hidden away in a small street next to rua de cedofeita, in porto, you’ll find the casa de ló. the name comes from a portuguese desert, pão de ló, which used to be sold here back in the days of the old casa margaridense. the space has since been renovated in line with its traditions, and now sells portuguese sweets and deserts, while housing a cozy tea house.

add to this alluring environment a couple of friendly people and some nice music, and it’s hard not to feel right at home. we shared some mint tea and tried the apple pie, and wow… i wasn’t prepared for the irresistible decadence of it. look, look:

can you see the softness of it? can you smell the cinnamon sprinkled on top? is your mouth watering already? just go! it’s on travessa de cedofeita, 21A (google maps). you can thank me later :)

Charlotte: That was the worst lunch.
Bob: So bad. What kind of restaurant makes you cook your own food?

quotes from lost in translation, excellent korean barbecue by a restaurant called soba, dongxin road. the whole thing for 4 1/2 people, 124rmb (12 euros). :)

i take all the pictures of food in the blog on the restaurants we go to for dinner, so today i thought i’d show something different: a typical lunch in the company. here it is:


it’s basically a set of random chinese dishes with meat, fish, vegetables, tofu, etc that everybody shares. the ayi orders it from a small restaurant, and an hour later, the delivery boy brings it around and she screams “chi fan le!” :)

sometimes the dishes are good, sometimes they’re not, but since there’s some variety you can always choose the ones you like best. stuff in heavy sauce doesn’t make it to my dish, but in contrast, the beef strips and the curry chicken are a favorite.

we’re usually 8 people eating, and the bill is a grand total of 80rmb, or 10rmb per person (8 euros total, 1 euro/person). amazing, hein?

me and paulo made a list of all the places we want to go before we leave shanghai - i guess we’re now in official count down mode (though i still feel a bit in denial…)
one of the places in that list was thai house, which was one of the first restaurants we visited in shanghai. it was introduced to me by my first colleague in the company i work (in the beginning, it was just the 2 of us, now we’re more than 16 in the office…) who has meanwhile got married and had a baby… yup, china is fast.

anyway, thai house. it’s a little restaurant tucked away inside an apartment building (really!) on wuding road/xikang road. it has the feeling of a hidden treasure that you can brag about to your friends, as if you were a city connoisseur :)
the pictures:


they have a new menu and it is much less confusing than their previous menu with hundreds of choices! :D

the shrimp crisps, they’re so addictive! i almost ate them all before i remembered to take a picture!

i always have pad thai in this place, i can’t help it, it’s delicious!

paulo had the beef and mango dish, and luis had chicken and mango. they were both happy with their choices.

and this coconut jelly dessert is so good! i really like bite-sized desserts, and they get bonus points if they have coconut :)

that’s it! i definitely recommend it, it’s not an expensive thai restaurant (which seems to be the rule in shanghai) and the waiters are all nice and smiley, very thai-like!

i don’t know if the rest of the world has already seen this, but i’ve just stumbled on the most brilliant website, and it’s making me rethink the way i look at food (especially sodas).

it’s called sugar stacks, and what it does is basically show you how much sugar the food portrayed has, using stacks of white sugar cubes (4g). like so:

1 serving of carrots: 4g of sugar

can of cola: 39g of sugar
small bottle: 65g of sugar
1L bottle: 108g of sugar

starbucks mocha frappuccino + cream: 47g of sugar

jell-o, 1 serving: 19g of sugar

of course, not all sugar is created equal, but still it gives you a very different perspective on the things you’re eating. i mean, i’d never put that much sugar in my tea/coffee, so i’ll definitely think twice next time i reach for a cola in the office… many more at sugarstacks.com

i always have trouble spelling cappuccino. 2 sequences of 2 p’s and 2 c’s? that’s just asking for trouble. plus, i don’t know of many decent cappuccinos in shanghai (it’s not you, mr. barista, it’s the coffee you use).

now, meet this cappuccino:

a real work of beauty, isn’t it? look, look:

*happy sigh*

also, there are milkshakes, some pastas, paninis and other simple things. and a cat. oh, and pizzas. with carrots in it.

all mingled in a strange bohemian/cozy decoration, that you don’t see too often around here. the ceiling is wallpapered with newspapers that have gone yellow, the cat has scratched all the sofas…

and yet, it feels right. i believe i could spend my days here, marveling at the photography books and magazines they have, working quietly, enjoying the soft brazilian music, patting the cat and sipping cappuccinos.

tired of the sterile cafés in shanghai too? the marienbad is on 55 wukang road (but really, it’s on the beginning of anfu road). enjoy!

Recently, at the Newark home of António and Magda Araujo, Mr. Alexandre and his wife, Maria, cooked up a lamb feast. But instead of cooking it whole, they had Mr. Lopes butcher it to show off two Easter favorites — borrego assado (roasted legs of spring lamb) and guisado de borrego (lamb stew). The scene, as Mrs. Araujo described it, was typically Portuguese: “loud and fast.”

“Everything is better with olive oil!” Mrs. Alexandre shouted as she rubbed some into the lamb legs. Mr. Alexandre countered with voluminous and rapid-fire requests for bowls, pans and cutting boards. Their frantic pas de deux continued, and they dipped and spun to avoid elbows and sharp knives as they whirred garlicky pastes in the food processor, peeled potatoes and dressed the meat. In under 45 minutes, four pans along with a flan were ready for the stove. Ervilhas com ovos, a staple of peas and bacon topped with poached eggs, would be made right before dinner.

(…)

A short time later, half a roast suckling pig from Valença and both lamb dishes were nestled in the center of the table. Potatoes, rice, bread and the egg-topped peas filled the gaps. Around the table sat 10 hungry guests.

Dinner was suddenly interrupted by the bleating of Mr. Alexandre’s cellphone. A Portuguese woman was stranded on the highway and called for a tow. He stood up, popped another chunk of lamb into his mouth, and shrugged on his jacket.

“Got to take care of our own,” he said, heading for the door. “It’s how we survive.”

from a nyt article on the portuguese community in new jersey and their easter traditions.
the excerpt above actually happens everyday at my home, with my dad running out of the table to help some distressed driver on the highway :)