Home made soft cheese

Sometimes I really miss having a low fat and tasty soft cheese. The only soft cheese I could find here was Philadelphia or Alluete which are very fat. So I make my own cheese by taking 6-8 containers of Parmalat Iogurte Natural 200ml. (see picture). The blue one has around 4% fat and the green is fat free. I mix them with a little bit of salt and put all in a cloth diaper (the old fashion diapers). I tie the cloth above the sink and let the water drain for couple of hours and...voila! The time depends on the desired consistency. 4 hours would give softer cheese and 10 hours would give a firmer one. The cheese can stay for a long period of time in a close container in the fridge and is also good for baking purposes.

Hashi - Japanese Restaurant

We tried Hashi two weeks ago with a group of friends. We had a fantastic ten-courses degustation dinner that was so palatable, that less than two week later we find ourselves sitting there again, and having another degustation (only six-courses this time).

Chef Carlos Kritensen is bringing to the table original and creative flavors, using his experience from studying and working in Thailand, India, Nepal and Malaysia. Each of the courses we had was delicious - both to the eyes and to the tongue. Oyster cooked in Champagne and Brie cheese, Shrimp in Curry souce, Salmon sashimi with thin slices of lemon, Tuna fish with Foie Gras in balsamic marinade and many many others. To complete the experience, the chef comes out with every dish and gives a short exploitation about it.

Hashi (in Porto Alegre) is relatively young restaurant (less than two years old), so the Chef still needs to prove that he can keep the same level for long time. Up to now - he does it well and we will definitely come back soon. Every visit is a new great adventure.
If you're planning to have the degustation dinner you need to inform the chef one day in advance.

HASHI
Rua Desembargador Augusto Loureiro Lima 151
Tel. 3328-0005
Mon. - Sat. 19:30 - 24:00
www.hashi.com.br

Guia Quatro Rodas - planning trips in Brazil

If you are planning a trip in Brazil and you can read some Portuguese, don't forget to take a look at the "Guia Quatro Rodas Brasil". The book gives helpful information about all the touristic places in Brazil, including maps, prices and tips about hotels, restaurants and attractions.
The "Quatro Rodas" site, offers a lot of this information on-line for free.

Bienal B in Porto Alegre

The "Bienal B" is an alternative art exhibition, in parallel to the traditional Bienal do Mercosul. An informal organization of 300 artists is displaying the artists works all around Porto Alegre during the months of September, October and November 2007. This is a map of the bienal exhibits in Porto Alegre. During this period there will also be lectures and crafts classes given.

Buying Furniture in Porto Alegre

There are many furniture shops in Porto Alegre and it's impossible of course to mention them all. Here are 3 areas where you can find lots of shops in one place:
DC Shopping Navegantes - This is an open mall with several furniture shops (also carpets and accessories). All of them are of high quality and the prices are according to that.
Avenida Ipiranga - on this street, starting from about Av. Ipiranga 7000, there are tens (!) of shops with huge furniture selection of different quality level. You can find a wide price range in these shops, according to quality and brands.
Rua Quintino Bocaiúva - A street in Moinhos de Vento neighborhood with lots of luxurious furniture shops.
Another furniture and accessories store chain is Tok&Stok, it looks very much like Ikea, just not as cheap. It has a large selection of furnitures and a nice show room. Address: Av. 24 de Outubro, 1538.

Theaters in Porto Alegre

There are few theaters in Porto Alegre for concerts, plays and shows.
Teatro do Sesi offers concerts from international and national singers and bands. In the program it says where you can buy tickets. Tickets are sold in different place for each show. Address: Av. Assis Brasil 8787 – B. Sarandi Tel. 0800 518555.

Another theater is the Bourbon Theater which is located at the Bourbon Country Shopping, address: Rua Túlio de Rose, 100 Tel. 32318899. It's new and has shows for kids and adults. Tickets for shows are available at the theater Mon.-Fri. 10:00-22:00 or at Telentrega Opus.

Opus is a "telentrega" (delivery) ticket office. At this moment their site is not working but maybe it will work again one day(-: Tel. No. 32990800 Mon.-Fri. 9:00-19:00.

Teatro Sao Pedro which is located at "Centro" offers classic music concerts and plays in Portuguese. Address: Praça Mal. Deodoro, s/nº Porto Alegre Tel. 32275300.

Diners Club Card and Airport Lounge

When flying from Porto Alegre inside or outside of Brazil, it is almost always necessary to stop in Sao Paulo, Guarulhos airport. For making long layovers easier, we issued a Diners Club credit card. This way we can enter the Diners airport lounge and enjoy for free, a drink, internet access, massage couch, TV etc. One card per family is enough.

Ideas for presents to take home

What presents do we bring from Porto Alegre when we go home for a visit?

1. Instant Pao de Queijo powder to make at home
2. Cachasa
3. Havaianas + Havaianas socks
   
4. Brazil flag
5. Inter/Gremio flag, t-shirts etc.
6. Jewlery with Brazilian stones or the stone itself
7. Art work from the Brique fair
8. Coffee beans
9. File mignon
10. Chimarrao kit
11. Caipirinha kit
12. Soaps or creams made of Brazilian plants
13. Guarana

If you have any other ideas, please add your comment!

Bird Feeders

We have lots of birds coming to drink sugar water everyday from our bird feeder that is hanging in the balcony. We see a lot of Bananaquits (left photo) and humming birds (=beija flor). There's another visitor - a bigger black bird that we don't know it's name yet.

Bird feeders are fun and can be purchased at the bigger supermarkets, pet stores or bazar stores. If you have a net around your balcony (for children safety) you can also have a bird feeder - the birds are clever enough to fly in and out of the net.

Parcão - Moinhos de Vento

The Parcão is a nice small park, located in Moinhos de Vento neighborhood. In the middle of the park there is a small pond(well... maybe more like a big puddle) with turtles, water-birds and ducks. Next to it there is a nice windmill ("Moinho de Vento") that during the summer is open for craft work and children activities. In the upper side of the park there is nice playground and an opportunity for the kids (and parents) to meet new people and make friends. Around the park there are two marked paths for jogging - the shorter one is 650m long and the longer is 1 Km long.

I think that the Parcão looks a bit different for each of us - for some it is the place to work out, for others - a great place to go with the kids (with or without a bike, with or without soccer ball) or the dog, others can enjoy reading the weekend newspaper or a nice book (with or without Chimarrão).

From time to time, usually on Sundays, there are free activities at the park, like concerts, children games, working out in groups, dog shows and more.