Okay so first know this is a bit of an experience and you pay for it. We were like $100/head. That includes an entree, 2 starters and a few drinks. They offer a prefix, which looking back may have been the better option for us. The prefix is like $110/person and I think you'd get more bite for the dollar. As a frugal tourist, I'm always looking for value, so take that for what you'd like.
Okay so the service is top notch! The staff there are knowledgeable about not just the flavors of the food but also the origins and details about where everything comes from. The team is compartmentalized, i .e. One person was only responsible for water, another for wine, another for liquor another for food etc.
The atmosphere is upscale, modern and it's gorgeous inside! The plates, cutlery and drink wear all felt good in the hand and mouth.
We started with octopus carpaccio, suggested from fellow travelers at an adjacent table. The octopus is cut very thin and the plate is littered with emulsions and sauces. The quality was there but it just tasted like olives. Didn't taste the protein at all.
Then we had tiger prawn with a coconut curry - this was banging! I could have eaten 5 more! It was vibrant, could taste the protein - all good!
Entrees:
sirloin steak - i dont eat beef but those that do loved it. They described the steak as perfectly cooked, melt in your mouth. They felt the portion was small for the price.
Sea bass with squid and clams - it was good, salty (in a fresh way), skimpy on the clams and heavy on the squid. The emulsion wasn't memorable, but the squid ink linguini was tasty. Fish was cooked very well.
Brill with leek- this was the star for me, the leeks were prepared like a mashed potato and complimented the sea bass very well. They also included a fish sauce that gave a complexity to the bite i appreciated.
Dessert:
Custard cup - they didn't indicate this was more of a chocolate tasting and my friend, who ordered it but doesn't like chocolate (i know crazy right) was disappointed, she would have ordered something else if it was listed as it was plated.
My husband has the white chocolate raspberry cream brûlée and it was tasty. Tart and sweet with a side of crunchy crumble provided texture.
I order d what was listed as Fuji Apple, mint and Kiefer lime. What it actually was was an eclair with the filling, topped with the aforementioned items with a dollop of what I could best describe as frozen apple sauce. It was SO good, unfortunately they didn't list the ingredients appropriately so I could only have a bite. If I had known there was dairy (the eclair filling) I would have orders something else's
All-in-all it's a fine dining experience that is worth a treat if you are in Porto. Not an experience to base a visit around but quality for sure. read more