[Porto, Portugal] Trip Report in Bites

[ninkat]

It seems like forever ago that I sought recommendations from this board, but my gratitude to all of you who responded knows no bounds. I arrived pretty tired late yesterday afternoon here in Porto, but being somewhat sleepy in no way dimmed my first glimpse of Porto (from the air):

How does one say “wow” in Portuguese?

A note on that: It seems like everyone speaks English here, and that having an English menu is in no way a sign of the restaurant being a tourist trap. I ate supper last night at the bar of a near-to-my-hotel tapas bar (that was a bit hard to find, until I figured out that I had to enter the restaurant from near Line 1 inside the train station! (I felt a bit like I was in a Harry Potter novel, trying to find the place):

I ate shrimp and a salad, and they were fine, but nothing like my lunch today. If I went back, I would stick to the tapas menu, all of which looked good going by.

Today, I had lunch at a small seafood restaurant down by the river called Terreiro:

I ate clams followed by grilled Tiger shrimp and I thought both fantastic. The waiter nicely substituted a salad (which I didn’t really get a picture of) with the shrimp instead of shoestring fries. I drank sparkling water with my meal, though I was sorely tempted to have a glass of wine (for me a disaster to day drink, especially when I am turned around) or sangria.

(Grilled garlic bread they serve was a perfect accompaniment to these. And cilantro as the herb garnish for the clams was a revelation to me!)

Many appealing things on the menu, so I asked the waiter if I could be so lucky as to get a table without a reservation, if I come back, and he said usually yes. He warned me that they are closed on Monday, but that the restaurant right around the corner, Adega S. Nicolau is open Monday, closed Sunday, and he said it is also very good food. (Well, he would, but I had the thought that he was honest about this.)

(A word about this: I do have a few tables reserved here in Porto, but I fell down on the job, as busy as I was in the last few months, so despite @Ziggy’s sage advice, I am a bit catch-as-I-can here, but I have a feeling, I will find many fantastic spots, and I have reserved for tonight! Also, although I will be in three spots here in Portugal, I am splitting the report into three, as I will be in each of them for close to a week of dining.)

[Presunto (--> Eating Goat, yoghurt & baklava in (Samo)Thraki .......... [Fleeced Taxpayer :@)) :@)) ])]

Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato looks nice! One of my favourites, could eat it every day. (And I actually did)

Coriander (coentros) is used quite a bit in Portuguese repertoire. I think the only country round these parts that uses this herb. Apparently the ancient Greeks brought coriander to PT and the uses of it in Portuguese cuisine had to do with the Moors.

FYI, why do the Spanish use parsley, and Portuguese use coriander? History of Age of Exploration answers all these interesting food related questions.

Enjoy your trip!

[ninkat]

I might try to rival you in the clams department!

[Presunto (--> Eating Goat, yoghurt & baklava in (Samo)Thraki .......... [Fleeced Taxpayer :@)) :@)) ])]

Also possible to find perceves in Porto, if you have never had them before. Though, the price must be astronomical these days.

[ninkat]

They had them at the place I had lunch, but I am a bit leery. I think I had one once in Spain (maybe this is complete b.s.), but didn’t get what the fuss was about. I will see if there is someplace that will give me a few to try…Will report back.

[linguafood (Natascha)]

Wow, color me green with envy! 3 weeks in Portugal sounds like a dream. I only had the chance to visit Lisbon for 5 days a couple of years ago, but absolutely loved it.

Can’t wait to read your upcoming reports

[ninkat]

Dinner last night was at Cozinha das Flores. I ate late, and enjoyed the place and my meal, but it was very expensive. Like, I don’t usually feel sticker shock at a bill, but I think because I was drinking wines by the glass, it was particularly a lot. And I am a tipper (on me). Still, the meal was very delicious. It was an interesting menu, and I liked that I could choose my meal .(I am going to go to some restaurants with set menus along the way, but I can’t live on a steady diet of this!)

First thing that came was a beignet/donut with spider crab. I loved this. It really had a hint (maybe more than a hint) of sweetness with what I would describe as a crab salad. (I got the picture after I already had a bite, so you can see what it looks like inside.) It would never have occurred to me to put crab salad into a donut, but for me this worked and made me smile. Just delicious. Also, I got a picture of the excellent wine I had with the snack courses:

(The sommelier was lovely and I wish I had snapped a picture of either the asparagus or the wine I had with it later in the meal, as the pairing was very good, and I thought she was knowledgeable, I know nothing about Portuguese wines, and patient with me.)

