Olá Reader,
​
If you haven't checked out the first few issues of this lil' newsletter, you can find them on our profile HERE.

The "weekly-ish" newsletter became more of a "bi-monthly" newsletter this month. Sorry about that!

But I had a good reason: We were travelling!

Spent a week in Cork County, Ireland and then we spent a week in Porto. Eating our faces off! More about that below, but first...

I wanted to circle back on the effects of the storms on the Iberian Peninsula. The storms have passed and the absolutely calamitous floods in the southern portion of the country have mostly receded, but recovery will be a very long, expensive process. And there are still an estimated 5,000 homes without power in various areas of Portugal. Eighty municipalities in the country have been added to the list of "situation of calamity" and will receive extra support from the government.

If you'd like to help support Portugal's recovery efforts, check out THIS LIST from The Herald News.

This issue's focus:

After our lovely trip to Porto, we're highlighting a couple of restaurants and sharing a success story.

Client Success Story: Carson & Brandi

During our trip to Porto, we had dinner with one of our first visa clients, Carson & Brandi. They moved to Porto late last year on a D7 visa, bought a property in Gaia, and are just pinching themselves every day when they realize they live in Portugal. It was so fun to catch up with them and hear about their journey, which started with several months of travel in Mexico, Ireland, and Portugal to figure out where they wanted to retire. And they found their retirement dream in Portugal and contacted Soleil for help with the visa and the home search. We're so happy to have been able to help them achieve their goal!

Side note: the restaurant we met them at had some of the best Mexican food we've had in Europe (and believe me, it is HARD to find Mexican food AT ALL in Europe). Great food and great margaritas. It's called Callejero and it is in the Vitória neighborhood of Porto. Definitely worth checking out.

Restaurant Spotlight: Lacadi Vietnamese Restaurant

Soleil and I love any iteration of Asian food and will jump at the chance at checking out any restaurant that is rumored to be good. That's how we ended up at Lacadi in the Santo Ildefonso area of Porto. Lacadi is owned and operated by a husband and wife team and they put so much love into their cuisine. The pho broth takes three days to prepare. They make their banh mi baguettes from scratch in-house. Their homemade "sriracha" chili sauce is phenomenal.

We tried two of their styles of pho, a chicken banh mi, a fresh spring roll with peanut sauce, and their Vietnamese iced coffee. Everything was flavor-packed and beautifully presented. SUCH a great meal!

Business Spotlight: Panóplia Bar

On our first evening in Porto, we got a babysitter for our toddler and had a good old-fashioned date, just the two of us. After strolling around Ribeira for a bit, we wanted to grab a cocktail at a place that came up as highly rated. We went to the address on Google Maps. And then... nothing. We couldn't find it. After peeking into a couple of places, I checked the map listing again and I noticed a video someone had posted which tipped me off that Panoplia is a "speakeasy"!

There's a red door that just looks residential, but there's a slyly painted "P" painted about a small doorbell. I buzzed it a couple of times and within a minute, I heard footsteps on stairs and a bartender opened the door, inviting us in and led us up a narrow staircase to the second floor. The bar looks like a large studio apartment, but all of the furniture was replaced with mismatched two-tops and chairs. And the kitchen was replaced with a swanky bar and prep space.

Their cocktails are super-creative with many drinks featuring infused or fat-washed spirits. We had one that was a PB&J version of an old-fashioned. And another that was basically a Pear-Gorgonzola tart in a glass. Food-wise, they just have light snacks/tapas. The usual olives, cured meats, and of course, tinned sardines. I really wanted to kick off the trip with a nice tin of sardines, so I ordered one of the "chef's choice" sardines with crackers. A perfect accompaniment to the cocktails. The presentation of everything here is classy and thoughtful. As a former chef, I had the distinct impression that it would be a lovely place to work, too. It just felt very home-y and cozy.

So, if you find yourself in Porto... without kids... I highly recommend adding Panoplia to your to-do list!

That's it for this week! We'll definitely do more business spotlights in the future. Stay tuned to your inbox for more of The Let's PortuGo Newsletter...

Até breve (see you soon),

Rich & the Let’s PortuGo Team

P.S. Want more tips or resources? Follow us on Instagram @letsmovetolisbon or visit letsportugo.com