Jardim Botânico da Ajuda (Ajuda's Botanical Garden)

This walkabout was born due to frustrating attempt of finding Buddhist places in Lisbon. The garden has a café but it is a little bit snobbish looking and expensive, the walk by itself is worth it, sitting in the shadow and wetting my feet on the fountain. Nice breaks from the city life.

Oh! Inspired by Goethe Café I picked up some verbena from the herbs section of the garden (it as written what it was, I am not that good on identifying). It dried in my pocket and I made tea when I arrived home, take the advice!

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Open from 9h to 18h from October to March. From 9h to 19h in April, and from 9h to 20h from May to September.

Goethe Café (closed?)

This place is in the Goethe Institute but it is more specifically located on an open air garden inside the building. The meal place is an adorably colorful kiosky thing. There are a lot of tables to sit in, including some near a projection screen.

In there is a fountain, a hammock (not suitable for big swings I guess), and some very interesting mosaic artwork on which this girl took part.

This is probably the only place in Portugal where they celebrate Oktoberfest by the way, and the only one with Paulaner beer.

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Today's vegetarian dish was leek-à-brás (like our traditional dish with codfish but a vegetarian version instead: leek, eggs and chips) that costed around 6€. And I also asked for a lemon-verbena, mint and orange cold tea (1.5€). Approved. My friend asked for a chicken salad (5.80€) and next to us some other dishes were served like stuffed potatoes and the traditional sausages.

One thing I enjoyed a lot was that the girl in the kiosk trusted me to go to the bank to take some money. You cannot pay by card and she just let me go although it was the first time she saw my face. Isn't it nice to know you can still trust people?

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From tuesday to friday from 9h to 21h and saturdays from 9h to 17h.

Mártires da Pátria Garden

After Goethe we tried to know a little bit of the surrounding garden. We saw a weird episode where a chicken was being seduced by a huge peacock and was running away desperately from him. I laughed a bit. Here are the pictures, no words needed, I guess.

Os Tibetanos

I dragged my vegetarian-food-resistant father to this restaurant and he loved it. Vegetarian food is yummy but sometimes there is a chance that if it is not cooked so good it will taste all very bland.We asked for three different dishes: Momos, which was some kind of tibetan fried pastries with seitan; tofu stake, with goat cheese and pesto; and finally something which consisted on fried mushrooms.

The deserts were amazing, even though I don't like strawberries, the Mont Blanc cheesecake with strawberry puré was super delicious and I regretted immediately that I didn't asked for it. I tried to find the internet recipe but without success. The requeijão (type of cheese, don't know how to translate it) and papaya tart was also good, and the chocolate cake... Well, it's chocolate.

It was a really nice evening. They have a covered backyard with some waterfallish elements and there is also a place to have meditation classes but I don't know if it was working at that time.

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Open from mondays to fridays from 12:15h to 15:45h for lunch, and from 19:30h to 23:00h for dinner. The saturday schedules are from 12:45h to 16:15h and from 20h to 23:30h.

Sinta and Regaleira

I will not bother you with much text, all I can say is that Sintra is an incredible place to visit and to be in. Quinta da Regaleira is an obligatory stop! Photos are not so good but I will return and take some really good ones for sure!

Frutalmeidas

This place doesn't seem to have the sophistication touch that some places have with their comfy sofas and weird objects. Contrarily to the more modern spaces, Frutalmeidas, with more than 30 years, lives from the elders tradition, our parents came here for a little break, to sit down and eat something and maybe do some grocery shopping before heading home.

My father still remembers coming here, it is interesting when people open their eyes and say excited "Ooooh! That place!!". You feel you just brought up an old memory. I like it when people still conserve the taste of youth on their tongues and kind of return to it momentarily by remembering a flavour.

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They had an enormous variety of juices and as the weather was heating up I had two of them (watermelon and plum) for 1.50€ each and a pastry for 1.20€. This is the Santini of juices I must say. My friend got an almond pie (1.75€). There wasn't much to chose from in terms of chewables. Maybe 17h was already too late.

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Open from mondays to saturdays from 8h to 20h.
Also located on Rua Pedro Nunes, 25, 1050 Lisboa.

Ó-Chá (closed)

I've been researching some teahouses to go to. A friend of mine told me about matcha tea and now I am obsessing with it. This thing. Still faithful to coffee though, I am not a tea person, I usually murder it by drinking it cold with sugar or by doing it on the microwave and adding sweetener and milk.

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We asked for a smoked salmon and herb cheese toast for 4.80€ and a brie, honey and rosemary one for 4.50€. They also have 7€ menus for those tired of toasts (but really, how can one get tired of that?).

While I was waiting I took the time to look around. Clearly an oriental thematic, except the mad hatter painting, that was solely there due to the "tea party" subject I guess. I love the mad hatter but I prefer it a little bit more darkish and weird.

Well, but then came the toasts, and once again I did the stupid mistake of trying the sweet one first (scrumptious!) and so the salmon's taste became very week as my tongue was already vitiated.

I was also trying to spare money by not drinking anything, but they suggested me a cold tea of ginger, honey and lemongrass (2.50€). It was really good, milkish look and with foam! That was a first.

Ó-Chá is really discrete from the outside, but once inside, it is another world, and that honey toast it worth the go. Take a look at their website because they also sell tea!

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Monday to saturday from 12h to 20:30. Closed on sundays.