Category Archives: Portugal Please

Portugal Please: Até Logo

Posted on 2014-04-23 by tikichris

If you’re into engaging with friendly salt-of-the-earth folks in a beautiful and largely rural setting, Portugal should be at the top of your list of destinations. Continue reading →

Posted in Drink, Food, Portugal, Portugal Please, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, Wine | Tagged alentejo, centro de portugal, douro, douro valley, douro wines, Drink, Festival of Food, fly tap, Food, Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto, Maria Cabral, o porto, Patrícia Martins, port, porto, portugal, Portugal Please, portuguese wine, restaurants, road trip, Shopping, Silvia Aires, TAP Portugal, Travel, travel blog, Turismo do Alentejo, Visit Centro de Portugal, wine | Leave a comment

Portugal Please: Comporta Comfort Food at O Zé

Posted on 2014-04-23 by tikichris

One last lunch, one last chance to take in all the yummy hospitality I’d come to expect while travelling through Portugal – a stop in the seaside town of Comporta en route to the airport in Lisbon yielded one of the best meals I had during my stay in the country. With an emphasis on serving traditional dishes from Alentejo using fresh, local, sustainably sourced, and mostly organic ingredients – the family owned O Zé Restaurante Lounge pleased my palate and ensured I headed back London satisfied to be sure yet already longing to return for more festive feasting. Continue reading →

Posted in Drink, Food, Portugal, Portugal Please, Restaurants, Shopping | Tagged alentejo, Alentejo Festival of Food, coast, Comporta, Drink, Festival of Food, Festival of Food and Wine, Food, gelato, Padaria, portugal, Portugal Please, PORTUGUESE FOOD, road trip, seafood, Shopping, sunvil, Sunvil Festival of Food, Traditional Alentejan Bakery, traditional alentejan restaurant, traditional alentejan seafod, Travel, travel blog, whisky | 1 Comment

Portugal Please: Padaria Joana Roque, Traditional Alentejo Bakery

Posted on 2014-04-22 by tikichris

Instant Grandma! That’s what I got my final morning of my Portugal Please road trip when I dropped by the a traditional home bakery in the village of Vidigueira where Joana Roque’s been baking the same bread in the same method for more than 40 years. Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Portugal, Portugal Please, Shopping, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged alentejo, Alentejo Festival of Food, bakery, Bakery Joana Roque, Bakery Padaria Joana Roque, baking, beja, bread, crème brûlée, Drink, Festival of Food, Festival of Food and Wine, Food, Gracinda Palma, Joana Roque, Padaria, Padaria Joana Roque, portugal, Portugal Please, PORTUGUESE FOOD, road trip, Shopping, sunvil, Sunvil Festival of Food, Traditional Alentejan Bakery, Travel, travel blog, Vidigueira, wood fired oven | 2 Comments

Portugal Please: Herdade da Malhadinha Nova

Posted on 2014-04-21 by tikichris

My Portuguese adventure coming to a close, I was left with only one more night to savour before flying back to Blighty. Good thing my last night was in an absolutely fantastic setting! Otherwise, I might have started to doubt for a second the hospitality show to me throughout this lovely little country as well as the foodie expertise that’d gone into the execution of my Festival of Food itinerary. As the trip unfolded though, I never once questioned the restorative benefits of my adeptly planned week-long ramble through Portugal. Indeed, I arrived back home eager to share the stories of my time abroad. The story I’m sharing today is one of a luxury homestead that’s an easily recommendable destination: Herdade da Malhadinha Nova. Continue reading →

Posted in Drink, Food, Hotels, Luxury, Portugal, Portugal Please, Restaurants, Travel, Wine | Tagged alentejo, Alentejo Festival of Food, beja, Chef Joaquin Koerper, crème brûlée, Drink, farm, Festival of Food, Festival of Food and Wine, Food, Herdade da Malhadinha, Herdade da Malhadinha Nova, hotel, Hotel Flor da Rosa, Hotel Pousada Flor da Rosa, hotels, Joaquin Koerper, luxury, Malhadinha, portugal, Portugal Please, PORTUGUESE FOOD, portuguese wine, pumpkin ice cream, quinto, red wine, restaurants, road trip, Shopping, sunvil, Sunvil Festival of Food, Travel, travel blog, vineyard, wine, winery | 2 Comments

Portugal Please: Evocative Evora

Posted on 2014-04-20 by tikichris

Leaving the Almojanda farm, I hit the open road for an afternoon in UNESCO World Heritage city of Evora. The hour and a half drive was pure scenic joy. I’d been to Evora before years ago and getting to go back there was a treat – and something I’d be happy to repeat several times over. Indeed, when talking with the Sunvil folks about the design of my Festival of Food itinerary I specified that I was especially keen to stop in Evora. Continue reading →

