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Dec 5

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On the First day of Christmas, my Normy gave to me…

…a partridge in a Norm-pear tree.

We’re into December and Christmas is but weeks away. Hard to believe really that it’s come around so quickly, but now that my decorations are up, it’s time to get the Norms into gear as well.

This year, as part of the Norms’ celebration of Christmas, the Norms have decided to recount one of their favourite Christmas carols: “The Twelve Days of Christmas” in illustrated form. Now before you say anything, I know that the 12 days of Christmas don’t start until after Christmas day itself, but let’s face facts here, no one is really interested in Christmas much after the Downton Abbey Christmas special has aired at around 10pm on the 25th. So it’s only appropriate that the Norms’ recollection of this much-loved carol is celebrated now, on these heady days leading up to Christmas.

So, as the familiar carol goes, on the 12 days of Christmas, Normy gave his lover a gift each day, the gift becoming more and more extravagant as the days went on.

A partridge in a Norm-pear tree (2012 © Nicholas de Lacy-Brown, pen on paper)

A partridge in a Norm-pear tree (2012 © Nicholas de Lacy-Brown, pen on paper)

“On the first day of Christmas, my Normy gave to me, a partridge in a Norm-pear tree”.

Now this may be the first gift of many, but do not underestimate its value: the Norm-pear tree is a rare and interesting phenomenon, rarely seen by us humans. While scientists looking into the complex genealogy of the Norm species have yet to understand the true process by which a Norm is born, it is widely considered that Norms, who are by nature intrinsically pear-shaped, are actually born from the Norm-pear tree. Starting as flowers with a fragrance as sweet as honeyed nectar, and a colour the shade of azure-tinted white, the Norm-pears take several months to develop from a small round blob into the perfect curvaceous Norm-shape we love and know. In the final stages of gestation, the Norm develops his characteristic one arm and his wide eyes open to the light of day. At this point it is thought that the Norm will fall to the ground, leaving his leaves and stalk behind on the tree, and will, owing to his gelatinous form, bounce a little until coming to a stop. And so the Norm life begins.

So that’s the theory, and you will, no doubt, understand now what a precious gift Normy has given his lover on the first day of Christmas. The fact that there is a pesky partridge sitting inside it is by-the-by.

What will Normy give his lover on the second day of Christmas?

© Nicholas de Lacy-Brown and The Daily Norm, 2001-2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicholas de Lacy-Brown and The Daily Norm with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

 

Dec 4

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My Christmas Wonderland, Part II

It’s day two of my Christmas decoration posts, and today I’m sharing my two “glamour” trees, a stonking-great cornucopia of exquisitely sparkling, extravagantly baroque, exorbitantly lavish Christmas decoration, the crystal-encrusted gems of my yuletide collection, decked out with the kind of elaborate ornamentation which only this exorbitant festive season will allow.

Venetian-Parisian Glamour

In my lounge, which is itself a homage to Parisian chic, decked out in black and white with splashes of vivid cadium red, my contemporary black tree exudes the spirit and sophistication of a European masquerade ball, with sparkling silver Venetian masks interspersed with glittering red Eiffel towers. My favourite baubles are those of transparent glass which have a small glass chandelier inside. They looks amazing when lit from behind by my steadily flashing pure white lights which enhance the sparkle throughout my tree.

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Traditional Splendour

From continental glamour to traditional splendour, my new kid on the block this year is my lavish new hall-way tree, a suitable Christmas spectacle to greet guests to my home. This tree is bedecked with every kind of indulgent frippery, from gilded Louis XV arm chairs and glittering masks, to sparkling dragon flies and red old fashioned telephones. Amongst my favourite curiosities which have made their way onto this tree, I love my very appropriate festive London 2012 olympic mascots dressed in their beefeater and soldier uniforms, as well as my simple red baubles painted with Christmas puddings. The more unusual decorations on this tree are bound within a unifying theme of red, green and gold, reflected in both the lighting and the monochrome baubles, all of which combine to give great balance to this tree.

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Finally, all the golden glamour of my hallway decorations is reflected in this little installation created on my sideboard – a panoply of gilded treasures with ruby red crackers, all culminating to create some festive fun which is deliciously exuberant. That’s my Christmas all over.

