Portuguese boiled eggs

We went to visit Gulbenkian Museum at Avenida de Berna 45a, Lisbon 1067 - 001 (http://museu.gulbenkian.pt/Museu/pt/PaginaNaoEncontrada) whilst we were in Lisbon. The museum  houses the art collection of Calouste Gulbenkian, who was an Armenian-British businessman and philanthropist.  His art collections, totalled over 6,000 pieces from all over the world, are said to be eclectic and unique which were influenced by his travels and his personal taste, dating from antiquity to the early 20th century.  It's not a big museum however it was very interesting to visit. I particular enjoyed seeing his art collections of eastern islamic art.

Azulejo tile, made in c. 1620 in Persia,
painted and glazed in "cuerda seca" (dry cord) technique.

After the visit, it was time for lunch. Having consulted with the guidebook to check if there is any restaurant within walking distance from the museum, we decided to try this restaurant called Solar do Morais at R. Augusto dos Santos, 3, 1050-028, Lisbon.

The place was getting busy with lunch time crowd, mostly with business men and office workers.

We ordered a glass of white wine each and the waiter opened a new bottle and poured the wine to  our glasses rather generously.

I wanted to try grilled swordfish however they did not have that that day so I just decided to have a grilled salmon. On hindsight, I should have tried something different or more local as I eat salmon at home quite often.  Anyway, the salmon was grilled nicely, that came with boiled potatoes and brocollies. This was 9.90 euro so it was not bad at all.

Well, my husband decided to try the dish from daily lunch menu. It mentioned about fish, eggs and potatoes. He asked the waiter what this local dish was. The waiter said, it is a dish of fish, boiled eggs, it's very tasty and local dish, they are fresh eggs; look those plates over there, pointing at dishes on other tables near by.  I could not see which dish he was pointing at however it seems everyone is eating this dish; it seems very popular amongst the locals. My husband could not see properly what the dish looked like however assumed that this could be Bacalhau a Bras, which is made from shreds of salted cod, onions and thinly chopped fried potatoes in a bound of scrambled eggs. We had King prawn a bras before and that was very lovely. He said to the waiter, Ok, I will try that. The waiter looked very pleased as if to say, sir, you have made the right choice!

So, the dish arrived. What did the waiter said ... was it made of fish and boiled eggs? It was actually boiled fish eggs (lots of them!) decorated with boiled eggs and boiled potatoes. There was a slight lost in translation however the waiter did not technically lie. They were fish's boiled eggs, or maybe we did not hear him right. 

Boiled eggs in Portuguese style....

With abundance of seafood and cod available in Portugal, it makes sense that they also use fish eggs in dishes. I read it on internet somewhere that in Portugal they eat boiled fish eggs when you are sick, because they are mild and easy to digest. In Japan, we eat fish eggs too; sometimes raw with dash of soy source with freshly cooked boiled rice or grilled and fold them into onigiri rice balls. When I was a student, there was a very lovely coffee shop near the college with elegant atmosphere with classic music playing background.  They served different kind of toasties. One of them was a cheese toast with raw fish eggs. It does not sound appetising however it was actually really tasty. A big thick square toast with raw fish egg paste and few slices of cheese on top, quickly grilled till the cheese started to melt and serve. You then squeeze lemon juice over it to eat it.

I don't think my husband enjoyed the dish and did not like textures of it, especially if he was somehow expecting a cod a bras to arrive at his table. At least he tried this Portuguese boiled fish eggs however he mostly ate the boiled eggs (not fish's) and potatoes in the end. 

Looking around we see many other people, in business suits so assuming they are locals, eating this dish so it must be a popular dish for lunch. I tried some of the fish eggs on his plate. They tastes fine, just like what boiled fish eggs should taste like. I know the taste and texture. 

Now every time I think of Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, I think of fish eggs my husband ordered for lunch. Both were really memorable indeed. Travel and food, eat what locals eat. If my husband did not order that dish, this blog would not exist so I should thank him for ordering that dish. 

We finished our lunch with strong bica. Coffee was really good. The bill was not bad neither. A huge glass of wine was less than a 4 euro each!

We came out of the restaurant, we decided to walk back to our hotel through Parque Eduardo Vll as the north east entrance is very near from the restaurant. From the top of the park, you can see the Marquess of Pombal Square, beyond this, centre of Lisbon with tree lined Avenida da Liberdade and the Tagus river in the background.

We had a memorable lunch in Lisbon and that's what is all about.....

That's all forks!