ZOMATO GOLD FOR 18€!

 

Zomato Gold is on sale!!
The anual membership is now costing 24€ which is a bargain! Plus, if you use my code CATYOL you get 25% off - which means you'll only pay 18€! I've just renewed my membership. Don't let this opportunity pass!

EAT | Hottie, Lisbon

American junk food ... You know what it is? Of course you do... Of course you've all seen in every single american movie all these wonderful things like Mac'n'Cheese, Ribs, Chicken Wings, Nachos... Yeah, but what about actually trying out one of these calorie bombs? Have you ever had the opportunity to tasted it any of it? No?! Well, but now you can try all these and more at Hottie!

On Rua de Santa Marta, Hottie is the most American restaurant in Lisbon! Forget those fake diners out there. That's not American food. Hottie is American food.

This space is very small - emphasis on the small! - but very interesting. It only has place for 15 people, divided among two tables and 3 seats over the counter. The decoration is very simple and it is clear that they tried to maintain the original architecture of the space that used to be an old style bakery - the counter, the window, the marble walls are all very charismatic ! But what really draws your attention is the red neon sign with the name of the restaurant, casting a reddish light at the door, as if we were entering a super naughty place.

I called in advance, trying to book a table, but when we arrived there was no table for us. Let's face it, with only 15 seats, I do not blame them for trying to serve as many people as possible. The guy who greeted us was super super friendly and invited us to sit at the counter, where we waited about 10 minutes for our table. These 10 minutes gave us opportunity to explore the menu and really choose what we wanted to eat. The menu is totally 'MURICA, and although the descriptions are in Portuguese, the names of the dishes are in English. It's just junk food. It's not too big but it has something for everyone. As a starter, we had some Cheesy Nachos, we also asked for Chicken & Waffles and BBQ Ribs. As side dishes we opted for  Mac & Cheese and French Fries. And of course, no meal is completed without dessert, so we ordered a Lemon Meringue Pie - my usual favorite dessert. Despite being junk food, all dishes come with carefully plated on little tin plate with the restaurant logo. Super adorable and what a nice touch.

Cheesy Nachos. Tortilla chips with melted cheddar cheese and guacamole. This dish is not necessarily American, but has been adopted by American culture and is much appreciated as snack. The chips were crispy and had lots of cheese. I liked it. I also liked that the chips did not have that typical triangular shape - they were kind of rounded - which makes me think they home-made and not store-bought!

Chicken & Waffles. Fried Chicken. Yes, chicken fried on top of a sweet waffle, with maple syrup to drizzle on top. This is a typical dish from the southern states, and is included in the so-called Soul Food. I was crying for more! The chicken was super well fried, super juicy and full of flavor. And the waffle, OMG,  was super tasty, crispy, well cooked. Really Delicious!

BBQ Ribs. Two ribs, topped with handmade barbecue sauce, perfectly well cooked. The flesh was falling from the bone and it was just delicious. And I'm not even the biggest fan of BBQ sauce! But this one was divine, it was not too sweet nor too acid.

Mac & Cheese. It was very good.  VERY GOOD. The dough was al dente and you could taste the cheese but the flavor was not overwhelming. It was very good. Guys, it's noodles with cheese. You can never go wrong with noodles and cheese. 

French Fries. These were so good. Just out of the fryer, sprinkled with salt and rosemary. Really simple but perfectly done. And the perfect side dish for the BBQ Ribs, to  help you clean out that yummy BBQ sauce from your dish!

Lemon Meringue Pie. I love lemon meringue pie! It's my favorite dessert. And this one was so good that I'm considering going back there and just to have a coffee and a slice of this pie! The center of this tart was creamy, with an intense lemon flavor, perfectly balanced by the base which was slightly sweet. And on top,  slightly chard meringue, gooey and lovely. It was the perfect end to a wonderful meal.

I absolutely loved Hottie and I'm dying to go back there.! Loved the space, loved the simple but modern decor, and absolutely loved the food. It's cheap, it's good, the staff is friendly and you will leave feeling like a ball.

I'm going to make Hottie my new canteen!

New Nespresso Barista Creations [YOUZZ]

I am the type of girl who loves a nice warm latte or a yummy cappuccino in the morning. There's something just so heart-warming about the combination of coffee and milk, don't you think?

So when the time for buying a new Nespresso machine came I opted for one that would allow me to make this drinks at home. But even tho Nespresso has a couple of machines that let you heat or froth your milk, they don't have specific cups to use with milk. Well, they didn't have!

