Bacalhau (cod fish) Night at the Portuguese Club

Every first Friday of the month, the Portuguese Club in Hamilton Hill, (Fremantle), holds a traditional dinner with "Bacalhau grelhado" grilled salted Cod, served with jacket potatoes and chick peas.
After that, and if you are still hungry you can eat the "Espetada Madeirense" - meat skewer, made with diced cubes of rump steak flavoured with bay leaves, garlic and coarse salt and cooked over a charcoal grill.

The dinners are usually attended by over 120 people, are very, very noisy, which is not to everyone´s taste, but I find that it´s a way to eat a typical meal and to meet up with old friends or meet new people on a monthly basis.

My friend Kei is always the one who reminds everyone of the monthly dinner sending out emails to all her Portuguese friends and she then books a table accordingly. Most times we get about 20 people sitting at one of the long tables.

Delicious Cod fish, potatoes and chick peas

The food is good and plentiful, and you can always take a container to bring home your leftovers, as most people are unable to finish their overfilled plate.

After all that if you have a sweet tooth don´t forget to order a "Pastel de Nata" (Portuguese Custard tart) and to end off your meal drink an expresson (short black coffee).

(The address for the club is - 12 Strang St, Beaconsfield, WA - Booking is essential though).

The metal bars from where the "espetada" or meat skewers are hanging

Pastel de Nata  (custard tart)

Starter -  Portuguese Bread, olives and butter

Even the olives are well seasoned