#PortuGaloBrooklyn

I've been going to Brooklyn Design Square in Pretoria for the last 11 years, since I moved to Gauteng, and it has been amazing to see how it has grown from strength to strength over time & how places come & go. A newcomer that I was excited to go try, is PortuGalo! A family owned restaurant, where the gift for cooking sparked the idea to open a REAL Portuguese restaurant. Sunday lunch family recipes have been passed down for generations, keeping it simple & authentic. 

On arrival, you'll be greeted by a stunning outdoor area, that immediately has you relaxing & you'll forget that you're sitting in the middle of Brooklyn. Trying to keep to the Portuguese style, the restaurant has been styled with a mixture of modern & vintage Portugal. (And well, I simply love it. It's something new that has been needed in the area for some time now.)

Kicking off the evening with a Portuguese Wine was a no brainer. The Mariana Branco, being the house wine, would be the wine for the evening. So interesting story behind this wine. A love story. Mariana, was a nun, back in the mid 1600's in Alentejo & she had a forbidden affair with a French nobleman. The Mariana Branco is a soft, fruity white wine that is easy drinking & pairs very well with pretty much everything we ate. So if you're unsure & you want to try something new & unique, then opt in for a glass (or 3) of the Mariana Branco. 

To the starters, or tapas should I say. A great variety of all those starters that you usually find on a menu, but this time, they are prepared the Portuguese way. Think Chouriço, Prawns, Rissoles, Trinchado, Chicken Livers & Mussels; all made with love & fresh spices. Grab a fresh Portuguese roll with some butter & dig into that sauce, you won't regret those carbs!

For dinner, you'll find a taste of everything to delve into. A special mention here must go to the old style Portuguese stewpots - Cataplana's. I tried the Seafood Cataplana; the prawns & calamari are cooked perfectly, whilst the Portuguese flavours are showcased beautifully. The seafood menu really stood out for me here. There are so many great dishes to choose from & what makes it even better is that they have the same base dish, served a few different ways. So you really do have some options when it comes to deciding on a main meal here. 

Also, the whole catch of the day is prepared in a way that I have really never had before. There is a bit of spice there that will surprise your palate in the best of ways that bring out that seafood freshness in a 'non-fishy' way. 

What is a visit to a Portuguese restaurant, without having Pasteis de Nata for dessert? These baked custard tartlets are always a winner when it comes to rounding off your meal. Freshly baked & still warm is the best way to savour these treats. 

So all in all, #PortuGaloBrooklyn has my vote. 

You should pop in & check it out for yourself.