Posted in Drink, Food, Portugal Please, Portugal Pleases, Restaurants, Travel, Wine | Tagged alentejo, Alentejo Festival of Food, alentejo food, Capela dos Ossos, evora, Evora chapel of bones, evroa, Festival of Food, Festival of Food and Wine, Fialho, Food, O Fialho, ossuary, portugal, Portugal Please, PORTUGUESE FOOD, red wine, road trip, sunvil, Sunvil Festival of Food, Travel, travel blog, UNESCO, unesco world heritage site, wine | 1 Comment

Portugal Please: Delicious Diterra and Tasty Terrius

Posted on 2014-04-19 by tikichris

Another day, another delicious opportunity to have a taste of the Festival of Food offerings in the Alentejo. Before leaving the Portalegre area, I spent my morning at the family-run Almojanda farm sampling a variety of products from its own Diterra range (under the brands of Almojanda and Fadista) as well as items from Terrius, another food producer from up the road about 20 kilometres in Marvão. Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Portugal, Portugal Please, Shopping, Travel | Tagged alentejo, Alentejo Festival of Food, alentejo food, almo janda, Almojanda, crato, diterra, Fadista, farm, farm shop, Festival of Food, Festival of Food and Wine, Food, marvao, mustard, olive oil, olive pate, OLIVES, pepper mustard, portalegre, portugal, Portugal Please, PORTUGUESE FOOD, road trip, Shopping, sunvil, Sunvil Festival of Food, Teresa Mendes, terrius, Travel, travel blog, wine | 2 Comments

Portugal Please: Eggs-cellent Time in Portalegre

Posted on 2014-04-19 by tikichris

Next on my Portugal Please road trip itinerary was the southern and sunny region of Alentejo where the appetising promise to “road test” the new Festival of Food offering from British tour operator, Sunvil, lay ahead. First stop in this gorgeous land of cork farms and vineyards … of ancient Moorish ramparts and prim churches hiding grandiose interiors … was the hilltop border town of Portalgre where I arrived just in time to attend the annual and eggy Feira de Doçaria Conventual for a taste of traditional sweets from the region and more. Continue reading →

Posted in Drink, Easter, Food, Hotels, Luxury, Portugal, Portugal Please, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, Wine | Tagged alentejo, Alentejo Festival of Food, baroque, crato, custard, Drink, easter, Feira de Doçaria Conventua, Festival of Food, Festival of Food and Wine, Flor da Rosa, Food, Hospitallers, hotel, Hotel Flor da Rosa, Hotel Pousada Flor da Rosa, hotels, luxury, Order of Malta, portalegre, portugal, Portugal Please, PORTUGUESE FOOD, portuguese wine, pousada, Pousada Flor da Rosa, restaurants, road trip, Shopping, sunvil, Sunvil Festival of Food, Travel, travel blog, wine | 1 Comment

Portugal Please: Coimbra

Posted on 2014-04-18 by tikichris

Capital of Portugal during the Middle Ages with a historic UNESCO World Heritage Site university established in 1290 (making it the fifth oldest in the world), Coimbra is a city steeped in age old tradition yet imbued with a youthful spirit. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Drink, Food, Graffiti, Hotels, Luxury, Portugal, Portugal Please, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, Wine | Tagged Amália Rodrigues, Art, bar, baroque, Biblioteca Joanina, Café Santa Cruz, centro, centro de portugal, centrol, coimbra, Dão wine, Drink, fangas, Fangas Mercearia, Fangas Mercearia Bar, Food, Graffiti, hotel, Hotel Quinta das Lágrimas, hotels, library, luxury, Mercearia, pedro and ines, petiscos, portugal, Portugal Please, PORTUGUESE FOOD, portuguese wine, Quinta das Lágrimas, red wine, restaurants, Shopping, street art, sunvil, tapas, Travel, travel blog, UNESCO, unesco world heritage site, University of Coimbra, wine | 1 Comment

Portugal Please: Suckling Pig Paradise, Bairrada

Posted on 2014-04-18 by tikichris

From Aveiro, I drove south to the town of Mealhada for a meal that had me squealing with piggy delight. Mealhada and its region of Bairrada (still within the greater region of Centro) seem to be the suckling pig capital of the world, where the main drag through town is lined with restaurant after restaurant boasting leitão à Bairrada (as suckling pig is called there). For my feast, I paid a visit to one of the most popular and best established eateries, the rather prosaically named Restaurante Típico da Bairrada. Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Drink, Food, Portugal, Portugal Please, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, Wine | Tagged Bairrada, Bairrada wine, Casa de Santar Reserva, centro, centro de portugal, centrol, Dão, Dão Sul, Dão wine, design, Drink, Encontro 1, Food, Global Wines, Global Wines/Dão Sul, hotel, Leitão, Leitão à Bairrada, mealhada, pork, portugal, Portugal Please, PORTUGUESE FOOD, portuguese wine, QdoE, Quinta, Quinta do Encontro, red wine, Restaurante Típico da Bairrada, restaurants, Shopping, sparkling red wine, sparkling wine, suckling pig, sunvil, Travel, travel blog, wine, winery | 4 Comments

