Pastelaria Coimbra, Pastry Shop in Lisbon

Back in the day my father explained that the best seat in any sushi restaurant is at the counter, front and center. You had access to the head sushi chef and full view of the tasty goodness. And to this day, counter seating is always my first choice – love gettin’ the up-close-and-personal view of cooks working their magic.

In Lisbon, I learned about a whole different type of counter culture. Spotted on every corner, on every block stands a pastelaria. They serve savory and sweet pastries, cookies, sandwiches and more. Stop in for breakfast or lunch and you’ll witness people standing side by side, packed tight like a tin of sardines. They’re huddled together at the counter, grubbin’ on a quick meal, a pastry with coffee.

Grabbing a coffee and pastry for a quick meal isn’t a new idea, but I’ve never seen it done like the Portuguese do. In the States, you sit at a table with your bagel and coffee, headphones on, staring down at your phone. In Lisbon, you stand at the counter, lingering just long enough to finish your coffee and pastry and be social. It’s communal counter dining! It’s noisy, a bit chaotic, and somehow the system works.

Like coffee shops, the range is huge. From fancy over-the-top versions to the homey neighborhood joint. After checking into the hotel on the first day of the STMT X Portugal sourcing trip, I headed down to the corner to check out Pastelaria Coimbra.

Pastelaira Coimbra reminded me of my parent’s restaurant. Nothing fancy, just simple goodness. You keep returning because you fall in love with the people who run the joint. And I did. Isabel, João, and Pedro became my instant friends. They’d smile BIG every time they saw me walk in. One night they even let me stay after they closed shop so I could take photos for the STMT X Portugal Kit. Totally, BFF’s right?!

The only thing routine about my every day was Pastelaira Coimbra – two savory pastries and a galão. Minutes before heading to the airport, I rushed down the street to stop in… one last fix of a galão and I had to say goodbye to the crew. I walked in and spotted Isabel. She made hand gestures of a plane taking off. I nodded my head, yes. We all exchanged hugs and kisses like how old friends do. Finding a home away from home? True love.

(STMT X Portugal Sourcing Trip – photo RAH)

Address ::
Pastelaria Coimbra, Avenida da Liberdade
Rua Alexandre Herculano, nº29 E
1250-008 Lisbon, Portugal

We’ve been fans of Portugal since the 2002 World Cup game where we got to spy their CRAZY loud and rad fans. Turns out, Lisbon-sourced lo-fi goods TOTALLY live up to that awesomeness. One flower-scented pencil, one sleek black notebook, a pack of thumb tacks and a bonus good for Yearly Subscribers –  it’s STMT X PORTUGAL!

SHOP STMT X PORTUGAL

These pencils – they ain’t the scratch ‘n’ sniff variety from your childhood days. These smell oh so sweet. Turns out there’s an old Portuguese pencil factory still knockin’ out awesome goods. SCORE!

Check out the Portuguese Kit, and read the Low Down to read about the Portugal soccer match.

BRING ON THE BOOTY





Picked up some REALLY rad individual items this trip. These magnetic pencils got mad love on our blog  – and we were able to score some. Go snag these and the other booty we brought back before it all sells out!

In 2002, my father upped our family vacation from a road trip in the US to a road trip in South Korea for the World Cup. We scored tickets to the US games, and the first one was against Portugal. I remember that game like it was yesterday – my first real exposure to pro soccer, AND first real exposure to Portugal. The Portuguese fans – super intense and so loud when Portugal scored, and totally dead when the US scored. The US beat Portugal 3-2 and the soccer world was STUNNED. With my father leading the pack, we celebrated BIG. Till 4-am-kind-of-big, with every American in Suwon in tow.

I’ve now watched soccer games in Paraguay, Brazil, Spain (Barcelona!!), and more. So of course, on this sourcing trip I HAD to check out the Sporting Portugal vs Moreirense FC game. And like how I remembered – when Sporting scored, the fans went nuts. Holy shit, this game was the loudest crowd I ever been a part of. So loud I had to cover my ears. But when Moreirense scored… dead silence. Amazing.

