Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau in Gaia celebrates the season with special Christmas concerts
The verse "It's the voice of the land yearning for the sea", from the poem D. Dinis, by the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa, was the inspiration for Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau when it first opened its doors in Lisbon, in May 2015. Six years later, the brand has nine stores in Portugal celebrating two icons of the Portuguese gastronomy: Codfish Cake and PDO Serra da Estrela cheese, a duo that is joined by Port wine, in a trio that promises a real "Portugal Experience".
In Vila Nova de Gaia, at the Gaia Pier, Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau adds to this gastronomic experience a live concert on a historical pipe organ, democratising access to culture for everyone, with free entry.
Built in 1863, the historic José Joaquim da Fonseca pipe organ has recently been carefully restored, dignifying its history, and is currently working at the Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau, offering true sensorial experiences. The instrument, with a remarkable sonority, especially when it comes to “Cheios”, is the only historical pipe organ in the country, and one of the few in the world, in permanent use in a store.
Christmas Classics
From December 4 until New Year’s Day, the store offers a very special cultural agenda. With a repertoire dedicated to the season and highlighting the Christmas spirit in which the place has been decorated, visitors will now be able to enjoy the Codfish Cake with PDO Serra da Estrela cheese filling to the sound of Christmas classics. Until December 25 the themes ‘Feliz Navidad’, ‘Santa Claus is coming to town’, ‘Jingle bells’, ‘All I want for Christmas is you’ or ‘Let it snow! Let it snow!’ will be part of the musical program. On the other hand, the great Broadway hits will be the stars of the Christmas and New Year period. Until January 1, ‘La vie en rose’, ‘Fly me to the moon’, ‘Isn’t she lovely’, ‘Moon River’ or ‘Somewhere – West Side story’ will shine on stage. Another great surprise prepared by Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau will be the singers that, on stage, will give voice to these classics, making the experience even more remarkable.
Celebrate the origin
Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau was created to give stage to one of the most prestigious cheeses in the world, produced in Portugal, highlighting it for a long time and presenting it to the world with the excellence that it always had. It is precisely at Quinta da Lagoa, a farm property of Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau, in the heart of Serra da Estrela mountain, that seven hundred Bordaleira sheep live happily in a quiet environment of green and tender pasture – a true whim of nature that offers the ideal conditions to produce the cheese with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). The wise hands of the cheese makers transform the milk into a 100% natural cheese, with a very soft, clean and slightly acidulous bouquet that can be tasted in Codfish Cake with PDO Serra da Estrela cheese. Today there are 9 stores of Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau that receive visitors in a tribute to Portugal, to the origins and authenticity, in the cities of Lisbon, Cascais, Porto, Aveiro and Gaia.
Av. Diogo Leite, 122, Vila Nova de Gaia
Hours: Every day from 11am to 10pm
Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau is a brand of the Value of Time Group.