Adegga's 50 best takeaway restaurants in Portugal

From the Adegga site:

'50 Restaurantes para Comer em Casa

Do melhor hambúrguer de Lisboa ao melhor leitão da Bairrada, apresentamos sugestões imperdíveis para encomendar e partilhar com os amigos e a família

Diz o ditado que ‘mudam-se os tempos, mudam-se as vontades’, mas nós temos de discordar. Se há coisa que não dispensamos à mesa é boa comida, capaz de despertar os sentidos e confortar a alma e, à volta dela, a melhor companhia.

Por isso preparámos uma seleção de alguns dos melhores Restaurantes para Comer em Casa, que não pode deixar de consultar da próxima vez que encomendar comida para partilhar com amigos ou em família.

A lista é tão diversificada quanto tentadora: da Feijoada à Transmontana da Taberna das Flores, ao Arroz de Polvo do Gaveto, sem esquecer o Leitão à Bairrada – porque há desvios de Rota impossíveis de contornar-, difícil vai ser decidir por onde começar.'

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Responding the closure of restaurants in Portugal due to Coronavirus, Adegga has produced a very useful guide to the 50 best restaurants in Portugal now offering takeaways. The selection doesn't cover the whole country instead it concentrates on restaurants in Lisbon and Porto and those within an hour of each of these cities.

As the entry for Tasca Da Esquina in Lisbon's Campo d'Ourique shows each of the 50 entries lists some of the available dishes, an indication of price, whether they also sell takeaway wine, the delivery zone, contact details and whether you can order through UberEats and Glovo. 

Unfortunately there are some minor drawbacks to this guide. Firstly, it could be financially crippling as I discover more interesting and tempting restaurants in Lisbon, in particular, that I should try. Secondly due to current air-traffic restrictions you can't order from these restaurants from outside Portugal.......

From yesterday (18th May) restaurants in Portugal have been allowed to reopen. This is an indication of Portugal's success in dealing with coronavirus.  As of Sunday 17th May Portugal had recorded 29,036 cases with 1218 deaths. This compares very favourably with its nearby countries – Spain, France, Italy and the UK.

The Portuguese love to eat out, so it will be interesting to see how they react to restaurants reopening. Will they be scared/ reluctant to go back? A question I put yesterday to André Ribeirinho, the CEO of Adegga: 

'Only time will tell. Lots of questions at the moment. Restaurants can open today at maximum 50% capacity, mandatory 2 meter distance between clients and strict cleaning measures.
'Taberna da Rua das Flores opens today and have said they will do takeaway/ delivery until 2021 at least.

'I think many people will continue to order from home for fear of eating out but also because they got used to to it. Uber Eats and Glovo have grown tremendously in the number of registered restaurants in the last two months. Some people will start this phase by staying at home and eating with friends. We will be updating the takeaway guide once a month at least until September.

Tourism is out until god knows when. Looming in the horizon is a massive crisis which is probably the biggest question for many of the restaurants. '

Although takeaways help a restaurant to keep going and retain at least some if not all of their staff, it does mean a significant cut in profits. Restaurants tend to make more of their money on drinks and extras sold than their food. People ordering takeaways will have whatever they intend to drink with their meal already at home. No possibility of customers' after thoughts – a dessert, some cheese, a fancy coffee or any after-dinner drink.

Coming out of lockdown is likely to be a particular challenge for small restaurants like Taberna, who for the first time are taking bookings  for specified times. Previously you queued outside in the street for a table.  

Porto

Great to see O Gaveto, one of Portugal's restaurants heading the Porto selection. As they have a very good wine list it is unsurprising that they are also offering to sell customers wine to go with their takeaway meal.

Bom apetite!

Epeigné-les-Bois: les vignes communales ont doublés

The second third of Epeigné's communal vineyard (vignoble partagé) has now been planted. Unfortunately due to the coronavirus the three new rows of vines were planted yesterday on 8th May without ceremony. In complete contrast to 13th April 2019 when the first vines were planted. Epeigné's 'grand cru' vineyard is now fenced off to keep the deer out. 

