Porto, Portugal
Portugal has been the most pleasant surprise destination that I have ever experienced. Amidst the wavering Covid-19 conditions, self-inflicting workaholic tendencies, and approaching the precipice of a personal breakdown – I was desperate for an international holiday away from all the noise.
I got on the plane with little knowledge or expectations. My only hope was that the people would take pity on my Spanish until my Portuguese became less pathetic. Little did I know that Portugal would claim a piece of my heart and my eventual departure seemed unbearable. This trip was a 3 part adventure, with the first being Porto!
Day 1: My bestie Jacob and I landed in Lisbon and took a car to Porto arriving in the late evening. I quickly checked in at the Eurostars Heroismo, located in the Bonfim neighborhood. I was on my own for the night and wasted no time! I dropped off my luggage and was out the door by 9:15PM. Porto is incredibly safe, and at no point did I feel like I was irresponsible for being out and about on my own. I decided to eat at Postigo do Carvao, which is located by the Douro River about a 25-minute leisurely walk from my hotel. The bridge is beautifully lit at night and its reflection against the water was such an alluring sight. Bacalhau (codfish) and sardinha (sardine) are incredibly famous in Portugal, so naturally, my first meal consisted of:
Deep Fried Fish Cakes
Grilled Sardine
Grilled Codfish
Carafe of red wine
Yes… all for myself! GET ON MY LEVEL! The server was kind enough to give me a mini portion of fish cakes and a single grilled sardine (these were the full-size sardines, not the baby ones you fry and eat whole) since I was on my own. How sweet was that, I didn’t even ask!
I obviously overordered and was so stuffed, but he mentioned how he just loved the almond tart. I considered that suggestion as an intense twist of the arm and ordered it. Let me tell you — there wasn’t a single slice of almond left! The almond tart is a very famous Portuguese dessert that is not incredibly sweet, but 10/10 satisfying. Most menus offer it and they’re a little different each time, which only further encourages me to try them all.
As a slowly wandered back to my hotel, I noticed a bar (Meridians and Parallels) across the street from my hotel, looking low-key but full of personality. I walked in and was excited to see reasonable prices along with friendly faces. I ended up making friends with several locals, a lovely couple from France, and someone who recently relocated from San Francisco (who I later rendezvous with in Lisboa)! Randomly walking into this bar changed my life. I always hope to meet people when I travel because I really love hearing each person’s story and building a lifelong connection. There is something special about Porto. People are so genuine and look out for you. From the very first night, Porto felt like home.
Day 2: When traveling, especially internationally, I prioritize taking a cooking class. This is partially to learn new techniques and recipes, but more so to really dive into local culture and meet people. I seek private classes where we can go to marketplaces and design our own menu! I chose to book Cook in Ribeira through Viator. BEST DECISION (which I pretty much forced my bestie Jacob to partake in) because it led me to meet a gem of a human, Vitor, who I still keep in touch with.
We went to a local marketplace, Mercardo Municipal de Matosinhos, filled with fresh seafood and produce. The market offering was the catalyst to our menu for the day. As we waited for our seafood to be prepared, we were really engaged in a natural conversation with Vitor. He even insisted on buying us a round of drinks; it honestly felt like we were hanging out with family. I later mentioned how I was looking for canned seafood to bring home and he made a pitstop at O Mar na Lata for me, where I purchased exactly 27 cans of wonderfully priced canned seafood to take home and enjoy with my friends and family.
We were behind schedule and nobody cared. We reached the cooking studio and I marveled as Vitor immediately began making us a delicious aperitif using Vinho Verde to kick off our cooking party. I firmly believe your two hands are meant to have a cooking utensil in one hand and a beverage in the other!
Our menu consisted of Roasted Chorizo, Mussels a Bolhao Pato (Mussels with Lemon and Garlic), Cataplana De Peixe e Marisco (Seafood Stew), and Tarte de Amendoa (Almond Pie). Tooting my own horn here - Vitor said my Almond Tart was the best one he’s seen since pre-Covid and I was elated!
I saw and used an Assador de Chourico (Chorizo Roaster) for the first time - lighting food on fire? Yes, please! I also learned how to cook with a Cataplana, which is essentially a cooking vessel that is hinged on one side and operates as a natural pressure cooker. It’s great for seafood and stews! I was so obsessed with these that I purchased one of each from Vitor, the Cataplana wasn’t even for sale! He had one extra one and I insisted he sell it to me.