Nespresso just launched a new line called Barista Creations that allows to fix a latte, a cappuccino or a macchiato like a pro! These three new cups are going to be part of Nespresso's permanent offer --there are not just a special edition! -- and these were specially developed to be mixed in with milk!

- Chiaro: Inspired by the baristas of Brooklyn who value the natural sweetness of lighted roasted coffee, this smooth blend of Arabicas from Kenya and Indonesia, has a natural caramel and sweet biscuit notes.

- Scuro: Taking inspiration from Melbourne baristas -- the masters of robust, but perfectly balanced tastes -- Scuro combines Arabicas from Colombia and Ethiopia roasted in very contrasting manners, to create an intense roasted coffee taste that balances perfectly with milk.

- Corto: This one was inspired by Spanish Baristas and their love for serving expresso with milk! It has a very strong flavor and a dense and creamy texture, perfect for those who prefer just a little bit of milk in their coffee.

Youzz sent me these to try, and I've been obsessed with making cappuccinos and cute lattes ever since. My machine heats up the milk to the perfect temperature -- hot but not too hot to the point where you can't drink it -- makes the most perfect foam and the coffee is just so tasteful! My favorite is the scuro with some sprinkles of coca-powder on top! Takes two minutes and makes me feel like I'm have a breakfast at a nice coffee-shop!

Youzz is a website where you can sing up to try out new things that come in the market and report your experience in your blog or on your social media. Yes, they send free stuff to try! Click HERE to sign up and become a Youzzer!

#Youzz #Youzzer #ManhasBaristaCreations

EAT | Amelia, Lisbon

A while back -- It was almost one year I go --  I went for brunch to the mecca of blogger -- Nicolau. And now I finally went to visit his girlfriend Amélia.

While Nicolau is located downtown, Amelia is literally up the hill, in Campo de Ourique. With just a hand full of tables, and cute and trendy decor, both these places are always full. I mean really full. Full of locals and tourists. I would dare to say that *these* have become a touristic attraction of the city.

Amélia is really cute. Outside, it has the most adorable pink awnings that are impossible to go unnoticed. The decoration in side, is really simple but really edgy. Being Amelia a girl of course all the decoration is very girly with touches of pastel pink. There's a small waiting room at the entrance, with a small couch and where you can find the famous Amelia Painting. You have a big counter where you can sit and eat if you want, and at the back you have two eating areas, one inside and another one outside. The decor inside is really similar to Nicolau's. It's the same style. Really really similar, but still cute.

Amelia's menu has a lot of options. I  don't remember exactly but I would dare to say that it's exactly the same as from Nicolau. We thought about asking for the brunch menu, but we ended up picking up a few of the different things that they offer, so that we could end up with a full table. The brunch menu there costs 15€ is a bit different than the ones I've been having. A side from one juice and one hot drink it include one pancake, a yogurt bowl, and an avocado toast. If you want eggs, you have to pay extra: 3€ for scramble, 5€ for Benedict. It doesn't come with a croissants, or mignardises. And since my thing are really the eggs I just decided to "mix and match" instead of going for the brunch menu. So we ordered: Egg Benedict, Eggs Nicolau, Fit Pancake and Regular Pancake w/ Maple Syrup. To drink I had a cappuccino and my friend opted for a Banana Milkshake.

The service was fast. I guess it has to be since they are always packed. The drinks came first, and they were OK. A cappuccino is a cappuccino. A milkshake is a milkshake. I liked the little personalized sugar packet that came with my cappuccino. It's a cute touch, and it makes a nice souvenir if you don't use it up.

Next came the food, and everything came at once. The eggs were OK. My friend really liked hers but they were not that special. She had Eggs Nicolau - two poached eggs on top of avocado toast sprinkled with turmeric granola. Looked pretty. My Eggs Benedict were average. The hollandaise was OK, the texture as good but it definitely lacked some flavor. The eggs come with some slices of **turky ham** that was as flaverul as a piece of paper, and it's served on top of an english muffin that needed to be toasted for a little bit longer. The eggs were well poached.

The pancakes were both really good and it was definitely my favorite part of the meal. My friends' Fit Pancake has made with buckwheat and it was covered with banana, strawberries and a drizzle of maple syrup. Mine, were just regular, simple pancakes hat came with a little dish of delicious maple syrup. In both cases, the actual pancake was not very sweet but it went really well with that earthy-sweetness of the maple syrup. I think this was the best part of the meal. Warm, sweet and fluffy.

