As Vicentinas

Beware of the entrance, you can easily pass by it (I think). But this historical looking sign should offer you no doubt you are in the right place.

Vicentinas, also known as Santa Isabel teahouse, initiated in the 50's as a sewing saloon in an old banana warehouse that was ceded to the Vicentian Group so they could help the needed.

In that place there were as well fashion shows to display the garments and it was offered tea and scones to the guests. This trend started to have some success and that was the beginning of the tea house. Scones overruled fashion, the spontaneous pleasure was better than the long lasting one.

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It is impossible not to notice the religious motive that is going on. Jesus figures here and there. This looks like a selective place. Most of the people are elder, and probably religious, I fit neither of them and I can't help feeling a bit dislocated.

There was a table FULL of cakes and I was drooling. Try not to look at it while passing by, because a bit further there is once again one of those inside/outside esplanades. You can see the sky covered by the tree branches and through one of the windows you can see a sewing room.

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I asked a cold tea first, the best ever, it was something fruity but not too red fruity or else I wouldn't have liked it. The other one was black tea and lemon. They were 1.50€.

The scones that came were amazing and I had to ask for more, 1.90€ for two (because the second one doesn't need to bring butter so it is 10 cents cheaper). I started to have the feeling I should be eating like english royalty.

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Monday to friday from 11:30h to 19h. Saturdays from 15:30h to 19h. Closes sundays.

Bake the Difference (closed)

Note: There was a website and a facebook before, but Bake the Difference disappeared without a trace, lets take a moment of silence for vegan food

Super hidden behind the biggest avenue in Lisbon, it is only found by the ones that look for it. This is the only totally vegan bakery in Lisbon, it has no traces of animal products, and they make sure of it.

According to the girl, this is hard work because most of the soy derivative products do contain some animal traces (eggs, milk, honey), so they have to do a deep search and order it from specialized places, or else they will risk compromising their personal beliefs and ideologies.

It was really nice talking to this girl. She is a vegan since very little, so it is like a different world where sausage as a meat product doesn't exist. So she can easily say something like: "I'm going to have pasta with sausages". Non vegans take this info in a different way, because in our context the sausage is a meat product.

She shared more interesting knowledge: everything in big doses is bad for you, including soy. Soy milk everyday is to avoid and soy derivatives should be taken 3 or 4 times a week. Other meat substitutes can include beans or lentils. Food for thought.

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We asked for a small smoked tofu pie with veggies and the famous carrot cake. We shared the pie and when we were getting ready to start the carrot cake... Here comes the girl running like crazy "DON'T EAT THAT CAKE!", she stole the plate and ran away with it.

After this surrealist situation in which we were thinking that there was poison in there, she explained that the cook forgot to add sugar, so it was tasting a lot different, and as it was the house special, they didn't want to compromise.

They offered us something in exchange and we chose the lemon muffin with poppy seed. Nothing special, oh well. At least I have a weird story to tell.

Arte e Manha (closed) (now: Sagrada Família)

 

It is not the most obvious place, but it is one of the most multifunctional ones. Food, events and workshops, something new everyday announced in the calendar.

On the first floor you can enjoy some calmer music while you eat, or you can pay 5€ and go downstairs for the bigger concerts. Beware that the drinks are not cheap, my martini was 3.5€. This basement is a little bit Bacalhoeiro style (another cool place you should definitely go). I came to see this concert.

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The space is open from wednesday to monday from 11h to 6h, and tuesday from midday to 15h.
The kitchen is open for lunch from midday to 16h and for dinner from 19h to 3h.
Snack-bar works form 8h to 4h.

Geraldine

I found Geraldine through a magazine article. It's a cultural space which activities range from clothes sales and workshops to collective diners and free movie evenings. This is not a place you can simply pop in and have a drink. It works as an office by day and only turns into an event place when the owners feel like it.

Ringing a bell and climbing a flight of stairs to enter a stranger's house has some erasmus feeling to it, it is quite odd actually, the feeling that we should be there but at the same time we are invading someone's privacy. There are some closed doors, not because of lack of trust, but they simply have nothing to offer for the guests. A kitchen is a kitchen, there is nothing very exciting about it.

The living room was full of interesting objects: a caged Donald duck, a phone with no numbers, some artworks and old gadgets. It was movie evening and an old rare burlesque was projected in a panel. We had first line sits.

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A Virgin in Hollywood tells the story of a young journalist that lacks experience, and so, as a way to get more mature, she is told to go to Hollywood and to write about her trip and discoveries. During this travel, she grows up both intelectual and sexually, becoming more confident about herself.

The actors act a bit in a forced and fake way, the dialogues seem too fantasizing, the emotions exaggerated and the movie cuts too obvious, this gives it a clumsy feeling that makes everything hilarious. It ends with the main character finishing her story and blinking an eye straight to the movie viewer, pure gold.

The familiarity of this experience was what I most appreciated. People would ring the bell and join the crowd that was already in the living room, saying hello to everyone. We were around 20 in the end, and everyone was there for the same reason. I have nothing but respect for this free initiatives.

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Open wherever there is an event announced! So stay tuned.