Gentilly : Ma Petit' Portugal à Paris

I love my neighborhood. Not least because it is right next to Paris, yet with a flavor of its very own. Um sabor português!  I live about a five minute walk from the "L'Eglise Portugaise" a huge edifice overlooking the autoroute entering Paris from the south.

This is my local takeaway: Churrasqueira Galo. Open five days a week, this guy does a booming business in roast chickens. But he also makes roast pig and goat on order. It's a take out place. And if you have a large order of say 3 whole chickens, it is best to order ahead. On Saturdays this place is packed with people picking up huge family orders of anywhere from 5 to 10 birds! He will ask you if you want the homemade hot sauce or no...me yes !  I love the stuff.

He has several competitors, all restaurants that offer this only on the weekends but he was the first. I'm still waiting to try the goat and roast pig. And that means organizing an all-hands-on-deck celebration for carnivores ! 

The Pao Quente is our local Portuguese bakery.They have just added a second shop : "O'Pastel" ,across the street from the Gentilly RER station where they will be selling all kinds of Portuguese takeout, sandwiches, pastries and good COFFEE.

What is a Pastel di Nata?

A little creamy flan on a puff pastry crust to be gently reheated at home, with a bit of cinnamon. Oh these are wonderful !

At the main shop, I pass huge "Pão de Ló"  a favorite sponge cake which look something like an American Angelfood cakes in size and form and hole in the middle. They set these outside to entice passers by!

You can also get good expresso in my neighborhood. There are several Portuguese brands available. Almost everyone has Delta Coffee "on tap" a worthy Portuguese competitor to any of the great Italian coffees. A Delta is worth getting up for.    

My Portuguese grocery, Dorosol, is a bit further afield in nearby Kremlin Bicetre (a ten minute bus ride on the 125 from the Gentilly RER) 

They have something I've never seen anywhere in Paris:  a salted cod Room !. "Morue Salée" or "Bacalao" is one of the mainstays of Portuguese cooking. 

There are as many recipes for salted cod as there are cooks in Portugal. Indeed entire cookbooks dedicated to the stuff !  

Dorosl's butcher sells cuts of meat not usually seen in France. The shop also has seasonal specialties like fresh fall chestnuts and dried white figs.  Portuguese sausages, cheeses and weekly deliveries of vegetables: various cabbages and things of the cabbage family like broccoli rabe. 

But call ahead to find out when they are expecting delivery! These goodies sell out quickly, usually within hours of the truck being unloaded ! 

Dorosol also sells things like inexpensive Portuguese tableware. Happy stuff !

Basically within a 15 minute walk of my front door, ma Petit' Portugal à Paris !