Overall, this is type of place that is about good pictures and not good food. And this is the same feeling I had when I went to Nicolau. These places flood your social media feeds with amazing looking food, cute decor, but at the end they serve really over priced average food, that you could definitely replicate at home for a fraction of the price. A really small fraction. It's not bad food, don't get me wrong, but the quality of the food doesn't go with the quality of the space. They have all the trendy clichés on the menu that look awesome and cute on pictures -- chia pudim, bowls, avocado toast, green juice, Matcha... It's a photo op place. I just wish they applied as much attention to details to their food as they did to the decor. We left with some good photos tho.

EAT | Mushroom Risotto

One of my favorite things to eat is Risotto. Mushroom Risotto to be more specific. It's such a simple dish, but so heart-warming and cozy. I love to eat it just with a poached egg on top. And I have a fool-prof recipe, that you can make with just some pantry staples. 

- 100g of arborio rice (or any other short grain rice)

- 150g of sliced mushrooms (fresh is better, but canned also work)

- 1 Shallot

- 1 garlic

- 1 tea spoon of chopped parsley

- 1 table spoon of olive oil

- 1 table spoon of butter

- 1 cup of shredded cheese (mozzarella, emmental, parmesan -- whatever you have on hand)

- 1 Knorr Natura Chicken Stock Pot -- I don't like to use stock cubes, but if that's all you have, do it.

- 500 ml of water

- Tree table spoons of white wine

- Salt and Pepper

Start by heating up the water to dissolve your Knorr Chicken Stock Pot in. Just drop the content of the chicken stock pot on hot water and stir for a minute until it's fully dissolved.

Move on to finely chopping the shallot, the garlic and the parsley.

On a wide pan, on medium heat, add your butter and your olive oil and wait until the butter is almost melted. Add the shallot and the parsley. When the shallot is translucid add the garlic, the mushrooms and the pepper. Let the mushrooms cook for maybe 5 min, string once in a while so that nothing burns. When you feel like your mushrooms are cooked -- I always taste them -- add the rice. Keep string, and let the rice cook and absorb all the yummy-ness going on on that pot. Once you have pretty much no liquid, add the white wine and keep stirring The trick here is that you always need to stir the rice because string helps releasing all the starches that make a super creamy risotto. When all the wine is absorbed and you can't smell alcohol anymore, add two ladles of the stock to the rice and stir. Wait until most of the liquid is absorbed, add two more ladles of stock, and keep repeating this process until the rice is al dente or until you run of of stock -- (you wont tho, 500ml of stock is more than enough). When you feel like the rice is cooked, add the cheese. Add as much as you want, and as much as you like. There's no such thing as too much cheese.

Right at the end, taste the rice to check it for salt. Sometimes the stock or the cheese is really salty and you don't need to add any more salt, other times you may need to add some salt, so I always wait until the end to do it. And it's ready.

EAT | Dear Breakfast, Lisbon

Ok, I’ll admit. I’m into brunches. I absolutely love breakfast food and I to able to have - a lot of it — for lunch and not be judged it’s awesome. Eggs, Croissants, Cheese, Jam and Butter, all together, that’s my jam.

This time, my love for brunch took me to this lovely coffee in São Bento — Dear Breakfast.

Dear Breakfast has been on my list forever. It’s one of the first Brunch places I’ve hear about. And people talk really good about their eggs Benedict and their pancakes! I was drying to try it and last weekend I finally had the opportunity to visit it.

Dear Breakfast is small, like many of these trendy bunch places, but it didn’t had a 45 min line at the door -- They sat us down right away. Their menu is filled with all these different amazing things, but to keep it simple they only have one brunch menu that is designed to make you drunkenly roll out of your table. Yes, drunkenly. Because this menu includes three drinks that can be plain old orange juice, a Bloody Mary or -- my favorite -- a sparkly Mimosa. Trust me you can get DRUNK at 11 AM. And yes, it's awesome! If you follow my IG you may have seen some drunken stories. The menu also comes with a yummy french flaky croissant, perfectly toasted bread and they also give you a little dish of butter and jam for you to put eat as much as you want. The brunch menu gives you the option to chose between eggs or pancakes, but being the fat-ass I am, I asked for both and just payed the pancakes separately. I had their famous eggs Benedict and their sweet pancakes, with chocolate and fruit.

