My Nata Craving Unfulfilled... with Miguel A

When I first visited Lisbon with my bf, before the Elska days, I remember going to Pastéis de Belém. It was the place recommended by the guidebook for the best natas, and with no other local knowledge, I followed the book's advice. We got on the tram at Praça do Comércio, and got off where the other camera-carrying, guidebook clutching tourists got off.

The bakery-café was huge, with a maze of corridors leading into countless dining rooms, all teeming with customers. Getting a table was a matter of standing near people who looked like they were ready to leave and then quickly pouncing as soon as someone stood up. Service was slow yet brusque, and the staff seemed like they really didn't want to be there. The experience was all rather unpleasant, but OMG those natas were amazingly delicious. So in all, it was worth it. As we left, we picked up a pack of six to take away, and enjoyed them on the plane back to London the next morning. Even slightly stale, they were incredible.

When it was time for Elska shoot week, I knew I needed to get back. Miguel A suggested we shoot in Belém, so it was my idea to meet him outside Pastéis de Belém. I'd planned to get there early so Andriy and I could have a pastry before the shoot, but Miguel was also early, so we went straight to work. First we did some shots by a tile mosaic of a chicken in a nearby alley (the lighting wasn't right unfortunately). Then Miguel said there was a lovely garden he wanted to shoot at, so we followed him there.

This garden was quite a long way out. We had allocated the usual 90 minutes for the shoot, but with the half hour tram ride back into Lisbon city centre, and this long walk, we were rushing... meaning there was no time for natas.

I never had time to get back to Belém on this trip, but I made other attempts to get natas in Lisbon. I got some from the supermarket - the pastry was too soft. I found a fancy-looking nata-only bakery in Bairro Alto - but they were too sweet. I even tried one at Starbucks - they were like a Mr Kipling or Little Debbie version of the real thing. So I ended up leaving Lisbon with my nata craving unfulfilled... When I got home to London I even made some from scratch... but they still didn't quite measure up. Natas... another reason why I can't wait to come back to this amazing city.

Elska Boy: Miguel A.

Location: Lisbon, Portugal

Photographer: Liam Campbell

Issue: N/A

P.S. Miguel A never submitted his story and thus didn't make it into the final version of the issue.

#LisbonPortugal