Well, it wasn’t December 1963, but the opening verse of the Four Seasons song still struck the right notes:
Oh, what a night
Late December, back in ’63
What a very special time for me
As I remember, what a night.
****
Amovate’s Noite Portuguesa (Portuguese Night) WAS a fun-filled evening to remember thoroughly enjoyed by the sixty three people who attended.
As President John Bergstrom-Potter pointed out: “It was a really successful evening, made so by good food, good company and a great atmosphere”.
John added: “Jose and his staff at the Restaurante Vale da Telha did a really great job as did our committee members Rick Hursthouse, Steve Scott and Ian Bedford who worked hard to make the evening such a success”.
Everyone there really entered into the spirit of the evening, singing along and dancing to the songs and music of Carlos Agapito, whose repertoire included a mix of traditional Portuguese music along with familiar standards.
Now, keep watching for news of our next big event, our Christmas Dinner at O Paulo on December 20. We’ll be publishing full details with information about how you can get your tickets as soon as we have arranged everything with Paulo to our satisfaction.
(Double click on the Photos so they will present themselves in a larger form)

Portuguese Night At Restaurante Vale da Telha

When in Portugal…

OK, so St Ambrose’s original quote referred to Rome. But as most of us now live full-time in Portugal, I’m sure old Aurelius Ambrosius wouldn’t mind our little piece of poetic licence.

The point is that every now and again comes a time to embrace the fact that most expats here on Vale da Telha have made Portugal their permanent home.

And that time has once again arrived as we present our annual Portuguese Night to celebrate the food, flavour and music of Portugal.

OK, we do tend to slope off every now and again down to the Iceland supermarket in Guia to raid their freezers in order to stock our freezers with the foodstuffs we miss from back home.

One recent survey amongst Brits abroad received a huge list of such things they missed most, ranging from; the countryside, beer, Sunday papers, pubs, and the language, to double-decker buses, the theatre, Boots, M&S and TV.

But you won’t be surprised to know that Heinz Tomato Soup, Heinz Beans, Fray Bentos Classic Steak & Kidney Pie, Bisto Gravy Granules, Crumpets and Branston Pickle all got an honourable mention!

It seems that when British citizens choose to move abroad, no matter how fantastic their new lifestyle is (and here on the west coast ‘fantastic’ doesn’t do it justice!), there’s always something that they miss from home—usually food.

After all, food can take you on a nostalgic trip down memory lane within seconds of it hitting your taste buds—or perhaps it’s simply because you can’t make a proper bacon buttie without proper British bread!

But as we all know Portuguese cuisine is also packed with culinary delights—the seafood, the shellfish, the pork, the fresh fruit and veg, and we never miss an opportunity to enjoy it.

And that’s just what you can do by coming along to the Portuguese Night of food, drinks and music, on Saturday November 1^st starting at 7pm at the Restaurante Vale da Telha on the Pines Roundabout.

José has promised a feast of Portuguese flavours, a four-course meal replete with prawns, cod cakes, chouriço, lamb casserole and Bacalhau à Brás among other dishes you can see in the full menu below.

This will all be accompanied by the music of Carlos Agapito, whose repertoire includes a mix of traditional Portuguese music along with familiar standards like Pretty Woman, Stand By Me, La Bamba, New York, New York and much, more more.

Tickets for the meal and the music cost €18 for Amovate members, €20 for non-members and you can buy them from Ian Bedford, David (“Ogy”) Ogborn and Steve Scott

You can e-mail any of the three at:

Ian:

i.mcbedford@googlemail.com

David:

ogycanfixit@hotmail.com

Steve:

msscott@oninet.pt

Alternatively you may ask any committee member you know—you can find all of their names by clicking on “Committee 2014-2015” in the top strapline.

The Menu Comprises:

Starters

Camarao Frito (Black Tiger Prawns shelled in Hot Sauce)

Pataniscas (Cod Cakes)

Queijo Assado (Sheep’s Cheese in the oven)

Chouriço assado (Chorizo cooked in the oven)

Legumes SOPA (Vegetable Soup)

Mains

Bacalhau A Bras (Shredded Cod with Fried Onions and Egg)

Or

Ensopada Borrego (Lamb Casserole)

Sweets

Torta Laranja C/ Groselha (Orange Cake with Red Currant Sauce)

Cheese Cake Ingles (Cheese Cake)

Salad Fruta (Fruit Salad)

(All Drinks To Be Paid For Separately)