Truly this experience was one of the highlights of my trip, be sure to check out his class if you’re ever in the area. Experiences like this are what you make of it, immerse yourself in the local culture!
Later that evening, we had a reservation at Pedro Lemos. They’ve been around since 2009 and received its Michelin star in 2014. We paid about $200 per person including drinks, which, for a 1 Michelin star and all the food we got, is absolute insanity. Everything we had was amazing, and these descriptions don’t do it enough justice! Each dish was thoughtfully done with many components, and felt like it took hours to make! Truly it felt like each dish was a piece of art.
Amuse Bouche:
Macaron mushroom quail egg
Seaweed nori furikake tomato
Codfish potato egg yolk
Ten Course Dinner:
Cucumber with Salicornia and dill
Beetroot with buckwheat and macadamia nuts
Duck Foie Gras with peach and brioche
Squid with bull and artichoke
Bluefin Tuna with enoki and dashi
Turbot with asparagus and beurre blanc
Squab with lentils and artichoke
Beef with cabbage and chickpea
Cherry with almond and celery
Miso with match and lemongrass
Day 3: For breakfast (or any time of day really) you NEED to hit up as many bakeries as you can! In addition to the famous Pastel de Natas (Pastel de Belem if you’re from the south), there is a cornucopia of unique pastries that vary in ingredients to cook style, from city to city. In Porto, I noticed there were a lot of brioche-based pastries packed with deli meat goodness. I thank my lucky stars that I randomly walked into this bakery that morning because I never saw that specific pastry ever again!
If you are an avid reader, you probably appreciate a good bookstore. The Lello Bookstore is one of the oldest bookstores in Portugal, offering books in both English and Portuguese! They also have an adorable Harry Potter section that immediately made my heart melt. Rumor had it that the Harry Potter series was inspired by this bookstore. Unfortunately, it is not true! But it’s nice to dream, isn’t it? It IS true that J.K. Rowling spent time in Portugal and in this bookstore, though. The architecture is gorgeous, if you’re in the neighborhood, buy tickets in advance and check it out. The bookstore is located by Porto University, Praca de Lisboa, and Clerigos Church, so even if books aren’t your thing, it is a lovely walking area to explore.
Since we had more pastries than a normal human being probably eats for breakfast, we were more of a snacking mood when lunchtime rolled around. We decided to explore the alleyways in neighborhoods surrounding the Douro River and ended up at Restaurante Os Duques because we saw fresh fish in the front of the restaurant. We decided to try cod fritters and mini sardines, with a bottle of wine of course. The cod fritters turned out to be my favorite varietal because it was all fresh fish, no filler! The fried minis sardines allowed for easy consumption, in 2 bites instead of needing to remove bones! I can’t remember how much I enjoyed the wine, but I can tell you there was nothing left in that bottle.
Our last meal in Porto was at O Valentim (Trip Advisor), suggested by my cooking teacher and now friend, Vitor. He described this restaurant as a true local spot where the owners keep to themselves. He added that it is neither the most or least expensive place to dine but it his favorite meal. We ordered:
Codfish cake (Balles de Morue) Bolinhos
Octopus rice (Riz a la Pieuvre):
Grilled Sea-Bass / Bar Grille Robalo
Hands down Jacob and I still talk about this restaurant! There are multiple variations of codfish cakes throughout Portugal, but these ones were mixed with potato and deep-fried, little bites of heaven! This little strip of restaurants in Matosinhos, are known for their grilled fish; nearly every restaurant has a huge grill, right outside their front doors! Your fish of choice is grilled, deboned, and plated for you. The fish was freaking stellar, but what catapulted this meal to space for us, was the Octopus Rice. I didn’t know soupy rice was a thing! I am very thankful it is a thing. It’s so simple; literally slow-cooked, tender octopus pieces cooked with rice in a savory broth! Not gonna lie, I’ve been trying to recreate this rice dish ever since.
Once we wrapped up dinner, we took a walk along the Douro River one last time before I met up with my buddies at Meridians and Parallels. As I stepped into the bar one last time, I was so grateful for the last 3 days. I enjoyed cocktails, had ardent conversations, attempted (and failed) at playing the drums, sang, and danced my heart out with amazing people who saw and accepted me exactly as I was. It was a perfect ending to my last night in Porto and I miss them along with the city every day. Follow me to Coimbra for part 2 of my Portugal adventure!
