On Saturday, 20th April we went on a little day trip to the ZSL London Zoo. I feel like it might be a little too early to bring him on these things because he doesn’t pay too much attention to things in general. But I still do because I think I’m doing us a favour. In my head, the earlier I get him used to museums and such, the more he’ll enjoy them. So far, this seems to be true for books, so I’m expanding this thought to other areas of life. Most of all it was a necessary family day out. The husband is working day and night on different projects lately, so we all needed a day off together. Lunch at Purezza We got out of the house far too late (as per usual) and Dinis was ready for his midday nap. So he fell asleep on the way to Camden, and there was no point in heading to the zoo with him fast asleep. He’s a much better sleeper now and his daily naps range between 1 hour and 30 minutes to 3 hours (not just lucky though, we did teach him to sleep – I can […]

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OK. I know I went to Amsterdam in January and only now am writing about it on the blog. #boooo #sorry I posted a video at the time and I’ve been meaning to write about it on the blog with places of interest and recommendations for anyone visiting, so here it goes, ready for your Winter vacations planning! Well, if unlike me, you’re that prepared for life in general.   The Netherlands and the Amsterdam I know For me, Amsterdam means good vibes. And, no, it has nothing to do with drugs and prostitutes. Yes they’re both there, more accessible and more visible than in other places, but limiting the thought of Amsterdam (or the Netherlands) to THAT is frankly annoying. I lived six months in the country, some years ago, without touching drugs nor have I ever resorted to prostitutes to satisfy sexual needs. None of those things are things I’m into and the country and its capital have so much more to offer. (I sound so posh! #NOT) For me, the Netherlands is a place on Earth where (generally speaking) people try to make it work for everyone. In The Netherlands there’s more respect for everyone irrespective of gender, […]

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You’ve probably never been told, but there are three ways of eating a Pastel de Nata. #SayWhat To those of you that are (somehow) not aware of what a Pastel de Nata is, or what do I mean by ‘ways’ of eating it, let me explain.   History The Pastel de Nata (or Portuguese custard tart) was born in Lisbon. The recipe was created before the 18th century by Catholic monks and in 1834 the recipe was sold to a sugar refinery. In 1837, the refinery owners opened the Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém in Belém (Lisbon), which is the birthplace of the Pastel de Nata we know today. This pastry shop is one of the must-go places when touring around Lisbon. They have a well-kept secret of the original recipe, which is known by only three or four of the family members that still own and run the place. They’re so secretive about it, there’s even a secret room in the building, where the pastries are made. It’s always very busy, with fairly long queues outside, but do not panic – they have plenty of space in the back and it is well worth the wait. You can also not […]

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Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! Portuguese food! Where should I start? A friend of mine brought me to Bar Douro and I knew this was a place to repeat and a new place you need to try! Here’s why.   Round 1 The first time I went to this new place was with my lovely friends. We hadn’t met for so long and it was Marta’s birthday. Well, let’s celebrate! Cátia found Bar Douro and was dying to go there. Ana and I were up for whatever as long as it was tasty. As Cátia’s choices tend to be great, surprise dinner approved! After meeting at a 1920’s Dresses exhibition we got to Bar Douro and excitement grew. What did I enjoy the most? Well, being with my friends is my first answer, but oh… That food!!! That Pão com Chouriço (Bread with Chorizo), those Croquettes de Alheira and oh! That wine! Bar Douro is one of the newest upgraded Portuguese food restaurants in town and it should totally become the talk of the town! So I dragged João with me and well… My mouth is watering of just thinking about it.   Round 2! Bar Douro is a […]

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The date is June 21st, 2016. Exactly one month after we got married in our home country, Portugal. Just like most men (married or not), I too remembered just two days before that this was a date worth some celebration (no..? just me?). So after scouting a few websites for recommendations on romantic restaurants and getting slammed with the harsh reality of late booking anything trendy in London, I luckily found an option that had been on my hit list for a while and would be a first for both of us: Bob Bob Ricard, a Russian restaurant in Soho. I did some research on the subject matter beforehand and found both ravishingly good reviews and some atrocious ones. Usually positive on the food but negative on the design choices of the venue. Went back to double check all the venue photos I could find online and decided to just ignore those bad reviews. The same way I would ignore my late grandma’s poor taste in home decoration. With the booking done, I sent a calendar invite to Millia for our first wedding monthiversary dinner while keeping the location a secret. The only tips were the nearest tube station (Piccadilly […]

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I love to eat. Well, obviously we all have to eat, it’s a human necessity. I know some people that only eat out of necessity. #IKnowRight That’s not me. I love to eat. I would eat all the time if that didn’t mean becoming unnecessarily and unhealthily fat. #NoteToSelf When I first started dating my (now) husband, I also began to develop a whole new relationship to eating at restaurants, picking up takeaways and ordering home delivery.   Two different points of view I’m Portuguese and as with a lot of the Portuguese mums, my mum is a great cook. So much so, that my father has always said “I don’t like going to restaurants. Food tastes better at home”. I totally agree that mum and both my grandmothers’ cooking is amazing. But I’m also aware that my father’s taste buds are quite particular and well… he likes to save money. Nothing against saving money! I too understand how expensive eating out is like. When I was single, I couldn’t afford it. I even had a great friend once offering to pay for my meal as a convincing argument to join a group dinner. When you have three kids or a […]

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