My first surprise on arrival in Lisbon is its modern airport that is still almost in the city centre. A swift 20-minute cab ride delivers me to my hotel, the aptly-named Sublime Lisboa, a recently-opened 15-room luxury bolthole and what seems to be the perfect base to explore one of the most attractive European capitals to visit right now.
Lisbon is genuinely inexpensive and offers palatial architecture and avant-garde museums, verdant parks, a bracing waterfront and relaxed cosmopolitan vibe. But I am not so interested in these highlights – instead I'm here to check out the Portuguese capital’s reputation as a gourmet hotspot.
Having garnered a name for itself in the culinary world, the city is famed for everything from gourmet fine dining and fun street food, to traditional local cuisine and exotic flavours of former colonies in South America, Asia and Africa.
An eclectic menu certainly awaits the adventurous foodie: Delicious grilled sardines or rich octopus stew, creative Brazilian-Japanese tacos and makis stuffed with amberjack ceviche, creamy guacamole and spicy chipotle sauce or Portugal’s favourite “seafood rice” – a brothy fusion of paella and risotto, brimming with mussels, clams and plump prawns. Bold gourmands should not miss juicy percebes, prehistoric-looking goose barnacles, or caracois, succulent snails cooked with tangy garlic and piri-piri.
Meanwhile, desserts are to die for, especially the emblematic Pasteis de Natal, a creamy custard tart.
My first evening is spent with the city’s most renowned chef Olivier da Costa who, in addition to five locales in town, oversees a global empire of 24 restaurants from Brazil to Bangkok, London to Paris, with an opening in the Middle East envisioned for next year.
We kick off at his flagship Seen Restaurant and Bar, housed in a glamorous rooftop bar with panoramic vistas, perfect for sundowners and shisha. Inside the funky dining room, da Costa explains that “this is where all of Lisbon comes to see and be seen, and where the cuisine is fun and exciting, rather than formal gastronomic.
My recipes here use Portugal’s outstanding ingredients, adding in surprising tastes from my global travels; a king crab roll with wasabi and japaleno peppers, or Brazilian-style deep-fried tapioca with locally cured cheese and spicy guava jam.”
The scene is very different at his smart XXL dining room, which da Costa describes as “the favourite of all my restaurants, where clients feel they have been invited by a Portuguese family into their home for dinner. And I think we serve the best bacalhau salt cod in town, a huge chunk smothered with smoked peppers, confit onions, on a bed of fried turnip leaves.” I have to agree – it is totally delicious.
The beating heart of Lisbon is the maze of steep narrow streets in the historic city centre, climbing up to towards Sao Jorge Castle. These ancient neighbourhoods of Bairro Alto, Chiado and Alfama are a hotbed of terminally hip foodie diners, such as Prado, O Velho Eurico or Taberna da Rua das Flores, where diners either need to book well in advance or brave long queues.
But I am working on a tip to check out the more under-the-radar Terraco Editorial. There is no sign for the restaurant on the street as you enter the wonderfully retro Pollux home furnishings store where a lift whisks you up to the rooftop restaurant.
Created by dynamic young chef, Rui Rebelo, this space used to be the employee canteen for the store, but is now transformed into a dining room whose terrace offers breathtaking views over old Lisbon. Rebelo is clearly a chef who likes to have fun, proposing an affordable, contemporary menu of petiscaria – local-style tapas.
Making use of the outstanding, sustainably fished seafood from Portugal’s Azores islands, it is difficult to resist the pull of dishes such as shrimp cornets with smoked tomato sauce, seared bluefin tuna on a celery puree, or grilled swordfish with coriander sauce and pickled apple.
Echoing what da Costa told me, Rebelo also recommends getting a taste of authentic Lisbon street food, either in a traditional tasca – whose zinc bar and tasty home-cooking resemble the spirit of a French bistro – or in one of the numerous covered neighbourhood markets, where stalls are piled high with a cornucopia of fruit, vegetables, fish and meat.
While the venerable 140-year-old Mercado da Ribeira has now been transformed into the Time Out Market – essentially a tourist trail food court – I prefer to seek out genuine community life at the Mercado 31 de Janeiro, whose cheap and cheerful Cantina Cafe is packed with families tucking into the best grilled sardines in town.
Every Lisboeta has their own favourite tasca, and I found mine at O Prado while visiting the city’s avant-garde Maat Museum. A world away from the fashionable Prado in the old town, this nostalgic tasca has lively communal tables and a brigade of jolly female chefs in the kitchen who prepare generous servings of classic dishes – caldo verde soup, tomato rice, steamed clams and mussels, Bacalhau a Bras, shredded cod with potatoes, olives and eggs. Don't even try to resist the home-made caramel flan.
Food lovers looking for the gastronomic experience of a Michelin-star tasting menu are also spoilt for choice in Lisbon and my own visit ends in the sumptuous interiors of the art deco Hotel Ritz, where young chef Pedro Pena Bastos takes diners on a gourmet tour around his native land at Cura restaurant.
A small team working in an open kitchen prepare the Origens tasting menu, which showcases the finest regional ingredients, from line-fished Azores amberjack and turbot to seasonal turnips, leeks and asparagus. They create light, modern recipes like slivers of squid on roasted seaweed, topped with caviar or tender slow-cooked beef ribs with mustard greens and sweetcorn.
Be sure to arrive hungry, as over a long, lazy evening, no less than 13 of these tempting dishes are rolled out. Bastos also proposes the same number of courses in a vegetarian menu, something I've already decided to try the next time I visit Lisbon to sample its culinary delights.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
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more from Janine di Giovanni
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Fringe@Four Line-up
October 1 - Phil Nichol (stand-up comedy)
October 29 - Mandy Knight (stand-up comedy)
November 5 - Sinatra Raw (Fringe theatre)
November 8 - Imah Dumagay & Sundeep Fernandes (stand-up comedy)
November 13 - Gordon Southern (stand-up comedy)
November 22 - In Loyal Company (Fringe theatre)
November 29 - Peter Searles (comedy / theatre)
December 5 - Sinatra’s Christmas Under The Stars (music / dinner show)
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
The biog:
Languages: Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, basic Russian
Favourite food: Pizza
Best food on the road: rice
Favourite colour: silver
Favourite bike: Gold Wing, Honda
Favourite biking destination: Canada
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Company%20Profile
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
In The Heights
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda
Rating: ****
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
THE BIG THREE
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
19 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 5 (2011, 14, 15, 18, 19)
French Open: 2 (2016, 21)
US Open: 3 (2011, 15, 18)
Australian Open: 9 (2008, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21)
Prize money: $150m
ROGER FEDERER
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 8 (2003, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 12, 17)
French Open: 1 (2009)
US Open: 5 (2004, 05, 06, 07, 08)
Australian Open: 6 (2004, 06, 07, 10, 17, 18)
Prize money: $130m
RAFAEL NADAL
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 2 (2008, 10)
French Open: 13 (2005, 06, 07, 08, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20)
US Open: 4 (2010, 13, 17, 19)
Australian Open: 1 (2009)
Prize money: $125m
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
DSC Eagles 23 Dubai Hurricanes 36
Eagles
Tries: Bright, O’Driscoll
Cons: Carey 2
Pens: Carey 3
Hurricanes
Tries: Knight 2, Lewis, Finck, Powell, Perry
Cons: Powell 3
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