Portugal Please: Charming and Cheeky Aveiro

Posted on 2014-04-17 by tikichris

Know as the “Venice of Portugal,” Aveiro is an attractive little coastal canal-crossed town in the Centro region of Portugal. I spent a couple of days in this part of the country, marvelling at how awesome the region was yet how largely undiscovered by tourists it seemed to be. Pretty, walkable and full of lovely shops, bars and restaurants, Aveiro was a particularly fine place for my introduction to the area. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Design, Drink, Food, Hotels, Portugal, Portugal Please, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, Wine | Tagged Art, art nouveau, aveiro, caldeirada, centro, centro de portugal, centrol, design, Drink, Food, hotel, Hotel Moliceiro, hotels, O Bairro, o bairro restaurante, ovos moles, ovos moles de aveiro, portugal, Portugal Please, portuguese fish stew, PORTUGUESE FOOD, portuguese wine, restaurants, seasfood, Shopping, sunvil, Travel, travel blog, venice of portugal, wine | 3 Comments

Portugal Please: Amarante Quickie

Posted on 2014-04-17 by tikichris

Halfway between Provesende and Porto (or at least that’s how it seemed riding around in the press trip van), is Amarante. Like so many of the places I visited in Portugal, Amarante was sweet, cosy and somewhat kitsch without ever crossing over into being twee or cloying. With the others in my party needing to catch and flight (and me with a tight road trip itinerary of my own), I was really only in Amarante long enough for a short walk and (of course) a tasty snack. However, I saw enough to know I would love to return and reckon if you’re thinking about visiting Porto or the Douro Valley, you’d be wise to consider a stop in Amarante too. Continue reading →

Posted in Drink, Food, Portugal, Portugal Please, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, Wine | Tagged Adega Kilowatt, amarante, bar, Confeitaria da Ponte, discover the origin, doçaria conventual, douro, douro valley, douro wines, Food, o porto, O Vale do Douro, port, porto, portugal, Portugal Please, portuguese, portuguese cuisine, PORTUGUESE FOOD, portuguese wine, restaurant, restaurants, road trip, romanesque, Shopping, Tâmega River, Travel, travel blog, Vale do Douro, wine | 1 Comment

Portugal Please: Morgadio da Calçada

Posted on 2014-04-16 by tikichris

Situated atop a plateau yielding (yet more) beautiful panoramic views of the Douro River and its undulant valley, the tiny ancient village of Provesende was my final stop in the area. Here I took a quick wander round the village and a proper snoop inside 17th century mansion (with contemporary accommodations) Morgadio da Calçada. Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Drink, Food, Hotels, Portugal, Portugal Please, Restaurants, Travel, Wine | Tagged discover the origin, douro, douro valley, douro wines, Food, hotel, hotels, Morgadio da Calçada, o porto, O Vale do Douro, port, porto, portugal, Portugal Please, portuguese, portuguese cuisine, PORTUGUESE FOOD, portuguese wine, provesende, Quinta, red wine, restaurant, restaurants, road trip, Shopping, Travel, travel blog, Vale do Douro, village, vineyard, vintage port, white wine, wine, wine cellar, wine maker, winery | 2 Comments

Portugal Please: Even More Douro Valley Quintas

Posted on 2014-04-16 by tikichris

No, I didn’t just lounge around at a couple of scenically situated hotels while in the Douro (although, that would be a terrifically recuperative way to spend one’s time). When I wasn’t enjoying my stay in the luxury laps of Quinta do Vallado and Quinta Nova, I was bopping all over the rest of the valley trying to visit as many different vineyards as possible – and loving every minute of it. Here are a few brief notes about the rest of the Douro Valley quintas I visited, including Quinta do Crasto, Quinta da Pacheca, Quinta do Panascal and Quinta do Seixo. Continue reading →