This was my least favorite thing I ate. I didn’t like it. It was described as sourdough toast with cockles cooked as they cook the clams here I like so much in garlic and white wine. But the texture was slimy to me, and the taste not at all like the clams to my sensibility. Almost tasteless. But I chose it, so maybe on me!

My waiter suggested this last “snack” I had: a turnip nata pastry (like the ubiquitous ones here that I still haven’t tried) with caviar. As I started with a savory snack turned sweet, I guess it made sense when I considered to try a sweet one turned savory. This was just delicious. The pastry perfectly butter and flaky with a sort of turnip custard topped with the caviar that gave it a necessary oomph.

I then had the starter of asparagus. I appreciated being able to have a vegetable, and these seemed to have been cooked on the open flame in the kitchen, so had a hint of smoke and were delicious. Sorry no picture.

I had a glass of this wine with my pork (nice not overpowering red):

Pork was served with grilled nectarines and was also perfectly (for me) cooked and delicious:

With this I took a side “vegetable” of “potato salad.” I was a little wary of this, as I am not often a fan of American potato salads. My waiter described this to me as roasted potatoes served room temperature with a vinegar dressing with a little kick and crisped shallots. This was also revelatory to me. I ate every bite.

(I skipped the bread course so I could eat all and very glad I did.)
I have no idea what I ate for dessert (but I have a picture). It is some traditional Portuguese thing that was a little salty sweet caramely thing. I enjoyed it with a glass of 20 year old Tawny port (the sommelier tried to explain Port to me at the end of the meal, but I’d had a fair amount to drink, and didn’t really take in what she was saying, but it was a very good accompaniment to the dessert).

(Maybe someone can identify this. It was either the “tigalada” or the “fidalgo.”)

[ninkat]

Today, I had my coffee and a delicious fresh orange juice after trying to run through a mob (like hundreds) of motorcycles coming into town as I ran along the river. I was on the late side again so decided to wait for a late lunch/early dinner. A nearby restaurant, Cantino do Avillez, that looked good to me had an opening at 5:30. I was definitely hungry, and I definitely enjoyed every bite. My meal: two slow cooked eggs with fried chorizo and buttery crispy breadcrumbs (breakfast for me!) and a Portuguese take on veal risotto (this was very delicious as well). Okay, to me, the best thing I have eaten all trip is the dessert they called simply “Hazelnut.” It came with the instruction to put the spoon down to the bottom of the dish. There was cold hazelnut ice cream down there, a fluffy hazelnut mousse on top and crunchy whole hazelnuts throughout. I loooove hazelnuts, and this dessert was fantastic. There is a big menu at this restaurant with lots of appealing sounding dishes, and I may be back there again before I leave! My bill (with two bottles of sparkling water) came to about a fourth of what I spent last night (too embarrassed to say actual numbers), even after tipping!

I took the bread etc., and enjoyed it all. There was a little cup of gazpacho, and the butter was truffled (could this be bad?), and excellent olives.

Forgot to say, it also had some salt on top. Just wow!

[ninkat]

Also, the weather has been beautiful so far. Warm but not hot, and quite cool in the mornings and evening (like down to the 50s Fahrenheit overnight, but 60-65 around 9 a.m. going up to the high 70s.)

These from my run this morning (camera eschewed motorcycles):

Also a picture I took of the inside of the restaurant from tonight, Cantino do Avillez. I liked the “vibe” there. Very professional, but relaxed. Tables turning over, but not being rushed.

[erica1]

Fabulous!!!

Is that Jose Avillez’ place?

We were in Lisbon a few-plus years ago…how could I forget…Election Day when we received such sympathies from the hotel staff…no one could believe it. And we ate at a few of his (Avillez) restaurants… You have now instilled a desire in me to visit Oporto!!!

Eager for more!!! Which side of the river is best for a hotel?

