Delicious Seafood in Sao Martinho do Porto

Sao Martinho do Porto on the Silver Coast is a very pretty seaside town with a stunning shell shaped bay. The lively sea front is lined with restaurants, bars and cafes creating a real buzz with visitors and locals alike enjoying the food, the drinks and the beautiful Sao Martinho view.

Baia do Oeste (West Bay) is a seafood restaurant in one of the best locations in Sao Martinho do Porto, right on the seafront. This is the place to come for amazing seafood at very reasonable prices served by friendly, efficient staff. The bay view adds to the delightful experience making this popular restaurant one to which you will want to return over and over again.

Owning an apartment in Sao Martinho do Porto means you can take your time to research and compile a list of favourite Silver Coast restaurants such as Baia do Oeste, and with so many to choose from you will be quite spoilt for choice.

By Stephanie Johnson

More Café Culture

Have you ever been to Lisboa Patisserie in London? There are actually a few establishments with this name but the one that first springs to mind is the well known café on Golbourne Road in trendy Notting Hill.

This simple little cafe has become a bit of a destination venue for Londoners trying to bring back happy memories of time spent here in Portugal - apparently the Pasteis de Natas (custard tarts) are almost as good as the real thing!

Well, here in Sao Martinho do Porto we have our own version, a stylish new café bar has opened in a fabulous location on the seafront with stunning views of the bay.

Martinhos opened in December to rave reviews and is fast becoming the place to go for food and drinks with a British theme.

The menu is proving very popular with the locals, so much so that apparently, an elderly Portuguese couple arrived the other night with a note written by their English speaking daughter asking for Fish and Chips with mushy peas!

As the only English café in Sao Martinho do Porto the owners are very keen to keep up their high standards and become ambassadors for English cuisine. They also offer occasional live music which together with the beautiful location promises a great night out.

The Silver Coast and especially Sao Martinho do Porto has a rather exclusive image, and we are proud to be part of the real Portugal, but a little business like this seems to do much to cement relations between Portugal and Great Britain – the oldest alliance in history!

By Stephanie Johnson

Fancy a Coffee?

Reminiscent of most of Western Europe, Portugal has a strong cafe culture. Spending an afternoon people watching whilst enjoying a coffee at a café in a pretty square in Caldas da Rainha is as enjoyable as sitting on the seafront in Sao Martinho do Porto doing the same thing.

The Portuguese are rightly proud of their coffee and have so many variations that this guide may be of help to you when you next come over to visit us here on The Silver Coast.

Café – Ask for a simple café and you will be presented with an espresso, the coffee of choice for most Portuguese.

Bica – This is just another name for the above but has an interesting little story, allegedly it stands for ‘Beba Isto Com Açucar’ – ‘meaning drink this with sugar’. Apparently when coffee was first introduced to Portugal the locals found it rather unpalatable until an enterprising cafe owner displayed a sign suggesting Beba Isto Com Açucar and the rest is history!

Cafe Cheio – Meaning ‘full coffee’ this is an espresso topped up with hot water to make a slightly weaker brew.

Abatanado - This is a large cup of black coffee, usually the equivalent of three espressos.

Meia de Leite – Meaning ‘half of milk’, a larger coffee and favoured by us Brits.

Galão – A large milky coffee served in a tall glass similar to a cafe latte. The strength may vary between cafes so you should ask for a Galão Escuro (dark) if you prefer it a little stronger.

The Portuguese have many more coffee recipes but rather than reading about them come and sample some for yourself.
Whether you prefer to sit at a little table on the busy cobbled streets of Obidos, or watch the ocean at Nazare you will find plenty of cafes to choose from.

My personal favourite is delightful little place overlooking the Obidos Lagoon, it is hidden away and completely off the beaten track, charming simplicity and only 60 cents a cup – but you will have to come and find it for yourself . . .

By Stephanie Johnson

What a Small World!

I first had thoughts about moving to Portugal when over here on holiday and had dreamed about it ever since. But although I couldn’t think of a nicer place to live I was a little concerned about leaving behind family, friends and all things familiar.

However, that was in the days before the use of the internet became commonplace. This millennium it seems that everyone has internet access making the world feel like a much smaller place.

I eventually realised my dream and came to live on Portugal’s Silver Coast in the summer of 2005 and by making the most of everything the internet has to offer I have never felt cut off from things back in the UK.

I listen to BBC Radio 4 every morning while having breakfast and continue to moan about John Humphrys just as I did before, and I never miss The Archers!

Keeping in touch with my friends and family by email is easy (and free!) and of course now it is very straight forward to use live chat and webcam and actually see the person you are talking to. Then there is Skype if you just want to give someone a call.

I can follow the test match without missing a ball and I can buy just about anything via online shops. Amazon is my current favourite, so now there is no problem buying English language books and DVD’s whenever I want to.

If you enjoy watching television then that is not a problem either. You can watch anything you care to via the internet or satellite, although Portuguese TV does show a lot of English language films with Portuguese subtitles, which is actually a great way to learn the language.

Moving with my family to the Silver Coast proved to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. We enjoy all the benefits of living in a beautiful part of the world with the beach on our doorstep and places like Sao Martinho do Porto and Salir do Porto just up the road, without having to miss a thing from the UK.

We often jump in the car and take a short drive up to Nazare for Sunday lunch in a restaurant on the seafront, or maybe go to Obidos for a look around the lovely little shops to do a spot of Christmas shopping.

Then there is Caldas da Rainha also very close by and Lisbon less than an hour away. We really couldn’t be better placed to get the best of all worlds.

They say you only live once – I say make sure you live the life you wish for.

By Stephanie Johnson

The story about 'our lady of Nazare'

Nazare is well known throughout Portugal and Brazil for its statue of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. It is believed that Joseph carved the icon when Jesus was still a baby. In the fourth century this statue was given to Saint Augustine, to keep it safe Saint Augustine sent the wooden icon to Spain.

Later on when the Saracens invaded Spain the satue was hidden in a cave in Nazare by the king and monk Germanus. It is believed that centuries later Dom Fuas Roupinho who was the castle guardian at Porto de Mos found and responded by paying homage to it.

On the 8th of September 1182 Dom Fuas Ropinho was on a morning hunt, chasing a deer by horse through a thick fog he realised he was about to fall over a cliff, our lady of Nazare is said to have appeared and stopped the horse. The nobleman, out of thanks, built the 'chapel of remembrance' on top of the sea front cliff. Inside of the chapel he put the statue and to this day visitors can still see the icon and the horseshoe imprint left behind by Dom Fuas Roupinho's horse.

Nazare, culture, history . . . something special.