'I compared two of the best pastel de natas in London and one took me right back to Porto'
Custard is one of my favourite things in the world. So it won't surprise you to know that pastel de natas, the deliciously custard tarts from Portugal, are one of my favourite pastries of all time.
However, it was only when I visited Porto earlier this year that my life was changed by just how good a freshly-baked, Portuguese pastel de nata is. I'm sorry Sainsbury's, but your store-bought ones just don't even compare.
So when I discovered that there were two Portuguese cafés and bakeries right next to each other in West London I jumped at the chance to compare pastel de natas from both. The two cafes are both on Golborne Road in North Kensington, a road which runs parallel to the more famous Portobello Road.
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But what Golborne Road has retained is a sense of community and locality, demonstrated by how these two bakeries are charging less than £2 for their pastel de natas. The first café I visited was Lisboa Patisserie, which has been on my list to visit for ages, after hearing good things about their Portuguese produce.
Lisboa looks like your standard café inside, with counters filled with sweet and savoury pastries and lunch options and Formica tables inside for people sit and enjoy their coffees and food. I opted to take a pastry and go, paying £1.85 for a pastel de nata - though signs outside warned that prices are rising from the beginning of October.
Having secured my first pastel de nata, I was too impatient to wait and dove straight in. But unfortunately, this pastel de nata was simply OK - and nothing like the tarts I'd tasted in Portugal.
This pastel de nata was fairly creamy, but the custard tasted quite artificial, as if the bakers had been too heavy handed with some chemically vanilla essence. The pastry, which I think makes or breaks a pastel de nata, also didn't meet my expectations.
I want a light but crisp crunch without much chew in the pastry that holds up the tart - but unfortunately, the Lisboa pastel de nata gave me the opposite. There was almost too much crunch and far too much chew going on, which further disappointed me about the tart.
I then headed across the road to Cafe O Porto, which again looked like a traditional café. I again purchased a pastel de nata, this time for £1.90, and settled down outside to eat it.
This time, I was blown away - and transported right back to the streets of Porto. This pastel de nata was what I'd been missing all this time. The custard was beautifully light, fragrantly infused with vanilla and perfectly smooth and creamy.
And the pastry was that perfectly crisp and light combination that let me know immediately this tart was a winner. If you're in West London, I'd highly recommend a trip to Café O Porto for a custard tart - grab a coffee too, sit outside and watch the world go by for a while.
Lisboa Patisserie and Cafe O Porto are both located on Golborne Road in Kensington.
Got a story for us? Email anna.willis@reachplc.com.
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