THINGS TO DO IN AND AROUND LISBON
Mar 27th, 2006, 01:07 PM
#423
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Lobo Mau: thanks for the added info. I will have to do a little research and decide which place to visit. I will let you know what we decide. I do think it is a good idea to make sure we have time to relax and people watch. The kids especially get a little grumpy when we try to do too much.
Matt: We would love to join in on the Lisbon dinner club. I will have to find a creative way to explain to the kids how I know you because I have told them never to talk to strangers on the internet and especially never to go meet them. Maybe you could be a friend of a friend. or a long lost cousin.
Matt: We would love to join in on the Lisbon dinner club. I will have to find a creative way to explain to the kids how I know you because I have told them never to talk to strangers on the internet and especially never to go meet them. Maybe you could be a friend of a friend. or a long lost cousin.
Mar 27th, 2006, 02:00 PM
#424
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Sara, that's easy - bearing in mind Lizzy (my wife) is a fully fledged member, she was your penfriend many years ago whom you've only just got back in contact with after so many years...
Yes, I understand your concerns - I have been lucky with those whom I've met via the internet, both in New York and Portugal, please don't let me down and turn out to be mad...
Matt
Yes, I understand your concerns - I have been lucky with those whom I've met via the internet, both in New York and Portugal, please don't let me down and turn out to be mad...
Matt
Mar 27th, 2006, 05:27 PM
#426
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YES! for me too!!!!
Sara; I was cracking up when I read your post about meeting Matt and Lobo for dinner and what to tell your kids about who they are. It could've been a conversation I had with my 12yr old about a week ago.LOL!
Sara; I was cracking up when I read your post about meeting Matt and Lobo for dinner and what to tell your kids about who they are. It could've been a conversation I had with my 12yr old about a week ago.LOL!
Mar 28th, 2006, 12:33 AM
#427
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Wow what a sunny day here in Lisbon today: I'm off across the river a bit later, might take some pictures should I get chance...
Lobo, will you be watching the big game tonight? Predictions?
Matt
Lobo, will you be watching the big game tonight? Predictions?
Matt
Mar 28th, 2006, 05:50 AM
#428
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Barb, referring to the big rock concert, you won't even notice, except eventually for some more people in Metro. During the Soccer World Cup, it will be some displays of games in public places and some restaurants, pubs, cafes displaying live the games will have more attendance than usually. Should Portuguese team win any game (hopefuly), it will be parades of cars with flags and scarves. If you see something like this, don't be frightened, it's just people in good mood.
Matt, for today, I thing Benfica wins 1-0, and next week looses in Barcelona 1-2, moving forward to the European final 4 (away goal rule). I heard that the city is packed with Catalans, but I've seen none, so far.
Matt, for today, I thing Benfica wins 1-0, and next week looses in Barcelona 1-2, moving forward to the European final 4 (away goal rule). I heard that the city is packed with Catalans, but I've seen none, so far.
Mar 28th, 2006, 06:00 AM
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LittleJane has recently returned home from her Lisbon stay, with her permission I've cut and pasted her trip report for you all. Thanks Jane.
"Just back from a weekend break in lovely Lisbon. I found tons of helpful info on fodor's site, especially Matt's suggestions on what to do in Lisbon with Lobo's comments. Thanks to you both.
As you've already covered what to do in Lisbon in so much detail I thought it might be helpful if I just stuck to comments here on our hotel / restaurant experiences.
Hotel:
We stayed in Le Meriden. I can't recommend this highly enough. A fab room for about EUR170 per night. 10th floor with panoramic views of the city. In a quiet area, not too far from the centre. It is up a BIG hill so may be a tough walk for some people from the city centre but taxis are really cheap.
Restaurants:
We probably ate in very touristy restaurants. We didn't book in advance so couldn't get a few of the places we had planned to eat on Friday / Saturday night. We were there for 3 nights in total:
Night 1: Olivier
First night we ate in Olivier, where you get a tasting menu of the chef's specialities for EUR30. Couldn't believe the price and food was lovely, a number of starter courses (I'd say 9 in total) including Beef Carpaccio, Octopus Carpaccio, Foie Gras, Scallops, Pasta - yes, you get ALL of these! followed by your choice of main course - we chose pork, cooked in the oven. melt in the mouth stuff. For dessert there was a fabulous chocolate creation (I think this cost extra). Overall great value for money but you need to go prepared to be stuffed full of food.
