Culinary adventures around Europe

Dear Bloggers and Food Lovers,

We've been out of touch for a while but we kept ourselves busy trying out restaurants around Europe during the summer. From Paris to Madeira and Barcelona to Ibiza, we brought back a few palatable memories to share with you. We have a lot of exciting new projects coming up with so make sure to keep coming back for all the latest stories. Hope everyone got a little piece of sunshine this summer and are ready to face the cooler days ahead. 

First off, we're taking you to Paris for an Italian meal at Alfredo Positano (6, rue Guisarde, 75006, Paris). By far one of the best Italian eateries in Paris, here you'll want to order the anti-pasti for starters and a big plate of pasta or ravioli for a main. The Veal Milanese is also a signature dish, don't miss out.The pizzas are very good but for an even better experience, try the Pizzeria Positano (15 rue des Cannettes, 75006, Paris) down the street. If you tried pizzas in Rome, this place will take you back in a heart beat, absolutely divine. Both restaurants don't take reservations so be sure to get there early or be ready to wait in line for a while (well worth it though)! 

Alfredo Positano

The famous anti-pasti

Parma ham and ruccola pizza

Next stop, Madeira. Located off the coast of Morocco, this island has the biggest variety of fresh fish you can possibly imagine. From lobster to giant gambas and cod to succulent crab, the choice is endless. Most fish are simply grilled and accompanied with a side dish of your choice but beware, portions are very generous so make sure you don’t over-do it. Everywhere we went, service was impeccable and staff was extremely pleasant. Below is a selection from a couple of eateries that particularly caught our attention.

Grilled cod cooked in a maracuja (passion fruit) sauce

Maracuja soufflé 

Restaurante do Forte – Funchal

Located in the historical fortress of Funchal, this restaurant serves traditional Portuguese specialties with a modern touch – try the grilled cod with passion fruit sauce, it will tickle your pallet. 

http://www.restaurantedoforte.com.pt/en/forte/

A complimentary selection of appetizers :
tuna on a bed of spicy avocado

 & marinated mussels 

Pan seared cod with vegetables cooked in chicken stock

UVA Dining - The Vine Hotel

For an unforgettable dining experience, UVA has an excellent menu prepared by renowned 3 Michelins stars chef Anthoine Westermann. Here, service is impeccable and every guest is treated like royalty. The wine list is also impressive, try sipping on Madeira wine whilst overlooking the island. Located on the rooftop of a 5 star hotel, UVA was the ultimate winner. And you won't have to feel the squeeze in your wallet as prices here remain extremely reasonable.

http://www.hotelthevine.com/

Now we're off to Formentera, a paradise island off the coast of Ibiza. Here, fresh fish is a must and they know how to serve it at  El Pirata in Platja Illetas. Overlooking the crystal clear waters, this restaurant serves an impressive plate of grilled calamari, as well as traditional Spanish cold cuts, don't miss out! 

TEL. +34.971.39.53.55

Restaurant view

Grilled Calamari

   

Back on the main island, the Blue Marlin is an up-scale, 'beautiful people' beach club. Located on Cala Jondal beach in Ibiza, this place has DJs, a bar and sun loungers to keep you entertained all day long. Try the Ceviche, its to die for !!!http://www.bluemarlinibiza.com/news/restaurant/



  

Freshly cut Jamon Iberico





Prawn salad



Pan con tomate & ceviche

Another stop is Amante Beach club just off Cala LLonga , you can check how to get there on their website http://www.amanteibiza.com/ . Awesome views , beautiful food and very romantic , the lobster risoto is out of this world , you have to try it , the prices are quite reasonable too

Bloody Mary

Fish croquetas & salmon tartar on guacamole

Lobster risotto

Last but last least, here are a few recommendations for restaurants in Barcelona - sorry no pictures but do get in touch if you would like more information. 

La Flauta

http://www.bcnrestaurantes.com/eng/barcelona.asp?restaurante=la-flauta

Great food, fantastic value for money, highly recommended. 

Cerveceria Catalana

http://www.bcnrestaurantes.com/eng/barcelona.asp?restaurante=cerveceria-catalana

Best Tapas in Barcelona, you must try their huevos cabreados, it’s absolutely delicious, we got addicted to them! 