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Dec 3

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My Christmas Wonderland, Part I

As a young boy I was obsessed with Christmas. For me, the sadness of a summer’s ending was tempered by the onset of Christmas. As soon as October came along, I was always chafing at the bit to get into the Christmas shops and to feast my eyes upon every kind of sparkle and glimmer, gems and gold, ostentation and glamour. Since Childhood through to adulthood, Christmas has always provided an excuse to go completely over the top, to indulge in the kind of decadent baroque-style over-excess which may grate in a year-round interior design scheme, but which, for the month of December, is the perfect antidote for the long dark evenings and the onset of Winter, and the perfect excuse to indulge in every whim and fancy.

In a Christmas tree, with a hundred lights reflecting in tinsel and glitter, in foil and metallic shimmer, every possible dimension is a further excuse to sparkle. Decorating a tree for Christmas is like draping a Monarch ready for a coronation. It is a process of such glamour, of such inexorable elegance that I cannot resist giving myself over, body and soul, to the temptations which Christmas decorating provide.

So now the autonomous adult, free from restraint, my Christmas decorational indulgence increases as each year goes on. I embark upon each room and tree as I would an interior design project, sculpting the tree, balancing its colours, reflecting the scheme to its surroundings, and always ensuring that Christmas has shared its sparkle with every corner of my home.

After a weekend of decorating, it’s time to share my decorations with the world. As I’ve erected rather a few trees this year, as well as various accompanying installations, I thought it best that I split this post in two. Up first are my more playful trees, situated in my bedroom and study respectively. These trees reflect childhood fun, through metallic robots and vivid brightly coloured deer, as well as multi-coloured bohemian glamour. Photos can never really capture the sparkle of the lights and the glitter of the decorations as you move past a tree – half the beauty of Christmas decorations, in my view, is the tree’s shimmer in a darkened room – and this is almost impossible to capture well on camera. Nevertheless, hopefully these photos will give you an idea of some of the creative fun I have had with my trees this year.

Oh and don’t forget to check out Part II tomorrow.

Childlike Charm

In the “Orange Office”, a tree bursting with citrus colours tempered with mediterranean sky blue and a deep royal purple. Upon the tree, vividly coloured deer and playful robots provide prominent focus in a scheme otherwise balanced with patterned and monochrome baubles of the four central colours.

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Bohemian vivacity

From the bohemian revolution to burlesque freedom insouciance, the two trees in my bedroom are a panoply of candy pinks, verdant soft mossy greens, and turquoise blue. From nutcrackers for the new millenium, pink feathered burds, shiny opulent peacocks and a great pink translucent butterfly atop the tree, this scheme is like a stroll in a sweet shop, ever sense tantalised by the array of indulgent treats on show.

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A Scandinavian Forest

In amongst the electric pinks of my bo-ho Christmas comes a moment of calm serenity. Upon my chest of drawers, I have created a forest-inspired installation, a little bit of calming traditional white in amongst all the action. On this mini 2ft tree, I have hung traditional white-painted wooden figures, paper bells, little blue birds and, best of all, the miniature “Moomin” mugs made by Finish homeware company Arabia, crafted as special releases for the festive season. Complete with fluffy owls, snowmen and glittery deer, this really is kitsch at its classiest.

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So that’s it for today. Two more trees to share tomorrow. In the meantime, if you want to benefit from my “tips” on how to decorate the best Christmas tree every, see my post which I wrote on The Daily Norm a year ago.

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Nov 29

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Norms do… Gauguin

In the same way that an inquisitive child may like playing dress up in the clothes box of his or her parents, so too do the art-loving Norms love to emulate the works of the great artistic masters. In the past on The Daily Norm, the Norms have brought you Frans Hals, Van Gogh, Degas, Picasso, Klimt, Da Vinci and Vermeer to name but a few. Next in line to receive the Norm treatment is none other than the post-impressionist master, Paul Gauguin himself.

Gauguin, master of colour, and leader of the movement out of impressionist naturalism into the more expressionistic unreality, he is famous for his vibrant images of the Pacific island of Tahiti, and perhaps infamous for the rather suspect love affairs he had while on the island, allegedly with underage girls.

