Evora

We arrived in Evora last night and have been exploring the town ever since. This morning we strolled the short distance into town from our hotel. We sat in the main square,

which was very lively. Just up a short street was the cathedral, with wonderful cloisters,

and apparently a rather unique Iberian organ. I am not an expert on church styles but it had a narrow nave with a high round vaulted roof. It was certainly much lighter than the churches that we had visited previously in Zamora.

The previous evening I had explored the university area, nosing around lecture rooms that were decorated with the most wonderful towers. In the same area I happened on a craft market where I was able to replace a pottery nativity scene that we had bought in Portugal some year’s previously but which had broken. It was all the better as I met the craftsman who had made them.

The city has a good balance between being a local centre and a tourist town, the tourists do not overwhelm it, and as a result it has a really good feel. This is helped by the wonderful weather that we are experiencing; the days are warm (thirty degrees today), while the evenings are cool.

Sometime ago exploring some foodie blogs I came across a winery, or adega called Herdade de Esparao, which was about thirty miles from Evora. The restaurant here has received excellent reviews. It was in a modern building reached along a drive about two miles from the main road. The whole terrain was covered with vines. The dining room was a minimalist white room with picture windows on one side overlooking a lake and the vineyards and olive groves.

There was a choice of two menus, we opted for the more modest six course-tasting menu, which Marion had with a flight of wines, I tried to photograph each course. We started with some Chef’s surprises,   

and then bread was served as a separate course, with aged butter and the chefs specially blended olive oil. Breads are excellent in Portugal, and this example was among the best we have eaten.

The first course was blue-fin tuna; Marion had her doubts but was instantly converted. This was served with a small drink of a smoked tomato mixture that was wonderful; it was almost like drinking bar-b-que smoke.
The second course was four-year-old oysters; this confirmed to Marion that cooked oysters are one of her favourite dishes. This came with a smoking dish with a shell on it, when I asked whether I could eat it, I was told it was for decoration. This was followed by red mullet served with a sort of reduction. Then the highlight for me Alentejo lamb, served with three types of carrot, in a truffle sauce.  I thought this was superb. The first dessert was ewes milk ice cream (a little tasteless) served with rhubarb, not at all like that found around Wakefield. The second was fig based served with a lemongrass granita. The sharp taste of the granita provided a perfect contrast to the sweetness of the figs. Finally there was an espresso, very strong, served with three delightful sweets.

Marion enjoyed her flight of wines, I think nine or ten glasses in all, and so it was just as well that we wrote our tasting notes down. There were a couple of very good reds and an Albarino style wine that was a good accompaniment for the fish. However overall we were in agreement that although the wines were perfectly respectable, they are not in the same league as French wines. Maybe our love of Provence means that we are prejudiced.

Overall it was a great eating experience with some very high quality cooking with exemplary imaginative presentation. It was certainly on a par with the great meals that we have eaten elsewhere.

So then it was back to the hotel for a quiet evening. It was warm enough to play Scrabble outside, before retiring for a late supper. A day that displayed Portugal to its absolute best.