Portugal

All trip long I had been looking forward to trying the famed francesinha – a sinfully indulgent Portuguese sandwich comprised of a frankenstein mish mash of cured meats, egg and cheese, all covered in meaty gravy. Sad to say my virgin francesinha experience was a resounding flop – cheap and nasty scraps of ham, sausage and roast meats were stuffed between lacklustre bread and a piss poor diluted gravy. Oh well, just another reason to re-visit Portugal.

Restaurante Tanite Francesinhas
Largo das Fontaínhas 15, 1300-609 Lisboa, Portugal

Taste: 2/5

Old-school vibes abound in this charming restaurant replete with wooden booths and a kitschy nautical theme in a dimly lit, intimate interior. Don’t expect cutting edge cuisine here, but what you can look forward to is a winning combination of simplicity and excellence.

Bota Sal’s deep-fried calamari is a great example of that ethos, and are probably some of the best I’ve had.

Taste: 3.5/5

Plump and juicy clams cooked simply in their own juices, garlic and parsley. Great with a squeeze of lemon and bread to mop up the sauce.

Taste: 3.5/5

Loaded with chunks of flaky fish, this tomato-based fish soup was thick, tangy and comforting. They served it with fried bread which made great makeshift croutons too when broken up into smaller pieces.

Taste: 3.5/5

After days of strategically skipping breakfast to maximise stomach space for lunch and dinner at restaurants on our bucket list, it felt good just to have an unplanned morning meal. The produce was top notch - creamy avocado at its prime and intensely sweet tomatoes. Excellent artisanal bread too, but the egg was unfortunately hardboiled instead of poached.

Taste: 3/5

Every single dish here took our breaths away, none more so than the deceivingly incongruous tuna ceviche with beetroot. A disparate but ultimately harmonious work of art, chunks of fresh tuna reside in a pool of absolutely amazing tasting chilled beetroot broth which was bursting with sweetness and a mildly acidic tang. Coupled with the imperceptible umami of foie gras shavings, the sweetness of lychee and the toasty crunch of hazelnut, each spoonful was packed witha melange of bright, zesty, meaty and nutty flavours. A Cevicheria rightly deserves its reputation at the forefront of Lisbon’s vibrant food scene.

Taste: 5/5

Not only do they excel at ceviche, A Cevicheria apparently does a mean beef taco too. The shatteringly crisp shells were laden with a generous filling of tartare, dobs of pungent horseradish cream and a fine dusting of nori, creating a chain reaction of flavours that set off umami bombs with every bite.

Taste: 4/5

Like some Lovecraftian nightmare, tendrils of roasted octopus clung on to inky mounds of mashed potato, exuding a smoky seductiveness and brash flavour that drew us in with its gastronomic black magic. The bursts of caramelised sweetness from the cherry tomatoes and crunch of scattered pork belly popcorn further heightened our enjoyment of an already amazing dish.

Taste: 4/5

Star chef Kiko Martins A Cevicheria is in a class of its own. Focusing on Peruvian-style ceviche, the first plate to land on our table had already set a high bar for our expectations. An effervescent potato cream blankets alabaster chunks of cod and meaty octopus that have been marinated in tiger’s milk whilst around the plate, little dobs of egg yolk emulsion add a luxurious mouthfeel with each spoonful and little slivers of pickled onion lent a welcome tanginess which balanced out the richer elements.

Taste: 4/5

The purity of the local ingredients shone through under the skilled hands of Sala's chefs. Immaculately poached, the rudderfish was tender and succulent, as were the mussels. Both the standout coriander and onion sauce and pickled onions really complemented the star of the show as well.

Taste: 3.5/5

My earnestness for the carabineiro variety of shrimp has not abated and has probably only grown since holidaying in Portugal. Great flavours from this dish, especially so in the intensely prawny sauce, and that creamy prosciutto custard stabbed with crisp prosciutto shards on a bed of chestnut crumble. That this pricy crustacean is part of Sala’s €45 5-course tasting menu is mind boggling value for money.

Taste: 4/5

It must be a thing here in Lisbon’s fine dining circuit because this is the second time I’ve had mushroom ice cream. Served on a bed of chocolate soil alongside a trio of very cute faux button mushrooms and caramel sauce, the flavour was overwhelmingly fungi-forward and perhaps an acquired taste.

Taste: 3/5