Rosé Sparkles & Sushi

I can’t tell you how long I’ve been opposed to cream cheese in sushi…but it’s just plain wrong. And for whatever reason, it’s a real thing in Portugal. They call it “philadelphia,” and it took me some pondering to figure out what they were talking about when I first read it on a menu in Cascais.

I wandered up a tiled street, past the city hall and the seaside and the carousel, til I happened upon a “sushi and salad” place setting out its tables in advance of the lunchtime crowd. It was already noon, and I’d despaired of finding anything but an English breakfast or fish and chips or a burger, so I leaped at a table as soon as the waitress had it set. Hard to escape the expat scene in Cascais!

The hors d’oeuvre of carrot sticks and garlicky mayo caused me to raise an eyebrow, but the polvo arancini delighted me–little balls of creamy rice and octopus–and it went with my sparkling rosé.

I ordered mango and tuna rolls, and the salmon sushi stuffed with ceviche–all tasty bites. But I skipped the roll that mixed strawberry and philadelphia with salmon. Definitely too strange for my mood that afternoon. Yes, some things are just wrong.