I was born and raised
in Lisbon and my first
food memories are
from there. I live in
London now but I go
back to Lisbon nearly every month.
I love the place. I chose to leave it
behind – for study first, then to see
the world – but I was always sad to
leave it. It has so much – beautiful
beaches, beautiful mountains. It’s a
port city and it was always a dynamic
city, a centre of cultural convergence.
It’s been influenced by its place at
the centre of the Age of Discovery,
when Portuguese sailors ruled the
waves and Lisbon seemed the
centre of the world.
The city has existed for more than
1,000 years but what I’m enjoying
now is that there’s a lot of youthful
energy, with young people pushingthings forward. It feels invigorated
and there’s a sense of optimism –
it’s great to be there now.
It wasn’t always that way. I’m 44
years old, and for most of my life my
memories are of Lisbon being a sad
place. We went through a lot of
difficult times – not just in the city
but throughout the country, during
the Salazar years – so it’s refreshing
to see my birthplace going through
such a positive era.
There are dishes I crave when I go
there. I have to eat pastéis de nata
(custard tarts) – everyone does. And
açorda, which is a very Portuguese
dish, a sort of bread porridge that
dates back to times of deep poverty
when basic ingredients had to be
stretched. Made with the right
seafood, it’s incredible.
Being a Lisboeta (a native ofLisbon) I’m sentimental about the
beach – it’s a kind of saudade, a
longing for endless carefree days.
That clarion call of sun, sea, sand
and seafood is hard to resist. The
marisqueiras (shellfish restaurants)
around Guincho beach west of
Lisbon serve fabulous seafood
dishes. The quality of the fish
and seafood in the region isoutstanding, and the way it’s
cooked... wow.
At Restaurante Panorama
Guincho (panorama-guincho.com)
they serve fantastic seafood and
rice dishes. In the seaside town of
Cascais, just outside Lisbon, there’s
Mar do Inferno (mardoinferno.pt)
where they make amazing seafoodNOSTALGIA FOR LISBON
Nuno Mendes on the dishes that draw him back home, time and againLISBON REVIVAL, CLOCKWISE
FROM TOP LEFT The beach has
happy memories for Nuno;
Lisbon spans the river
Tagus; seafood restaurants
pack the city; Portugal’s
famous pastéis de nata;
traditional tiled restaurantI chose to leave
Lisbon behind but I
was always sad I had
to leave it120 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
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