The croissant, the toast, the butter and the jam, where good. But you know, it's
bread. It feels you up so much. But the eggs. THE EGGS WERE AMAZING. They were perfectly poached, laid on top of some nice yummy crispy bacon, and covered with the most delicious zingy hollandaise sauce. I could go trough life only eating these eggs, really. They were so good. I asked for a cappuccino -- that was yummy, but all cappuccinos are yummy. And I had the three mimosas that I was entitled for. At the end we asked for the pancakes and that took a while to come, but since we had booze, we were fine. And it was so worth the wait. The pancakes were light but tall and fluffy, and they were covered with a rich dark chocolate that was so tasty and that just went perfectly with the sweetness of the fruits. Just perfect. My mouth is watering just from thinking about them. 

This was not not a cheap brunch -- well, but to be fair when is Brunch cheap? In fact, you could eat a full meal in a good restaurant with the money we paid, but it's worth it. You will be full, and drunk, that's for sure. And if you can splurge, do it. Do it once in a while. Go to one of these instagramable places and have cool yummy food. It makes you feel like a million bucks.

Best Eggs Benedict in Lisbon (?)

I have a mission --  to find the best Eggs Benedict in Lisbon. I've tried a few, but my favorites are the one from Dear Breakfast -- full post coming soon, with tons of pictures. Perfectly poached eggs, with crispy bacon on an English muffin, covered a really velvety, tangy hollandaise sauce. Very simple, and very yummy.

Where should I go next? Where can I eat the best Eggs Benedict in Lisbon?

EAT | Zero Zero, Lisbon

Even tho I love pizza and pasta, I haven't been to an Italian restaurant in a while. And Italian restaurants are that the most safe place you can go. You know you are going to have a good meal no matter what you ask for. It's the magic of Italian food.

We visited Zero Zero on a Saturday night, for dinner. We were around Parque das Nações, and we were looking for a place with vegetarian options and Zero Zero seemed like a great place to go.

We called in advance to book a table, and the staff told us that they don't accept reservations, but that didn't seem to be a problem because there were plenty tables available. We asked for a table outside, because it was a warm night and the sun was going down over the river... everything was just creating such a nice sunset ambiance, that honestly made our meal taste so much better.

After sorting the menu, where everything sounded extremely appetizing, I opted for the Spinach Ravioli while my friend went for a pizza. My ravioli were amazing! Really tasteful and perfectly cooked! They come with a really nice tomato sauce, extremely flavorful and velvety. I only wish there were more on my serving! My friend's pizza was so good, that I almost regretted not eating a pizza as well! The crust was thin and not too crispy, and the sauce really rich and flavorful! We asked for a bottle of wine and we ended up having to help and teach the girl on how to open the wine bottle because she didn't knew how to do it, but other than that the service was really good and the staff really nice. It's not a cheap restaurant but I it wasn't that expensive. It's a nice place to go and hang with some friends, talk about life or just have a nice romantic date. 

EAT | BEIJU TAPIOCARIA

Because looks don't last forever, all celebrities try to find other projects where they can get some revenue from. We see this a lot in the USA, celebrities branching out to clothing lines, perfumes, cosmetics, whatever. But here in Portugal the trend seams to revolve more around food --  Portuguese celebrities are opening restaurants. Some go for a more traditional, homey vibe, others for a more sophisticated type of food. And one in particular decided to open an unconventional fast food joint --  The Portuguese actress Rita Pereira felt in love with the Brazilian tapioca crepe Beiju and eventually ventured into opening her own chain of restaurants called Beiju Tapiocaria. Beijo is made from tapioca flower that when spread onto a heated surface melts together creating a dry thin crepe that can be stuffed with whatever you feel like. 

It took me a long time to go try one of her restaurantes. I don't really follow celebrities, so the fact that she is a celebrity and she opened a restaurant wasn't that thrilling at all. In fact, it was a turn down for me -- what does she know about food or running a restaurant?? Besides, I'd already tried tapiocas when I was on holiday in Brazil 10 years ago, so I wasn't that curious. But everybody was so hyped about this that I finally cave in.

Beiju offers both savory and sweet options, but I opted for the one with smoked salmon and cream cheese, a combination that I know it works and that I know I like. The crepe it self taste like nothing. Completely bland. So when you take a bit of the whole thing, you only taste the filling. It's good, but you know, it didn't blew my mind. This is was so average that I can't even find the words to describe it.  The menu costs 8€ and it includes a drink, chips or soup, and coffee. It's the right price for what you are getting and the best part were definitely the sweet-potato chips -- crispy and yummy! 