Couldn’t stop thinkin’ soccer but had to… I needed to get my hunt on. And the first score couldn’t be more sweet. Walked out of a subway station and the first thing I spot is a stationary shop. Within minutes I’ve got the pencils for the kit. A wood pencil with natural finish that smells like yummy flowers! Not talkin’ the old-school scratch-and-sniff stickers – I’m talking smells so sweet I don’t wanna put ‘em down. Turns out an old Portuguese pencil factory is alive and kickin’ –  they still produce top quality pencils that are amazing.

I scanned the aisles, collected a few Paper Goods options, and headed to the counter. Asked the manager what the most popular notebook is, and without skipping a beat he pulled out the simple black notebook from my stash. Pedro explained that grid sheets are common in Spain, but in Portugal it’s all about the ruled. He said everybody uses the black notebook. Maybe the only exception? Girls who prefer color. We knew the black notebook was the way to go for our Portugal Kit.

So I’m lookin’ down at the goods and the Portugal Kit is lookin’ a bit… uncharacteristic of the RAH flavor. We’re into BIG gold chains, everything neon, pattern overload awesomeness. I knew I had to find something to make this kit POP. And pop pop we did! The cutest stash of tacks in rainbow colors!! And right next to them were the biggest paperclips I’ve ever seen! You know what this means? Bonus for Yearly Subscribers! These clips have got to be old stock – German brand that I love but rarely see anymore. I snatch them up whenever I can.

When the US men’s team beat Portugal, the world took notice. We got a good feelin’ that STMT X Portugal is gonna have people taking notice of RAHstrs and their super sweet, lo-fi goods!

oxxo,
Hen

Ayoub’s, Dried Snacks Shop in Vancouver

My dad is obsessed with Wheel of Fortune. Not sure why and can’t even remember the year it all started. It doesn’t matter how busy the restaurant is, dinner rush or not, at 7pm my dad drops everything. He rushes to the far corner of the kitchen and turns on the rundown TV to get his fix of Pat Sajak and Vanna White.

But I get my dad’s obsession. A host with a beautiful sidekick on a stage that’s all things glamorous and glitzy? Palm trees? Check. Oversized confetti and glitter? Check. 1,000+ lights? Check. lt’s like an oasis – dream vacations, ginormous pots of money, brand new cars… is it too good to be true? Apparently not. Every time someone solves a puzzle, my father claps. If they solve the Prize Puzzle, my father erupts into the most thunderous clapping and cheering, a feet-stomping outburst that makes everyone in the restaurant stop. It’s like the contestant won an Olympic gold medal or landed on the moon.

Turns out I discovered my very own Wheel of Fortune in Vancouver during the STMT X Canada sourcing trip! Instead of Vanna White flipping oversized letters, I witnessed a beautiful lady flipping oversized lids, revealing all sorts of jewel-colored dried fruits, vegetables, and nuts. I freak out everytime I hit the dried fruit and veggie bins at Whole Foods. But all this awesomeness is next level shit and before I realize it, I’m full on freakin’ like my father. I’m walking around, talking to myself repeating over and over… I love this place, OMG, is this for real? OMG. OMG. And then… the beautiful lady walks up to me, platter in hand and with a smile she asks me if I’d like to sample their lime and saffron cashews. Ummm hellz yeah, I do!

And then I wondered if I was dreaming. Beautiful people walking around offering me samples of gorgeous dried deliciousness. Everything looks fake, I mean, it all looks too good to be true. But it’s not. I take a bite of the most vibrant yam chip ever, half expecting it to taste like cardboard, but it doesn’t. It’s amazing. I ask for a sample of the okra – the beautiful lady tells me to go ahead and help myself. Are you f’in kidding me? I really am dreaming. A place where I’m free to grab samples of anything and everything?! This is most definitely not Whole Foods. It’s an oasis.



(STMT X Canada Sourcing Trip – photo RAH)

Address ::
Ayoub’s Dried Fruit and Nuts, West 4th
2248 West 4th Avenue
Vancouver, V6J 1MP, Canada
http://ayoubs.ca/