Bar Mut.

C/ Pau Claris, 192

http://barcelona.unlike.net/locations/302634-Bar-Mut

Modern Tapas, excellent food, slightly more pricey than the norm, but certainly worth it. Ask for their secret bar upstairs, funky Jazz and bohemian decor with a chic touch.  

Koh Lipe Island by Carla Muguiro

We're very pleased to post our very first 'special report' by Carla Muguiro who recently spent her holidays in Thailand. This is the story she brought us back... (well, we got dried guava with chilli as a bonus, loved it!) Thank you Carla! 

Koh Lipe Island in Thailand is a tiny piece of heaven on earth - it is so small you can walk around it in less than an hour. Without the buzz of cars or roads, the calmness is pure and life is lived strictly around nature’s curfews. 25% of the worlds tropical fish species can be found around the island. We were spoilt rotten when it came to choosing our meals, it was fish paradise.

Mellowmango bar and restaurant provided us with all of our best meals. We waited for the fisherman every night at 6pm to return from his expeditions.  He saved us the best pieces while we went to shower after a hectic day of sunbathing, drinking mango daiquiris and dipping into the sea. Around 9pm we were seated at our favourite table, some nights we were literally dining and the waves would reach our toes underneath the table. Pictured below was our leaving lunch and we made it a big one: the most amazing Prawn Red Curry with rice and Prawn Pad Thai with some prawn fritters for starters (we worried we might never eat prawns again!). To top everything off, I managed to wash the meal down with a choco/banana shake, a really bad habit I picked up on the island - their bananas are small and taste like no other banana I have ever eaten - the shakes were made with crushed ice and since the bananas were already very creamy, no milk was added. 



Pictured above: Prawn Red Curry - Prawn Fritters - Prawn Pad Thai
Banana & Chocolate Shake at Mellowmango's

The island's speciality is Chao-Le Style (Sea Gypsy) and as the saying goes: "an image is worth more than a hundred words", I leave you with these: 

Chao Le Style and prawn obsession at Mellowmango's

The merlin is a typical fish from the area and also a national symbol. The catch must have been amazing that day because it was the only time we saw those two enormous fishes in the trophy-dish pictured below. However, the dish that most impressed us was the shark, the meat was incredibly tender and juicy.The sauce had secret ingredients which included lime but there was another intriguing, intense flavour we couldn't identify. We were told it was all top secret! I guess we'll never find out...



The Merlin and the succulent shark meat, pictured above.

Pão de Queijo Haddock Lobo

“Pão de Queijo”  is a cheese flavored roll , usually eaten either at breakfast or as a snack. This is probably one of the most popular snacks suitable for both vegetarians and meat lovers.  Made of polvilho (cassava starch) they are easily available at supermarkets in Brazil. In London you probably need to look for more specialized places. A lot of people buy the mix and bake them at home rather than buying it ready, although pão de queijo is broadly sold at snack bars and bakeries , everyone likes to bake them at home and talk about different variations, textures and processes. They can also be bought frozen at supermarkets. Some mainstream brands are 'Yoki' and 'Hikari' if you want to buy the ready mix.

Based on the original recipe, the main ingredients are polvilho (flour), eggs, salt, oil and cheese but the recipe has been recreated with many special ways, “ingredients and secrets” that makes it taste slightly different from one place to another, i.e. more sour , less sticky , softer , harder , crunchier, etc. Minas Gerais, one of the states of Brazil, claims to have the BEST Pão de queijo ever but others could argue against that. 

My friend Renata took me for a walk around Jardins – São Paulo and told me about the BEST pao de queijo ever so I had to try it …. As we got there I was overwhelmed by the smell coming from that tiny place and with so many reviews on the wall  I doubted she was mistaking. Their Pão de Queijo was indeed gorgeous, they come out of the oven every so often (10 /15 min), are placed in a big basket and covered with a clean white cloth to keep warm. The texture is perfect and there is a slightly sour after taste,  not to mention the other “quitutes”  found there. Everything is delicious and the staff is super friendly, well worth checking out! It's no wonder they have been established for over 35 years selling this amazing snack!

