They are award-winning giant granaries - and you can sleep in them

Arouca has been welcoming tourists since October and is a tribute to the traditional granaries. We are at Quintãs - Farm Houses, by the architect António Júlio Caseiro, who learned a few days ago that he won the award for best energy efficiency solution at the 2018 National Urban Rehabilitation Awards.

The project, which dates back to 2014 and was completed in August last year, consists of three T1 housing units, organized in two independent volumes, two gigantic granaries, harmoniously integrated into the surrounding countryside. With "references to the ancestral memory and typical of an agrarian set", the work tells the architect to the source P3, was inspired by the shapes of the floor, the canastro and the haystack, using wood, tile and stone, all reused of the previous construction. António Júlio Caseiro also sought "good exposure and solar orientation, a landscape enjoyment and a good quality of construction."

Providing safety, comfort and well-being to its users was the main objective of rehabilitation, visible characteristics in insulation details, choice of coating and finishing materials, carpentry work and detailing in the installation of infrastructures networks. The prize is explained by the use of energetically passive constructive solutions, namely "panels with thermal insulation, thermal blocks, air boxes, thermal blankets, waterproofing sheets, high quality double glazing, thermal profiles and wood slatting" .

Energy efficiency, landscape, centrality and fusion with the rural environment are for the architect the capital gains of Quintãs - Farm Houses. "It is a proposal that is integrated in the middle, is a proposal that is very close to the center, two minutes walk, is practically next to the Monastery and the Convent of Arouca, so it could not be a work that was aberrant or that it was aggressive, "says the creator, who would not mind living on the estate. Still, imagine it to be inhabited by couples or nature lovers, who appreciate the rural environment. At the moment, the houses are intended for local accommodation and, according to the architect, the owner intends to broaden the concept.

The Republic 37, in Lisbon, was the big winner in the sixth edition of the awards, promoted by Vida Imobiliária and Promevi to distinguish the best requalification and renewal interventions in Portugal. The project of the architect Frederico Valsassina won in the categories residential, work in the city of Lisbon and structural rehabilitation. Also in Lisbon are Sede Abreu Advogados, winner in the commercial and services category, Verride Palácio Santa Catarina, considered the best in tourism, and Quinta Alegre, which received the distinction for the restoration. The Maria Barroso Basic School in Lisbon and the Real Winery in Matosinhos shared the social impact premium. Already in the city of Porto was awarded the building of the Night Hostels of Porto. Finally, the intervention award of less than one thousand square meters was collected by Quinta do Catapeixe, located in the parish of Bem Viver, in Marco de Canaveses.

Source: Público.pt| See the original article here.

Top 25 – Best Sushi restaurants from Lisbon to Cascais

Today is the International Sushi’s Day so we decided to gather some of the best sushi restaurants mentioned by bestguide.pt from Lisbon to Cascais for you to celebrate! Are you ready?

It can be said that sushi aroused passions and the gastronomic curiosity of Lisbon people, so much that since the trend began, many were the Japanese restaurants that opened in the city. Although Japanese cuisine is not just about sushi, in this “best of” we decided to present the best Japanese restaurants (and not only) in Lisbon where you can eat quality sushi. And because it is a delicacy that is not always a “friend of the wallet”, we collected options for all the budgets. From the most exclusive and author sushi, to fusion sushi, not to mention the all-you-can-eat sushi restaurants, in this article you will find several options that will meet your sushi lover's needs.

In Lisbon we recommend:

• Restaurante Bonsai;
• Restaurante Go Juu;
• Restaurante Nómada;
• Restaurante Miss Jappa;
• Hikidashi – Taberna Japonesa;
• Restaurante Kampai;
• Restaurante Sushi Café Avenida;
• Restaurante Aron Sushi;
• Confraria LX;
• Bica do Sapato;
• Restaurante Rabo d’Pêxe;
• Suntory.

All-you-can-eat options:

• Sushisan Saldanha;
• Sushi Factory;
• Arigato Sushi House.

From Cascais to Sintra:

• Restaurante Sushi Design;
• Restaurante Midori;
• Restaurante Saikó;
• Restaurante Confraria;
• Restaurante Coral Sushi Concept;
• Água da Cascata vai correndo na ribeira;
• Bafureira Sushi.

From Algés to Oeiras:

• Restaurante Kanazawa;
• Restaurante Tomo;
• Amaterasu – Páteo do Sushi.

Source: Bestguide.pt | See the original article here.

TOP 30 - Best fish restaurants in Lisbon and surroundings

Bestguide.pt made a list with the top 30 best fish restaurants in Lisbon and surroundings. Has it already whetted your appetite?

With a coastline of more than 900 km, Portugal is a country with a strong tradition in terms of sea food. The best restaurants in Lisbon and surroundings to eat fish demonstrate how this ingredient is one of the simplest and most delicious of all our gastronomy. Ideally, you want the fresh and well-grilled fish, and there are restaurants that have made this combination their art. But new times bring new ways to sharpen flavors and delight the palate, and this is a versatile ingredient and, since well done, always tasty. In this article we have left aside the new trends of fish, arrivals from other countries, such as sushi and ceviche, and seafood, deserving separate articles, which will be published in due course. For now, and now that spring and the sun are there, let's take advantage of these Portuguese flavors and sea breezes.

TOP Fish restaurants in Lisbon:

• Restaurante Monte Mar Lisboa;
• Restaurante Peixola;
• Restaurante Rabo d’Pêxe;
• Peixaria da Esquina;
• Restaurante Aqui há Peixe;
• Restaurante Pesca;
• Restaurante Sea Me;
• Frade dos Mares;
• Restaurante Eatfish;
• Doca Peixe;
• Luminosa by Furnas;
• Comendador Silva;
• Restaurante Último Porto;
• Mercado do Peixe;
• Restaurante Clube do Peixe;

Around Lisbon

Outside Lisbon, the sea supplies fish even more abundantly, and it is the main dish at the table of some of the most iconic restaurants in Cascais and Sintra.

