Stews & More Albufeira, Portugal | Food

Today I am writing a whole blog post on just one restaurant in Albuferia, Portugal and the reason why is because the food was just incredible! Stews & More is restaurant that combines two cuisines Dutch and Portuguese as the restaurant owners are of those origins which does make your heart melt a little bit. 

It was a place we stumbled across and immediately thought we had to go there, it was so busy but just had a really nice energy about it, plus it smelled incredible. We inquired the next day but were met with disappointment because they were fully booked so we called up and booked a table. 

Stew & More had a great waiter who talked us through the menu and asked us what we like etc, I was even talked out of a glass of white wine and to have red instead because we're having a stew. Much like many restaurants in Albufeira, Stews & More have Couvert on the menu but with a little twist. Most couverts are served with bread, sardine pate, butter and bread, but this one was served with THE most delicious warm vegetable soup. It was a humble sized started but the soup won it hands down for me. It was a smooth consistency but had a peppery kick, I was in love! 

Now let's move onto the main reason we are all here, the stew! They had quite a good variety of stews, including something for the vegetarians out there but we opted for the Campo stew, which is a beef stew with vegetables and little pieces of bacon in it. The beef is marinated in red wine and brandy for a minimum of 3 hours so it really gets a chance to sink into the meat and adds a real rich flavour to the entire dish. Stews & More offer the stews in 2 sizes - for one or for two and the Campo Stew for two cost 23€ and you get bread and a side dish of potatoes and onions which they will top you up on any time. 

The waiter also joked that he will give us a straw for the sauce but genuinely...I wanted a straw, I couldn't get enough of that sauce, we literally had to have a second round of bread to finish it off. Herbs from the Algarve were also in the dish but it didn't specify exactly what herbs were in it but we were informed that this stew is more like a stew a Portuguese grandmother would make  

The carrots were really chunky but cooked to perfection because they were so soft, I thought they might be a bit hard. The waiter suggested that the reason they are so chunky is because the stews are slow cooked for a such a long time any thinner and they would disintegrate altogether and that wouldn't be what they wanted. There were also mushrooms in the dish, which personally I'm not a fan of but I just fish around those bits.  

Stews & More was a great little hidden gem down a side street in Albufeira and I am so happy that we were able to get a table. I would definitely go there again and urge any one who goes to this part of Portugal to check it out. 

Are you a stew fan?

Places to Eat and Drink in Albufeira, Portual | Travel

I recently spent 6 glorious days in Albufeira, Portugal and I thought today I would just share with you some places to eat and drink in this beautiful town. Some of the places are in the old town and other in the new town, we stayed in the new town which was about a 45 min walk from the old town. For those of you who don't know where Albufeira is it's kinda near the Algarve, so let's get started with a beautiful little place to drink...

Sal Rosa 
This had to be a first mention because it was a place we just stumbled across and wasn't expecting it to be as beautiful as it actually was. Sal Rosa is situated in the old town and is right on the beach front, so you can have a little drink over looking the stunning beach from up high. like most places the beer is really cheap especially if you drink something like Super Bock you're looking at 2€ but even if you wanted wine or cocktails this place offers something for everyone.

Donaldo's
We kind of got pulled into Donaldo's because the food looked so good! We tried to stick with places that were a little more traditionally Portuguese, which I must admit was quite hard! Donaldos really did showcase some Portuguese food in a simplifed way. My boyfriend had squid and prawn kebab served on a giant skewer and I had some of the squid and it was incredible, but I am a big fan of calamari anyway. Also they had for starters Sardines which is a typical Portuguese thing and they gave you 3 of the things which is a pretty hearty starter, however personally I prefer the sardine pate...I love a bit of pate! 

Blue Sky Restaurant
This is another Portuguese retaurant we got lured into and I'm really glad we did. Blue Sky Restaurant is a quiet little restaurant just off the main road and very easy to just walk past, we were welcomed by the very lovely Nuno who had worked in the restaurant since he was like 14, who offered great advice when discussing what to eat and the wine. In the picture above you can see the dish my boyfriend had which was steak, in a rich gravy with sliced potatoes. I went for the tuna steak which was cooked to perfection and severed with a tomato sauce with onions and boiled potatoes. As you can see the portion sizes are great and the price is actually quite low for what you get. 