Second night we went down to the docks area and ate in one of the restaurants on the dock itself (I know it was no.12 but can't remember the name). We had fresh fish
which was fine, nothing remarkable.
Third night - Bacchus
On the third night (Saturday) we asked the concierge at the hotel to book us a restaurant in Bairro Alto. She tried a few places and eventually booked us into Bacchus.
From the outside it looked lovely if pricey. We said "what the hell, it's our last night" and went in. Great ambience in the restaurant itself, the only drawback being that there were not very many customers (we soon discovered why)!. We both ordered meat (1 lamb, 1 beef) as a main course at around EUR25 each. The meat tasted off and the dish was very unexciting (it came with brussels sprouts, carrots and a few chips). Neither of us really ate our main course. So we thought we'd indulge in dessert even though it looked pricey at EUR16 each. We had some flambeed pancakes which were fine.
Then for the surprise! We asked for the bill and imagine our surprise when our pre-dinner drinks appeared on the menu at the staggering price of EUR31 for an orange juice and a kir (white wine with creme de cassis). Kir is usually about EUR2 more than the cost of a glass of wine in Dublin and given that a half bottle of wine on the Bacchus menu was EUR10 we had assumed the kir would be no more than EUR10. In fact they charged us EUR25 for the kir. When we were offered our pre-dinner drinks we were not given a price list but there is no way we thought they would cost as much as the main course! The whole experience literally left a nasty taste in our mouths and the place seems to be set up to rip off stupid tourists like us.
Just wanted to put this up as a warning. Don't visit Bacchus. Do visit Olivier, if tasting menus are your thing. Do wander around Bairro Alto at night stopping off for a drink in lots of tiny eclectic bars. And do visit Lisbon! It's really charming.
jane"
"Just back from a weekend break in lovely Lisbon. I found tons of helpful info on fodor's site, especially Matt's suggestions on what to do in Lisbon with Lobo's comments. Thanks to you both.
As you've already covered what to do in Lisbon in so much detail I thought it might be helpful if I just stuck to comments here on our hotel / restaurant experiences.
Hotel:
We stayed in Le Meriden. I can't recommend this highly enough. A fab room for about EUR170 per night. 10th floor with panoramic views of the city. In a quiet area, not too far from the centre. It is up a BIG hill so may be a tough walk for some people from the city centre but taxis are really cheap.
Restaurants:
We probably ate in very touristy restaurants. We didn't book in advance so couldn't get a few of the places we had planned to eat on Friday / Saturday night. We were there for 3 nights in total:
Night 1: Olivier
First night we ate in Olivier, where you get a tasting menu of the chef's specialities for EUR30. Couldn't believe the price and food was lovely, a number of starter courses (I'd say 9 in total) including Beef Carpaccio, Octopus Carpaccio, Foie Gras, Scallops, Pasta - yes, you get ALL of these! followed by your choice of main course - we chose pork, cooked in the oven. melt in the mouth stuff. For dessert there was a fabulous chocolate creation (I think this cost extra). Overall great value for money but you need to go prepared to be stuffed full of food.
Second night we went down to the docks area and ate in one of the restaurants on the dock itself (I know it was no.12 but can't remember the name). We had fresh fish
which was fine, nothing remarkable.
Third night - Bacchus
On the third night (Saturday) we asked the concierge at the hotel to book us a restaurant in Bairro Alto. She tried a few places and eventually booked us into Bacchus.
From the outside it looked lovely if pricey. We said "what the hell, it's our last night" and went in. Great ambience in the restaurant itself, the only drawback being that there were not very many customers (we soon discovered why)!. We both ordered meat (1 lamb, 1 beef) as a main course at around EUR25 each. The meat tasted off and the dish was very unexciting (it came with brussels sprouts, carrots and a few chips). Neither of us really ate our main course. So we thought we'd indulge in dessert even though it looked pricey at EUR16 each. We had some flambeed pancakes which were fine.
