Quintessentially Lisbon

Simultaneous consumption of beer and seafood, the essence of a ‘cervejaria’, is the quintessential Lisbon dining experience. Cervejaria Ramiro (http://www.cervejariaramiro.pt/?lang=en), with its laid back atmosphere, stunningly fresh seafood and equally refreshing arsenal of beers, makes for an excellent example of these eateries. Aside from beer, we demolished three dishes:

Firstly, a whole crab stuffed with a creamy sauce was right on the money; fresh, juicy crabmeat, creamy yet not overpowering sauce, the perfect partners for spreading on wholesome, crusty bread.

Second; clams sautéed in garlic and olive oil; another showcase of fresh seafood working its magic, with the sweetness of the clams married well with the earthy heat of the garlic.

Last, but by no means least, the grilled scarlett shrimp. Huge, red and pretty damn expensive shrimp (15 euro each!) simply grilled and served with a drizzle of lemon juice. For prawn lovers, this can’t be beat. Sweetness of the sea personified. And make sure you drink the head juice.

The Brilliant Mr Avillez

Jose Avillez, one of Portugal’s most promising young chefs, has created an affordable and unmissable dining experience at Cantinho do Avillez (http://cantinhodoavillez.pt/?lang=en). Casual, laid back atmosphere, creative twists on traditional Portuguese dishes, great young (green) wine; what’s not to like?

Two starters really stood out for me. Firstly, a ‘small partridge, bacon and chive pie’ displayed a perfect balance of lightly salty, gamey interior partnered perfectly with a light, crumbly exterior. ‘Bulhao pato’ shrimp (no photo unfortunately), simply cooked with garlic and olive oil were just divine – this was all about the freshness of the sea dwellers.

For mains, don’t miss the flaked cod with breadcrumbs, LT egg and exploding olives. Individually, the elements are delicious themselves. Soft, flaky cod – tasty by virtue of simplicity. The LT egg, an egg poached at low temperature, whose gooey yet somehow cooked interior is one of the tastiest eggs I’ve ever eaten. And the exploding olives; olives which ooze out olive puree when the exterior is penetrated, was rather magical. Eaten together, is a display of culinary wizardry.

Lastly, a dessert described by our waitress as the best dessert in the world. ‘Hazelnut³’ , three textures and three temperatures of hazelnut, topped off with a sprinkling of sea salt to accentuate the nuttiness. All I will say is this: “Thank you, Mr Avillez.”

Mozambican food + sunshine = good day

One of the best restaurants I have accidentally stumbled upon in recent times, Zambeze (http://www.zambezerestaurante.pt/Default.aspx), ideally situated near the ‘Castelo de Sao Jorge’, has a most enviable terrace wherein one can sit in the sun, eat Mozambican food and drink an afternoon away.

Ok, I haven’t eaten Mozambican food before and nor have I been to Mozambique. But the food was pretty tasty, especially when doused in a good dose of Iberian sunshine. 

For starters, a light, fresh octopus carpaccio was got the juices going. My only complaint here was that the octopus could’ve been more thinly sliced but other than that, a pretty good effort.

For mains, we shared two dishes; ‘laurentina wild prawns’ and a crab curry. The former was all about the sauce, whose freshness and richness (owing to the beer in which the prawns are cooked) helped the sweetness of the prawns stand out (though the prawns were a tad overcooked). 

The crab curry, well spiced and brimming with tonnes of shredded crabmeat, was also a perfect complement to the sunshine.

And the dessert buffet, for just 6 euro, was surprisingly brilliant. Going clockwise from the left in order of brilliance: orange cake, layer cake and mango cream cake. Not pictured; an uber rich, dark chocolate mousse. Not sure if there are better ways to spend 6 euros.