The best thing about tapioca is that it is extremely low in saturated fat, protein and sodium. So it makes it supper healthy. But also makes it taste like nothing. It's cooked with no fat at all, so all the fat and taste really comes from what you choose to put inside. Perhaps if I'd chosen a sweet one -- with Nutella or something like that -- I would be less disappointed. 

I'll admit that this is a good alternative to the regular fast food places you can usually find at the mall -- it's healthier and lighter. It's a good option as snack, but as a meal I felt like it was not satisfying enough.

Zomato Gold | Use my code CATYOL for 25% off !

A while ago I decided to subscribe Zomato Gold and I'm honestly very happy with this decision.

Zomato Gold is a service that gives you offers in some restaurantes, allowing you to eat out and save  some money.

There are two types of deals -- 1+1 meal or 2+2 drinks. This means they offer one dish if you get two, or two drinks if you get other two. Some restaurants offer the meal deal, others offer the drinks. But I don't think I've ever seen one that offers both (don't even know if that's possible).

The deal I feel it's more worth it is the one for meals. Two for the price of one it's a pretty good deal! This, of course, does not include meals to share, or buffet meals or all you can eat. Basically you need to oreder two separate dishes. And of course they always charge you the most expensive dish.

You can only use Gold on the same restaurant up to 8 times and all you have to do is to click on the Gold button on your app and let your waiter know you are using Gold when she comes to get your order.

This membership is not cheap, but it's always on sale! And if you use a referral code you get en extra 25% off and this way it defendente pays off. I think I paid 25€ for my one year subscription and I have already saved tree times that value. That's because I use Zomato Gold mostly to visit restaurants that otherwise I'd find too expensive.

Currently Zomato has a lot of Gold Partner Restaurants, serving all different types of food. One of my currently favorites is Prego D'Pescador in Parque das Nações -- serving very tasteful Portuguese food. Being already relatively cheap, using gold makes it a bargain! I've been there 4 times already and I've never been disappointed. Perfect for a casual lunch date. But if you want to try something fancier -- I'd suggest Akla at the 5 Star Intercontinental Hotel. Super expensive, but it's truly an exquisite experience -- just check out our fancy desserts!

Browse a little bit trough Zomato Website, check all the gold restaurantes, the prices, and do the math yourself. And if you think it would be worth it for you. And you can use my referral code to get 25% off the price. 

EAT | Taberna Belga, Braga

Francesinha -- or little french girl, in English.The very traditional Portuguese sandwich, meat packed, cheese covered and doused in a hot rich sauce. They say it's an adaption of the french croque-monsieur to the Portuguese taste, hence it's name. Although it has spread  all over the country, Porto -- and it's close surroundings -- is the traditional area of the Francesinha, however the best one I've ever had is little further north, in Braga.

Taberna Belga serves the best Francesinha I've ever tried in my life. You have to go there and try it for yourself. It's the best one ever. But be prepared to wait, because Taberna Belga always has a line at the door. ALWAYS, even though this restaurant is huge, and it has a LOT of tables it is always completely full. For lunch, or dinner. And unless you go super early or really late -- as we did -- you are going to wait. But trust me, it will be completely worth it.

This Francesinha is slightly different form the ones you eat in Porto -- and astonishingly different form the kind you can find here in Lisbon -- because the sauce is different. It's much richer, and ticker and intense. You can tell from the picture that even has a brighter red shade. It is very velvety and extremely of flavorful. I've been told that not everybody likes it because it has a stronger tomato base, and therefor it tastes more like tomato --  It reminded me of a lighter pizza sauce.The sauce was not spicy at all, contrarily to the Francsinha you eat in Porto who's sauce is always always hotter than hell. 

Usually I'm not able to eat one whole franchise on my own. It's just too much food -- but I ate the whole thing. And it was a very hot summer day! To help the Francesinha go down -- and to tone down the heat -- we order a really cold La Trappe Quadrupel, a Dutch dark strong beer. Oh yeah, Taberna Belga serves a variety of unusual beers. I'm usually not very fond of this type of beers but this one, because it has a nuttier flavor complements really well the richness of the Francesinha sauce.

