Cafe Santiago, Porto 10-2013

Every cuisine has it's own version - the ridiculously caloric loaded unhealthy food that is almost exclusively reserved for being drunk and the hangover recovering from being drunk. On a very few occasions, the sober and thoughtful person may venture towards it, in my case more out of foodie curiosity than anything else.

The Turkish islak burger, the Greek souvlaki, the Middle-East/Europe schwarma, the late night McDonald's in the Western World, or the cheap vending machine noodles in Asia. It's unescapable and binds us together as universally wanting unhealthy flavour-laden food in times of happy despair.

Introducing Porto's very own francesinha - sausage, ham, beef, with layers of bread, topped with sliced cheese melted on top, and a runny egg with fries on the side. The sauce is a combination of tomato, beer and chilli. It has all the fat flavour markers as well as the disgusting-look factor that keeps it on right up there. It was heavy and thick and had a savoury tastiness to it, but one was definitely enough to share between 2 people and probably enough to try once in a lifetime.

What more can I say? Locals come here to eat this on a Saturday morning - why shouldn't I?