It is undoubtedly one such girl who is the subject of one of Gauguin’s most famous paintings, Nevermore O Tahiti, which today enthralls audiences at its home, the Courtauld Gallery in London’s Somerset House. With its striking bright yellow pillow, its richly coloured background, and the mysterious and melancholy gaze of the nude stretched out before us, it has long been one of my favourite paintings, not just by Gauguin, but in the richly constituted Courtauld collection.

It is hardly surprising then that the time would come when I could resist painting a Norm version of this enigmatic masterpiece no longer. So without further ado, I give you, Nevermore Norm…

Nevermore Norm (after Gauguin) (2012 © Nicholas de Lacy-Brown, acrylic on canvas)

Nevermore was painted by Gauguin in 1897 in Tahiti, the Polynesian island which the French artist made his home in the latter years of his career. The painting is highly enigmatic both in image and title. Asides from being painted onto the canvas, the title is potentially an allusion to the idea of paradise lost (Milton’s epic poem, with which Gauguin would have been familiar) but more likely refers to the poem by Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven which Stéphane Mallarmé, a French poet, is said to have recited at the Café Voltaire around the time when Gauguin left Paris. In the poem, a man imagines that a bird flapping at the window repeating the word “nevermore” is the spirit of his dead lover. Hence, perhaps, why Gauguin, in his work, has painted the raven stood on the window sill of this colourful Tahitian room.

Nevermore O Taiti, Paul Gauguin (1897) (Courtauld Institute, London) (Source: wikipedia commons)

As for the rest of the painting, its meaning is less certain. The picture is dominated by a full length reclining Tahitian nude.  Her attention seems to be turned towards the figures and the raven in the background. She appears almost to be listening, bitterly aware that the two are gossiping maybe, or conspiring against her, but unwilling to rise from her repose and confront the pair. But could they, on the other hand, be figments of her imagination, together with the almost dreamlike two dimensional blue sky and yellow clouds, and the patterned walls of her home which feels and looks almost like a temporary stage set?

Whatever the meaning behind this elusive piece, it is characteristic of Gauguin’s pursuit, post-impressionism, not of reality, but of introspection. It was in fact Guiguin’s pursuit of inner vision, rather than external reality which led to his quarrel with Van Gogh in Arles which in turn culminated in the latter’s infamous ear-cutting incident. In Nevermore, we see Gauguin at his introspective, expressionist best, fabricating an image from a sense of unreality, while hinting at the tropical bounties of the lush Pacific surroundings in which he was painting.

While Gauguin’s time on Tahiti has since been revealed to have been littered with sexual controversy and even a defamation wrangle with the governor of the Marquesas Islands, it is certain that the works he produced during his extensive stay on the island are amongst his best. Vivid, exploding with colour, as blue skies, tropical plants and the bronzed tones of his beautiful Tahitian women fill the canvas and make the viewer yearn to leave Europe, and its watery impressionistic landscapes behind forever. That is, in fact, what Gauguin did, dying not in his native France, but in Tahiti, of syphilis, alcoholism and all manner of other health problems. But what he left behind was an amazing collection of paintings which have since served to capture Tahiti in the hearts and minds of art lovers across the world.

Here are just a few to feast your eyes upon…

Paul Gauguin, Tahitian Women on the Beach (1891) (wikipedia commons)

Paul Gauguin, Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?, (1897) (wikipedia commons)

Paul Gauguin, Tahitian: Te aa no areois (The Seed of the Areoi) (1892) (wikipedia commons)

Paul Gauguin, Manao tupapau (The Spirit of the Dead Keep Watch) (1892) source: wikipedia commons

The question now is, who will the Norms set their sights upon next?

