Just back from our first trip to Porto in Portugal and I’ve just realise that it would be nigh on impossible to write up every meal we had (and quite tedious to read). Instead I thought I’d provide a snapshot of this culinarily vibrant and fascinating city…so here goes:
Eating out in Porto is exciting, diverse and different to Spain. All the menus are primarily in Portugese (which often bears no resemplance to Spanish!) but restaurant staff all speak excellent English and always happy to make recommendations. Often, we’d leave it in their hands including the wine. It’s also worth saying it’s very, very good value in Porto compared to the rest of mainland Europe including and especially the UK.

No trip to Porto is complete without a tour of a port wine lodge. This is quintessentially Porto — this is the Taylor’s lodge, which was very ‘English’. The tasting was my favourite bit, obviously!

Tuna carpaccio starter at Cafeina, a lovely up market restaurant out near the ocean, quite traditional but very relaxed and excellent prices for the quality of food.

Exquisite seafood, spankingly fresh, is everywhere. This octopus tentacle was a meaty as pork fillet and packed a real garlicky punch.

I won with the starters at Cafeina I reckon although Julie’s beef carpaccio was pretty good.
Slightly sparking Vinho Verde or green wine is everywhere. Very cheap and quite palatable, I was loving their labels!

We tried to get into this place but had to book and we were successful second time around. Great food and bizarre ambience with a Michael Jackson live from Prague concert video projected on to the wall. Cool staff.
Meat and cheese of course always come in to play when we’re in town. Local charcuterie (or whatever their version of it is) delicious and plenty of it. This gaff was a bit trendy for our liking but we fitted right in as we looked the business 🙂
I now know all there is to know about Port. Next time you see me, ask me.
Nice touch. Ouch!
Mrs D enjoying some fizz in the sunshine. hard life! This place was on the edge of the transvestite red light district, so it was quite an entertaining lunch!
Cheese literally like mayonnaise. Unctious and pungent, running all over the shop.
If I’m not mistaken, Tawny, LBV Ruby and Vintage…where’s the Chip Dry?? Oh yeah, I drunk it!
They love a bit of codfish brought back , national dish I think. This is a local special with cabbage and cheese. Sounds grim but it’s actually amazing.
Oh dear. Pastels de Nata. Part of my five a day regime!!
Chateaubriand for one at Cafeina. Spec-tac-u-lar is the only way to describe it.
LBV on the way back to the apartment. Cheese and nibbles? Oh, go on then!
Chuck steak for two at Cantaina 33. The photo doesn’t do it justice as the portions were gargantuan. As usual we blobbed on dessert.
There really is no need to spend more than ten euros a bottle in Porto, all the local wine is that good. The cheapest bottles are as good as pricey ones in the UK.
More cheese trying to escape the plate in liquid form. Local cheese teamed with a ten year old tawny picked out by the owner of the restaurant.
Flaming sausage served at the table. No, really. It was great too but don’t try this at home.
This was our second up market restaurant and even here the prices were very reasonable. We pushed the boat out and spent twenty euros on a bottle of wine, must have been the sun going to our heads!
