Creme de Citron
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT
  • LIFESTYLE
  • TRAVEL
    • AMERICA
    • ASIA
    • EUROPE
    • OCEANIA
  • FOOD
    • EAT >
      • SAVOURY
      • SWEET
    • DRINK
    • FRUIT AND VEGETABLES CALENDARS
  • PHOTOGRAPHY
    • PRINTS

Visiting Portugal: Vilamoura

30/4/2013

16 Comments

 
Visiting Portugal: Vilamoura
Two weeks ago, I was enjoying some sunshine and relaxing time in Vilamoura, Portugal. And both sun and relaxation were had aplenty, as well as turning off the phones and catching up on reading.
I was really looking forward to also discover a new food culture since I had never been to Portugal before. The recommendations that were given to us at our hotel were clearly aimed at tourists and I was not going to have any of it. I do not like the idea of traveling to another country and not try the local cuisine. My idea of a holiday in a South European country is not to end up eating Chinese, Italian, Indian, French or Irish meals.
Thankfully, E. and I were really lucky with our food discoveries.
Visiting Portugal: Vilamoura
Visiting Portugal - Eating Traditional Portuguese Food in Vilamoura
On our first day in Vilamoura, we were looking for a lovely place with Portuguese food for dinner. The restaurant we were sent to was meant to be Portuguese-International, but with beef stroganoff and lasagna on the menu, we were not so impressed. We decided to start walking towards another area of the town but quickly stumbled upon the most lovely little restaurant. It is called A Taberna Casa de Petiscos (petiscos stand for tapas).
Just imagine a small restaurant with long tables covered in red and white gingham table cloths, a menu filled with lots of small dishes to try, and most of all the most welcoming atmosphere!
We ended up eating there every day and each time we ate different things. Upon arrival, a lovely basket of fresh bread, olives and homemade tuna spread are laid out to get you started and to leave you some time to choose a few dishes. The very friendly manager Othelo shared with us his passion for food and fresh products. His enthusiasm for Portuguese cuisine was very contagious. All the dishes served in this restaurant have mainly an inspiration from the North of Portugal, and everything is made from scratch by a couple of chefs in the kitchen.
We got to try a lot of small dishes: sopa massada de cherne (fish soup), sopa da pedra (stone soup, a lovely rustic and homely soup with beans, potatoes, beef and pieces of sausages), fried horse mackerels, the most delicate and delicious homemade potato crisps, succulent pork tenderloin cooked with little pieces of pickled vegetables, delicious little codfish galettes, prawns omelet, etc. And the dessert we ate each time: arroz doce, a beautiful creamy rice pudding sprinkled with cinnamon powder.
This little restaurant is right in the middle of Vilamoura near the Marina and I would highly recommend it. Not only it is delicious there but it is good value too. And most of all, Othelo and the friendly staff were so wonderful to us that they really made us feel at home. One of the waitresses, Sue (a lovely British lady who has been living in Vilamoura for 25 years), even gave us some lovely recommendations for the farmers market, fish market and where to find some absolutely scrumptious pastries.
Visiting Portugal: Vilamoura
Visiting Portugal - Bacalhau at Quarteira Farmers Market
On Wednesdays, in Quarteira (which is a small town attached to Vilamoura beside the marina), there is the farmers market. We decided to make our way there early after our long morning walk. It was just so wonderful, all I wanted to do was stock up on a lot of fresh ingredients but I had to remind myself it was not possible. The market was a real feast for the senses: amazing colours everywhere, the smell of dried and salted codfish (bacalhau), putting your fingers through the many bags of dried beans and seeds, the sound of live partridges being bought by restauranteurs, and the taste of herbs, cheeses and chouriço (Portuguese chorizo).
Despite the fact I could not buy a lot of the fresh products such as sausages, fruit and vegetables, and beautiful cheeses, I still managed to bring back a tiny bag of items: some wonderful dried oregano, tiny dried chillies, and a small jar of piri-piri sauce. My story with the piri-piri in Portugal is quite amusing for others (by others I actually mean E.). I did not realise how spicy this is and on our first day I added too many drops of it to my soup. It resulted in tears pouring out of my eyes and me coughing a lot. This stuff is hot hot hot!! (Honestly, I only put something like 7 drops when it should have been a couple...)
Visiting Portugal - Piri Piri Sauce at Quarter Farmers Market
Visiting Portugal - Food at Quarteira Farmers Market near Vilamoura
Visiting Portugal - Eating Brazilian Lua de Mel in Vilamoura
May I say there are also some delicious little sweet things in Portugal! We were very lucky that Sue gave us two good tips for pastries. The first one was a wonderful pastry shop in front of the sea. It is called Pastelaria Beira-Mar and has little cakes that are to die for. I cannot really show you the said cakes since: first of all, I could not take pictures inside; second of all, the cakes were eaten really fast. We tried the famous pastel de nata (Portuguese egg tart) which was so lovely, and also had a little almond tartlet and a delicious piece of marzipan.
The second one was about the small cafe next door to A Taberna where they sell little cakes too but most of all, where the Brazilian chef makes his famous cakes lua de mel everyday. Lua de mel translates for honeymoon. It is a Brazilian dessert: a small ball of sponge cake filled with caramelised condensed milk and covered in shredded coconut. It was like a wonderful little piece of heaven and went really well with a refreshing pear nectar for an afternoon snack.

