum as well as the next person… but only after a good meal.

Last week, while we lounged on our tiny yacht, we strolled through the interweb to learn more about the area where our boat was moored. Just north of the marina was the Parque das Nações – the Park of Nations. It was the location of the 1998 Lisbon Expo, a World’s Fair-type event that attracted visitors from 143 countries, with 14 international organizations featured in individual pavilions.  (More on the area next week.)

This gave us inspiration.  We thought “Why don’t we see how many different countries’ cuisines we can sample over two days, without leaving Lisbon?”  So we mapped out a plan.

The first afternoon we purchased some snacks from the local mercado that we enjoyed on the boat while figuring out where to have dinner.  The Portuguese find it perfectly acceptable to have dinner at 10:00pm, and that’s exactly what we did.  

A Quick Trip to Napoli

We started our international food tour at ZeroZero, an Italian pizzeria that was a short walk from the marina.  The restaurant had a huge outside terrace with about 60 tables. 

It was a cool evening, but they had heaters hung around the perimeter of each dining area.  We took a seat, looked over the menu, then ordered a pizza and a glass of wine. 

Fun Fact:  When you order a glass of wine here, most of the time they bring out the bottle and pour at the table.  That way you know they aren’t pouring stuff out of the box behind the bar. (Mike had to ruin my fun fact by asking, “How do you know they don’t fill up the empty bottles out of the box behind the bar?”)   

A Not So Fun Fact: In several restaurants, we have noticed that the wine glasses had a small line etched in them that indicated 150ml.  That helps the waiter pour the exact amount of wine – not too much, not too little.  Great for the restaurant’s bottom line, but I prefer a waiter with a heavy pour. 

The Primavera pizza that we shared came on a large plate and was cut into two large pieces. It looked delicious. 

The crust was made with 00 flour and cooked in a wood-fired oven.  It had a simple fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella di bufala Campana DOP, and was topped with marinated tomatoes.   What’s not to like?  

The pizza. It was COLD!  They baked the crust and the sauce, then added the mozzarella and tomatoes. Along the way, before it got to our table, it cooled down.

I should have complained, but when you don’t know the language it’s best to just get back to your boat.

Portuguese Breakfast

After our Italian excursion, we kept it local for breakfast.  The boat company delivered our breakfast basket complete with the makings of a typical Portuguese breakfast item – the croissant misto.  When I say croissant, it is best not to think of France.  I’m talking about sweet bread rolled up to look like a croissant, drizzled with melted sugar, and then stuffed with ham and a local cheese.  Yummy!

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Off to Paris

After eating a Portuguese croissant for breakfast, we decided we needed a croissant from France.  We found a lovely little bistro/bakery called La Boulangerie where the owner gave directions to the staff in both Portuguese and French.  

The outdoor tables were full when we arrived, so we were shown a small two top table inside. While it may not have been Paris, it transported us there by its ambience, smells, flavors, and decor. 

We ordered a glass of wine, a vegetarian sandwich, and the house salad to share. The sandwich was fine, but the salad was to die for. It was a mixture of fresh greens topped with prosciutto, figs, chevre, honey, and almonds. The waiter warned us that figs were not in season so they would be dried.  Nobody cared at our table. 

As we were finishing up the owner stopped by the table to make sure we had enjoyed our meal.  We told him everything was fine and then Mike said he would like another glass of wine.  The owner laughed out loud and said, “Oh, so everything is not fine!”  Another glass of Papa Figos, one of Mike’s new favorites, was promptly delivered.  

One thing we wanted to take back to the boat from La Boulangerie was an almond croissant.  I had read about them on Trip Advisor. One reviewer said they were life changing, and if you wanted to improve your life by 100% then go there and get one.   And I’m all about improving my life!  

There was a bakery and small French grocery store connected to the restaurant.  We bought the croissant and enjoyed it with coffee back on the boat.  Our lives were definitely improved.

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I’m guessing at this point you’re asking yourselves how much more can these people eat?  Well, hold on to your hat because we have an 8:00 reservation “down under”. We are headed to Australia.

Crocodile, Dundee?

About once a year, we treat ourselves to a meal at a “fancy” restaurant.  I had read about Chef Justin Jennings’ restaurant, Down Under by Justin Jennings, and decided that it would be our latest splurge.      

Before we went to Lisbon, I printed their menu, and we had gone over it several times.  We made a decision to get their eight course tasting menu.  They had a six course tasting menu, but it didn’t include the two things I wanted to try – crocodile and kangaroo.  

We were not disappointed!  The service was excellent, the ambience was lovely, the food was delicious and presented with the utmost care.

The eight courses were:

My favorites were the panna cotta, the ceviche and the corvina. The crocodile really tasted like chicken and the kangaroo was a very lean red meat.  The portions were small, but honestly, after the duck I was in a food coma.

Mike’s favorites were the corvina – a firm, rich white fish, the ceviche, and the kangaroo – salty and rare, nicely complemented by the warm and starchy yucca.

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Our little trip around the world was a blast. The food, for the most part, was excellent, and we both learned a lot.  Our biggest takeaway was that our stomachs aren’t as young as they once were.  The next day we were both a bit under the weather.  I figure that is a lesson that was learned in the moment and easily forgotten the next time we head out. 

Saúde!

Have a great week / Tenha uma ótima semana

Mary

The Cook

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Two other things to know about this week:

First, our friend and neighbor, Carol, posted an interesting article on her blog, Our Portugal Journey, about the “Smart Traveler Enrollment Program”. According to Carol, this is

“…a free service from the U.S. State Department for United States citizens who are traveling or living abroad, enabling them to receive the latest security updates from the closest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.”

If you’re thinking of traveling abroad this year, you should check out the program. Yes, there is a bit of a “big brother” feel about it – telling the government your location and itinerary – but if you carry a smartphone, they know where you are already. Mike signed us up for the program.

Second, Mike has updated our new page, Perspectives on the war in Ukraine, with some additional news items from Portuguese and European sources.

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