Rua Haddock Lobo, 1408, Jardim Paulista, +55 (11) 3088-3087 &  +55 (11) 3082-4772

Mercado Municipal de São Paulo

“Mercado Municipal de São Paulo” is situated in the old center of the capital, built in 1928 and inaugurated in 1933, it is not only an important commercial warehouse of wholesale and retail products but also one of the MUST see places of the big city of São Paulo today. The market not only captivates Paulistanos for its quality products but also for its beautiful architecture of eclectic style and magnificent glass windows designed by Conrado Sorgenicht Filho, showing some aspects of the food production.

The market is specialized in the commercialization of fruits, vegetables, cereals, meats, spices & herbs, cheeses, olive oils and many others local products. It also includes a huge selection of world products that you don’t normally find in supermarkets. The variety and choice of products certainly impresses anyone who visits the market.

The building was renovated in 2004, creating an extra space and mezzanine, which today is a meeting point for many Paulistanos who are looking for delicious snack bars with lots to choose from. There you will find pastel & bolinho de bacalhau, mortadela sandwiches and much more …

You cannot miss out on the Hocca Bar, it’s the best Mortadela Sandwich of São Paulo, you have to be hungry though because it is huge! Don’t’ forget to order a refreshing chopp with it too (unpasteurized beer) it will go down like a treat ;-)



Photos by Fabiana Boarin

"Petiscos de Praia"...

Brazilian beaches are very well known for their soft white sand, palm trees, sporty bodies and small bikinis but let’s not forget to mention the food and drink which is part of the culture of a day on the beach. It's the famous “petiscar”  which basically means pick on food and drink away all day long… 

It’s amazing the variety of things you can find on some beaches you visit …. If nothing there, there will be at least one kiosk, most visited places will cater from the most luxurious beach bar to the man walking on the beach selling their home made goodies … but the most famous ones are the “barraquinhas de praia”  where you find a range of fried fishes and shellfish… I must admit it doesn’t sound very healthy or appealing when you talk about deep fried food to me, but damn it tastes good and the classic way to compensate it and cleanse your body is to drink loads of coconut water. Ask for the very cold ones, they are delicious and very good for you.

If you hear someone shouting “olha o sanduiche naturalllll … saaaaaanduiche natural…” don’t get scared: no one is fighting or anything, they are just trying to sell their fresh homemade sandwiches… and alongside there will be the corn on the cob, churros, candies, smoothies, ice cream, peanuts , cocktails (batidas de frutas) and caipirinhas… I could go on forever!

Hmmm , what a great way to lazy around…



Cold coconut water stand



Barraquinha de praia



manjubinha e cebola



Lula a dore

Bolinho de siri

Just be warned, don’t eat too much and try to swim by the red flags, they do mean dangerous, I’m talking from experience here … luckily the life guards were very fast and the friendly staff from the bar were happy to welcome us with another with a drink  :-)

Text & Photos by Fabiana Boarin

Happy 2011 - A Prawn Feast



Hello dear bloggers and friends,

Happy 2011 to everyone! After a hectic end of the year with festive season and family gatherings, we are back to wish you all a fantastic 2011 full of happiness, success and health.

We are hoping that this year will bring many great moments to all of us so we can share our love and passion for life, living every minute to make this place a better world…

To celebrate the new year, Marina invited me to stay at her family’s apartment on the coast in Santa Catarina, on Balneario Camboriu Beach, Brazil. And to say a big thanks to Marina for hosting us, I offered  to cook a prawn feast for New Year’s Eve. With great help from Hanna we had a fabulous meal to fill us up for a night of partying…

 

Camarao Rosa - fresh from the local market



Grilled BBQ prawns

 

Prawn Salad with avocados, tomatos & red onions



Tomato & Mango Salsa

The big celebration was hosted at Marina’s cousin's house, plenty of drinks and fun throughout the night… What a great way to say goodbye to 2010 and start 2011…  Towards the end of the night we thought another food attack was in order but I won't share the lovely mixes I made with you, unless drunken mixtures are excused ;-) I bet there were no bombons or brigadeiros left at the end of the night…



Happy 2011



Marina Prosdocimo , Ana Beatriz , Hanna Dallmann & Fabiana Boarin



Sonho de Valsa bombons and Black and White soft brigadeiros