Matosinhos’cruiseshipterminal,a gleamingwhitespiralon
a skylineotherwisedominatedbycontainercranes.Everywhere
inthistownarevestigesofitspast;fromitshangar-style,
mid-centurycoveredmarket,toa dominatingpieceofpublic art
- a 50m-highred net, dedicatedto its fishingcommunity.
Amoreorganiclegacyofthisstill-thrivingindustryisfound
onestreetbackfromthebeach,onRuaHeróisdeFrança,home
to mostof the area’sbest fish and seafoodrestaurants.‘Manyof
thembeganwithfishermen’swivescookingfor the fishermen
andthemenwhoworkedintheport,’saysGraçaaswewander
pastthestreet’stiledshopfronts,a mixofpaintedazulejosand
Metro-stylerectanglesinrichgreensandblues.Greywispsof
charcoalsmokelure us onwards,like signals.‘Sundaylunch
isthetraditionalmealforPortuguesetoeatout,’saysGraça.
‘And if you haveonly one restaurantmeala week,it’s here.’
AlmostallRuaHeróisdeFrança’srestaurantshaveanoutdoor
grill,wherethecatchofthedayiscookedwithutmostcare.Chefs
bothpot-belliedandbrawnyglistenwithsweatastheytendhot
coalsonhotdays,chargrillingprawnspinkandretrievingwhole
greenbell peppersroastingamongthe embers.‘It’s all aboutusing
the quantityof coal to controlthe temperatureand cookthe fish
toitsbest,’saysBrunoReis,tossingsalt-rubbedsardinesonto
thegrillatrestaurantPalato,wherehehasworkedforfouryears
(the otherchef has beenhere 50). ‘You haveto love whatyou do.’
Clearly,thecustomersappreciatehiswork– familiesare
gatheredateverytable,eachpiledwithplatesof squid, sea bass
andsole,salad,tomatorice,carafesofwine.
There’snosiestatraditioninmostofPortugal– butnoonehas
told the dozennappersI see sleepingoff lunchon Matosinhos’
mainsandybeach.Someeventuallyawakento buy a conefrom
theice-creamparlourModì,ortripas(sweetpancakesgriddled
on a waffleiron)froma candy-stripedseafrontshack.Other
peoplestridetothesea’sedgeclutchingsurf boards,orpaddle
handinhandwiththeirchildren.Thisisthesabbath,thedayof
rest,andifeveryoneseemstohavea differentinterpretation of
theidea,allagreeononething: this is the place for it.
GETTINGTHERE&
AROUND
BA,easyJet,Ryanairand
TAPAirPortugalflyto Porto
fromUKairports(from£120;
flytap.com).It’sa 15-minute
cabridefromtheairportto
Matosinhos, whichis linked
to Portobythebluemetro
line(A)andthe 120 bus.WHERETOSTAYANDEAT
OValentimHotelhasa
sunnyterracewithviewsof
theseaandtherestaurants
of RuaHeróisdeFrança:
agreatplaceto sit witha
port-tonic.Its tenroomsare
smartly,simplydone,plus
there’sa goodrestaurant
downstairs(from£58;
ovalentim.com).Book
aheadforSundaylunchat
Palato(fishdishessuchas
sardines,from£8;palato.pt).
Ona sunnyweekendthe
bestplaceto sit is outside,
whereyoucanwatchthe
chefsat thegrill.Staring
atÁlvaroSizaVieira’s
building,theBoaNovaTea
House, is cheaperthan
eatingthere(tastingmenus
from£90;casadechadaboa
nova.pt).Thefavouredlocal
spotforanicecreamis the
Italian-style gelateriaModì(conefrom£2.70),whichis
closeto thebeachandhas
outdoorseating.Flavours
changeregularly;pistachio
isperenniallygood.WHATTOSEEANDDO
PiscinadasMarésis usually
openJuneto September,but
wasclosedforrenovations
as wewentto press.Piscina
QuintadaConceição, close
byin LeçadaPalmeira,was
alsodesignedbySizaVieira;
it’snota seawaterpool,but
it is open-air.Youcancheck
thestatusof bothpoolsat
matosinhosport.com.Surf
schoolsincludingFishSurf
Schoolofferlessonsat
MatosinhosBeach:a surf
introductioncosts£18,or
youcanrenta softboard
from£5(fishsurfschool.com).MOREINFORMATION
Exploretheareawithour
Portugalguide(£16.99).
Matosinhostouristboard’s
websitepromotesit as the
placeto trythe‘World’s
Best Fish’,butalsohas
suggestionsfor
placesto stay,
visitandeatout
(matosinhos
wbf.pt).orlathomasis a bigfan
of swimmingin saltwater
lidos(especiallywhen they’re
otherwise empty).
MAKE IT HAPPENChefsworkingthe
outdoorgrillson
RuaHeróisdeFrança
in Matosinhos