CombatCritic's TravelValue™: Belém

Showing posts with label Belém. Show all posts

Saturday, December 25, 2021

Lisbon, Portugal: A Delicious Taste of Paris In Historical Belém

Comptoir Parisien (French, Portuguese)

Rua Vieira Portuense, 44

Belém, Lisboa

Call: +351 213 638 279 or +351 911 045 754

Website: Comptoir Parisien.com

Prices: €€€€

If visiting Belém for the 'original' pastel de nata at the historic Pastéis de Belém, a visit to the beautiful Jerónimos Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos), the nearby Padrão dos Descobrimentos monument, or the famous Belém Tower (Torre de Belém), both a national monument and World Heritage (UNESCO) site, the nearby Comptoir Parisien will make a great spot for lunch or dinner.

PROS

Seated and fed us at 15:30, having closed at 15:00, on Christmas Eve ... HOOAH!
Plenty of outdoor seating, which came in handy considering that Portugal implemented a requirement, just days before, for a negative COVID test result to eat inside restaurants over the Christmas and New Year holidays
The French Onion Soup (€6) was the best I have ever had in the US, France, you name it
My Sausage and Lentils (€15) was excellent and TOO BIGGA EAT ... MAMA MIA!
The sauces on the steaks au poivre and roquefort (€16 each) were both very tasty
The service was friendly, with one exception (below), and professional ... MERCI BEAUCOUP!
The prices were very fair for the portions and quality of the food

CONS

We were greeted, and I use that term very loosely, by a nasty little man at the entrance to the restaurant whom was trying to get rid of us so he could go home. Fortunately, the owner came along before we could leave and told him to serve us
The medium-well steaks we ordered arrived medium-rare despite my wife and son indicating 'no blood please'

CombatCritic Gives Restaurante Comptoir Parisien 8 BOMBS OUT OF 10 ... I Will Be Back The Next Time In Lisbon ... More Bombs Are Better!

Eight Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "What-The-Fuck ... Over!"

Sunday, February 3, 2019

Lisbon, Portugal: Pastéis de Belém Is "The Bomb" - A Must Visit When In Lisbon

Pastéis de Belém
R. de Belém, 84- 92
1300-085 Lisbon, Portugal
Belém, Belém - Restelo
Phone number +351 213 637 423
Website: pasteisdebelem.pt
Prices: €€€€

If you have not had a Pastel de Nata, a sweet, custard filled tart found in Portugal in general and Lisbon in particular, you have not lived. You can find these tasty little treats at most pastelerias (Portuguese bakeries) in Lisbon and elsewhere for about €1 each, a bargain in any event. But this place is the home of these custard filled tarts, having used a recipe created my monks for over 180 years.

They began making Pastels de Belém in 1837, the "Gold" standard for these pastries, following an ancient recipe from the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Jerónimos Monastery) just down the street. They continue to sell them to this day and you can either eat-in at their restaurant on the west side of Lisbon (Belém) or get in the long line, that moves very quickly, to buy the tarts, sandwiches and other delightful pastries to-go.

We were told that Pastéis de Belém were better and different than anywhere else in Portugal and they were right! They sell so many that they are still warm form the oven when you get them, biting into the flaky pastry and sweet, creamy custard filling that is absolutely delightful. They charge a premium here where with Pastéis de Belém setting you back a lofty €1.10 here, the home of this delectable dessert.

Make sure you get the packets of cinnamon and powdered sugar to sprinkle on top, the Portuguese way, in order to enjoy these delicious morsels to their fullest potential. They will box them up for you, so take a small or large bag full back to your room for a delightful breakfast over the next few days (HINT: Do not refrigerate). If you come to Lisbon and do not try Pastéis de Belém ... YOU ARE A LOSER!

CombatCritic Gives Pastéis de Belém 10 Bombs Out Of 10 And A Spot On My "WALL OF FAME" ... More Bombs Are Better!

Ten Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians:

HOOAH!: "Phonetic spelling of the acronym HUA, which stands for 'Heard Understood Acknowledged.' Originally used by the British in the late 1800's in Afghanistan. More recently adopted by the United States Army to indicate an affirmative or a pleased response." - Urban Dictionary

"The Department of Military Science and Leadership, University of Tennessee claim HOOAH 'refers to or means anything except no' ... Regardless of its meaning ... the term is an expression of high morale, confidence, motivation and spirit." - WarChronicle.com

"The U.S. Air Force stole 'HOOAH' from the Army because we were part of the Army until 1947 and rather than waste a bunch of time coming up with something new and unique like "ROO-YAH" or "HAL-A-LOO-YAH", we said 'screw it, let's go with HOOAH' ... thanks Army ... HOOAH!" - CombatCritic

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Saturday, December 25, 2021

Lisbon, Portugal: A Delicious Taste of Paris In Historical Belém

Sunday, February 3, 2019

Lisbon, Portugal: Pastéis de Belém Is "The Bomb" - A Must Visit When In Lisbon

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