© Nicholas de Lacy-Brown and The Daily Norm, 2001-2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicholas de Lacy-Brown and The Daily Norm with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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Nov 28

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Saffron Risotto with a gathering of autumn flavours, edible gold leaf and an espresso reduction

I always thought I had risotto down until I watched an episode of Australia’s Masterchef on TV the other day (yes, we have the Aussie show in the UK and it’s so much better than the British version – Apprentice challenges meets cooking stress – classic). A couple of weeks back, the budding final 10 contestants had flown half way around the world to the lavish panoply of gastronomic delights that is Italia. Across the week, the illusive risotto, previously termed “the masterchef death dish” (because so many contestants failed in their attempts to cook it), was cooked twice – and appropriately so, being as they were in the home of the famed rice-based dish. For the first, a saffron-yellow, creamy and simple risotto was topped by a single sheaf of edible gold leaf and frankly looked amazing (needless to say, most of the contestants failed in  their attempts to recreate the dish). The second risotto was made in a master-class at the end of the week. Again, the recipe was for a simple risotto, which, instead of adding onions at the beginning, added them right at the end as a type of purée. I was inspired.

So last weekend, I decided that my tried and tested risotto method should be set aside for a new radical approach which was to be something of a combination of the two methods I saw on TV with a little of my own twist on top.

Up first was the stock. I used 900ml of ordinary chicken stock and added to this the dried old husks from a hunk of parmesan cheese which had been hanging around in my fridge. This lends a wonderfully rich parmesan undercurrent to the risotto without going overkill at the end. I also added some chunks of ham and a good pinch of saffron strands straight from my spanish travels. I allowed this stock to simmer gently while getting on with the other components.

My red onion purée

Up next, I chopped an onion (it should be a white one – I only had red, which tends to redden the saffron yellow colour of the risotto when stirred in at the end, but it’s not a big deal). I sweated my onion, covered, over a low heat in plenty of butter (a good 50g worth) and seasoning. I left the onion to sweat for a good 20 minutes, before adding it to a food processor, along with another knob of butter and making a creamy puree. This I then placed in the fridge to firm up a bit for use later.

Next, while the onions were sweating, I turned to my espresso reduction –  This creates a wonderful deep, almost bitter-sweet contrast to the richness of the risotto’s parmesan flavour, and looks amazing when painted onto the plate. For the reduction, I made two double espressos in my coffee machine, and adding a single sachet of sugar (about a dessert spoon) and the coffee to a pan, I started simmering the coffee fairly rapidly, stirring often, until it started to reduce. Be careful this doesn’t burn or the espresso will become too bitter. Once thickened and syrupy, I set aside (keeping warm).

Before moving onto the risotto, I chopped around half a butternut squash, seasoned, drizzled with oil and placed in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius.

OK, onto the risotto. So in a pan went 200g of arborio rice, which I toasted lightly in a few knobs of melted butter for a minute or so. Then, straight to the rice (no wine added in this recipe) I went with my first ladle-full of stock, stirring appropriately. On masterchef, George, the presenter, suggested that one should “aggravate” rather than stir the risotto – personally, in my pans, it’s stir or stick, so I ignored his approach, but feel free to shake the rice around a lot rather than stir if you have a really effective non-stick pan. Taking the dish one ladle-full at a time, the rice started to become thicker and yellower and overall more delicious.

As the risotto neared its completion, I fried up a good handful of sliced mushrooms (you can use any variety, the prettier the better) in some butter and oil, along with some chopped sage, a crushed garlic clove, seasoning and some chopped parma ham (pancetta would also work well). These create some amazing autumn flavours and a textural variation to the risotto. Before the autumn ingredients were done, and once the stock was used up, I left my risotto to rest for 4-5 mins with the lid on (the risotto, once cooked, should be creamy and yet loose, with the rice tender, but still with some bite).

So, pulling everything together, I first painted my plates with the espresso reduction. I then stirred my onion puree into the risotto – so creamy and amazing it made me salivate instantly. I then spooned the risotto onto my plates, and carefully piled some of the butternut squash and mushroom mix onto it. I then crowned my dish with a few fragments of edible gold leaf in homage to the incredible creation I saw made on TV.

And there you have it. The new radical approach to cooking risotto worked. No wine, no parmesan at the end, but with an onion puree and a very original coffee puree on the side. So different from my previous method, but so, so good.

Nov 26

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The Lisbon Sketch II – Norms on a Tram

It’s another busy day in Lisbon’s Praça do Comércio, bustling central square of Portugal’s capital city, and transport hub for the  many passing rambling little trams from Lisbon’s pre-war era. Here in the square which was the site of Lisbon’s former palace before revolution in 1910 made it the centre of the new Republic’s administration, Lisbon locals, business Norms, and tourist Norms alike mix, mingle and meander against the backdrop of the square’s vast geometric cobbled paving and its impressive triumphal arch.

