P is for Porto

You know how a couple years ago suddenly everyone was going to Iceland? We all drank the Northern Lights kool-aid. Well last year, the expats of England all went to Porto and I was like 'wait what?' and missed the boat. Fortunately, so did one of my expat friends so we popped on over to Porto for a weekend of sun and, of course, port!

Obviously I was expecting to have port and a bunch of pastel de natas but I was not prepared for peacocks. We spent part our afternoon walking around the botanical gardens and I was shocked by the shear number of peacocks hanging out! I'd never seen a full blown peacock in person, just individual feathers. They are beautiful and majestic and at one point, I was so close, I was worried they were like swans and might attack me (they didn't but I'm sure that's because they're use to people).

Here are some of the other places we went, things we ate and other things we drank!

• Tapabento- This was recommended by a friend who had previously been to Porto (like I said, we were late to the party). You absolutely need a reservation here but it's not a super fancy place. We were able to email them ahead of time for a table while we were in town. The menu was primarily seafood but it was delicious. 

• Letraria - This place is a diamond in the ruff. Located on a quiet residential street, it's the gateway to a magical beer garden complete with an orange tree, wild strawberries (maybe they're not wild if they've been intentionally planted...), mint bushes and adorable cats bouncing around in tall grass. Oh and their beer selection is great. Plus the staff are very friendly and gave us multiple samples to decide which beer we should taste in full.

• Franceshina - The typical sandwich of Porto, this is a thick sandwich stuffed with two types of meat and cheese, covered in more cheese and then doused in a tomato-tasting sauce. It's like a grilled cheese on steroids doused in soup. And it's amazing. Oh and it's called franceshina but we ate it at a restaurant called Franceshina and it was served by a waiter named Franceshina--just kidding, the waiter part didn't happen. The place was very quiet but the staff were very accommodating. They gave us sauteed mushrooms as an appetizer fo' free and then we finished the meal with a sample of port, to "help with digestion". They also had Wimbledon on so that didn't hurt either.

• Port - Cue all the port in Porto jokes! There's a stretch of wineries along the south bank of the river (generally referred to as Gaia) where you can choose from any number of places to do a tasting. We selected Calem, just out of convenience of time and price. After an opportunity to view their museum, we were taken on a tour of the winery. They don't bottle the port there but they do have the giant barrels and vats of port, ready and waiting to be bottled off site. 

• Zenith - In an effort to avoid super touristy places, we searched for 'hipster places in Porto' and Zenith popped up for brunch and cocktails. To be fair, it also appeared on a TripAdvisor list for top cafes in Porto. But for real, it's very hipster. We enjoyed smoothie bowls (#healthyaf) and shared sweet potato toast with avocado (because can you even have brunch without an avocado and not be a hipster?) and poached egg. We also saw yogurt parfaits and pancakes go by that made us second guess our choice of smoothie bowl. 

• Nutellandia - This magical place is just what it sounds like: a land of nutella. They had nutella milkshakes, nutella ice cream, and my favorite, Pastel de Nata (traditional egg custard pastry of Portugal) with nutella on it. And no, they don't have wifi, just enjoy the nutella. 

After all that eating, we opted for a nice, lazy beach day but unfortunately, the beaches were past the wall of mist so it wasn't very sunny or warm. But there were still loads of people on the beaches and we sat at a cafe sipping beers next to the water before heading back to the sunny side of town, pictured below.

J'taime Paris

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Paris. If you asked me where I saw myself at 25, I saw myself living in Paris and working for some sort of magazine or publication, stopping at my favorite bakery on my way home every day for a pastry. Even in my 10 year-old brain, I realized going to the bakery every day was a little too much. But still. The bakery was an integral part of my brain.

But alas, I never learned French nor did I go into the magazine business. I guess you can stretch blog writing as being similarly fulfilling and I do live abroad so good job, self, 10 year-old you would be proud.

