Birthday meal@Three Chimneys on Skye

 The Three Chimneys

I enjoyed an excellent birthday meal last week@The Three Chimneys on Skye.

 View from the restaurant to the west of Dunvegan

Our three course menu with two wee tastes extra included

 Very decent sherry selection – we chose the 

Faraon Oloroso from Hildalgo

 Wee taste: pickled herring

 2012 Abadia Albarino

After our glass of Oloroso we went for halves. Firstly the 2012 Abadia Albarino, which was a very good match with the seafood platter. Initially I had chosen the 2013 Pouilly Fumé from Jonathan Pabiot but a discerning customer had drunk the last bottle at lunchtime. 

 Best dish of the evening: seafood platter including 

brilliant oysters, mussels and a crab salad

 Après moi – le débris!

 My grouse

 Carole's salmon with squid

A half of 2013 Crasto (Douro) – served slightly too warm – with the main course. Better when we got some ice and water to chill it down a tad.

 

Curiously the only Loire red listed is a Gamay from Domaine Levin. Does the Three Chimneys really think this is the best the Loire can offer?

Second wee taste – a pre-dessert

 My chocolate dessert - nice to see it served on an Edinbane pottery plate

 ... partially demolished

 Warm marmalade pudding with Drambuie custard

 

I finished with a glass of 30 Year Old Pedro Ximenez from Dandelion Vineyards in the Barossa. 

Eating in Porto: Rui Paula's DOP or O Paparico?

Porto 

One immediate conclusion after three nights in Porto - you can eat very well here.

On our first night we went to the very traditional Casa Aleixo near to the Campanha railway station. Crowded, popular restaurant need to book to avoid long queues said the guide books, so it was somewhat of a shock to arrive at an empty restaurant. True the road outside is currently closed to traffic, while major works is done to the sewage pipes. We ate quite well with some delicious presunto to start. Carole had the speciality merluza (hake) with sqVisits to Port Houses, Portuguese gastronomy, uid rice - tasty but a little dry, while I went for the roast veal, potatoes and greens. This was a good match for our bottle of Julia Kemper 2011 Dão. But it was sad to be in a restaurant which, over the evening, only had eight customers. Apparently the road works have been going on for two months - the owners must be hoping that business will pick up once it finishes. Warning Casa Aleixo does not take cards.

Rui Paula: DOP

In complete contrast we ate on Thursday and Friday evenings in two of Porto's best and most popular restaurants: firstly Rui Paula's DOP in the centre of the city housed in the Palacio das Artes, Largo de S.Domingo and then O Paparico in the Northern suburbs. Although perhaps it shouldn't be a contest, comparisons are inevitable. In the end it comes down to which restaurant would we go back to if we had to choose one?

In two respects they are similar and equal - the food in both is very good as are their extensive wine lists.

DOP is buzzy - a modern restaurant with hard edges making it noisy. We were seated close to a large group and, although they weren't loud, it was impossible not to be very aware of them and to hear their conversation. Initially the service was excellent including an impressive piece of decanting by the sommelier of our delicious and complex bottle of 2005 Mouchão (Alentejo) @43€. Our wine was at the perfect, cool temperature.

Unfortunately later in the evening the level of service fell off and I had to reach out for our wine and water housed on a separate table. Fortunately within my easy reach but far more difficult for a nearby couple tucked away in the corner. If a restaurant insists on exiling wine from its customers then they should ensure good service right the way through the meal. If not leave the bottle or the decanter on the table as I'm very happy to pour our own wine.

At DOP we started by sharing a carpaccio of bacalhau and a really delicious scrambled egg with  traditional Portuguese sausage. For main course Carole took the perfectly cooked turbot, while I had the equally fine roast cabrito with its crispy skin and moist inside accompanied by an excellent cabrito risotto. We missed desserts finishing with good expresso. It took a while to find someone to bring us the bill - 114 euros.

O Paparico was the strong recommendation of Gabriella Opaz. On the Rua Cabral and north of the ring road it was a good 15 minute taxi ride from the centre of town. From outside the restaurant gave the impression of being closed but on a sharp rap on the metal knocker the door was swiftly opened and we were immediately welcomed inside. "A drink in the bar first or straight to your table?" We opted to go straight to our table - cosily tucked into a corner at the far end of the restaurant.