Posted in Drink, Food, Hotels, Portugal, Portugal Please, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, Wine | Tagged 30 Year Old Tawny, discover the origin, douro, douro valley, douro wines, Fonseca, Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port, Fonseca Port, Food, hotel, hotels, Late Bottle Vintage, LBV Port, o porto, O Vale do Douro, port, porto, portugal, Portugal Please, portuguese, portuguese cuisine, PORTUGUESE FOOD, portuguese wine, Quinta, Quinta da Pacheca, quinta da pacheca 30 Year Old Tawny, Quinta do Crasto, Quinta do Panascal, Quinta do Seixo, Quinta do Seixo Wine Centre, red wine, restaurant, restaurants, road trip, sandeman, Shopping, Tavora River, Travel, travel blog, Vale do Douro, vineyard, vintage port, white wine, wine, wine cellar, wine maker, winecaching, winery | 1 Comment

Portugal Please: Quinta Novo de Nossa Senhora do Carmo

Posted on 2014-04-16 by tikichris

A lovingly restored 18th century manor cum 21st century four star hotel and the centrepiece of a lofty patchwork of vineyards rolling down to the Douro River: Quinta Novo de Nossa Senhora do Carmo was my home for a night. Leaving Vallado for a full-on day of winery visits around the Douro, my second evening in this idyllic valley wound down in equal parts elegance and comfort. Continue reading →

Posted in Drink, Food, Hotels, Portugal, Portugal Please, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, Wine | Tagged Chef Jose Pinta, Clã Special Reserve Port, discover the origin, douro, douro river boat rides, douro valley, douro wines, Food, geocaching, Grainha Reserve, Grainha Reserve 2012, hotel, o porto, O Vale do Douro, port, porto, portugal, Portugal Please, portuguese, portuguese cuisine, PORTUGUESE FOOD, portuguese wine, Quinta, Quinta Nova, Quinta Nova Reserva 2012, Quinta Novo de Nossa Senhora do Carmo, red wine, restaurant, restaurants, road trip, Shopping, Travel, travel blog, Vale do Douro, vineyard, vintage port, white wine, wine, wine caching, wine cellar, wine maker, winecaching, winery | 1 Comment

Portugal Please: Sniffing Around Quinta do Vallado

Posted on 2014-04-15 by tikichris

After a quick sightseeing jaunt and overnight stay in Porto, I was off to the Douro Valley for a few days of scenic sipping. My first night there, I had the ultra-luxe pleasure of spending some time – and a very restful night – at Quinta do Vallado. To put it plainly, I loved everything about this place. It hurt a little to have to leave and I’m aching to return for another chance to admire in situ this wine hotel’s blend of tradition with modern design; savour more of its homey food; and, of course, enjoy its fabulous wines. Continue reading →

Posted in Drink, Food, Portugal, Portugal Please, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, Wine | Tagged Adelaide Vintage Port, Antónia Ferreira, discover the origin, Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, douro, douro valley, douro wines, Food, Francisco Ferreira, hotel, Muscatel Galeg, o porto, O Vale do Douro, port, porto, portugal, Portugal Please, portuguese, portuguese cuisine, PORTUGUESE FOOD, portuguese wine, Quinta, Quinta do Vallado, red wine, Reserva Branco, restaurant, restaurants, road trip, Sausa, Shopping, tawny port, Travel, travel blog, Vale do Douro, Vallado, vineyard, vintage port, white wine, wine, wine cellar, wine maker, winery | 3 Comments

Portugal Please: Porto

Posted on 2014-04-15 by tikichris

My Portugal Please tour commenced in the compact and cosy city of Porto, which proved to be an excellent gateway to the Douro Valley and a fine place to visit in and of itself. If you’re looking for somewhere to visit for a city break, Porto is only a two hour flight away from London with plenty to see and do and eat and drink and browse and buy. Here are some highlight from my all too brief time there. Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Drink, Food, Hotels, Portugal, Portugal Please, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, Wine | Tagged 1969 Single Harvest Tawny, beer, cheese, discover the origin, douro, douro valley, douro wines, Food, Gaia, Graham's Port, Graham’s, Graham’s 20 Year Old Tawny, hotel, Hotel Teatro, Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto, IVDP, Mercearia das Flores, o porto, port, port cellar, porto, portugal, Portugal Please, portuguese, portuguese cuisine, PORTUGUESE FOOD, portuguese wine, restaurant, restaurants, road trip, Shopping, sovina, sovina beer, Sovina Cerveja Artesanal, tawny port, trael, Travel, travel blog, Vila Novo de Gaia, vinum, Vinum at Graham’s, wine, wine cellar, wine maker, winery | 4 Comments

Portugal Please: Wão. What a Trip!

Posted on 2014-04-14 by tikichris

Does it ever seem like far too many folks are stuck in the same tired rut of a far too well beaten path, only hitting a few main sites in a short selection of only a few Western European countries – namely Spain, France, and Italy – and never realising that there’s so much more to explore just as close, just as scenic, just as steeped in tradition … and often accessible at far greater value than most of the EU? Not you and me though. We’re going to Portugal! Continue reading →