Then for the surprise! We asked for the bill and imagine our surprise when our pre-dinner drinks appeared on the menu at the staggering price of EUR31 for an orange juice and a kir (white wine with creme de cassis). Kir is usually about EUR2 more than the cost of a glass of wine in Dublin and given that a half bottle of wine on the Bacchus menu was EUR10 we had assumed the kir would be no more than EUR10. In fact they charged us EUR25 for the kir. When we were offered our pre-dinner drinks we were not given a price list but there is no way we thought they would cost as much as the main course! The whole experience literally left a nasty taste in our mouths and the place seems to be set up to rip off stupid tourists like us.
Just wanted to put this up as a warning. Don't visit Bacchus. Do visit Olivier, if tasting menus are your thing. Do wander around Bairro Alto at night stopping off for a drink in lots of tiny eclectic bars. And do visit Lisbon! It's really charming.
jane"
Mar 28th, 2006, 06:12 AM
#430
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So I slipped across the river briefly to Lisbon to arrange my 2nd daughter's ID card. Unfortunately the camera's battery died (should have taken the old manual Nikon) but Lisbon looked lovely from the ferry, bathed in sun as it (and I) was.
On the way back home we stopped for lunch at a little restaurant, more like a tasca. Little more than a doorway, it opened up like Dr Who's taris in the back with some tables and TV blaring out previews to this evening's match. A few locals and an old sea salt sat at the back shouting criticism at the TV. (Obviously a sporting supporter). It was perfect, and we ordered 2 servings of Joaquinzinhos fritos (fried whitebait) and Açorda. Now Açorda is a dish from Alentejo comprised of day old bread, boiling water, garlic, coriander and raw eggs all mixed together. Sounds a bit gross bit is like a thick stodgy stew with each bite a mixture of flavours.
With 2 cokes bread and butter it came to 14.35 euros. Very good value: in fact one serving would have been enough for the two of us - two servings (as we had) would be perfect for three people. A jar of house red would have been better than coke but I was driving and felt tired enough anyway.
The place was called Restaurante I Cacilheiro in Rua Candid dos Reis and whilst I doubt any tourists go there for us it was the perfect place for lunch. If any of you come south of the river to visit Christo Rei consider popping in for something to eat, or at least to trade loud conversation with old captain fishy fingers sat at the back table!
Lobo - I bumped into a few Barca fans but none had a spare ticket
Tough game, I'll get drunk during the 90 minutes so in the end won't care about the result ;-)
Matt
On the way back home we stopped for lunch at a little restaurant, more like a tasca. Little more than a doorway, it opened up like Dr Who's taris in the back with some tables and TV blaring out previews to this evening's match. A few locals and an old sea salt sat at the back shouting criticism at the TV. (Obviously a sporting supporter). It was perfect, and we ordered 2 servings of Joaquinzinhos fritos (fried whitebait) and Açorda. Now Açorda is a dish from Alentejo comprised of day old bread, boiling water, garlic, coriander and raw eggs all mixed together. Sounds a bit gross bit is like a thick stodgy stew with each bite a mixture of flavours.
With 2 cokes bread and butter it came to 14.35 euros. Very good value: in fact one serving would have been enough for the two of us - two servings (as we had) would be perfect for three people. A jar of house red would have been better than coke but I was driving and felt tired enough anyway.
The place was called Restaurante I Cacilheiro in Rua Candid dos Reis and whilst I doubt any tourists go there for us it was the perfect place for lunch. If any of you come south of the river to visit Christo Rei consider popping in for something to eat, or at least to trade loud conversation with old captain fishy fingers sat at the back table!
Lobo - I bumped into a few Barca fans but none had a spare ticket
Tough game, I'll get drunk during the 90 minutes so in the end won't care about the result ;-)Matt
Mar 28th, 2006, 06:59 PM
#431
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Matt, I take this to mean that the weather has finally changed for the better! What is the prediction for the weekend? I'll be there on Friday!
Oh by the way, my vote is for starting a fresh thread.
Oh by the way, my vote is for starting a fresh thread.
Mar 28th, 2006, 10:27 PM
#432
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Okay, so what time do you arrive back in Lisbon on the 9th Patrick? Perhaps dinner that night will be too soon - so what do you think to Sunday 10th? Lobo, dinner then - will you have that night free?
0 - 0 in the football then, Benfica matched Barca and had we been rightfully awarded at least one penalty we could have won it.
Matt
0 - 0 in the football then, Benfica matched Barca and had we been rightfully awarded at least one penalty we could have won it.
