Still too sweet for me … I don’t remember it being this sweet at Pastéis de Belém …
Likely I am getting older and getting intolerable to sweeter things … LOL
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Cafe Belém $25.75 for 4 custard tarts, 1 cinnamon roll (under brioche), 1 almond croissant and 1 almond currant brioche (on top).
We liked everything.
I don’t eat croissants or almond croissants. I buy them for my dining companions. These are smaller than Emmer or Bakery Pompette croissants but also more affordable, and high almond and marzipan: dough ratio.
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I made it to Cafe Belem! So far, the best custard tarts I’ve tried on this side of the pond, but Belem (Portugal) and Lisbon tarts still take the prize. The texture of the filling and pastry are very good, but there’s some umami missing and they’re also a bit sweeter than the originals. Not quite there, but definitely good enough for a fix.
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Glad you found them to be good enough for a fix!
You are correct, it’s not too sweet.
I’ve been trying the pasteis [“paSH-teyeSH”] from different producers/shops this past week in Lisboa. They are all too sweet, my mouth hurts from the excessive sweetness. Can’t even finish eating some of them. Also, I notice some tourists (online and here/on this site) speak disparagingly of Belém version.
The “original” is still best (speaking for myself), just as I remember from my first time in 2006. Not too sweet, crispy pastry, custard texture is fine. Some others’ may be creamier but pastry is either too crispy or otherwise. A certain pastel bakery has set up their cafe/shop right next to Antiga Confeitaria de Belém (their direct competitor), they already have a tiny shop 50m away on the same street.
Competition is fierce (at least in Lisboa). There’s an annual competition in October. I will try more from the list on future trips.
I can’t travel to Europe anymore.
I was lucky to visit Portugal once, in 2009.
Cafe Belém has a Pasteis de Nata tea I might buy for Xmas. I picked up more tarts for the dining companions, and took a photo of some sort of Xmas cake that’s now available.
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^ Bolo-rei (king cake).
I have seen it at every pastry shop in Lisbon.
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It’s early for any King Cakes! Advent doesn’t start until Sunday, and Epiphany isn’t until Jan 6th. I can sort of understand eating King Cake once the 12 days of Xmas start running on Dec 25th.
I don’t usually see the French King Cakes in bakeries before Xmas.
We went to Pastéis de Belém in Lisbon earlier this year so I still remember (even in my older age!) and they had the best Pasteis de Nata in terms of not being too sweet. The thing is, in Canada, most every dessert seems a tad too sweet, so it’s par for the course.
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Café Belem’s Tosta Mista on sliced bread:
The Tosta Mista on a bun, from Golden Wheat Bakery, on College St. $5.10
It’s crustier, lighter and less oily that the version at Café Belem. They are both good in different ways. The ham and cheese were similar quality. Café Belem probably used more butter, and less meat and cheese relative to the bread. The version at Golden Wheat tasted healthier and lighter to me, with more protein.
I like knowing where I can get a small sandwich for a snack or light breakfast. I’m finding most breakfast sandwiches heavy lately, and the Tosta Mista was a good alternative.
I also bought a flan (brûléed custard in an aluminum pan, not a flat flan cake) at Golden Wheat, which was $7.
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I stopped by Café Bélem twice this weekend.
Yesterday I picked up half a dozen custard tarts for a friend who lives in midtown.
Today, I picked up half a dozen custard tarts for some family friends who live out of town, as well as a vegan carrot walnut cake (personal sized loaf) and a banana chocolate chunk muffin.
The banana chocolate chunk muffin had the most amazing texture. Crispy chewy edges a very light interior. I think the shape of the muffin pan is more Portuguese, and it allows for more crispy edges.
The flavour was like a good North American banana bread but with a lighter texture. I would definitely order the banana chocolate chunk muffin again.
The vegan walnut carrot cake was chock full of walnuts, very fresh walnuts. It had some spice. It’s a very moist cake, which was more dense than the banana chocolate chunk muffin. I think it probably is more dense because it does not contain egg.
Banana muffin in front, vegan walnut carrot cake in the back.
Also, a good cortado.
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A colleague organized a dinner at Via Norte. The food was good to very good, straightforward and generally well executed. It was a set menu for the group, so most of what we had was not on the regular menu. And our wines were from my colleague’s cellar, not from the restaurant (which appeared to have some nice Portuguese options).
We started with a bunch of appetizers to share. The cod cakes were very nice, with a nice balance of salt cod and potato, and fried without being oily. Half-moon patties, filled with small shrimp and some kind of bland yellow sauce (?bean), were less inspiring.
Broiled goat cheese came on a bed of arugula, with crushed walnuts, and a honey balsamic vinaigrette - simple and well executed.
Good quality prosciutto came with sweet black olives.
Best of the bunch was grilled Portuguese sausage, with a snappy skin, and plenty of salty fat.
We each then got a main. Fillet of monkfish was topped with onion relish, with oven roasted potatoes & sautéed vegetables - the fish was lightly cooked, and the tartness of the relish helped provide balance.
The best main was the wild boar, which was slowly roasted until it nearly fell apart and was full of rich flavour. It came with cubed fried potatoes, sautéed rapini, and broccoli.
We also had our choice of desserts. The white chocolate flan was denser than typical flans and had a nice cinnamon-infused caramel drizzle.
Also pleasant was the vanilla crème brûlée - citrus custard, burnt sugar topping - pleasant
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Usually the sauce in the shrimp rissoles is a type of bèchamel, and is bland, and sometimes a bit pasty.
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Thanks. Though familiar with the word, I don’t think we have had rissóis before and thus didn’t quite know what to make of them.
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Some rissoles are much nicer than others, depending on the quality of the shrimp, the ratio of shrimp to bèchamel, and the skills of the person frying the rissoles.
I haven’t been to Via Norte in around 15 years. They make a nice seafood cataplana, and often have had skate on the menu.
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We’d like to try more of their seafood, including their sardines and clams. However, the meat dishes were a clear strength.
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I will have to try some of Via Norte’s meat dishes.
I also haven’t been to Adega or Chiado in ages.
I did have a nice take-out meal from Salt Wine Bar, owned by the Chiado and Adega people, maybe 18 months ago.
Via Norte has a $55 Winterlicious lunch and a $75 Winterlicious dinner in a couple weeks.
Winterlicious menu
