Sometimes I really hesitate to follow Tripadvisor's advice. Sometimes I don't trust the reviews, or sometimes I'm too much of a snob and would happily go to the same place if only it was found on somebody's secretive blog somewhere and not on mainstream websites. But when backed up by solid reviews on yelp, google, facebook and other platforms, I should stop being that snob and just go try the food and make my judgment later on.
Upon entering Taberna Ruas das Flores, those doubts quickly dissolved away. A narrow, maybe 20-cover restaurant, slightly dark, mysterious with that distinctive 'local' feel, gave me some comfort. More reassuring was the menu, from which we ordered bacalhau (salt cod) with chickpeas, and roasted mackerel with coriander and potato.
The bacalhau, accompanied by perfectly cooked chickpeas, flavoured with paprika, olive oil and parsley, was just one of those tasty dishes that you might not write home about, but in no way you could fault either.
More stunning was the mackerel – of course, the mackerel was fittingly fresh, but the clever combination of uplifting coriander and earthy potato, with the ingenious addition of savoury-but-not-fishy dried shrimp really made it stand-out – not only for it's inherent umami-ness, but also for giving the dish an added crispy dimension. Very, very good cooking.
Complement such dishes with very fairly priced local wines, and you have good reason to believe all those Tripadvisor reviews.
Taberna Ruas das Flores
Address: Rua das Flores 103, 1200-194 Lisboa, Portugal
Phone: +351 21 347 9418
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri 12 – 11.30pm, Sat 6 – 11.30pm
Closed Sundays
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