Matt
Mar 29th, 2006, 06:03 AM
#433
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Matt,
First of all, Sunday IS the 9th, not the 10th! And we're scheduled to arrive from Madeira by mid-morning, so there's no problem with dinner that night. But if Monday or Tuesday night is better for you guys, that's fine too. I have your phone number, and will check with you once we've arrived.
In 24 hours we're on our way. Can't wait!
First of all, Sunday IS the 9th, not the 10th! And we're scheduled to arrive from Madeira by mid-morning, so there's no problem with dinner that night. But if Monday or Tuesday night is better for you guys, that's fine too. I have your phone number, and will check with you once we've arrived.
In 24 hours we're on our way. Can't wait!
Mar 29th, 2006, 11:03 AM
#434
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AH yes, my mistake, I'm getting a little sidetracked with my England visit (and the thought of staying with my parents for 2 weeks ) So dinner for me will be best for that Sunday night as Monday I'll be last minute packing as per usual! Lobo are you okay for that Sunday night? Casa dos Passarinhos? I really enjoyed the last time, as did Lizzy.
Matt
) So dinner for me will be best for that Sunday night as Monday I'll be last minute packing as per usual! Lobo are you okay for that Sunday night? Casa dos Passarinhos? I really enjoyed the last time, as did Lizzy.Matt
Mar 30th, 2006, 05:55 AM
#435
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dear Matt, sorry to disappoint you, but Casa dos Passarinhos is closed on Sundays. My second alternative is closed too.
Sarasara, we are not strangers on the internet, we are just friends you've never met.
Sarasara, we are not strangers on the internet, we are just friends you've never met.
Mar 30th, 2006, 07:07 AM
#436
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Lobo: that is a lovely thought that could promote world peace for adults but for 15 year old girls there are too many dirty old men wanting to "befriend" her out there in cyberspace. Sorry but when you are the mother of 3 girls you have to be a bit like a mother lion. We would still love to come for dinner though. I just hope you don't send me to Seville. HaHaHa.
Mar 30th, 2006, 07:22 AM
#437
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I understand. The world is a strange place nowadays. I have 2 with 18 and 13 and a lot of concern too.
Why don't you tell them I'm the real Big Bad Wolf? It spares you a lot of explanations since I'm sure they are enough acquainted with the character
As far as Seville is concerned, don't be affraid. All quality visitors are welcome in Lisbon.
Why don't you tell them I'm the real Big Bad Wolf? It spares you a lot of explanations since I'm sure they are enough acquainted with the character
As far as Seville is concerned, don't be affraid. All quality visitors are welcome in Lisbon.
Mar 30th, 2006, 09:51 AM
#438
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Okay, so another choice, what about the original Portugalia, or the place you were talking about that does it's own beers - I've forgotten the name. Was it in expo?
Beautiful day - from Costa I can see all the way to Pena Palace standing proud and clear on the top of Sintra mountain. Blue skies, birds singing - ah the joys of a Portuguese spring. Temp - around mid 70s. Nice. Patrick will be arriving to a very nice weather welcome.
Matt
Beautiful day - from Costa I can see all the way to Pena Palace standing proud and clear on the top of Sintra mountain. Blue skies, birds singing - ah the joys of a Portuguese spring. Temp - around mid 70s. Nice. Patrick will be arriving to a very nice weather welcome.
Matt
Mar 30th, 2006, 01:35 PM
#439
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Matt, I have a suggestion for 3rd LDC meeting. It's Páteo da Memória. It's located 200 meters north from Pasteis de Belem (direction Monsanto forest). The house specialities are "Bacalhau com natas" and "Arroz de pato" (one of each is enough for me ;-). The meeting point could be the parking near Pasteis de Belem by 7pm or the restaurant itself by 7.30 To the attention of Patrick, I remember that Páteo da Memória is one block away from Botanical Garden.
Mar 31st, 2006, 01:17 PM
#440
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Lobo for me that is perfect - in fact Lizzy thinks she ate there once, a very traditional place? So count us in, I'll await Patrick's call - if he doesn't well hell we'll go anyway! I'll bring the camera and notebook as per usual, you bring your wife and we'll have a ball. Hey perhaps get there a little early and sneak in for a Pastel de Belem?
Matt
Matt