[ninkat]

Hi Erica, yes it is Jose Avillez’ place. Not a fancy one, but I thought v. good. Well, the one side of the river is actually Porto, so you definitely want to stay there. The other side has lots of places to try Port, and also beautiful river walks. I haven’t mentioned it by I have had excellent coffee at 7G (on the other side of the river) and C’alma Coffee room (Porto side). Here’s hoping this election day is different!

[Maribel]

Thanks for a great run-down of your Porto dining experiences! Taking notes for our trip next year!

We’ve enjoyed Avillez’s Cantinhos both in Porto and in Lisbon (he has another in Cascais) and we also had a nice, casual lunch at your second place down by the river, Terreiro.

If you get a chance, I highly recommend Taberna dos Mercadores, which is owned by the same people as Adega S. Nicolau. It’s located on a narrow street up from the river and is a tiny, semi-circular place (must reserve) that we discovered through a recommendation of chef Nuno Mendes of Cozinha das Flores.

https://tabernadosmercadores.eatbu.com/?lang=en

Here’s a Culinary Backstreets review-

Taberna dos Mercadores: Porto in Miniature

[Presunto (--> Eating Goat, yoghurt & baklava in (Samo)Thraki .......... [Fleeced Taxpayer :@)) :@)) ])]

Re Portuguese wine, there are so many grape varieties you won’t find anywhere else… try to drink (more of) it whilst you’re there. Much of it never gets to leave the country (mostly cheap port and low quality industrial swill). Portugal is in the top ten of wine consuming nations.

You are doing fine. Portuguese are gentle and polite people, they won’t tell a tourist, “always wine with a proper meal”. (Beer, and other types of alcohol, is for any other times of day.)

Saúde!

[ninkat]

Thanks @Maribel. Taberna dos Mercadores is at the top of my list. There were no reservations until mid-September when I tried to book last month. I have been advised just to go and queue, but need to figure out whether they close between lunch and dinner times. If not, I will go for a late lunch/early dinner tomorrow. Or queue before they open for dinner. I’ve walked by a few times (it also is close to my hotel), and there is definitely a line! Am heading to Matosinhos for seafood at O Valentim (another of your recommendations!)

Will definitely try a glass or two of wine with it! (I think I am finally past the jet lag.) Obrigado!

[Maribel]

Enjoy O Valentim! We loved it. I think we and our friends had a couple of bottles of Soalheiro alvarinho to go with our seafood lunch…or it may have been Anselmo Mendes Muros de Melgaço, I can’t remember.

[damiano]

Just saw this. Do you think you have experienced this?

Lisbon restaurants lower the price for locals with ‘two-tier’ pricing system

[ninkat]

Thank you @Maribel. I really enjoyed my dinner at O Valentim. I ate clams and tiger shrimp and had a passion fruit pie for dessert. Wishing in retrospect that I had ordered flan, which I adore, and I bet was really good. (Passion fruit pie was fine, kind of a key lime pie without the limes.) I did have wine, finished the whole half bottle, lightweight that I am, and it, too, was excellent. The waiter helped me choose it. I think I was the only non-Portuguese person in the place (until a group of six youngish men arrived just before I left who looked like they might be on some kind of visiting sports team). Anyway, the waitstaff took good care of me and not only called a taxi for me (no way I could navigate the bus home), but met me at the door of the restaurant and put me in the taxi himself.

[Monchique (Jean Ferran)]

These are fake news which has been spread recently in the Algarve… and would be completely illegal in Portugal in any case. No restaurant would take the risk because sanctions are so heavy. It would be interesting to see the “very expensive” bill referred by ninkat. I would expect to pay a minimum of 75€00 pp plus wines for such a meal (and forget the caviar if it was real!). This would be expensive for Portugal, but if you want cheap food you dine in a tasca. Fish and shellfish are getting expensive, last time I had a dose of clams (ameijoas) it was 25€ a dose, as a first course!

[ninkat]

I will pay more attention @damiano, but I believe I have been given books with the menus in both Portuguese and English, and no difference in prices. It has not at all been my feeling that anyone has treated me with anything but the most sincere welcome and respect. I have not been seated in any “tourist” section that I can discover. Really enjoying my time in Porto!

[Maribel]

So glad you enjoyed O Valentim and were able to enjoy that bottle of Duas Quintas from Ramos Pinto.
What we liked especially was the lack of tourist crowds.

Looking forward to your next reports!