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July 1997 Home
On the Road:
-- Paris to Hendaye
On the Road:
-- Lisbon to Salema
Kitchen Table Tasting
-- Portuguese Edition
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On the Road: Lisbon to Salema
Lisbon is a city under siege; a siege of construction, that is! Having been chosen to host a World's Fair in 1998, Lisbon is currently undergoing what appears to be a near-total face-lift, with buildings, roads and parks being torn up, renovated or built everywhere you turn. Still, one can't escape the impression that there is a beautiful city behind all of those hoardings.For beer, however, Lisbon is total bust. Although you can buy a brew almost anywhere -- including from street corner coffee kiosks and train station vending machines -- very little of it is anything you would want to drink unless you were very hot and it was extremely cold. All in all, it can be a very frustrating experience for a beer lover.
There are two main breweries in Portugal: Central de Cervejas and Unicer - União Cervejeíra. The former brewery makes Sagres as their main brand while the latter offers up something called Super Bock, which is not at all a bock, but an adjunct-tasting, commercial lager much like Sagres. But for the discovery of an marvellous Irish pub called O'Gilin's, here they pour splendid pint of Guinness, I might just have died of thirst. (When you are in Lisbon, visit O'Gilin's at Rua dos Remolares, 8-10, and tell them that I said hi.)
From Lisbon, we pointed our noses southward and headed to a cozy fishing village called Salema, located in the Algarve about half-way between Lagos and Cape Sagres. This was vacation time, pure and simple, and this quiet, moderately touristed hamlet was just what the doctor ordered.
(Incidentally, THE place to stay in Salema, as far as I'm concerned, is at the Pensión a Marë, where a clean, quiet and cozy room with a balcony and breakfast will run you 7,500-8,000 escudos per day, or about US$50. For reservations, e-mail John at johnmare@mail.telepac.pt or call him at 351-82-65165. And no, this is not a paid endorsement.)
While in Salema, we discovered that there was another major beer brand, brewed by Unicer - União, called Cristal. And it tastes -- surprise! -- much like Sagres and Super Bock! Not bad when served super cold at the Boia Bar by the beach, but not much to get excited about otherwise.
(For more on Portuguese beer, please see this month's Kitchen Table Tasting)
I tell you, if it wasn't for the just-caught fish, endless sunshine, plentiful wine and paradise-like conditions, this place would be unbearable.
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