Bairro Portugues and Sweet Belem, Petersham

Last Sunday, Cheesecake Boy and I went to the annual Bairro Portugues held in Petersham.  Now,  I avoid festivals as I hate queues so Cheesecake Boy bribed me to go with the promise of Portuguese tarts at Sweet Belem.  It was incredibly hot on Sunday, so it was not as crowded as last year but there were still queues at some stalls.

Arriving at the festival

Due to the heat we made a beeline for some cold drinks straight away.  The sangria was very popular but Cheesecake Boy went for the beer and I chose the orange flavoured Sumol.  It tasted like Sunkist but not as sweet and I quite enjoyed it, I seldom drink soft drinks.  It was refreshingly cold and now we were ready to check out the food.

My soft drink

Cheesecake Boy spotted the Mojo Picon stall and wanted a chorizo and prawn roll, and there was a huge queue.  However, I was super hungry and missed breakfast and they smelt good, so we joined the queue.  While we were waiting I saw another stall barbecuing some sardines.

 

BBQ sardines and other meats insight whilst queuing for our combo rolls

We finally got to the front of the queue and are waiting in anticipation for our combo rolls of chorizo and prawns.

Mojo Picon stall

The rolls looked so good and we quickly squeeze some sauce on top and moved on to find a spot to dig in.  I could only manage to eat half as I found it a bit too salty, even though it's quite tasty and the heat was not helping my appetite.  Cheesecake Boy demolished one and a half of these rolls :)

Combo roll, $10

Cheesecake Boy and I wondered around for some sardines but due to the high humidity I am in need of some ice cream.  It's not very Portuguese but the Serendipity ice cream stall was the answer to my prayers at that moment.  It wasn't busy surprisingly, so we rushed over for a sweet treat.

Serendipity ice cream stall

It was impossible to take happy snaps of our ice cream cones, as the heat was causing them to melt so we just had to lick them up as quickly as possible.  I'm pretty boring when it comes to ice cream flavours, I usually choose vanilla but opted for pannacotta.  Cheesecake Boy went for chocolate and blood orange.

Serendipity ice cream stall

Even after the ice cream the heat is too much for me, so Cheesecake Boy one to always fulfill his promises, took me to Sweet Belem for our favourite Portugeuse tarts :)

Yah, approaching Sweet Belem..

It's not hard to make a choice as we always go for their Portuguese tarts and their almond and hazelnut tarts, which I also adore.  Much to Cheesecake Boy's dismay, they sold out of vanilla slice's that day.

Sweet Belem's signature Portuguese tarts

Now these Portuguese tarts have converted me, I never liked them before trying them here.  These Portuguese tarts have the flakiest pastry, beautifully blistered and burnt tops and the soft sweet custard make these an occasion weekend breakfast treat for Cheesecake Boy and I.  The almond and hazelnut tarts have a sweet, moist and slightly firm nutty filling.  The filling is lovely in contrast to the same flaky pastry of the Portuguese tarts.

Portuguese tarts, $3 and almond and hazelnut tart, $3.20

We always love being in Petersham, I was almost tempted to have lunch at Perama that was opened  for lunch during the festival this year as opposed to last year.  However, the festival has always been great fun in terms of drinking and eating new things that we don't usually consume.  It was just a shame that it was too humid, so we couldn't stay longer.  No regrets though, as it was a good excuse to drop by to Sweet Belem for some goodies. 

Happy eating, Dumpling Girl.

Bairro Portugues
Audley and Fisher Streets
Petersham NSW 2049


Sweet Belem
35 New Canterbury Road
Petersham NSW 2049
Ph: (02) 9572 6685