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foodies

Top ten things to eat while in Portugal!

I always try got get my guests at Surfmoments House to have the best experience ever here in Peniche, Portugal.

So, lets start with sweets!

You have to eat a pasteis de nata (custard tart/pie) you will find then in almost any cafe, bakery. Bolo de bolacha (cookie cake) in some restaurants but its not always good, can’t be very dry.

Sardines with corn bread, Robalo (sea bass), Dourada (sea bream), Sargo (twig) Bacalhau (cod fish, my favorite is a Lagareiro with lots of olive oil and garlic). If you can manage t have a Portuguese help you eating a sardine for the first time it will be great.

For example, here at Surfmoments house eating in or going to eat sardines in a restaurant close by, i will always show you how we eat them on top of a peace of bread and we have to bite softly in some parts so that the bones don’t come out into your mouth. Not easy to explain, better to show you how to eat them.

You should also try a nice seafood rice and out shell fish is amazing (ameijoa a bulhao pato, sapateira, buzios, camarao frito, snails, etc…)

Eating seafood in Portugal is very fresh and cheap compared to most European countries, but off course lobster is not cheap here.

Pao com Chourico (bread with chourico), warm with mustard is so good!

Frango no churrasco (roasted chicken), spare ribs, bitoque (cheap and filling meal, steak with egg on top rice and fries), etc…

Don’t forget to drink a Galao, if you like coffee and milk; its really good for breakfast with a nice cake or tosta mista (bread with cheese and ham toasted).

I guess this is more then 10 things to eat while in Portugal! If you come and stay with us at Surfmoments house and school, probably we will tell you more.

Categories
foodies

Where and what to eat out in Baleal, Peniche?

Well i know many surf camps have a all inclusive deal with food, but do you think they will have you try our Portuguese cuisine? No way, they have to please everyone and their should be no waste or else its not a business, right?

Please don’t spend your money on that kind of package, its a waste of money and its like you never been here anyways; and probably you think its a good deal!? No way!

The chef probably its just someone that can cook like me and probably not even Portuguese or that has any knowledge about our cuisine.

This is not Morocco, or the type of country that you will get food poison, off course it can happen but its not normal. In Morocco happens alot because they have a water problem, witch we don’t you can drink from the tab. And food is great in Morocco by the way.

Restaurants that i advise as a Portuguese to eat real Portuguese food in Baleal and Peniche:

Churrasqueira a Caseirinha – best chicken in the country (need to work on this photo), a huge Bitoque and spare ribs are also good! Always take my guests there, don’t forget to try the cookie cake! On weekends they stopped accepting reservations. Closes on Sunday and Monday night.

Restaurant Prainha – really good for fish but a bit more expensive because its at the beach in Baleal. But you can have very fresh fish and i had the best Robalo/Sea bass of my life there, felt like butter melting in my mouth.

Restaurant O Febras – These three are really good for fish. At Febras try the Octopus “Polvo Lagareiro” it comes swimming in olive oil and garlic. Closes Tuesdays!

Restaurant O Pedro – on the way to the marina in Peniche eat “Acorda de Alfaquique”, its good for 2 people for sure and only if you like fried fish and garlic! Also love the fresh cuttlefish grilled its’s better then squid.

Restaurant Xhakra in Supertubos – banana beach, love this place right on the sand dunes and you can have the best seafood rice of the next 100 km. They also have other dishes that you should try. The owners are very, very nice!

Tasca do Joel – in Peniche, well this one is considered one of the best quality and price wise. I love it but i think that it can be a bit over rated. Usually i eat the shell fish like clams and buzios, for fish i go for Sequinhos (fish of choice stew), Codfish a Maria and the wild pork with chestnuts, everything is so good! Others always eat a nice steak!

And please try this wine called Invisivel, it’s so fresh; but i’m not a wine expert! Love the waiters here and off course Joel is a really nice guy!

Make a reservation and they only accept it if you arrive before 8pm, after this expect a line up. Closes Sunday night and Monday’s!

My favorite for seafood and  also affordable its As Pedras, in Consolacao! Here you just have to try all shell fish.

When i take my guests from Surfmoments House i order for all off course and they are always very happy! Make a reservation on weekends. Always open during the season.

Now the top one for seafood or shellfish is Mirandum in Peniche. Just order a castle for 4 people and eat it all. Maybe you will need some help to know how to eat some things; but you can always invite me! Lol! The owners are amazing and will do the best for you have a great dinner.

Make a reservation.

In my surf house i usually cook for free for my guests that have been coming back for years, and they usually love our food.

The thing is that i have to cook what my Mom cooks that is really Portuguese food and i’m a big mix because of all countries that i visited, so i try hard! lolol No i don’t its easy, our Portuguese food its really basic and tasty.

If you think Italian, or French food is good. Try Portuguese food but if you can have it home made its even better off course, my guests are really lucky!

And off course theres’s more restaurants to go to but i have to keep some secrets for my guests!

Please people don’t go to the restaurant and order salmon or another kind of fish that is what you usually get in your home supermarket and that comes from so far away to our restaurants too…

If you want to eat some of our fish so for sea bass (robalo), sea bream (dourada), sardinha, carapau, squid, cuttlefish, etc…

Food in Portugal its not expensive and eating out its not like Switzerland, no its affordable even for us that only earn the minimum wage of 535eur.

Why do we travel? To create experiences even if its not that great at a first try, but you will find something you will like a lot!