EAT | Heim Café, Lisbon

It's strange how food plays such an important part in our lives. How we connect with other people over a plate of food. How we make amends by sharing food. And this time we decided to visit Heim Café, a super cool space, with amazing food, and always picture ready.

Hiem -- it means home in German, and that's exactly how you feel when you step food into this really small coffee shop in Santos -- you feel at home.

The space is really small, and the decor is really minimalist -- simple tables with a Nordic vibe, green plants and light shades.

It's always has a line at door, like all the other brunch places that are so trendy right now. And when I say always, I mean ALWAYS. It had a line when we arrived, and it had a bigger line when we left. We went around noon and we had to wait 45 min to get a table. Which was actually good because when we finally sat down, we were absolutely starving. The really hard task was choosing what to order. Everything on the menu sounds -- and looks --  extremely delicious! And since we were so hungry we ordered a lot of stuff.

After carefully reading the menu, I opted for the Yellow Brunch -- composed by toast, two fried eggs, bacon, sausage, some salad, tomatoes, beans, a waffle with nutella and nuts, yogurt with granola and orange juice --  and my friend had a mushroom toast and the Sunday Breakfast -- fried eggs, bacon, salad, tomatoes, beans and orange juice. And we also had two lovely cappuccinos.

And you what, for once, I have zero complaints about the food. Everything was delicious. My eggs were perfectly fried, and the yoke was still runny, the bacon was crispy and not soggy at all! The portions were huge! And what truly amazed me was that, this place was packed and always with a line at the door, but yet the food was so well prepared! I'm definitely going back!

EAT | Jamie's Italian, Lisbon

If I asked you to name a famous chef, I bet the first name comes to your mind is Jamie Oliver. He is the most famous chef from my generation. If you are a bit younger, you may not remember all his cooking shows, or 'Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution' -- a TV series where Jamie traveled around US and showed the world how trashy the food at schools is and how he tried to change that. 

Because of his success, Jamie launched a few restaurants. One of them being Jamie's Italian that, eventually has been franchised all over Europe. And of course, when I hear that one opened in Lisbon, I had to try it.

We went on a week night, like we always try to do when going to these trendy restaurants. It was easy to book a table with on a really short notice, and we were hoping we'd have a nice calm dinner experience. But that wasn't the case. The restaurant was packed full, noisy and super busy. 

But even so, we didn't have to wait. As soon as we arrived the maitre d showed us to our table, we sat, we looked around and we knew we were going to have a good experience.

We looked to the menu, where everything sounded delicious. We asked for a nice bottle of red wine and as a starter, we shared an Hot-Smoked Salmon Bruschetta with ricotta cheese, fennel and lemon. It was to die for. The creaminess of the ricotta, that zing of the lemon and the warmness of the salmon go really nice together. Really flavorful and really simple. Simple enough to recreate at home!

As for the main dishes, I opted for the Scallop and Prawn Risotto and my friend asked for the Lamb Chop Scottadito.

My risotto was lovely -- The rice was perfectly cooked, really creamy and rich. It had a few prawns and a few scallops. But it wasn't perfect. My scallops needed a few more seconds on each side, because they were lacking a bit of browning.

The lamp chops were super tasty, juicy and tender. They were, though, a bit overcooked. The center wasn't completely pink as it should. My friend said that I'm a food snob and that both of our dishes were perfect, and that I was being too picky. But excuse me if I was expecting perfection! We were paying good money for our food and don't take me wrong -- the food was extremely tasty -- but I was expecting more attention to this type of details.

And then it came the best part of the meal. I'm going to be honest with you -- one of the main reasons I wanted to go so badly was because I wanted to try Jamie's famous Epic Chocolate Brownie. And it is so good. It tastes like chocolate heaven! It comes with a scoop of salted caramel ice  ice-cream and a few lovely crunchy caramelized popcorn curdles, and I don't know how Jamie came up with this combination but it works in so many levels! It feels like a desert a kid would make -- you know, by mixing all the candy -- but it works! The different textures and the different temperatures turn this dessert into a melange of sensations in your mouth. My guy asked for the Amalfi Lemon Meringue Cheesecake that was also mind-blowing. It's like a cheesecake and a lemon meringue pie had a baby and the best of them combined into this amazing dessert.  The lemon curd was tangy and creamy, and it had a mountain of meringue perfectly cooked covered with an extremely rich blackcurrant compote. We asked for two deserts because we thought that maybe one desert wasn't enough to share... oh but they are! Both of our deserts were huge.

