This restaurant was part of a group tour itinerary for lunch. About 75 people filled up the inner part of the restaurant where we were served chicken or fish for lunch. We were then serenaded by coimbra fado musicians. It was a lovely lunch and although I had no choice in where to go, this restaurant really served great food and the service was excellent.
There were a handful of people not associated with the tour also dining here for lunch. Dining with a whole lot of tourists does not seem ideal in my book, but the good news is that this restaurant has a few back rooms that offer a little separation from the main dining room.
We started with a puréed vegetable soup. I couldn't tell you what was in it other than it was a bright yellow/orange color. It tasted delicious though. We also had some bread and garlic(?) butter. Also good. I chose the fish. It was like a tuna casserole but sooooo much better. It didn't taste too fishy. The sauce was like a light cream sauce and the top layer was nice and crisp. It came with a small side salad. As we were working on our entrees, the waitstaff came by to ask us if we wanted another helping. It was a lot of food already, but several people asked for seconds because it tasted so good!! For desert, we had fruit salad with a scoop of ice cream and coffee. Everything tasted great.
The service was excellent. The waitstaff was quick and attentive. This multiple course lunch was served so efficiently. I was surprised that even though it seemed stressful, the waitstaff all served us with smiles on their faces.
Finally, I liked the decor and use of natural light. I didn't really understand the library/book connection, only that it was a cool restraint atmosphere! read more