After leaving Vila Praia de Âncora, the last day of our coastal hike was a relatively short one; after around 5 km of hiking we came to the village of Moledo and the Minho river, which serves at the boundary between Spain and Portugal. Eschewing the many offers by competing water taxi companies thinking we were pilgrims needing a ride over to Spain to continue hiking the Caminho, we soon arrived in the pleasant ancient walled city of Caminha where the Minho river is intersected by the smaller Coura river. It’s a nice little town that still has much of its medieval city walls, and after we arrived at the formal end of our walk, the Chafariz Praça Conselheiro Silva Torres, a 16th century functional watering fountain, we decided to have a nice break for lunch, settling on nearby Casa Almeida.
Casa Almeida is the sort of place that you’d easily miss if it didn’t have a sign right on the fountain square, since it’s located in an unusual location, on the 1st floor of the headquarters of the Atletico Clube de Caminha. So you’ve got to walk inside, up the stairs, and past the trophy room, finding a small dining room with about 10 tables, one member of the waitstaff, and a Portuguese cook briskly assembling lunches. It’s actually a nice model they’ve got, the entire lunch menu is prix fixe, with €18 getting you a beverage, soup, a main course, and a dessert. A bit pricey for the area, but it was a good amount of food to celebrate the end of our hike.
First up was a cauliflower-basil soup. A nice variation of the classic caldo verde, this had a nice rich flavor, with the basil adding a nice herbal note, and the cauliflower giving the soup a softer texture than the more usual potatoes.
For my main course, I got a chicken focaccia sandwich served with chips. The chicken itself was actually a very nicely grilled chicken breast with a nice garlicky marinade, topped with lettuce, fresh tomato, and two slices of a particularly good Portuguese bacon. Add in some nicely done chips, and this was a satisfying but not excessive lunch.
Carol, meanwhile, went for the pork ribs over rice. This was done in a nice, classic Portuguese style, being marinated with what appears to be a garlic and red wine mix, braised until it was soft, and served over a bed of rice that was cooked in a skillet just to the point where bits of it were getting crunchy. Again, a satisfying main course with some good flavors.
Dan and Sophie, however, went for the veggie moussaka. I definitely could understand why this was a popular choice, since coastal Portugal isn’t exactly known for a wide variety of veggies, and our hike had primarily consisted of variously-prepared pork products. This was a nice changeup, with layers of eggplant and other veggies in a bechamel sauce, topped with some nicely-crisped cheese.
For my dessert, I chose the Tarte de Maçã de Alcobaça, which was basically an applesauce cake made with the local apples. Quite good, actually, with a nice, robust apple flavor and just a little crisping on the cake itself. Carol, meanwhile, went for a very nicely executed rice pudding.
While the place was a bit obscure to find, and the menu a bit quirky, we thought that Casa Almeida was a particularly good find: some good, simple food, thoughtfully and freshly prepared, and served in a nice, quiet dining room. I’d definitely consider if I find myself back in Caminha at some point.