The restaurant was really noise the whole time we were there. And even tho it has a very romantic atmosphere, the noise really kills the mood. We were having troubles in understanding what we were saying across the table. But we really enjoyed the experience. The food was great, the wine was awesome, and the deserts made it worth it. And yes, I plan to go back and try all the other dishes on the menu.

EAT | Portugalia, Lisbon

Portugalia -- the beef institution of Lisbon. If there is an iconic place to go and have a nice stake, fries and yummy buttery sauce it's Portugalia.

90 years ago, when it first opened, Portugalia was a bear factory and a beer-house -- place where you'd go to have a few beers, have a good time and eat some good stakes and amazing sea-food.

With the passing of time, it has evolved to a nice sit down restaurant, with  locations, and more recently it has even franchised allowing you to eat some of it's famous dishes at some malls around Lisbon.

The oldest restaurant is in the heart of the city, right along one of the main streets of Lisbon -- Av. Almirante Reis. And it's a restaurant full of charm. An old building, with big windows and big doors. Just stunning. It's actually the original location of the factory and of the pub. If you haven't yet, you must visit it.

I'd say that there are 3 dishes that you really need to try here :

- the very traditionally Portuguese Açorda, a dish made with bread and prowns. Really creamy and full of flavor.

- the also very traditional Bacalhau à Bràs , with shredded codfish, shoestring potatoes, and onions all bonded with eggs. Amazingly creamy and delicious.

- And of course: their very famous Bife à Portugalia. A stake (you can chose beef, pork or chicken) with their traditional -- and secret -- sauce. And this is what I always have. Always, of course, with a nice cold draught beer.

The stake is served in a clay dish, covered with this shinny, velvety, yellow sauce perfect for you to deep your fries or a nice piece of bread. I always ask for mine medium-rare and of course with a fried egg. It's so tasteful and yummy and make me melt on the inside.

EAT | Rubro, Lisbon

Food with a friend is always a great idea. And if there’s something where I honestly don’t mind spending my money is on good restaurants. Having that, I am always looking for cool, tasteful places to eat.

Rubro is a nice cozy restaurant well know got their aged chuletón. Let’s all that aged beef is definitely the biggest trend in meat right now, there’s no how to avoid it. This restaurant has two location in the city, on in Campo Pequeno and another one near Av. da Liberdade. Be careful when booking — make sure you call the right restaurante. We made that mistake, but fortunately they were super nice about it.

-- I know the picture isn't the best, the lighting was shit, but you get the idea, right? --

We went on a week nigh — it was a Wednesday — and it was almost full. We had the chuletón of course, and let’s just say that we were not disappointed. The serving is for two, but it definitely serves more. The meet was cooked to a perfect medium-rare, just the way I like it. And The contrast of textures between the charred outside and the soft and warm inside was amazing. It was my first time having chuletón and I was impressed on how the same piece of meet can have so many textures and different flavors... the meet around the bone was sweeter, with a more intense flavor, than the rest of that gigantic piece of meet. We had a nice bottle of wine and baked potatoes as a side dish... I was craving sweet-potato fries but unfortunately they don’t have on the menu.

I got the feeling that this is a good place to go with a group of friends. The portions are big and ideal for sharing. And really perfect for a date. The dimmed lights make it cozy and romantic. And the good wine makes for an excellent ice breaker.

EAT | Nicolau, Lisboa

Although I love Portuguese pastry -- I mean, who can resist a warm, cinnamon covered, flaky Pastel de Nata or a traditionally Ham&Cheese toast soaked in butter -- but the truth is that sometimes I just crave staple american-style breakfast food that is not that common to have here, unless you go out for brunch. And this was one of those times.

I visited Nicolau with Girl in The Clouds. We get together once in a while to talk about life, shop, and eat tasty food. Nicolau is always busy and there is almost always a line at the door. The space is really cool, very well decorated, with some odd, quirky and vintage pieces. 

I opted for something that I'd been craving for a while -- Eggs Benedict, while the Girl in Clouds had a Bowl with red rice, avocado and chicken, that looked delicious. We both had a nice warm cup of Kusmi Tea.

My eggs were amazing. The hollandaise was velvety and creamy, and it tasted like lemon -- just the way I like it. The eggs were runny and just perfect. The only thing that I have to say is that the muffin wasn't tosted, and I like it better when it's toasted -- but that's just me being picky.