Some photos from Saturday 13th April 2019: 

First rows pruned 7th March:

 

The first rows of the vignoble partagé were pruned on the morning of Saturday 7th March – a little over a week before France locked down. No sign of social distancing here, although a number of those present avoided shaking hands, kissing or hugging. 

Epeigné-les-Bois: 8th May 2020 – marking 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe

7th May 2020  – the eve of VE Day

 The war memorial and the church

 The names of those from Epeigné-les-Bois
who were killed during the Second World War

 All is ready for the limited and restrained

ceremony to mark VE Day 

8th May 2020: VE Day

It wasn't intended to be this way in 2020 to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day – the day that Nazi Germany surrendered bringing the war in Europe to an end. A time to remember the sacrifices made by many people from many different nations. Particularly poignant for countries like France that were occupied. 

Unfortunately due to the coronavirus the ceremony was  limited to just six people – the Maire (Christian Percevault) plus five representatives.

The front of the procession 

 

The Maire's speech

 A tribute under 'social distancing'

Laying Epeigné's wreath at the 

base of the memorial

 Silence for Epeigné's dead

Epeigné's wreath

NB: all above photos taken at more than 2 metres distance. 

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Memories from 8th May 2011:

Looking back nine years to a more customary marking of VE Day. As it would have been but for the pandemic. In normal years there is a ceremony at the war memorial and then a second ceremony in the cemetery. In 2020 only the ceremony at the war memorial was held.

 Getting ready to march

 The march

The Maire (Michel Mergot gives the speech)

Laying the wreath 

In the cemetery:

A plaque of remembrance

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Looking back nine years is also a reminder of people who are sadly no longer with us:

 Piero – one of Epeigné's great characters
with a tremendous zest for life

Gérard Taureau  – a previous Maire of Epeigné (1959-1983)
He died in August 2011

'Élu une première fois au conseil municipal d'Épeigné-les-Bois en 1953, il a assuré deux mandats de conseiller puis quatre mandats de maire soit 36 ans au service de la commune.'

Epeigné-les-Bois: 2020 elections municipales– back to square one...... ?

Although postponed date – 21st June –  for the Second Round of the French Muncipal Elections has not yet been cancelled, it looks increasingly unlikely that the Second Round will actually happen as previously planned on Sunday 21st June. From 11th May there is some loosening of strict confinement. However, gatherings are limited to 10 people whether in public or private. 

The second phase of loosening is planned for 2nd June but will this allow the second tour of the elections to take place on 21st June? The reported project to organise the municipal elections at the end of September and beginning of October appears to involve a completely new election for those communes that failed to elect a new conseil. 

This includes Epeigné-les-Bois. 10 new councillors were elected but not the now critical 11th. Two unsuccessful candidates – Ludovic Guillon and Dominique Hisbergue both on 49.47% – were tantalisingly close to the magical 50%. A new more votes for either candidate would have seen a new conseil elected.

Instead the old conseil has to continue but as their mandate has now expired they are really a lame duck administration. It does seem absurd that Epeigné may now have to go through an entirely new election process. However, taken the whole of France it is not surprising that if a second tour in June is a none start that the whole process has to start again. In the intervening seven months some of the March candidates may have died, become seriously ill, taken up new posts or just lost interest.

A can of worms .....une boîte de vers.......

 

   
  

 

Now into May – looks like no serious Loire frosts this year

Frost damage in April 2016

Although with fingers still crossed, it looks like there will be no serious frost damage this year. We are now into May and although we are not yet through the Saints de Glace (11th-13th May) the long range forecast for Chenonceaux to Friday 15th May indicates no frost with temperatures not dropping below 8˚C on 6th and 12th. All other nights are forecast to be above this. 

It could have been considerably different as bud break was early – well before the end of March. On 26th and on several nights at the end of march and early April temperatures fell well below freezing but fortunately the ground was very dry and humidity low so damage was avoided obviously assisted by the anti-frost measures many producers have taken individually and collectively especially since the severe frosts of 2016.

With coronavirus knocking wine sales both in France and on export markets a bad frost in 2020 would have been devastating. It would have meant that the Loire had been badly hit by frost in four – 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020 – out of the last five years...... Thankfully we appear to have escaped this year!!    

Now with the current bout of wettish weather there is now the threat of mildew. Better keep those fingers crossed!!