Normally a place where we only spend 24 hours does not get it’s own blog, but this was Porto and we had had a dining experience of a lifetime, a complete blast meeting people and drinking the fabulous port all within a very picturesque city with lots of history and a wonderful vibe. I apologise later about the level of detail, but we just have to share our wonderful gastronomic experience!
Normally in big towns, we choose to catch a bus or train into the centre. Tonight in Porto it was different, it was Kam’s birthday, and we weren’t settling for an 11:30 public transport curfew (but funnily enough we were settling for a tent?). We had logged on to Trip Advisor to find out what was the best rated restaurant were in Porto, because this was a special night and we wanted to live it up . Phoning the number of the restaurant of choice was unsuccessful so we decided to put on our best duds and see if we could get a reservation at the door. I donned my only collared shirt, jeans and closed toed shoes (first time I’d worn them in 2 months); Kam got dolled up with her new Portuguese earrings, jeans, sexy tank top and squeezed her broken toe into her sparkly shoes, and we hit the town. We quickly nabbed our trademark free park, and walked the streets of Porto. As we were walking past the many lovely river side restaurants, we were considering giving our chosen restaurant a miss and just getting some nice fare on the river. Lucky we didn’t…
We finally found the ODE Porto Wine House and it was so rustic, quaint and lovely, Kam and I knew we had hit a winner. We met the manager and asked if there was availability for 2 this evening. He ummed and ahhed. Like some sort of test he advised us of the concept of his restaurant. All food is cooked fresh, i.e, if you order an entree, your mains will not be cooked until you have finished your entree, all aspects would be prepared fresh, the sauces would be made from scratch and therefore your meal would take a little longer. He paused and waited for our reaction. He must have seen my eyes light up, and my big cheesey smile, and realised that I was very keen on this concept; fresh food, and attention to detail, sounds pretty good to me! He miraculously found availability at 8:30. We returned half an hour later after a drink at the local Turkish pub (reclining in big cushions by the river – a wonderful pre-dinner drink spot), we were the only guests who had arrived for the evening so far and funnily enough, this is how we felt the entire evening.
We were escorted to the upstairs parlour and from the moment we arrived, we were treated like absolute royalty (except when I mentioned Kam’s birthday and we were almost scolded for not allowing enough time for them to provide something special for her special day). The amazing night was begun with some complimentary white port as an aperitif and we then moved on to entrees (sorry to bore everyone about the food, but it was probably the best meal of our lives and us writing this down is more for us to remember than for you to hear 😉 ). I had antipasto platter of goats cheese, olives and fresh tuna pate; all of which the taste was so fresh and the subtleties of flavour were so enjoyable; however none compared to Kam’s entree. The Portuguese wild pork sausage (Pork was famous in the area) was completely out of this world, so smoky it tasted barbequed, and so smooth it felt like it was pate. It was absolutely the best sausage I have eaten (insert joke here).
Mains again were to die for. We coupled our meal with a bottle of Douros Red superbly selected by the manager, which went amazingly well with my Sirloin steak and Kam’s Filet Mignon. My steak was very thin, but superbly cooked with pink throughout, it sat on a bed of garlic bread and spinach, and was simply delightful. However, once again, food envy! Kam’s filet was UNBELIEVEABLE! I mean, I have never tasted a thick piece of meat so tender and melt in your mouth before in my life (again insert joke here). It was so flavourful and soft that the rest of our meal was spent in silence. Quite a difference to the rest of our evening!
As we do when we go out by ourselves, Kam and I love to sit down and chat over great food and great wine. And we were pulled up by this when the manager came to us and asked what was wrong when at the beginning of our mains we hadn’t yet touched the food. Confused, we said “Nothing, why?”. To which he remarked, “Your mains have been in front of you and you haven’t touched them, I thought maybe there was something wrong?”. We explained the we were enjoying the atmosphere and wine and our company (an amazing feat considering we have spent only 8 hours apart in the past 3 months) so much that we hadn’t had a chance to have our first bite. This turned out to be a very important moment in our evening, as later it would further heightened the experience for the course of the evening completely.
The manager throughout the night had served us, recommended for us, chatted to us, and all the while had made us feel like we were the only diners in the restaurant (which was completely full bar one table). Not intrusive, and there was a great moment where he had an honest conversation about us, his restaurant and his passions. We found out that they had only been open 2 months, and the table behind us was not empty because there was not enough interest; quite the contrary; he had chosen not to fill that table because the upstairs ambiance was just right, another table would have ruined it. Here is a restaurateur who was more concerned with customer’s enjoyment than making money; unheard of and through the evening we felt and benefitted from his philosophy!
