Jun 9, 2024
Jun 5, 2024
Cacildes Adventure: New work begins with a character creator
As I begin plans for another expansion for Cacildes Adventure, first thing I'm working on is a character customization tool to customize Cacildes!
The way it works (or I thought about it) was creating body parts container game objects to store all the available customization pieces:
This works great with my existing equipment logic for armors, because if a helmet requires us to hide the hair of the character, for example, we just need to hide the parent container "HairContainer", and voilà, it is agnostic to whatever hair is selected because that's a child of the HairContainer.
You'll be able to edit many details of the model and also the name of the character.
I'm also adding localization! More on that later.
Stay tuned for more :-)
Jun 4, 2024
Foodtrip to "Casa Chef Victor Felisberto" (Abrantes)
We decided to travel to Abrantes to try out a restaurant that had been on my radar for some time. The choice was between revisiting "A Velha" for the 5th or 6th time, one of my favorite restaurants, or risking a change and going to try something new. So, we decided to go to Casa do Chef Victor Felisberto.
Beforehand, we spent the afternoon strolling around Agrual, a welcoming place for those seeking some refreshment in the afternoon in the makeshift pool with spring water. We felt a bit underdressed afterwords to go dine somewhere fancy, but our hunger spoke louder!
When we arrived, the staff was immediately very friendly, with many helpful and cheerful collaborators. There were already people dining, and we realized that the restaurant would quickly fill up.
We started with a classic bread, olives, and truffle butter couvert, along with fabulous creamy cheese. My hands smelled like goat until the next day.
To accompany our meal, we decided to try the Quinta d'Atela sparkling wine. It had been a choice for New Year's Eve in 2023, and I remember liking the acidic but somewhat complex profile of this wine.
For the starter, we ordered the fish soup. It was broth-like, with a noticeable hint of tomato and fish, seasoned with the essential and plenty of parsley - the result was complex and harmonious, without excessive salt. Perhaps some might prefer the typical spiciness of fish soups, but it was not mandatory.
For the main course, we ordered a dish to share of carp with crayfish. A dish, in fact, is a large portion in this restaurant. The ladies said it was a very well-served portion for one person, which actually serves two, and they were not mistaken. On the other side, we overheard someone asking if the seafood rice would be enough for a group of four. If it came as generously as our carp, it would easily serve six people, although perhaps we should remember that we were all Portuguese there.
The carp was perfectly cooked and covered with a layer of mayonnaise. The lady warned us that it came like this, and yet we dared, but I must say that the mayonnaise, despite having the welcome acidity to complement the dish, became quite heavy halfway through the meal. Perhaps the quantity was the problem. I imagined that the carp and crayfish alone had enough to shine because they were really very good. But both with their typical muddy flavor may need some extra help. Anyway, it was a megalomaniac dish in terms of portions, and we couldn't finish it, perhaps because of the said mayonnaise.
To finish the meal, my girlfriend ordered something that intrigued her, a petit gateau with pumpkin jam filling. It didn't disappoint. Nor did I. A beautiful choice, judging by the bite I had. But I decided on the rice pudding because I wanted to try the chef's variation, as it is one of the desserts that I like most from my mother. Again, I was pleasantly surprised, with a very creamy rice (somewhat al dente, but personally, it's to my liking), accompanied by a tartlet with lemon cream (?) - a nice twist on the lemon zest that we put in the rice milk, resulting in a very harmonious ending. I paired it with a Madeira Verdelho wine, semi-dry - the menu suggested a Port wine, I think it wasn't far off, but I confess I don't understand much about pairing.
Our bill came to about 90 euros, which is to be expected in a restaurant where main courses start at almost 20 euros per person. We were curious about the rest of the menu, which is quite extensive, especially in the variety of meats it offers. We will certainly have the opportunity to explore it on a future visit!
A note for the elegantly decorated space with interesting details - the lamps are covered with recycled shredded cardboard. Oh, and there is also private parking!
In summary, it's definitely worth a visit. Another beautiful place to eat in Abrantes.