We started off the day with a good night’s sleep for both of us (Vince had more sleep than me), but I at least got 7 hours of sleep so I am happy! We were very ambitious on our agenda to start the day off walking 5 miles along the coast to Belem city to see the Belem Tower. It took us about 1.5 hours but we did get a lot of ocean view and breezes.

We stopped by a no name coffee and bakery shop to get a cappuccino so that Vince can use a restroom to poop. The cappuccino ended up being very good and had a slight sweet chocolate aftertaste.

After sight seeing Belem Tower, we did a couple of nearby touristy things including checking out the monastery and church of Jeronimos.

We decided to get lunch somewhere in Belem before heading back to Lisbon. While finding a lunch spot, we saw a chocolatier shop and tried a few pieces of chocolate. They also served port wine mini bottles but it was too early in our vacation to start carrying souvenirs around!

We saw this restaurant and decided to eat here because one of the signs said.. “Stressed? CODFISH! Happy? CODFISH! Sad? CODFISH!” Etc for many emotions.. you get the idea!

However, our meal did start out on a sour note because I think our waiter was being racist towards us. We saw a couple sitting at a table of four and one woman sitting at a table of four. We picked a table of four ourselves because it was the only table free that was in the shade. He told us we can’t sit there and must sit at a table for two. I say racist! Did not give us same treatment as the other two parties.

Despite that, I must say the food was SO GOOD. We got the garlic and soft chili prawn, catfish custard tart and the veal croquettes.

Garlic and soft chili prawns. A little disappointed that they took off the shells, but the garlic and butter sauce that the shrimp was drenched in was so good!!! Full of flight and buttery flavors! I love eating the actual shaved garlic pieces.

Codfish custard tarts. Probably the best thing I’ve had in Portugal so far! The codfish custard was savory, thick and creamy. It gave me the sensation of clam chowder soup in a sweet and flaky tart crust.

Veal croquette. The veal croquettes were also very good! Very soft on the inside! It was also served with an interesting and light mustard sauce.

We also walked uphill to the St. Jorges Castle, which gave us a munch better view than we thought would have for Elavador de Santa Justa tower elevator (which is conveniently next to our hotel also).

But while on the way, I was able to try these cheesy codfish potato like things I keep seeing around! It was like a codfish croquette but with melted Swiss cheese in the middle. It was just alright. I was disappointed that it wasn’t better.

After coming back from the castle, we decided to take a stroll along Pink Street and Time Out Market. At the market, we checked out a bar booth called Mercado Da Ribeira – Time Out Bar where they served some pretty good cocktails.

Read Between the Wines. Red wine, homemade orange liquor, Lucor Beirao, moscatel, red apple & lime juice, cinnamon syrup. I loved this drink! It was a fun take on a sangria and was perfectly sweet and fruity. It was also topped with an apple slice crisp.

Havana Cubana. Plantation Jamaica 2009, plantation Xaymaca, Benedictine, peace & lime juice, ginger & citrus syrup, lime & ginger foam. This was Vince’s drink. It reminded him of a Mai tai and he got gnarly island vibes.

I also snagged another Portuguese egg tart from a different stand in the market called Manteigaria. It tasted better than last night’s and the flaky crust was actually sweeter!

Now we’re off to dinner at a place called Valdo Gatti because Vince wants pizza and thought the place was cute. I hope I get more fish and try an octopus dish before we leave tomorrow!!

Okay, so the pizza was actually pretty bomb. The dough was very airy with air bubbles. Pizza was also thin with a nice crust. We met up with Vince’s best friend and his new wife too (were actually honeymooning at the same time and so happen to have a little of Portugal overlap).

Cappricciosa. Tomato, mozzarella, artichoke, olives, mushrooms, prosciutto “cotto,” spicy salami. Classic meat lover pizza with some veggies.

Al Funghi. Trufato. Mozarella, truffled ricotta, woodland mushrooms, truffle oil, chili-berries. The truffle was not overdone and the ricotta spread with truffle throughout the pizza was a nice appreciated touch. I loved the mushrooms!

Baccala Affumicato. Mozarella, olives, cherry-tomato, capers, smoked cod, parsley, lemon. Ordered this purely because of the fish and that we were in a fish dominant country. It was good!

After dinner, we decided to do a little bar hopping. Vince took them back to the bar we went to last night called Toca da Raposa. Interestingly enough, they even changed some of their drinks on their menu and printed out new ones!

Unicorn. Tequila, eucalyptus, cucumber. It was light and refreshing! I almost liked it but there was an alcohol after taste. I actually don’t remember the name of this drink but made up an animal anyway haha. Did not keep today’s menu!

Parrot. Rum, pistachio, banana, pineapple. This was Vinces drink! Sweet, light. Cannot tell there was pistachio in it but Vince seemed to love it.

Panda. Absinth, fennel, raspberry. Vince’s drink. It was a weird tasting drink but not too alcohol dominant either.

Tanuki. Gin, horseradish, rhubarb, chamomile. This was my second attempt. I heard it was really sweet so I decided to give it a try. The consistency is a bit more viscous and actually reminds me a lot of children’s Tylenol liquid.

Then we went to Ginginha das Gaveas, which is a tiny bar with gin and liquor. We each got a round of these little filled shot glasses of very sweet, syrup-y liqueur to sip on. It didn’t taste too bad!

Then we tried to find a wine bar and thought that this was cute. Fortunately! I think this is more of a restaurant so they had regular appetizers and entrees. Lucky for me, they had an octopus dish so I had to order it even if I were hungry!

Roasted octopus, baked potatoes, garlic, olive oil, coriander. This dish came out sizzling but still. It taste as good as it looks. The octopus is so tender and soft. The potatoes are flavorful with butter and olive oil. The octopus soaked in olive oil always is what drives it home for me. I loved the thinly sliced garlic to eat.

Again, enjoyed the second full day in a Portugal. Tomorrow will be a partial morning in Lisbon and off to the airport to go back to Spain 🙂