#2 | to savor š®: food memory, bistronomie, lisbon living
icymi, last weekās updates featured the joys of long walks, achieving work life balance, and 7 san francisco wine bars. in this update, i write about why food is so meaningful to me, two of my favorite places to eat in lisbon, and a new opportunity.
iām hyped because a new _____ dropped. fill in the blank with your guess.
limited edition sneaker collection? rare nft? blackpink album? secret menu item? youāll find out in the last section. i want to share the good news, but i want to write about food first.
letās start with what food means to me.
taste is my strongest sense, the one most closely associated with memory. (i should say taste in combination with smell, rather, as you need both to experience flavor.) you can ask me if i remember someone and iāll say no, but tell me what we ate together, or even where we ate, and the whole scene comes back. ask āremember this uncle?ā and iāll shake my head. follow with āwe went to Fu 1088 in shanghai with him when you were 12,ā and i can tell you we had crab and tofu with toast sticks, and wasabi coated fried shrimp, and cold appetizers like vinegared tomato and woodear fungus. we were in a square room with chairs covered in a rich peacock-blue velvet, and a round table made from dark wood with a glass lazy susan. āoh yeah, that uncle.ā
if only my brain absorbs textbooks the way it does menu information. i remember that sea bream is daurade in french and tai in japanese and diÄo yĆŗ in chinese and dourada in spanish and portuguese (but that the languages have different words for sea bass, which is lobina and robalo respectively.) but i canāt recall how to ask for the bathroom or the bill in three of these languages.
being able to order this fish in 6 languages doesnāt make it come out of the kitchen any faster.
my parents also love food and eating - food is central to my family culture - so this tendency seems to be both an inherited and learned trait. growing up, i looked forward to dinners at home every day because of the variety of foods served, family style, as well as the taste. i was raised to try anything at least once. when we went out to restaurants, weād usually discuss what we were eating - what we thought about the food, what we liked and why, what we might add or do differently - in lieu of smalltalk.
when i left home for college, i started cooking for myself and dining out alone. (and with friends too, but iāve never been uncomfortable enjoying food by myself, asking for a table for one.) as i moved to different cities, i sent photos of food to my family so they could see what i was eating, and that by eating well, i was by extension doing well.
my family group chat is mostly food photos and accompanying explanations. what we cooked, new restaurants we tried, dishes we think someone else would enjoy. this is how we keep in touch. how we share experiences and inspiration with each other. if i donāt send food updates for a while, my parents will ask if iām doing okay.
i shared photos of home cooking with my family, even before i started @audreymakesfood on instagram
food is a means of connection and comfort. when i say i miss shanghai, i mean i miss rice cake cabbage soup and celebrating the lunar new year with family. when i say i miss seoul, i mean i miss kimchi jiggae from this particular restaurant, and laughing with a friend as we huddle over the side dishes, warming our hands over steaming soup bowls. when i say i miss berlin, i mean i miss the baklava from the turkish bakery near my apartment, miss midnight conversations over syrupy paper plates, miss washing everything down with a bottle of apfelschorle. food is also nostalgia; after all, taste memory remains long after the last bite.
there you have it ā to me, food is inspiration, connection, comfort, nostalgia, joy. and, in ideal scenarios, just f***ing delicious.
i always thought iād dislike writing about food since iād much rather focus on the experience and simply eat it. but it might be fun. i bond with people over food, and if you are my friend (and a curious and open-minded eater), i want to recommended great places for us to enjoy food together.
two lisbon recs, or are they reviews? VDB Bistronomie + Prado Mercearia
what is a bistronomie? google says it is bistro-style gastronomy, characterized by good food in small portions. VDB only uses whatās seasonal, from local producers, so while they have a menu, the dishes they serve change day to day. Prado Mercearia does too, so i guess both these restaraunts are in the bistronomie category.
and what is a mercearia? itās the portuguese word for grocery store. they are not, in fact, a grocery store; the name is like āprado marketā because they sell some specialty food items that they produce (and wine) and highlight local seasonal produce on the menu.
dining area of prado mercearia
i like small plates, because i can try lots of things. i like short menus, because they (usually) indicate confidence in the offerings. in other words, i am always happy go places where i can order the entire menu if i so choose, if my stomach and my dining companion are up for it. without further ado, let me share two experiences with you.
