Over the 4 days in Lisbon, there were many pasteis (pastel for singular) de nata devoured. The goal was to see if I could really tell the difference between all the places and pick a favourite. There are subtle differences but really I think all are good in their own right. Manteigaria, Santo Antonio and Belem were the ones to go back for.
- Manteigaria €1 - slightly less sweet filling, crust very thin but crisp and perfect, perhaps the cream:crust ratio is a bit high;
- Fabrica da Nata €1 - much sweeter filling, decent crust;
- Nata Fina €1.1 - sweeter filling, crust more flaky and drier;
- Santo Antonio €1 - I wasn't planning to try this but after wandering around the Alfama region I saw this one advertising their victory as the best pastel in Lisbon 2019. I had to try. Thicker crust that was rich with butter flavour. Filling more runny and sweet. Very good;
- Pasteis de Belem €1.15 - Saved the most famous one for last. The queue extended well outside but now they have two queues rather than one. It also moves very very quickly like a factory. Good thicker egg-y filling that was on the lesser sweet side. Thicker crust that was burnt. Made the flavour have a strong burnt butter component (not bad but unsure if intentional).
I don't understand why there is a need to add sugar and cinnamon on top. I think the subtle sweetness of the custard is best unadulterated.
PS. the crust doesn't keep well after about 12 hours...