This welcome set the tone for the evening - the service was brilliant - friendly, efficient but discreet. On Gabriella's insistence we introduced ourselves to Sergio, who runs the restaurant, but I'm sure this made no difference to the high quality of the service. It was clear from watching and admiring the staff serve the other customers.

The decor of O Paparico is homely and rustic with elements of a mythical rural past with stone walls and various accoutrements on the walls. The tables are a little more spaced than at DOP and coupled with the better sound proofing meant that we could talk normally and not hear our neighbours' conversations.

At O Paparico the first courses are already selected and await your arrival but you change any you don't want or order more if you are greedy! We had a very fine carpaccio of octopus, a superb terrine of calves liver in a Port wine sauce and a sheep's milk cheese plus some interesting bread and special biscuits with the terrine.

Having had a red from the Alentejo the night before we looked for a Douro red this time and went for the 2008 Vinhas Velhas (45€) from Quinta do Crasto (www.quintadocrasto.pt/). The sommelier tells it is their last bottle.  More powerful and butch than the Mouchão but less complex, it needed time in the decanter and glass to really open up. It was, however, a very good match with the veal.

The principle of the main courses is that they are for two people but you can opt to have two half portions to share and this is a good way get to try more dishes. We opted for tenderloin of pork with apple sauce first and followed this with veal in a mushroom sauce. Both dishes were very fine with the pork tenderloin beautifully tender and slightly pink. Although called veal in Portugal in the UK we would class this as beef as we experience veal as a white meat. Whatever it was rare and delicious!

We normally do without desserts, especially in Portugal where they are often oversweet. However, as the food was so good here we decided to break this habit. Carole chose the chocolate and I opted for a crème brulée. Made from bitter chocolate, the chocolate was a real standout dense and concentrated – just lovely!

Rich chocolate mousse  

A couple of coffees bought the bill to 134€ in line with DOP (even fractionally cheaper) as we only had two courses there and took a glass of the 2008 LBV from Noval with a chocolate mousse. And yes it was a good match!

I’d go back to O Paparico before DOP mainly because the service was much better – more attentive and professional.

For lunch on Friday we followed a recommendation from the Catavino site – the rooftop terrace of Porto Cruz (http://www.myportocruz.com) in Vila Nova da Gaia. It was ideal for a snack – a capaccio of bacalhau, scrambled egg with Portuguese sausage and some little green pimentos accompanied by a glass each of 2013 Alvarinho Muros Antigos. A peaceful oasis with great views. 

Table view from Porto Cruz

              

Lisbon: four recommended restaurants (part one: Ibo)

View from first floor of Ibo

There are certainly a number of of recommendable restaurants in Lisbon with plenty of places offering good value with simple grilled fish as the best option. Here are four favourites we have been to recently – split into several posts.

Ibo, Cais do Sodre

Ibo, a mix of Portuguese and Mozambique cooking, is easily the most sophisticated of these four restaurants. Not surprisingly it is also the most expensive. We went on Saturday evening when it is certainly best to reserve, especially if you want a first floor table by the window that looks across the Tagus. The service is friendly and efficient with a good wine list and glasses to match at not outrageous prices.

Highlights of the meal? The crab and mango salad (15€), chosen by one of our party, and the chacuti de cabrito (curried kid – 20€).

Crab and mango salad

2010 Crasto (branco) Douro

The 2010 white from Crasto had attractive weight allied with freshness and minerality. It's a blend of Gouveio, Roupeiro and Rabigato. For our choice of red we stayed with the Douro, selecting the 2007 Quinta do Côa. This was a slightly less successful choice as it was decidedly Porty in style and while initially attractive it became somewhat cloying and soupy as we went deeper into the bottle. It's a blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Franca.

2007 Quinta do Côa, Reserva, Douro

The damage for 4? Around 210€ for four starters, four mains, two desserts, coffees and a tea, two bottles of wine and water.

Douro Boys: Day one (part two): Quinta do Crasto

2 November 2009

Quinta de Vargellas station on the way from Pocinho to Ferrão

(Progress on writing up last week's visits to Douro Boys has been slowed by catching the EWBC virus/germs. No not a computer virus but an old fashioned, low-tech fluey-cold.)

Following the tasting at Vale Meão we headed to Ferrão, which is the station after Pinhõa. Beside the Douro this small halt is in the middle of nowhere. Just the station and a track leading off up the hill. We were met here by the Crasto Boys. Most of us got to ride up the hill in an open truck to Crasto in the darkness, while a pampered few got a lift in a car.