It is well worth it when you visit a new country to be curious about its culture and its food!

***************************************************************************************************
This blog post is dedicated to Othelo and the staff of A Taberna Casa de Petiscos, some really wonderful and welcoming people.
I also want to thank French Foodie In Dublin for lending us her guide book so we had an idea of the Portuguese culture and could learn a bit of the Portuguese language. Obrigada!
***************************************************************************************************
16 Comments
Johnny Parker link
30/4/2013 06:02:30

What a great post, very good

Reply
Yolène link
1/5/2013 03:32:31

Thank you so much Johnny!

Reply
la domestique link
30/4/2013 09:44:37

I'm jealous- your trip looks and sounds wonderful! How lucky that you found such a good restaurant and got some tips from a local.

Reply
Yolène link
1/5/2013 11:28:03

Very lucky indeed, it makes for a great relaxing holiday for sure!

Reply
julie link
30/4/2013 12:43:50

So lovely to think of a few days in the sunshine and exploring a new place after such a long winter - beautiful post :)

Reply
Yolène link
1/5/2013 11:31:27

Thank you Julie! I wish I had brought back the sunshine and all the beautiful things back home with me :)

Reply
Cyndie link
30/4/2013 18:39:50

Beautiful photos, LOVE THEM!!!! I have shared on Europe in a Box Pinterest, I'll also share on Twitter and FB. I have never been to Portugal but my parents often go and love it. It looks like you had a great time!

Reply
Yolène link
1/5/2013 11:33:23

Merci beaucoup Cyndie! I hope you get to visit it on one of your trips back home (even though it's a long way from Australia), it is just so wonderful and warm there!

Reply
French foodie in Dublin link
30/4/2013 23:42:30

Beautiful! Made me want to head to Portugal right now. You're welcome for the book and thanks for the mention.

Reply
Yolène link
1/5/2013 11:37:10

Merci Ms FFID! Yes, that's the problem with beautiful places we read about, either we want to go there immediately or go back as soon as we have landed home :)

Reply
Rebekah link
1/5/2013 10:45:19

Looks beautiful!!

Reply
Yolène link
1/5/2013 11:37:49

Thank you so much Rebekah!

Reply
Vanessa link
7/5/2013 13:38:52

Thank you very much !

Reply
Yolène link
11/5/2013 10:36:33

You are very welcome! Spent a great time in A Taberna :)

Reply
João Cordeiro
20/6/2013 17:28:35

As a Portuguese I fell very proud that someone would really try to discover what being a Portuguese really is and immerse yourself in our culture. Not many people go to the markets or try to go to "non-turists" restaurants , they usually just enjoy the sun and leave without really knowing the culture. Glad I read this and good travels!

Reply
Yolène link
27/6/2013 04:39:29

Thank you João! I actually make a point of discovering the culture of a country when I visit it. As for food, I really prefer eating like the locals do as it usually is the best food around.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Hello! I’m Yolene, a French blogger based in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
    Welcome to my blog Crème de Citron. This is where I share lifestyle, travel and food stories.

    Copyright © Yolene Dabreteau, unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved.
    Content and images cannot be used without my permission.


    FRUIT AND VEGETABLES CALENDARS
    Fruit and Vegetables in Season Calendar


    Enter your email address to follow my blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.


    RSS Feed


    CATEGORIES

    All
    America
    Asia
    Autumn
    Beverage
    Christmas
    Dessert
    Europe
    Fruit And Vegetables Calendars
    It's Saturday!
    Lifestyle
    Oceania
    Recipe
    Savoury
    Sweet
    Travel
    Winter

Content, text and photography are protected by Copyright © Yolène Dabreteau - All rights reserved.