The John (Casa Expresso)

There is always a dish that hits it right out of the park for you. Usually, it is a really homely, comforting meal, full of nostalgia, cooked by your mom or someone familiar. An old Portuguese institution provided that for me. Rojões or as my friend Stevie calls it ‘The John’ is a magnificent dish that I love to eat and cook, with my own twist on it (I have a fantastic recipe for it, not sure if I am ready to share it yet). The dish is solely responsible for bringing me closer to the Portuguese gastronomy. 

Slow cooked Pork in white wine/beer (has to be the Super Bock brand of beer to be loyal to Porto) and olive oil, with some spices (really cumin forward) and fried potatoes. Sounds simple enough but man is it delicious. The pork is always so succulent and the crispy fried potatoes covered in its juices, make a fantastic combination. 

My version of Rojões takes me about 3-4 hours. It is different from the authentic version even though it shares most of the tropes and that is due to my Indian touch. The place that does the best in Porto and just slightly better than mine is Casa Expresso. Even thinking about it makes me salivate. This place, now most definitely an institution, is exactly what you imagine when you think about an old Portuguese restaurant. When I first entered it a few years ago, it felt like time travelling because of all the people enjoying their really traditional dishes and watching old reality-tv shows on a box television set. The walls covered with white tiles, cold yet dim lighting and tightly knit tables.

The place doesn’t seem like much from the outside but the people inside are amazing They are always running but you feel welcomed and a small kitchen busting out really good food is all you need when craving some time away from the city. The restaurant does serve a typical Portuguese menu but what this place is known for is the ‘Sandes de Rojão’. It is a simple roll stuffed with the fattest piece of pork (use of Rojão instead of Rojões because words ending with ‘ão’ signify ‘bigger’ in Portuguese). The pork is cooked all day and I found that around 1pm (and 7pm for dinner), the texture is at it’s best. They cook a HUGE pot of it and mostly, later than 8pm it is all gone (If they tell you that another batch is being cooked, don’t order it. It never reaches it’s perfection at that time).

So, it is about the timing too (took me a while to realise that). They don’t serve it with the typical potatoes but you can order a side of fries if you wish to, although the sandwich itself is really filling. A dash of hot sauce elevates the whole thing and then you finish off with a shot of Bagaço (it is a super strong spirit that smells like petrol and might even taste like it, not sure). The Bagaço really cuts off the fatness of the pork but hits you hard for good 15mins. It works as a digestive, so, all good!

Thinking about it, Casa Expresso has catered to many of my dates. It doesn’t seem like a good first date place but it always works. It is cheap, the atmosphere is great, the sandwich easily ranks up in top 5 for me and the shot definitely helps. Head on there and trust me, it won’t disappoint because authentic food cooked by short, old grannies never fails.

P.s. Stevie calls it ‘The John’ because ‘Rojão’ sounds like it and it is easier for the Brits to say it that way. He also calls the owner of the place, ‘The John guy’, he serves the tables too and is so much fun to be around. ‘The John guy’ has a beautifully interesting story about how he came to own the place, but he deserves his own article. By the way, both the aforementioned names did stick in our group. You can choose what to call the dish after eating and loving it.