VDB Bistronomie
sit at the counter for a great view of the action.
while we were not hungry enough to order the whole menu, the people next to us did. we did watch all the dishes come out of the kitchen, since we were sitting at the counter, and they all looked delicious. highlights were:
squid noodles with chili oil and crispy peanuts
the texture is what al dente pasta wishes it could be. springy and releasing a bright umami with every bite. the chili oil was more warming than spicy, enhancing the grilled flavor of the squid. the peanuts are a must for texture, but the earthiness also pairs perfectly with the garlic in the chili sauce. i am mildly allergic to squid and yet ate my portion very happily, and would have ordered another one if i had room. that tells you all you need to know about this dish.
rice (arroz ronaldo or sado), chard, mushrooms
based on a traditional portuguese rice dish. i admit iāve never had the original, but itās hard to imagine one better than this rendition. i could not stop eating this ā itās an umami bomb, and the smoky-savory mushrooms on top are roasted to perfection. the fresh greens complement the earthy umami with their mild bitterness.
sweet potato mochi with dulce de leche
itās delightfully squishy. itās fried, but not oily (the bright lemon zest also helps), and the coffee in the dulce de leche sauce cuts the sweetness. pairing dulce de leche, coffee, and sweet potato together works as they all have earthy caramel notes. what do you do when someone takes two of your comfort foods (mochi and roasted sweet potato) and makes an innovative mash-up thatās totally distinct yet just as delicious? eat more, of course. this dish felt like warmth and comfort personified.
make a reservation, or call ahead the day of/before you arrive on a weekday.
Prado Mercearia
not prado restaurante next door (same owner). i also highly recommend that one based on past experiences.
here, we got one of everything on the menu. no dietary restrictions, because even if i am sliiiighly allergic to certain seafood, i donāt like self-imposed constraints when it comes to dining. it was the right choice.
appetizers - oysters with honey vinegar and amaranth; red bell peppers with fried garlic and oregano; eggplant escabeche with labneh, buckwheat, and lemon verbena. nice textures and balance of acididy and creaminess. they did what appetizers should do ā make me look forward to the other dishes.
not technically appetizers -
tomatoes, cheese broth, basil, sesame
eryngii (mushroom), cauliflour puree, miso
courgette, cured egg yolk, onion, ham broth
mussels, ajo blanco, parsley, almonds
gnocchi, pumpkin, shiitake, dukkah
late summer and fall flavors executed well. the dishes above highlighted the natural flavors and varied textures of each ingredient, creative but without unnecessary fussiness. simple in theory, not in practice. delicious.
meagre (fish), leek, dill
the fish and equally impressive charred leek were incredibly tender, falling apart under a fork. the more you chew, the more flavorful they seem. the sauce was creamy and well-flavored with garlic.
desserts -
quince and cottage cheese
the savory creaminess of the mild cottage cheese below the fruit balanced the rich sweetness of the quince and port sauce. loved the addition of cinnamon.
dulce de leche flan
not too sweet, despite its name. the soft cream melts pleasantly into the denser custard when eaten in the same bite. the sprinkling of sea salt on top elevated the dish by adding another layer of complexity; it helped balance and enhance the caramel, which had great depth of flavor and was not cloying at all. the taste and smooth texture were perfection. i fear i cannot eat other flans after this.
overall, i was highly impressed by the balance and harmony (particularly the use of acidity and non-meat umami) and textures of the dishes. very friendly service, even when telling us to vacate our table after the meal since our two hour reservation was up. the restaurant is a small but beautifully designed space; ask for one of the round tables for a more private experience and cozy nook feeling.
make a reservation or join the waitlist online.
so whatās the new release that has me so hyped?
another season of squid games? dirt-cheap plane tickets?
answer: a remote worker visa! the things we get excited about in adulthood. itās not rare or limited edition and has no resale value, but it means i might not have to worry about picking a new non-EU place to move to in december.
more information will be released at the end of the month but i think i meet the criteria to apply. you have to employed remotely (no taking jobs from locals); you have to make 4x the local minimum wage (so you bring in $$ or rather Ā£Ā£); you have to be able to demonstrate three months proof of income when you apply. i believe policies like these are implemented to help bring revenue and subsequent benefits to the country. and i want to be able to live in different vibrant cities, so given the opportunity, i will embrace it. but i recognize there also cons, especially for lower-income local residents. iāve been thinking about how people might minimize negative contributions if living somewhere longer-term. some ways:
spend money on local businesses. keep in mind the government has decided to implement the policy because they want to boost contributions to the local economy in terms of spend as well as subsequent effects (jobs created, funding for local businesses, incentives for refurbishing older/damaged parts of the city). so skip on starbucks (ofc) and amazon delivery, and keep contributing to the countless great local businesses in the city.
donāt pay premiums for housing in the city center just because you can, which contributes to driving up housing prices ā use local rental platforms or rent from locals until there are resident-friendly housing policies. sometimes short-term stays mean you donāt have a choice, but for six months to a year, iām looking at renting on idealista and sabbatical home.
if housing prices are steeply inflated compared to local income, donāt invest in property to speculate or as an investment vehicle. only do so if you are moving there to reside long-term.
i am optimistic experts will reach a balanced solution (maybe in a few years, more cities will start regulating housing prices like in berlin?). the broader problem of inflating costs and wages not catching up affects every city - eg. the cost of living in san francisco and the rent prices in new york are genuinely baffling. iām just grateful to be able to work remotely and live in cities i like.
thatās all for this weekāiām currently in marrakech so thereās your hint regarding next weekās update. as always, feel free to write back!