But for these Norms, there is little time to gaze in wonder at the palatial surroundings. For now it’s time to board the number 83 tram which will take these little passengers straight along the coast to Belém, under the gigantic Ponte 25 de Abril and past the little residential districts sprawling in its ample shadow. It’s a busy day and there are plenty already on board, as as these Norms are about to find out, it doesn’t take much to fill these cute little vehicles. Best let them get on with it…

Norms on a Tram in the Praça do Comércio, Lisbon (2012 © Nicholas de Lacy-Brown, pen on paper)

© Nicholas de Lacy-Brown and The Daily Norm, 2001-2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicholas de Lacy-Brown and The Daily Norm with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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Nov 23

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The Lisbon Sketch – Norm Monument to Discoveries

If there’s one thing that Norms do really well, it’s make a good old discovery. Why, only the other day, Henrique Norm discovered that he could eat 5 blackforest gateaux in one go, while Françoise Norm discovered that if she bounces really hard from Les Champs des Mars, she can make it almost as high as the first floor of the Tour Eiffel.

Of course Henrique and Françoise are not alone in the fascinating little discoveries made amongst Norms all over Normland every day. But the same too went for their ancestors, and it was in celebration of some of the great discoveries of the Portuguese Norms that at the beginning of the last century, the Norm Prime Minister of Portugal decided to build a great monument paying homage to their discoveries for all eternity. Why, up there on the “Padrão dos Descobrimentos” (as they call it) is Pedro Norm, who discovered that combining some eggs, pastry, sugar and a little cinnamon makes the most delicious little pastries, not to mention Bonifácio Norm, who single handedly circumnavigated the globe in search of exotic flavours for his favourite jellied desserts.

And here it is, the Norm Monument to Discoveries – discover it for yourself…

The Norm Monument to Discoveries, Lisbon (2012 © Nicholas de Lacy-Brown, pen on paper)

© Nicholas de Lacy-Brown and The Daily Norm, 2001-2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicholas de Lacy-Brown and The Daily Norm with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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Nov 22

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Lisbon – The Photos: Part II

It’s time for the second raft of my photographic tour of lisbon, a tiny digitalised image captured in time, but helping me to immortalise colourful, beautiful Lisbon in my memories for life. From graffiti galore and trams aplenty, there’s chipped ceramics and cast iron door knockers; beautiful pink bourganvilla casting long shadows across white-washed walls, and triumphal statues standing still and staring boldly across the city. In Lisbon I captured ancient religious icons inspiring solemnity and awe, and the vivid feathers of a peacock, nature’s great gift to us all. There’s wavy paving patterns, dilapidated old doors, and the chestnut seller filling the street with great billowing festive smoke; there’s stone steps in the sunlight, tram wires criss-crossing the sky and elegant fountains glittering in the sun.

This is Lisbon, captured on my camera.

All photographs and content © Nicholas de Lacy-Brown and The Daily Norm, 2001-2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicholas de Lacy-Brown and The Daily Norm with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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Nov 21

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Lisbon – The Photos: Part I

It already feels so far away, our time in Lisbon. The realities of daily London life, the rush hour on the tube, the cold fronts and the grubby newspapers, the traffic jams and the lack of sun, all play their part in driving a wedge deeper between today and our holiday in the vivacious, exciting and at all times colourful Portuguese capital. Luckily, with a wade of 1200 photographs constantly on slideshow in my flat, I can never truly feel the true isolatory chill of winter knocking at my door, so long as the warm hues of my Lisbon photographs pour life back into my home.

After some 6 posts, you’d think I’d have run out of photographs, but there are many many more I could share. I therefore plan to publish what is really just a handful of some of my favourite shots across two photography posts devoted to Lisbon. These photos don’t really need captions or much introduction. They are, of themselves, a group of varied snapshots of Lisbon, its architecture, its colours, its people, and its more unique facets; a cascade of quick glimpses into the life and the look of an incomparable, soulful and visually titillating city. From the smallest of details, like the tile-lined step of a little town house, to the vast awe-inspiring views over the Tagus river, this is Lisbon, captured on my camera.

