Hello, Everybody!
Growing up in a country where it was colonized by the Spaniards for 377 years made me more exposed of Spanish inspired food – paella, for example. As a matter of fact, I won’t get tired of eating paella everyday. That’s how much I love the dish!
After visiting the Rossio Sqaure, Peter and I decided to grab some dinner – a traditional Portuguese food, of course. We settled in a restaurant located in a quiet street of the same area of the square – simply the perfect spot to sit down, relax and catch up.
As I flipped through the menu, my eye caught a resemblance of the famous Spanish seafood paella! Without hesitation, I ordered for it! It is called Arroz de Marisco – a Portuguese seafood rice!
Arroz com Marisco is a signature Portuguese seafood and rice dish combining mussels, prawns, and clams. It is like Spanish paella but a bit more like a stew. It tastes really good and by far the best Portuguese food for me.
Peter, on the other hand, ordered Cataplana de Marisco.
Cataplana is a Portuguese seafood dish originating in the southern region of Portugal in Algarve. It may look unusual but it is delicious!
Named after the cookware in which it is prepared – a clam-shaped dish that’s traditionally made of copper – the cataplana whose origin is linked to the presence of Arabs from North Africa in the Algarve many centuries ago.
After dinner, the restaurant was generous to offer a complimentary port wine. It was my first time again to try. And all I can say was, “Hhmmm… I like it!”. At the back of my mind, my current favorite, South Africa’s pinotage, has already been replaced by Portugal’s port wine.
Port wine (also known as vinho do Porto) is a Portuguese fortified wine, typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, though it also comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties. Oh well, I got a new favorite!
Here we are, sitting outside the restaurant, enjoying the Portuguese food for the first time. We only had one chance of picture taking and it was very unlucky that Peter unintentionally closed his eyes. =)
We highly recommend that you will try these dishes. You will never regret!
– Peter & Glauce
PG Escapades 