Stews & More
I must admit, I have a whole post coming up next week on this place so expect more info then!  Stews & More is definitely NOT a traditional Portuguese restaurant but more of a fusion on Dutch and Portuguese flavours, as the name states, they serve predominantly stews and some other stuff but anyone go here are going for the yummy stews! This place gets busy REALLY quick so make sure you book in advance!   

Rock Cafe
This one is for the people out there that love cheap cocktail and good live music, whilst we didn't try the food I have heard good things about it so it's a place that ticks all of the boxes. Rock Cafe is located in the lively centre of the old town which is surrounded by lots and lots of different bars and restaurants but we actually went because we saw so many good reviews. When we walked in the girl just looked at me and said "you need a pornstar martini"....I mean....how's a gal to say no to that!! 



Top Tips:- 

*Tuk Tuk - These little things are bloody everywhere and a really quick and easy way to get from the old town to the new town. Have a laugh and take a tuk tuk ride! 
*House Wine - Alcohol is bloody cheap but the wonderful thing about the house wine is that it's actually really delicious and at 2€ for a large glass, can't go wrong.
*The Strip - Stag and Hen weekend paradise! Not quite my scene but down the side streets there are some gems and SOME of the bars have live music so it's not too bad. 
*Couvert - a standard starter in every restaurant but it's basically bread, sardine pate and olives and the prices range from 1.50€ to 3€ - perfect!!
*The People - I bloody LOVE the Portuguese, they are by far the friendliest people but some have a bad opinion on the Brits (I blame the people on the strip) but everyone welcomes you in with open arms

There we have my recommendations on places to eat and drink in Albufeira! Have you ever been to Portugal? 

Trip to Porto, Day 3 | Travel

The last day... how heartbreaking ay!

No trip to Porto would be complete without a trip to at least one of the port cellars. On the side of the river with the cable car is basically where you will find all of the port houses and caves, really popular ports like Taylor's, Cockburns  (pronounced Co'burns because let's face it, nobody wants cock burn) and Offley but there are some lesser known houses (well to me anyway) such as Calem, Sandeman and Barros. So many options but which one do you choose? In all honesty, I think they would all be great but we went for Calem's tour, bearing in mind it was our last day we didn't want to venture too far so Calem is based on the river front, nice and easy to get to! We decided to go nice and early at 10:30 to make sure we could fit other things into our last day, the tour started at 10:45 and was only 6€ each which again I think was such a good price, the whole time I never once thought oh, that's a bit pricey! Anyway, I digress, the tour was hosted by a wonderful guy who really explained everything in great detail, there are actually like 4 different types of port, White, Rosé, Ruby and Tawny. Ruby is probably the most commonly known in the UK at least and looks exactly the same as red wine bur tastes sweeter, where as Tawny which you guys know throughout the trip I've had quite a dabble in, is lighter in colour but tastes more like a whiskey, then the White I'd say isn't very far off from dessert wine but far smoother and Rosé is part of the Ruby family but the grape isn't left for as long which creates the lighter colour. We went through the different ways in which the ports are made and after the tour got to try a White and a Tawny, bloody delicious I tell ya!

After the tour we decided to have lunch by the river one last time, there was a nice little restaurant that it a little higher up than the river so gives a bit of a better view, I decided to have a nice big glass of sangria which was really nice and refreshing whilst we decided what last things we could squeeze into the day. We did decide on visiting one of the most famous cafes in Porto which is called Majestic Café, it was so delicate in design and kind made me think of the titanic when I saw it, it was busy because it's a real tourist hotspot but we actually managed to get a table very easily in there when I first arrived I thought we would struggle or that there would be a queue but actually we had no problem what so ever. Having looked at the menu we opted for tea and scones...very British I know but I kinda missed some home comforts. They had run out of scones so we did have to wait for new ones to be baked but I mean who doesn't love freshly baked warmed scones? I would say it was a little fancy but you did have people from all walks of life having a drink or food so I felt very relaxed there. After this little break, we decided it was time to make our way to the airport...

