Our first morning in Lisbon started relatively early as we needed to board the historic 28 tram no later than 9:15 to arrive on time for our planned food tour. I had to run down some stairs to a Metro station to buy day transit passes which would cover both the tram ride and any return transportation required afterward.
Lisbon keeps a few historic trams running, making stops within some of the city’s most historic, and hilly, neighborhoods. Reminiscent of our recent cable car ride in San Francisco, the Lisbon tram had an equally hilly route but through generally narrower streets. Amanda, Noah, Emmie and Eilidh managed to grab the last available seats while Cassy and I stood near the back. The arrangement probably made the scenic ride less enjoyable for Amanda as Eilidh wasn’t completely enthralled with the tram.
We made it through the complete tram ride, to our tour meeting spot near the Campo de Ourique market. As our guide Filipa was handing out a tour pamphlet and making her opening statement, a police officer had taken to the kids, especially Eilidh. She blew up rubber gloves into balloons for Noah, Emmie and Eilidh, in addition to giving them plastic whistles. The balloons yielded the most entertainment for the kids, especially Noah and Emmie, until the last of them popped at our second tour stop.
The food tour was scheduled for three to three-and-a-half hours, but we were warned Portuguese time is sometimes slower, so the tour could run long. After reviewing the itinerary and brochure, we were off to our first stop of the day: O Mehlor Do Mundo Bolo De Chocolate, home of the self-proclaimed “World’s Best Chocolate Cake” (which is also the Portuguese translation of the store name.)
The recipe comes from Chef Carlos Lopes Bras and originally was just one dessert item on a restaurant he ran in the same Lisbon neighborhood. The cake was so popular, he opened his first shop dedicated to just the cake in 2002; and since his recipe has made its way to shops around the world including Spain, Germany, Austria, Brazil, and Angola.
Filipa explained that while dessert for the first tour stop may seem unusual, sweet things are all the rage in Portugal, as evidenced by a pastry shop being on nearly every block in Lisbon. The small shop had barely enough room for the 10 tour participants, but we squeezed around the two circular tables to be served a piece of cake, water, and optionally, coffee.
It was too late to relay the “no coffee” message before two small cups of coffee were delivered to our family table. I suffered through a few drinks and Cassy took a swig, getting just enough coffee out of the cups to look like we at least didn’t leave the cups untouched.
The cake itself was quite good but much different than I would have expected. It’s a flourless cake, with three layers of chocolate meringue separated by chocolate mouse. Smooth and crispy at the same time, the cake is offered in dark and milk chocolate. I went with dark; everyone else chose the milk chocolate cake. We all finished all of our slices, but it may have left the biggest impression on Cassy, who wanted to be sure to eat it again while in Lisbon.
Our second stop was the Campo de Ourique market where we tried a variety of canned sardines and fish roe on bread. Before our market meal, Filipa gave us an orientation to the other vendors, selling everything from fresh fish to nuts to drinks. One fruit vendor gave Emmie a banana, and then a second; he tried multiple times to get Noah to take a banana, but with no success.
This friendly vendor wanted to give all three kids a banana. Emmie accepted the offer, twice.
Cassy helped carry sardines to the table for sampling.
Of the 10 tour participants, Noah may have been the biggest fan of the canned sardines. He skipped the spicy batch and wasn’t overly enamored with the sardines in tomato sauce, but he couldn’t get enough of the skinless boneless sardines served on top of the provided bread. Everyone else had one serving; he may have had 10.
After wrapping up at the market, we made a very short stop at a local park so Noah and Emmie had a chance to play while Filipa provided some additional color on the neighborhood. The general Portuguese work day starts a little later and ends a little later; it’s common for the park to be hopping weekday evenings when parents are done with work but haven’t begun dinner.
We continued walking to Pigmeu, a neighborhood restaurant with specializes in pork. We tried pork croquettes plus slow-roasted pork sandwiches with cheese made in the Azores islands. The excellent sandwiches made Pigmeu a contender for my favorite stop of the trip. We finished our plates except for Emmie, who wasn’t a fan of her croquette; Noah, however, had no problem devouring her leftovers.
Within a few minutes, we were sitting in a restaurant which specialized in mussels (and artisan beer), called Moules & Beer. The mussels were quickly delivered to our tables, along with warm rolls and French fries. Noah declared the mussels superior to those we ate in Canada last year, and Amanda and I wholeheartedly agreed. Emmie had the opposite viewpoint but did find the Portuguese sauce served superior; made with white wine, butter, garlic, and cilantro, she ate copious amounts with her rolls and French fries.
For taking the food tour with three kids, everything was happening relatively close to schedule until we got to Flagrante Delitro, where we were set to sample traditional codfish cakes and baked beans rice. We waited… and waited… and waited. It sounds like some initial miscommunication, followed by a change in waitstaff, caused the kitchen confusion, and after nearly an hour of waiting, we were delivered our sixth food of the day.
The codfish cakes, which were fried pieces of battered salted codfish and cheese, were really good, as were the accompanying, unique baked beans rice. We didn’t completely mind the extra time at the restaurant, as it gave Eilidh a solid hour to rest on the Tula carrier, which we placed on the restaurant floor.
A codfish fritter with a side of baked beans rice.
Our final stop of the tour was the restaurant at the Hotel da Estrela, which serves what they call the “best sponge cake in the universe.” (They apparently had to one-up the declaration made about the chocolate cake from earlier in the tour.) The recipe was described as extremely egg-yolk-heavy, but despite a bit of an odd texture and taste, we all enjoyed the cake. It was accompanied by an unsweetened cinnamon green tea which was the ideal pairing.
Eilidh had a few drinks of green tea through a syringe.
In the end, the food tour clocked in at just under four-and-a-half well-spent hours, giving us an opportunity to take a deep dive into Portuguese cuisine and one of Lisbon’s noteworthy neighborhoods. We took a couple of buses back to our apartment where we hoped to have a little downtime before leaving later in the evening for some more Lisbon exploration.