Hi,
We started early this weekend, heading out on Friday instead of waiting for the true weekend days. Had some shopping to do, but managed to stop by a bakery for a quick lunch. That bakery, Moinho Novo (6C97+JJ Tentúgal) is what we are discussing today. Not the drive, not the lovely scenery, not castles nor soaring mountains. No, this blog is about the bakery.
Friday was not a touring day. We were simply out and about getting things done. And one of the things we had to do was grab lunch. We stopped at Moinho Novo because it was near the grocery store and it has outdoor seating with shade. Very important for Opal. They even had a spigot and a water bowl in the outdoor seating area. Very handy for visiting dogs.
So, dog-friendly…check! I filled the water bowl and Opal had a drink, then we set down to ordering some lunch. Call us crazy, but we didn’t even order any bakery items. We could have, but maybe some other time. Instead, we opted for the lunch menu that gave us a choice of bacalhau (cod), sopa à lavrador (farmer’s soup), and grelhada mista (mixed grill). Three choices for lunch, and only two of us to eat them. I guess we really will have to go back again to try the fish…and the pastries. The food was delicious. Good, simple foods cooked by someone who knows their way around the kitchen.
And if that wasn’t enough, Chris accidentally found a small menagerie behind the restaurant. We had parked out front, so could very easily have missed the show if Chris hadn’t been curious. The parking behind the building was surrounded by containment areas with many different birds (flamingos, ducks, some tall bird who looks scary, and others), goats, monkeys, fish, etcetera for you to observe. The area is setup very well, with a small creek running through it so all the animals have access to water. It is clean and neat, and it really seems like the owners just wanted to do this and share the animals with everyone. There is no charge to see the animals. The animals simply live there, and you are welcome to take a picture with them.
Anyhow, we enjoyed our lunch and our constitutional afterwards.
Nola