In all honesty, Porto took me by surprise in many ways, I never expected it to be so beautiful, the people were amazing and so friendly, we walked everywhere but it's so well connected you could get the metro or bus, I would go back there in a heart beat.  It's just a shame with these types of holidays because as soon as you land it's like the hour glass has just been turned over and it's the countdown before it's over. This being said, we definitely made the most out of it and I'd say if you like exploring you need to go to Porto.

There we have it, did you enjoy my little travel posts? I want to know one city you unexpectedly fell in love with!

Trip to Porto, Day 2 | Travel

Ready for day 2? I know I bloody am!!

As we knew that our time in Porto was limited we wanted to make sure we didn't waste time sleeping for hours, so on Sunday we wanted to get up and get going straight away. We were really fortunate in the sense that our hotel was in a pretty good location with lots of things to do around it. As you may or may not know, I love walking and I love walking up lots of stairs to see an amazing view, so wherever I am, if there is an option so be really high up and see a city from another angle I'm literally all over it. So you know I just had to go and walk up the tower of Igreja e Torre dos Clérigos! I must admit I didn't feel like this tower was too exhausting to walk up but it definitely gave us a beautiful view though, I really loved it.

After the tower, we were actually really keen to see whether we could do a little boat tour so walked back to the river! Unfortunately there were no boats on the river at all that weren't moored up and there was a notice saying that some of the tours couldn't operate, I think this was down to the tides or current, the river was moving at quite a pace so instead we settled for a little drink by the Douro! It was so nice just to sit and relax for a moment in the sun and watch people go by, not gonna lie I love people watching. The weather was beautiful on Sunday, with barely a cloud in the sky, I wasn't actually expecting it to be as hot as it was I caught a bit of colour, though the chap I was with probably caught it just a fraction worse than me, by fraction I mean lobster red. The map was out in true tourist style, not that we cared and we were planning our next little excursion. Porto isn't actually that far from the beach, in theory you could probably walk it, but when you have the option of getting a tram there you best believe I went with that option and headed to the beach. When we turned up we actually just missed our tram so got some food at a nearby restaurant and waited for the next one.

Is there anything quite as good as walking along the seafront with the sun shining? The only thing that could have made it better was an ice cream cone, but I mean that's just a tiny thing! The beach isn't your typical sandy beach, I would say some parts have sand and others are a bit pebbley but it was beautiful nonetheless and we got to see the little lighthouse too. We even attempted a bit of crabbing amongst the rocks but had no luck so instead carried on walking until we came across a bar/restaurant actually on the beach it was just perfect!

In the evening we just had to have dinner by that beautiful river Douro and see the skyline at night, honestly it was so pretty the way the buildings were lit up casting the most stunning reflection on the river, I truly loved it! The restaurants were really full and closed a little early however we managed to get into a place called Chez Lapin, though the waiter advised it would be a little wait for mains but we didn't mind too much! For starters we went with bread and a barbecue sausage tapas dish! When I read barbecue sausage I just thought they would turn up with a little dish of sausage that had like barbecue flavouring or cooked in a certain way, no no, they turn up with a sausage on a skewer and a dish of something flammable and light it at your table leaving you to turn the skewer, so random but such a nice touch! The waiter was so charming as well and really gave good advice when it came to the food choices, I went for the beef in a red wine sauce! The sauce was amazing, the meat was also really well cooked with just a hint of pink in the middle which made me happy! Half way through dinner all of a sudden there was fireworks on the river, which I'm gonna totally pretend were just for me, after the fireworks we asked the waiter for some port but he refused to serve us port until after the main because he suggested it should never be served with a main course but with dessert or after the meal instead. I actually really like that the waiter was so informed and clearly passionate about what he was serving. After the meal he came over with a 20 year old bottle of Tawny port and poured a very generous glass for each of us and told us it was for free! The waiter was totally right and it was perfect to have after the meal.