EAT | IL Mercato, Lisbon

A lot of people told me about this place... An Italian fresh-pasta restaurant, that only has pasta dishes. --there's no pizza here -- and where everything comes from Italy. Everything: the flower, the olive oil, the proscoiutto, the parmigiano-regiano... They don't sell Coca-Cola, for example, just juice and Italian soda. They only have Italian beer... The staff speaks Italian... You get the idea, it's supposed to make if you feel like you are in Italy. Oh and yeah, the menu is in Italian. 

It's a very charismatic restaurant, in a very charismatic place -- Patio Bagatela. I don't know if you've heard of this or not, but it's just a small nook, a small courtyard, that almost make you forget that you are just around the corner of one of the busiest thoroughfares of this city.

Inside the actual restaurant, they have a small traditional looking grocery store, where you can buy all kinds of Italian goodies. Inducing freshly made pasta that you can actually see the lady making and kneading it right over the counter. 

I ordered what I always order whenever I go to a new Italian restaurant -- Spaghetti carbonara alla romana. With real organic eggs. I love carbonara and I mesure the quality of an Italian restaurant by how good it's carbonara is. It's served on a large plate, and they grate fresh Parmesan and pepper right on top of it. It's so nice. The carbonara was creamy, cheesy and delicious. The pasta, for me, was a tiny bit over al dente... but I'm extremelly picky with pasta and I like it really under cook. But it was really really tasteful and comforting. I'm definitely going back -- the ravioli looked delicious!

EAT | La Boulangerie, Lisbon

Croissants are life. And I am always looking for the best croissants. So when The Girl In Clouds suggested us to go to this amazing boulangerie, I was damn excited. And there we went on a Sunday afternoon, to chat a bit about life.

We had tea, and of course, croissants. Both delicious. It's a really small space --  I mean REALLY small -- with only 3 tables inside! But the space is so cool! Specially because you can see directly into the kitchen. Yep, the kitchen it's completely open. They don't even have a glass -- just a counter separating the sitting area from the place where they make all kinds of delicious puffy treats. And this fills the space with that warm smell of freshly baked goods that just comforts your soul. 

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EAT | Delidelux, Lisbon

Last Saturday, me and The Girl In Clouds met up over a cup of tea. We went to Delidelux, an absolutely lovely place, on one of the most expensive streets of Lisbon, Avenida da Liberdade.

The space is small, but elegant and beautiful. Everything is very clean, minimalist and modern. We had a really hard time choosing what to order, because every item on the menu sounded divine, but we both ended up asking for bagels. I went for the classic smoked salmon and cream cheese filling, and she had butter and jam. We both had tea, because there's nothing better than an nice hot cup of tea on a winter day.

Now, I really want to go back there for brunch. I really want to try their Eggs Benedict! 

EAT | BAO, Lisbon

Being the weird person I am, whenever I see Ramen noodles, I just can't resist. I love the warmness of a nice bowl of hot, yummy, spicy noodles. And yes, this is the second time I talk about noodles here.

This place is called BAO Lisboa, and it's inside Amorerias Shopping Center. And although it has the configuration and logistics of a fast-food place -- you pay, you get a plastic tray, you get your food and you walk way -- it isn't. It's actually owned by the Sushic group, a chain of fancy-ass, expensive, mind blowing sushi restaurants. 

Their main hing are bao buns -- a type of steamed bread, used in various Chinese / Asian cuisines. It can be filled with so many different variations of ingredients, from meat, crab, vegetables, etc. I used to eat this when I was in Paris -- I used to go this Chinese place in Belleville, where everyone was Chinese, and where they had super cheap Chinese food, including an amazing Cha Siu Bao that only costed 1€. I used to go there all the time, and I would eat a bowl of rice and one of those hot meat filled bread balls and I had an amazing meal for 2€.

Anyhoo, this place has all different kinds of bao, but the day was gray and cold, and I was really in the mood for a nice yummy bowl of noodles. The noodle soup, is served in a big large ceramic bowl, with two asian style meat balls, soybean spouts and a perfectly poached egg. The broth is dark, deep, shinny, and full of flavor! It's good, makes me feel warm inside. It's not as good as the one from KOKORO but it's cheaper and much closer to work. It doesn't really have a lot of meat -- the two meat balls are rather small and if you need a lot of protein to go about your day, you are going to be hungry. It his very warm, and flavefoul. And gets even better with a few drops of Sriracha Sauce!