Casa de Chá da Boa Nova

Seafood marathon

Squid “Chanel”

Located from the outskirts of Porto, Casa de Chá da Boa Nova is a 1 Michelin starred restaurant that champions seafood cooking. Besides talking about the food, the first thing you would notice when you see the restaurant is that it is located by the ocean, with a stunning view, along with a beach and lighthouse not far away. Besides, the design of the restaurant is a work of art, very modern and stylish. The menu itself is pretty mad itself, no a la carte, just a long tasting menu that contains no meat, just seafood dishes one after another till you reach the desserts. This is perfect for me as I am a massive lover of all things fishy and Porto is considered a great place for seafood.

The restaurant

The view from the dining room

Toast / Barley with seaweed butter

Prawn / Egg / Pancetta and Scallop / beetroot

Clam “à bulhão pato” and Oyster / Tuna

Sea urchin brulée

Gazpacho / Crab / Blue whiting from Azores

Mussel éclair

Sea bass in its habitat

Scarlet shrimp

Lobster / Cuttlefish / Vegetables

Lobster / Cuttlefish / Vegetables served

The tasting menu is basically a seafood marathon with 21 courses in total, some are canapes sizes, while some are in a typical starter portion. When a menu is this long, there are chances of a few flaws for sure, the dish that didn't really hit the mark for me was the red mullet, the corn con for me was a touch dry and it felt it was left in the open for too long. However, most of the dishes were fantastic and really showcased the kitchen's flair. The top 3 dishes for me were the shrimp, the lobster and sea urchin. The scarlet shrimp was heavenly with a melting texture and a super intense red prawn sauce that you could drink it like a soup. The sea urchin Brulee was a whirlpool of umami flavours with a lovely creamy texture that you don't want it to end. The bbq lobster and cuttlefish were cooked to perfection with a lovely smoky aroma that enhanced the natural sweetness of the seafood.   

Red mullet / Cashew / Manioc

The first vision of octopus

The second version of octopus

Crawfish / Korean soup

Salt crust horse mackerel

Salt crust horse mackerel, served with razor clams

Codfish stew

Canary melon / Aloe Vera

Late harvest

The “Carousel”

P4 trollery

P4

Without counting the desserts, I have eaten 17 dishes of seafood, with some contain two or more types of seafood, it was indeed a seafood marathon. The kitchen put together some of the freshest seafood together to create such a memorable tasting journey of the sea. It was a really unusual and interesting experience, one that I will remember for many years. The 1 Michelin star rating seems fair, as while some dishes weren't really working for me, there are some outstanding dishes that I would consider it close to the 2 Michelin stars level. To sum it up, if you love long tasting menu format, and mad about seafood, Casa de Chá da Boa Nova is well worth a visit.



Food 4/5


Average cost without drinks and services:
£155

Rua da Boa Nova, 4450-705 Leça da Palmeira, Portugal

http://www.casadechadaboanova.pt/en/