On the way home we noticed that just around the corner from the hotel there was a massive concert playing in support of a Portuguese protest, I will be honest I don't know really what the protest was about but the red carnation was symbolic of the whole event. So we just stood in blissful ignorance and enjoyed the music for a moment, a pretty great way to end the day.

The final Porto post will be live on Sunday, make sure you come check it out!

Trip to Porto, Day 1 | Travel

Recently I went on a little holiday when I came back to England, but decided that we would go to Portugal and I just loved it so much I wanted to share with you guys my trip! So I am splitting all 3 days into 3 different posts over one week! I know, it's been a long time since you have seen 3 posts in one week from me, but I didn't want to drag this trip out over 3 whole weeks.

OK,  so let's get started basically we caught the earliest flight we could which was at like 6:30 in the morning on a Saturday! I think when you only have a limited time in a different country you want to make sure you make the most of your time there. Even more so when you are looking forward to it as much as me, like every hour counts. When we landed we decided to get the metro to the centre, which was not only cheaper (4:30€ for two of us) but is kinda fun as opposed to getting a cab, it only took like 20 mins!!

One of the first things I noticed was how pretty the buildings are, when I used to think of Portugal I kind of envisioned more simplistic buildings like in italy or even Spain but in Porto they had beautiful intricate designs, some had painted blue and white tiles on which was so striking, I wasn't expecting it. Another thing to note is how hilly Porto is, I mean it's on another level...literally! Some of the hills are so steep but I actually love walking so it doesn't bother me.

We found ourselves walking over the famous Ponte Luis Bridge which gave an utterly beautiful view of the river Douro. Once we got to the other side we realised we would have to walk down the steep hills to get down to the river or take a cable car down...well you know I just had to take the cable car at like 5€ each it's definitely the best way to get down, not only this but you got a free little taster of port when you get down at a nearby port house. My first actual experience of tasting port...not gonna lie, it's pretty lush! I will go into more detail about the different ports on a later post. Keeping with the port theme though we were having a bit of a wander and stumbled across this really small port place that was family run called Augusto's! It was very welcoming and the guy gave us a bit of insight into the company and explained how they can't sell the port in supermarkets because it is just such a small place they cannot mass produce the port! They give you a little taster and if you buy the bottle they deduct the price of the taster from it. Needless to say, of course we walked out with a 10 year old Tawny port.

After having our hearts warmed by the port we decided to go and get some food at this little tapas style place down a side street called Tappas Caffè, where we tried a traditional portugese or at least Porto dish called Francesinha we kinda ordered it and had no idea what it was when it turned up! The best way to describe it is a sandwich with 5 different meats layered into it with melted cheese poured over the top finished with a tomato kinda sauce. Very random, but kinda worked! The staff we're incredible though, just as we wanted to pay the bill, we were told to wait a moment and then 3 members of staff came around and poured us all a little shot and we just randomly toasted, you gotta love a free shot. Though the shot did have coffee beans in which we both swallowed but the staff didn't...

After this we decided to retreat back to the hotel to get ready for the evening! For dinner we actually decided to stay closer to the hotel and not go as far as the river because we had done a lot of walking but we stumbled across this really lovely restaurant called Avendia! Now, let me just tell you, I had possibly one of the best steaks I have ever had in my life at this restaurant and it was served with a delicious peppercorn sauce! I even love the fact the waiter didn't ask how I like it, because a steak like that can only be served rare! It was delicious but amazingly only like 12€ or something. The staff was amazing,  asking if we were ok and enjoying the food! I'll have to be honest here, I couldn't fit in any dessert but the chap I was with managed to squeeze something in and opted for a cheesecake! When it turned up, I was a little jealous but too full to even try it, however I was informed that the topping was like a black forest gateaux-ey thing, lush!

To end the evening on the way hotel we ducked into a couple of bars just for one drink, a bar called Baixa Bar serves a wonderful red fruit caprioska and played some great music with a very relaxed atmosphere.

So there we have day 1. Make sure you check out my blog on Thursday for day 2...