One of the most interesting meals I have had the pleasure of having in Lisboa (or maybe anywhere in…read morethe world). When you find Estrela Da Bica, it is on a side street right off of the steep street with the trolley that is famous. There was a small open door with a sign asking us to wait outside to be seated (so as not to crowd the restaurant). Make sure to follow these instructions, as my family and I watched some other unaware tourists walk straight in, grab a menu, and promptly get asked to go wait outside. After a minute or two, we were seated by one of the staff (possibly the owner?). The staff was all women, and they seemed very proud of their restaurant. The decor was quirky and very homey, with various mismatched tables and chairs.
We were informed that the food is all meant to be shareable plates, and we started off by just getting some sourdough bread with dips. There were multiple different kinds of bread and the dips kept them interesting, one being a fish spread. One of the appetizers caught my eye instantly, the roasted pork belly, banana mash, and pico de gallo. I usually like banana flavors mixed with savory (I've tried weird combinations like a peanut butter banana hamburger before) so I knew I had to try this. The outside of the pork belly was perfectly crunchy while the inside was tender. As I expected (but I would guess most people wouldn't), the banana mash complimented the rich savory flavors of the pork belly.
For the mains, we ordered the pink marlin tataki with pineapple chutney, potato and rosemary sourdough pizzeta, roasted Hokkaido with butternut mash, dried nuts sand, and house kimchi, the confit codfish cheeks with poached egg and crispy chips, and the pork cheek ravioli with mustard sauce and buckwheat popcorn. They were all intriguing flavor combinations that I would never have thought of in my life!! What stood out to me was the confit codfish cheeks with poached egg and the crispy potato chips. We had tried other codfish dishes around Lisboa and had noticed that it was the most common fish there. But this combination was luscious, with the soft egg coating the fish and the chips adding a nice crunch to every bite. It was like a fish carbonara in a way with the poached egg providing a sauce. This was the standout dish to me, representing what Lisboa is all about while not being afraid to take risks. All of the other dishes were interesting too, and each left me with new ideas of combinations that I would have never thought of.
After the dinner was so impressive, we were enticed by the dessert. We got the chocolate mousse and basque cheesecake with guava jam. These were
Like I said, the staff seemed proud of their establishment and rightfully so. Estrella da Bica may be a small, simple, establishment, but they are not afraid to push the boundaries of gastronomy. This was the kind of restaurant that flies under the radar, but I consider myself lucky to have stumbled upon it.
