Lisboa is a sleepy kind of town at the best of times… definitely my style!

It was my last night at the Lisbon Lounge Hostel, a great modern backpacker hostel at the foot of Lisboa’s hilly terrain. I had made some great friends there, among whom were Vicky and Nicky. These delightfully friendly British girls, taking a break from their studies, offered to share a meal with me which they were happy to say had more than seven different ingredients (A huge undertaking for most budget-conscious backpackers.) I was very interested to see that they had included all four of the pre-packed “Four Cheeses” pasta mix as separate ingredients and wondered if they were taking a break from studying marketing with a major in Fiction….

So to top it off, the next day I invited the two girls and a few other stragglers to dinner at my new hostel. My mission was to include eight different ingredients in the pasta sauce. Tomatoes, onions, cheese, broccolli and carrots were the base of it all and I claimed basil, oregano and salt to be my final three ingredients. Between the two nights, it certainly lifted the bar of culinary success that I had experienced at any backpackers previously.

And speaking of food – the custard tarts in Portugal are the best! The ever popular portuguese tart is best sampled in the neighbouring town of Belem. There is a cafe there which has been serving them hot and fresh for a number of years and claims to have the best custard tarts in all of Portugal. After tasting about three, I had to agree! So if you’re ever in Lisboa be sure to check it out! 

And just so you know, Lisbon is the English spelling for Lisboa.