To tell you the truth, I’m still not completely sure what Meia Tigela — the name of a lovely Maputo restaurant — means.
My waiter at this popular lunchtime spot in a beautiful Maputo park said Meia Tigela meant
small dishes.
I had to ask him if he was serious. If my meal was remarkable for anything, it was the
large portions served on oversized plates and bowls.
The Portuguese dictionary, Reverso, said meia tigela meant “two-bit,” as in “a two-bit criminal being chased by the police.”
But then I found yet another meaning which seemed more in line with the waiter’s: half
bowl.
It’s easy to see why this restaurant was busy. Families, businessmen and women and couples
sat at tables under umbrellas on a beautiful spring day in the park.
Dining is often outside in Maputo and in early spring, this means delightful weather.
I ordered soup of the day, creme de abobora. It meant carrot soup, the waiter said. It was
the color of carrots but didn’t taste like carrots because it wasn’t carrots. It was
pumpkin soup. I only found this out later.
I ordered the toasted sandwich special — called the Meia Tigela — and the menu had the
English translation: chorizo, bacon, ham, cheese, lettuce and tomato.
It came on two different breads — poppyseed and what looked like enormous sesame seeds —
and the sandwich was easily big enough for two.
Some items on the Meia Tigela menu had English translations, but it was a massive, 10-page menu and somewhere on the way to desserts, the translator had just given up.
For example, ameljoas were translated as “lupins.” Those are flowers. And moelinhas was
translated as “pica-pau with fries.” Huh? What?
The dessert menu was fairly extensive and I understand the word crepe in any language so I
ordered crepes with ice cream. No two-bit serving, this. It was substantial in ways you don’t
expect crepes to be, and the batter was about twice as thick.
But my crepe had redeeming qualities. It was warm, sweet with powdered sugar and syrup,
and had a dollop if vanilla ice cream on top.
Probably the best part of my meal was an ordinary cup of tea that came with hot milk. I
love that Maputo and South African restaurants often serve you hot milk with your tea or
coffee. The milk is usually frothy which I love even more.
My second cup was still piping hot and I felt incredibly grateful as I sipped my tea and watched families enjoying themselves on a gorgeous October day in Maputo.
Expert Review
To tell you the truth, I'm still not completely sure what Meia Tigela -- the name of a lovely Maputo restaurant...
To tell you the truth, I’m still not completely sure what Meia Tigela — the name of a lovely Maputo restaurant — means.
My waiter at this popular lunchtime spot in a beautiful Maputo park said Meia Tigela meant
small dishes.
I had to ask him if he was serious. If my meal was remarkable for anything, it was the
large portions served on oversized plates and bowls.
The Portuguese dictionary, Reverso, said meia tigela meant “two-bit,” as in “a two-bit criminal being chased by the police.”
But then I found yet another meaning which seemed more in line with the waiter’s: half
bowl.
It’s easy to see why this restaurant was busy. Families, businessmen and women and couples
sat at tables under umbrellas on a beautiful spring day in the park.
Dining is often outside in Maputo and in early spring, this means delightful weather.
I ordered soup of the day, creme de abobora. It meant carrot soup, the waiter said. It was
the color of carrots but didn’t taste like carrots because it wasn’t carrots. It was
pumpkin soup. I only found this out later.
I ordered the toasted sandwich special — called the Meia Tigela — and the menu had the
English translation: chorizo, bacon, ham, cheese, lettuce and tomato.
It came on two different breads — poppyseed and what looked like enormous sesame seeds —
and the sandwich was easily big enough for two.
Some items on the Meia Tigela menu had English translations, but it was a massive, 10-page menu and somewhere on the way to desserts, the translator had just given up.
For example, ameljoas were translated as “lupins.” Those are flowers. And moelinhas was
translated as “pica-pau with fries.” Huh? What?
The dessert menu was fairly extensive and I understand the word crepe in any language so I
ordered crepes with ice cream. No two-bit serving, this. It was substantial in ways you don’t
expect crepes to be, and the batter was about twice as thick.
But my crepe had redeeming qualities. It was warm, sweet with powdered sugar and syrup,
and had a dollop if vanilla ice cream on top.
Probably the best part of my meal was an ordinary cup of tea that came with hot milk. I
love that Maputo and South African restaurants often serve you hot milk with your tea or
coffee. The milk is usually frothy which I love even more.
My second cup was still piping hot and I felt incredibly grateful as I sipped my tea and watched families enjoying themselves on a gorgeous October day in Maputo.