If you're craving Portuguese delicacies, you don't need to book a flight: Because we come very close to Atlantic longings with a visit to <link http: www.brancoazul.com _blank>Branco Azul, the shop for beautiful and practical things to enjoy and wine from Portugal in the Domstraße. When we then spoon our muesli in the morning from a white and blue porcelain bowl in typical Portugal décor, we immediately feel reminded of our deep blue sea swimming pool in front of the whitewashed holiday home. And the soul rejoices when we eat a typical pudding, called "Pastel de Nata", with our afternoon coffee: the little tartlets made of puff pastry with vanilla custard are a culinary sensation anyway and taste even better if they are warmed up in the microwave for about ten seconds before eating, as a Portuguese friend once told us.
The "Natas", as they are called, are available in most Portuguese shops in Frankfurt (see below for addresses). We like the tartlets from the "<link http: www.casadeportugal.de ihrwegzuuns.html _blank>Casa da Portugal" in Sachsenhausen best, as they are in no way inferior to the original from one of the best bakeries in Lisbon. In the district of Bélem we had to try the "Natas" on recommendation of our host mother during a language course formerly extensively and intensively, in order to develop our own taste. In the warm summer evenings she introduced us to the advantages of a Vinho Verde, the young, sparkling wine.
Some authentic things can also be discovered in Frankfurt, even if we can only dream of Hamburg conditions in view of the large Portuguese community there. So first off to the Nordend: With the restaurant "Alma", owner Zaira Viviana Ponte brings Portuguese coffee culture to Schwarzburgstraße. Alma is the Portuguese word for soul. It stands for a philosophy that aims to fuse Lusitanian coffee culture with German influences. As far as coffee enjoyment is concerned, Portugal fans still get their money's worth at Café "Estrela Doce" - also in the Nordend. For a long time, however, we had to do without the opportunity to enjoy monkfish on a spit or dorade. The restaurant offer in Frankfurt is weakening in this respect. Therefore, we were more than relieved when the news of the restaurant "Tasquinha da Jacinta" reached us. From the simple circumstances of the family restaurant in the allotment garden association in Niederrad no one should conclude the standard of the cuisine: simple ambience and excellent gastronomy are no contradiction in Portugal. On the contrary: rather, visitors should make reservations in good time and be prepared to immerse themselves in Lusitanian culture, because many Portuguese families like to celebrate their festivals here. And then the small country on the Atlantic is suddenly very close.
Supermarket Heddernheim and Offenbach <link http: www.aveirense.de enderecosaddressen.htm _blank>Aveirense
Cafés: Alma Estrela Doce <link http: www.estreladoce.de cafe.html _blank>
<link https: www.facebook.com pages tasquinha-da-jacinta _blank>Tasquinha da Jacinta
<link http: www.casadeportugal.com yourwaytoour.html _blank>Casa da Portugal
<link http: www.brancoazul.com _blank>Branco Azul
Sabina Brauner is on twitter @WentoManderly and <link https: de-de.facebook.com people sabina-m-brauner _blank>FB.