During the 1990s I'd visited Crasto a couple of times and, although it was dark, it was clear that the winemaking facilities have expanded very considerably.

Ready for the vertical tasting of Old Vine Crasto

We had a vertical tasting of Crasto's Old Vines Reserva from 2001-2007. This spends 16-18 months in barrique – 60% new with some 10%-15% made from American oak. My favourite vintages were 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2007. 2002 was a difficult year but despite this the wine was successful with herbal, Indian spice and cedar notes and good texture and balance. 2004 was a very dry year and gave a very concentrated wine full of black fruits with a decidedly tannic grip. Currently it's as tight as a duck's arse but has a lot of potential.

2005 is similarly dense with concentrated black fruits and length and power but softer and may be ready before the 2004. 2007 was bottled in early June 2009 and is not yet fully knit together but has aromas of violets and sweet youthful fruit and appears to have considerable potential.

The winemaker enthuses

...marvels@the quality

Along with the 70 hectares planted at Crasto, they now have a 150-hectare property in the Upper Douro that they bought in 2000, which has 90 hectares of red varieties planted. There are also ambitious plans to develop the tourist potential of Crasto to cater for day trips from Porto with a restaurant and shop. There will also be rooms where press and friends can stay.

Over dinner we drank several wines. The 2005 straight Quinta do Crasto with its soft and supple fruit I found to be the most delicious and enjoyable to drink – also certainly the cheapest wine on show, although the 2005 will have long sold out.

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2 November 2010

Barrels and vats@Quinta do Vale Meão

Very long day yesterday. Left Lisbon around 8.30 and arrived in Quinta do Vale Meão, near Pocinho in the Upper Douro, around 2.30pm – programmed to arrive around 1pm. Timings probably calculated using a Ferrari smashing the speed limit and it didn't help that our tour guide missed the turning to Vale Meão within 55 seconds of getting on our bus.

Carrie Jorgenson (Cortes de Cima) – always connected@service station in middle of Portugal

We had two very good visits to Quinta do Vale Meão and Quinta do Crasto. Vale Meão is owned and run by Francisco (Vito) Olazabal. I first met Vito when he was in charge of Ferreira, best known for their Ports and Barca Velha. Sometime in the mid-1990s I stayed overnight at their Quinta do Portal near Pinhõa. Over dinner we drank Barca Velha – unfortunately I can't remember the vintage or possibly vintages that we enjoyed. Anyway it was good to meet Vito again.

Vale Meão used to be one of the sources for Barca Velha. The estate used to have 30 owners – many of whom took little interest in it and rarely visited. In the 1960s Vito started buying parcels from his fellow family members until he finally acquired all the parcels some 30 years later in the mid-1990s. In 1998 he quit as director of Ferreira, part of the Sogrape Group, in 1998. "Not a very wise thing to do as I was just two years off collecting my pension," he remarked. "But I don't regret it at all. It was my son, Xito, an oenologist who urged me to do it."

Qunita do Vale Meão: Francisco (Vito) Olazabal (right) and his son Francisco (Xito) and daughter Luisa

Xito is the winemaker and his sister, Luisa, has recently joined Vale Meão to look after the marketing and PR. The property has three wines: the estate red Vale Meão, a second wine called Meandro and a Port. They are the sole amongst the Douro Boys not to make a white.

I think the Olazabals are right to keep their range simple. I enjoyed all their red wines – both at the Douro boys tasting in Lisbon and during our visit to the property. The concentrated, black fruited and supple 2004 Vale Meão and the very fine 2000 Vale Meão with its beautiful balance of ripe fruit and freshness in the finish. The 2000 was the product of a difficult flowering, so a very small crop. The result is one of the finest Douro reds we tasted on the trip.

We tasted the wines over a very enjoyable lunch starting with a delicious spinach soup – a reminder how central soup is to good Portuguese home cooking. Then we had leave to get the train down the Douro from Pocinho to Ferrao. Unfortunately we had only a few minutes of light, so missed much of the spectacular scenery on the way to Ferrao.

(Visit to Quinta do Crasto will be covered in a separate post.)

Always connected: Andrew Barrow, glasses and spittoon

Douglas Blyde (intoxicating prose)@Crasto

Detail from above photo

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