I first went to Paris when I was 13 as part of a group trip with my grandparents. It was an amazing trip and we hit a lot of the big cultural points in Paris like Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Arc de Triomph. But going back as an adult on my own was a different kind of experience. Still not speaking French, I was armed with a few weeks of DuoLingo, enough to read a menu and maybe ask for 'eat in or take-away'. Nevertheless, on a dreary November weekend, I literally walked all over Paris and curated my go-to list for when my sister and I went back in April (with far better weather).

1. Les Deux Moulins- Part of my French obsession was the movie Moulin Rouge. I can quote that movie and sing those songs inside and out! So of course, a stop by the Moulin Rouge was necessary. Nearby is the cafe Les Deux Moulins which was featured in another film about Paris, Amelie. There's a giant poster of it inside as well. My limited amount of French got me as far as ordering a meat and cheese board but using the price as a gauge of size meant I got a monstrous board of delicacies. And an equally large quantity of wine. Sitting their solo, chomping through a baguette and meat and cheese was actually pretty ideal. Just a quick stop between Moulin Rouge and Sacre Coeure.

2. L'Duree- Technically I first went here in London, they have a location near Harrods. But I brought my sister here to experience the delicate treats. There are so many different flavors, you can't just default to pink and hope for raspberry (not that that would be a bad choice either). It always makes me think of Marie Antoinette with their color, sweetness and petite yet over the top appearance.

3. Cafe Angelina- Now we're pushing into the tourist traps. There's a restaurant portion and a sweets counter where you can take your treats to-go and enjoy in the Trivoli Gardens across the street. I've done both and sitting in left me feeling like I was at a doll tea party, mostly because the chairs and tables felt small and delicate. The must-have here is the hot chocolate (also available at the take-away counter) which is thick and rich, almost like drinking chocolate. Their pastries are spectacular and almost too good to eat--almost.

4. Stohrer - This bakery has a special place in my heart as it was founded by a Polish pastry chef when Marie Leszczynska married King Louis XV and was the royal baker during the 1730's. The pan du chocolat e almondes was the best croissant I've ever had (chocolate croissant with almonds).

Most of these treats are perfect to enjoy along the Seine or part of a picnic on the lawn of the Eiffel Tower. Ah, Paris...

Guy Fawkes Cake

Until the movie V for Vendetta came out, had you ever heard of Guy Fawkes? Me neither. But in the UK, he has his own holiday. Sort of. I'm pretty sure it's just an excuse for a big bonfire and fireworks in the middle of autumn but I'll take it!

 

Now the holiday is Bonfire Night so to remember, remember the 5th of November, there are bonfires and fireworks and mulled wine and even a BBC special, aptly called Gunpowder, with Kit Harrington around the plot to blow up Parliament (that's what Guy Fawkes is known for). According to Wikipedia, the bonfire is to symbolize the burning of Guy Fawkes so he's not exactly popular for his plot but history seems to have eased the betrayal into a more harmonious attitude.

But according to the Joy of Cooking, there's also a cake! Handily on the opposite page from fruitcake, this is described as a popular Northern cake, lightly sweetened and a bit like gingerbread. I have't met anyone yet who has heard of this cake and they seem to think I made it up for this holiday but really! It's in there! Also, apparently treacle isn't in fashion yet so I substituted with 1/3 cup golden syrup and 1/3 maple syrup and extra brown sugar. You could use a full substitute of maple syrup as well (according to the internet).

 

Butter is melted (can I get an 'amen'?) with the molasses (or chosen substitute) before being mixed in with the dry ingredients and spices. The batter is made even thinner with milk. The cake is not very thick and comes out a little sticky but still delicious. Joy recommends eating with some whipped topping and I concur. Although if you're out watching fireworks, plain is just as good. 

 

Recipe

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup molasses (treacle) 
• 1 cup flour
• 2/3 cup oats
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2/3 cup milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8 baking pan. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter and molasses together in a small saucepan. Remove from heat once the butter has melted, stirring to combine.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, sugar, and spices. 
4. Alternate mixing the milk and the butter-molasses mixture into the flour mixture until combined. The batter will be thin.
5. Pour the batter into the greased pan.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through. The cake will be thin and spongy.