Arden C.
Yelp
After spending the good part of an afternoon in the Castelo de São Jorge, I walked down to the Alfama, the oldest district of Lisbon, hoping to come across a small restaurant tucked away somewhere in the narrow alleys and apart from the crowds. Walking after sundown through the cobblestone streets of the Alfama, the nocturnal sounds of residents in their houses wafting in the summer air, I stumbled upon Casa da Tia Helena, a restaurant serving Portuguese food. I was seated on a bistro-style table outside on the cobblestone street and right away felt that I was in the right place at the right time.
My vinho verde came in a dull silver tin cup, an indication that this place was real and down-to-earth. The dishes were served in earthenware, in keeping with the restaurant's rustic Iberian air. Being in Portugal, I could not get enough of sardines, and Tia Helena's grilled sardines were delectable. What stole my heart, however, was the Bacalhau à Brás which is made from shreds of salted cod (bacalhau), onions and thinly chopped (matchstick sized) fried potatoes in a bound of scrambled eggs. I had known how important bacalhau is to Portuguese cuisine, but this particular dish to me was, to be a bit dramatic, a revelation. The size of the chopped potatoes certainly matters; a couple of nights beforehand, I had eaten Bacalhau à Brás in the Bairro Alto quarter of Lisbon where it is said to have originated, but Tia Helena's was of surpassing excellence. The shredded cod was soft and salted perfectly, almost indistinguishable from the matchstick-sized potatoes and the scrambled eggs held the two together just enough while at the same time made the dish fluffy and light.
Towards my meal's end, a kindly lady came to refill my tin cup with more vinho verde and I remarked in broken Portuguese how delicious my dinner was; I imagined her to be Tia Helena herself. And right away, I wanted to tell the world about this hidden gem in the heart of the Alfama in what is now one of my favorite cities on earth.