With our bellies full to the brim, but not wanting to call it quits, we ordered desert. Pissed off that my first 2 choices had both been second best (still great, but second all the same), I chose the exact same dish as Kam, Melting Chocolate Volcano Fondant. I was fairly sure I wouldn’t have food envy on this one! As it arrived, we were presented with 2 complimentary glasses of port, one of a ruby port, and the other of a tawny port (10 yrs) – both local of course! These were a perfect compliment to the oozing, rich, warm, dark chocolate desert, and further ignited our love for port.
If we weren’t full before, we most certainly were now, but the chef had a few more cards to play. As we were sitting, sipping our port, the lights went out, the entire restaurant was in darkness, and quickly came a chorus from up the stairwell. The Happy Birthday cheers were sung loud and clear (in English I might add) by all the staff; Chef, Manager and Waiting staff. Kam was completely shocked as she realised it was for her. Even more shocked when they presented her a second desert (seriously we were about to explode). I looked at Kam and could see she was so touched by the experience he tears were welling up in her eyes.
It was then when we received the most unexpected twist of the evening. As if the meal, service, atmosphere and birthday wishes weren’t enough to make it an amazing night, the manager pulled an ace from his sleeve. He came to us and said one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to us. He explained that by observing us throughout the night he was confident that we were going to have a great life, how we were both such happy people, and how we were the exact clientele that he wanted to have in his restaurant; people who can sit down, chat to each other and savouring a long and relaxed dinner. As some sort of appreciation he provided us with something very, very special. We knew we were in for something good when he started to whisper to us, but we didn’t expect this. A tasting (and I meant taste, certainly not a glass) of 105 year old Portuguese port. Just to put this into perspective; this port was made in 1906; this port pre-dates World War I; this port saw the introduction of the RADIO; this port was special!
The smell was unbelievable, it was thick with wood, caramel and toffee. It wasn’t viscous like I thought it would be but it was strong and powerful to taste. It lingered (luckily) on the back of your tongue, and tasted like a thick, smoky, caramel lollie. Even after finishing the taste Kam and I both enjoyed the amazing smell still emanating from the glass. It was pretty darn remarkable, and it couldn’t have been a better end to the meal. Not wanting to tarnish our tastebuds, we left the coffees and sat and chatted to the chef (an ex translator, who learnt English as a nanny in England), and the Manager, both amazing people, with an amazing restaurant!
As we left, a good 5 hours after we arrived (first to arrive, last to leave), we remarked at how amazing the meal had been, quite simply a meal we would never forget, and for me at least, the best meal of my life to date! Happy Birthday Kam!
But as I was so quickly told, Kam’s birthday was not over yet, it was her birthday weekend, one more day to go! Now that we had tasted the best, it was time to taste the rest; port houses here we come! We started our tour at Krohn, started by 2 brothers in 1836, they have been making port in Porto since then, we did a guided tasting and then took a tour, even seeing some of their oldest barrels still holding port from 1865, and some bottles from 1836!
After a few stops at some smaller houses, we headed to Taylors, of international fame. The tour was a little commercial, boasting their marker of success as being bought out by an international buyer, but their port was lovely, and it was great to see a big manufacturer and the largest barrel in all of Europe (holding 200,000 litres of port – still in use I might add).
But the highlight was easily during our tasting when I enquired about a port called SCION. This had meaning to Kam and I (and Scott, Lisa, Stu and Joelie) as it was the same name of a great winery in Rutherglen that also focuses on fortified wines. It was hard not to notice this port, as it was 155 years old, and pre dates one of the worst outbreaks of disease to the Portuguese vines devastating all the vines in the area. The tasting alone was €100, and only 1400 bottles are in existence and will set you back €2500. The name stems from royalty in Portugal, but was more to indicate how precious it actually is. As we were ogling the bottle, as if by magic, a man from New York at the next table opted to indulge in the tasting of the SCION. I felt it my duty to be his personal camera man, and filmed his experience for him. As form of payment, he allowed me to sniff his port (again no pun intended), of which I managed to do on at least 3 occasions. He did offer me a taste, but there was no way I could deprive him of a single drop! The smell lingered long enough to give me an outstanding experience.
I think we must have realised that our trip to Porto could really not get any better than it already had. We barely touched the surface of it, but we had such an amazing time, that we will recommend to everyone to head to Portugal, and especially to Porto; but not before us. We’ll be back!
So we said farewell to Porto, abrigado to Portugal, and Ola to Espagna as we continued back to France, for some Le Tour action. Go Cadel!
