Embark on a delectable journey through Portugal with us, where every bite tells a story and every destination unfolds a new chapter in the rich tapestry of this culinary and cultural paradise.
Our journey begins in Lisbon. We have chosen the Avenida Palace hotel to start our journey. this hotel is located in the Rossio area which is fabulous by the way. You can walk to many attractions including the main train station. All the high end shops are along the Liberdade Avenue....On a side note about our hotel, they have a wonderful bar on the main floor that offers specialty drinks and story telling by the barkeeps and the prices were decent too for beer and wine averaging around $4-5 Euro's for a standard drink and specialty winter cocktails were $14 Euro.
Our first dinner we decided to dine on the recommendation of our driver at the 4* Pinoquio restaurant on via Liberdade. It was very busy but we seated in the patio in no time. We chose to share a bottle of local wine and Paella. A lesson we learned quickly here about dining outdoors in Portugal is everywhere there is cobblestone hence a wobbly table. So hold on to your vino while dining or it might end up on you. Dinner that evening was aprox $40 Euro per person for an starter, main and bottle of wine.
Breakfast at the Avenida Palace was on the 2nd floor of this charming hotel. They offered many options such as eggs, bacon, vegetables, a juice station, yogurts with various toppings, variety of bread, cheeses, hams. Crossaints, rice pudding and many other sweet options. They bring you your coffee in your own beautiful caraffe. Although it always took time for the coffee to arrive so order it as soon as you arrive.
A highlight of our trip was a special lunch in Monsaraz that was arranged at an old Olive Factory called the Sem Fin. It was done family style which was lovely which allowed us to sit there and chat and fill up on all the tasty treats that they offered. We enjoyed lots of apps which always includes olives, ribs, cod, delicious deserts.
The absolute best Pastry was the ones from the Pasteis de Belem from the Valaos Jardins at the Montestary in Belem.