All photographs and content © Nicholas de Lacy-Brown and The Daily Norm, 2001-2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicholas de Lacy-Brown and The Daily Norm with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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Nov 20

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Lisbon – The Food: Amazing Alma and the masterpiece of 100 Maneiras

You’d be excused from assuming, from the deterioration which is widespread on Lisbon’s streets, the chipped ceramics and the cracking plaster, the plethora of graffiti and the deserted algae-covered fountains, that the Portuguese would be a little behind on the food front too. But like so much of the underlying spirit of Lisbon, when it comes to trends, to creativity, to meeting the fashion vibes that spread through the most sophisticated cities of Europe, Lisbon is certainly plugged in to the undercurrent of cool.

When it came to food during our five days in Lisbon, we simply didn’t have a bad meal. Whether it be the freshest of all sushi at the Restaurante Confraria Lx and simple squid with vegetables sat out on the cobbled streets of the Baixa, to simple pastels de nata in any random street cafe of your choice, we were met with consistently high standards of food, the freshest of ingredients and prices which were half what you would pay in some neighbouring Spanish cities, let alone the outrageous excesses of London and Paris.

Of our evening meals – the sushi at Confraria Lx, followed by an evening spent in the charming surrounds of the Restaurante Olivier (where a tasting menu for starter plus a main course was only around 35 euros), two meals were absolute standout exceptions, so good in fact that I couldn’t resist but take photos aplenty and devote to them an entire post all of their own.

Alma – Henrique Sa Pessoa – Calçada Marques de Abrantes, 92 Santos – Lisboa

The first of the two was at Alma, the restaurant of fresh-faced Portuguese celebrity chef (who spent some of his time training at the Park Lane Hotel in London’s Mayfair). The restaurant itself is very small and VERY white – the chairs, tables, walls together with a rather hypnotic white cloud swaying suspended from the ceiling are all similarly, clinically white. This doesn’t make for the cosiest of atmospheres, but mercifully, with low lighting and due to the restaurant’s sheer popularity, we certainly felt warm and very welcome.

The service was faultlessly efficient, speedy but not rushed, and with perfect english spoken by all. We even got to meet the celebrity chef himself when I complimented him on the quality of the food – that personal touch sets this restaurant apart – in English celebrity chef-owned restaurants, you’d be lucky to get the “celeb” cooking in the kitchen at all, let alone greeting his guests.

So talking of that food, well avoiding the tasting menu for one evening (we had been stuffing ourselves rather royally during the preceding days) we opted for a set menu with the usual choice of starter, main and dessert. But normal this dinner was not. The quality of the wines (we opted for the chef’s choice of matching wines), the bread, the stylisation of the food – all was exquisite.

So to start, after home made flat breads and a rosemary and garlic foccacia, I opted for a starter of strawberry gazpacho (such a good combination of the acidic vinegary base coupled with the roundness and sweetness of the strawberry) with a little filo parcel of goats cheese, while my partner went for squid and prawns sautéed in garlic and chilli, with a cherry tomato compote and a rocket and parmesan salad.

To follow, the stakes were upped. I had an exquisite duck which was perfectly seasoned and marinated in chinese spices and sesame seeds together with a sweetcorn salad and little shiitake mushrooms wrapped in… what were they wrapped in? Cabbage? I can’t remember. Nonetheless it was delicious! My partner meanwhile opted for a roast fillet of cod with a chick-pea purée, chickpea vinaigrette, and roasted potatoes – a faultless combination of Portuguese flavours with an elegant twist.

For dessert, we shared a combination of the creamiest but not at all heavy raspberry and lemongrass crème brûlée with a coconut tuile (thus combining French classic with tropicana bay to dreamy effect), and a plum crumble with a coconut ice cream. And as if we hadn’t indulged ourselves enough then, dinner was rounded off with petit fours of salted caramel fudge and little chocolate truffles.

100 Maneiras – R. Teixeira 35, 1200-459 Lisboa

But as far as feasts go, Alma was just the starter to the gastronomical banquet which ensued. Read more

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