April 5, 2022
Lisbon
The last month has been occupied with moving Steven's parents into a seniors' residence with more care. Now that they are in, other siblings have come to help them get settled into their new home. As a result, we have not had much time to plan this trip. Thankfully, we left our bikes and most of our gear in Lisbon at the end of our fall 2021 trip, so planning, packing and travelling this time has been a breeze. Between the two of us we have only one carry-on bag which we will ditch on arrival and each of us has a small backpack that can be easily stashed in our panniers on the bikes. Happily this sets a new standard for us of almost being luggage-free. It's the way to go!
Lisbon on arrival was grey, cold, windy and damp, so we hunkered down to a hot breakfast in a fancy coffee shop on one of the pedestrian streets in the town centre in order to fortify ourselves for the ascent to our hotel. The Solar Do Castelo is at the top of the Alfama Barrio. So if you are ever in Lisbon and happening to be looking for a hotel in an 18th century mansion, having a courtyard with peacocks strolling about; with fantastic views of the Tagus River and the red roofs of Lisbon spread out before you; while also enjoying great views of the next door Castelo de S. Jorge; then Solar Do Castelo is waiting for you. Top that off with superb staff, a delicious breakfast and for us, a chauffeured ride to the storage facility the following morning, and well you can see why after spending four nights here at the end of our fall trip, we were eager to come again.
The staff let us check in early after our all-night flight and we immediately fell asleep. Several hours later we woke refreshed and starving for an early supper at the Cervejaria Ramiro Restaurante down the backside of the Alfama Barrio. Ann had recently read My Portugal: Recipes and Stories by George Mendes, chef and owner of the New York Michelin-starred Aldea (unfortunately it closed in 2020). Mendes makes a pilgrimage to Ramiro every time he comes to Lisbon. He wrote: "Ramiro is the place for killer seafood. They understand that the way to serve seafood is to source the best you can possibly find, get it as fresh as possible, and treat it simply. " We were keen to check it out.
There was already lots of patrons milling about the front of the restaurant when we arrived. No reservations are accepted, instead you register at an outside kiosk and wait for your number to be called. It turned out to be almost as entertaining outside of the restaurant as seated later inside. The dollies rolled in with crates of wine, the tourists mingled with locals and most entertaining was watching soccer fans roll out of the restaurant - slightly inebriated, wearing their team scarf as they headed off to a game to cheer on their home team. Finally our number was called and we were ushered in to a corner table with a bird's eye view of the bustling dining room. The tables are tightly lined up in rows so even though you have your own, it's not long before you are chatting with the people next to you, or continuing conversations with new friends you made while waiting outside.
The waiters are all male and look very professional in their blue and white pin-striped shirts. There are huge fish tanks along one wall where waiters reach in with their bare hands to haul out a large crab or lobster to get approval from customers before taking them in to the kitchen to be turned into dinner.
After reading about Mende's favourite dishes, we knew exactly what we wanted to try - Gamba shrimp caught off the Algarve Coast, a hundred miles south this morning; Bulhao Pato, fat little clams in vinho verde sauce; and Percebes, gooseneck barnacles that divers go dangerously deep in the waters to pluck the juiciest ones. The shrimp and clams are definitely familiar items but the Percebes, well it would be a first for both of us. By the way check out the pictures, the barnacles look like blackened ends of witches fingers! Would you eat them? Mendes says, "The key to all seafood dishes is to soak up the juices left on the plate with pao com manteiga, crusty hot buttered toast. It makes the seafood even better." Add to it a bottle of chilled white Portuguese wine and well, it was a sublime meal. The sweet shrimp were topped with just the right amount of coarse sea salt; the clams, covered in garlicky parsley butter, were succulent; and the barnacles delicious, steamed in sea water to retain their briny flavour. No one showed us how to eat the Percebes so we experimented, finally chewing down on the rubbery exterior until the meaty interior slid out. Wow, everything was fantastic!
We were not sure what to expect when we went to Ramiros but we headed home thoroughly enamoured by our first night's restaurant choice in Portugal. But we weren't done yet. Waiting in our room was a complementary bottle of bubbly (for repeat customers) along with the nightly Portuguese Pasteis de Natas (custard tarts) from the hotel. Yes, we are super happy to be back in Portugal. The forecast looks like it will be perfect weather for cycling this week. Obrigada to the weather Gods!
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You will love Portugal too. Enjoy reading your blogs and dream of one day maybe staying for a longer while in France like you.
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