In spaces with a view to the sea, where the sea winds are felt at the table, these delicacies have an even more ... genuine flavor.

TOP Fish restaurants around Lisbon:

• Restaurante O Pescador;
• Restaurante Panorama Guincho;
• Restaurante Fora de Pé;
• Restaurante Monte Mar;
• Restaurante Furnas do Guincho;
• Restaurante Mar do Inferno;
• Restaurante Porto de Santa Maria;
• Atlântico Bar & Restaurante;
• Restaurante Cervejaria Luzmar;
• Restaurante Visconde da Luz;
• Palm Tree International Pub &;
• Restaurante Astrolábio;
• Restaurante da Adraga;
• Restaurante Búzio;
• Restaurante Nortada.

Source: Bestguide.pt | See the original article here.

Fish and Shellfish: The best Portuguese restaurants

According to bestguide.pt, Portugal has the best fish and shellfish in the world. So, if you are already mouthwatering about these wonderful delights you must know what the Portuguese typical dishes are and where to go to taste them.

With a coastline that covers half of its outlines, an endless assortment of restaurants, a handful of rivers and a vast stretch of ocean and fishing activities, Portugal doesn´t lack fish and seafood. Fish and seafood live on two apparent nonsense: it is not food for lazy people and it's consider a "luxurious" dish. 

Fisherman at Armação de Pêra

Typical fish market

As in Portugal the art of good cooking is shaped by the "preparations" and supermarkets are dictating that for those who cook more than half of the work is already done, the seafood and what is for so many people the best fish in the world has of standing up against winds and tides, so to speak. It is true that the Portuguese have cod as the fish of choice (which is not even caught in our waters), but the variety and quantity that is given by our rivers and the delights of the Atlantic should be settled and at a reasonable price. But they are not...

Moreover… we have the tendency to make the confection uncomplicated. Even with the foreign advent of sushi restaurants, we do not eat raw fish. We cook it in many different ways: grilled, fried, boiled, roasted, "dressed" with butter, a pinch of salt, a few drops of lemon. We do not fill it with adornments, which is enough to have to catch it, scaly it, unravel it and make it the perfect fillets leaving out everything that is skeleton and spine. That after so much work (and even out of respect for the product) we tend not to complicate the making of the dish. After all, not all the fish have the generosity of the little "jaquinzinhos" (miniature mackerels) while eating a whole fish in a single breath.

Bacalhau assado (baked codfish)

Bacalhau à brás (crumbled cod with garlic, oil and eggs)

Cataplana de peixe (fish "cataplana")

Mariscada (seafood)

Whether it be river or sea fish, going out to eat the delights that the waters give is always an event. Cyclically popular festivals celebrate sardines, but the whole country has many fish and seafood restaurants to choose from. Due to the nature of the obvious need for the absolute freshness of the product that arrives on the plate, the whole restaurant of seafood and fish should be good and of guaranteed quality. They gain their fame through years of immaculate reputation, which allows many to glorify themselves for their shellfish even while away from the sea, or to receive fidelity evidence from the fish eater even though the ocean is out of sight.

It is clear that the favorites (for the Portuguese and, compulsively, for tourists) are the restaurants where fish and seafood are eaten with a view of the sea or the waterfront. It is as if the landscape represents a seal of quality. And then the tradition shows how things may very well continue to be as they were but with the twist of today's times: the auctions and squares where one can buy the product from the wise fishmongers, the occasional cane wand on the head or bucket in the old and new markets, and, above all, the restaurants and seafood restaurants where time does not pass and cooks as usual, taking care of seafood and fish, to the 'fashionable' and the taste of the new national chefs for Portugal's fish and seafood, such as cooking with a personal touch, how to 'turn around' and bring them to the table in a more appealing way.

Then comes the shock of reality, which is when the "embellishment" is over. Most of the fish and seafood caught in Portugal is for export. We export half the quantity that we import and what comes from outside hardly compares in quality to what our waters give. But the prices are not comparable. For more campaigns that are made to the virtues of the national seafood and fish, the scenario remains. Of the 200 species we fish in our exclusive zone, we should not consume more than 15. Some say that the case has both community laws and a lazy dictatorship of consumer tastes. And we are at the point where, adoring the fish or revering the shellfish, we stopped asking about the origin of the species.

But with a modern touch or letting the product speak for itself with a hint of seasoning, skipping in all our waters or coming free from foreign waters, there is no lack in Lisbon and its surroundings of quality restaurants for those who do not cook fish at home nor does he deliver the shellfish to the laws of steam. See the list of the best fish and seafood restaurants in Lisbon and Cascais and, for that international touch, take a peek at the suggestions of the best sushi restaurants.

Restaurants known for the best fish:

• Restaurante Peixola;
• Restaurante Aqui há Peixe; 
• Restaurante Monte Mar Lisboa;
• Restaurante O Pescador;
• Restaurante Panorama Guincho;
• Restaurante Furnas do Guincho.

Restaurants known for the best shellfish:

• Cervejaria Ramiro;
• Peixaria da Esquina;
• Ibo Marisqueira;
• Cervejaria Liberdade;
• Luminosa by Furnas;
• Nunes Real Marisqueira;
• Restaurante Marisco na Praça;
• Restaurante Mar do Inferno;
• Restaurante Eduardo das Conquilhas;
• Restaurante Nortada;
• Restaurante Búzio. 

Restaurants known for the best sushi:

• Restaurante Bonsai;
• Restaurante Midori;
• Restaurante Sushi Design.

Source: Bestguide.pt | See the original article here.