Pastéis de Nata the humble Portuguese custard tart, and possibly one of the best dessert imports that has nestled itself comfortably in café counters across the country. I have always been a lover of natas from a very young age; my earliest memory of my first nata was in a Portuguese café on Plender Street in Camden. I used to preciously eat my tart while my father had his morning coffee on a Sunday. It was almost like a ritual – taking my time to eat my tart in slow motion in the hopes of it lasting as long as possible, as I knew I would only be allowed one.
I’m not sure if the café on Plender Street is still open, as I haven’t visited since my teens – but my gluttony for the Portuguese custard tart has grown stronger as I grow older. Unfortunately my experience has not been too good over the years. Like a magpie whenever I enter a café I seek out to see if they have a couple of Portuguese tarts sitting in their display case, tentatively looking for a warm tummy to call their home. I always purchase one if any are available in the hopes of reliving those Sunday mornings as a child. Sadly I am left disappointed, the pastry is not crispy enough, slightly floury and looking a little anemic. The custard filling isn’t smooth or creamy and tasting a little on the eggy side. And to top it off they are cold and limp which is so disappointing as this seems to be a reoccurring theme throughout the land.
That was until one very early Summer morning a couple of years ago on my way to the swimming pool, I spied a new place pop up out of the mystical fog on Endell Street in Covent Garden. The sign read ‘I Love Nata’ – I internally whispered ‘so do I’. It was far too early for even the greasy spoon near by to be open, so I made a promise to myself to explore at a godlier hour. My nata curiosity would not allow me to simply forget about my discovery. Every morning I would walk past and, nod my silent greeting to the sign waiting for the day to sample one of their Portuguese tarts.
The day had finally come! I Love Nata is a tiny nook of a café – serving only natas and hot & cold beverages. The natas sit in rows under a glass counter, looking like a glorious little art installation of yellows and browns. I ordered my nata, which is then popped into a glorious little box with a sachet of cinnamon sugar and a sachet of powdered sugar. I like mine as they are, no extra sugar required. I had a lot of expectation of this little tart and I was hoping the reality would not be like my other experiences.
I gently lifted it out of its little box and it was warm – the surge of joy that passed through me just feeling the warmth being emitted from my little tart I already knew that I had finally found the one. I took my first bite, and much like that wonderful scene in Ratatouille I was instantly taken back to Sunday mornings as a child. The pastry is wonderfully crispy and flaky and makes the most gloriously crunching noise as you bite into it. The custard filling is smooth and creamy, has the right texture and exactly what you expect from a top quality tart.
I Love Nata know exactly what they are doing; I mean you wouldn’t open up a café only selling custard tarts if you were not confident in your tart skills. They even have pairs of little porcelain natas on sale that you can fill with sugar to delicately dust your natas (I have not purchased these yet, but they are on my never ending shopping list) If you are a lover of Pastéis de Nata you need to go and get your tarts here. If you have only ever experienced a limp, soggy, cold tart then please throw that in the bin, go for a ramble and sit with a good strong espresso and a custard tart, it will totally be worth the walk. I have been going here for the odd treat since it opened, I like to buy a box of six and surprise my office with a Friday afternoon sugar pick me up at tea time.
My favourite thing to do is buy myself a tart and scuttle off home to eat it in peace with no eyes around. I always have a deep fear that one day someone is going to grab my food out of my hand while I am scoffing away on a street corner. If you like tarts I would recommend going here. If you like custard you should totally go here. Tart alone, tart in a group whatever tickles your fancy really. Just promise me when your nata craving starts to kick in you go and grab one from I Love Nata.
Happy Dining xx
Stilettos, Tiaras and Beer 