Dining in Sintra, Portugal

 The Pena Palace in Sintra

We were spending only one night in Sintra and while I was still thinking of where to dine on that one evening, this message came in from Antonio, my new email BFF from Lisbon Explorer:

While in Sintra, you may want to try what many consider one of the best eateries in Portugal. The name of the restaurant is a bit embarrassing, but the dishes are always amazing. It is called "G-Spot", and the prices are mid-range. The whole staff is wonderful and the menu is a good representation of the food revolution that is happening in Portugal. The restaurant started as a collaboration between the chefs of 100 Ways in Cascais, João Sá and André Simões, and Award-Winning Sommelier Manuel Moreira who are very well connected with some major names in the New York culinary scene. If it makes you feel any better, the "G" stands for Gastronomia.

Pasteis de Belem

When we finally went on a walking tour around Lisbon, Paolo, our guide, noticed my growing obsession for 'pasteis de nata',  the Portuguese egg custards that seemed to be everywhere.  I wasn't too interested in them at first, because they looked uninteresting.  Maybe also because I've tried similar in Macau a long time ago and they were so blah. But almost all the coffee kiosks and pastry shops here had them, and most of the locals were ordering one with their coffee.

Palacio de Seteais, Sintra

"And what's this palace over here?" I asked our driver as we turned into the long driveway, our car heading towards what looked like another important Sintra landmark. He had been pointing out all the palaces we were passing, all of them glowing beautifully in the night.

"This?  This is your hotel!"
"Whaaat? No seriously... what is this place?"
"It is true! This is your hotel! Very beautiful and very quiet."