Belcanto

Lisbon's finest

Oxtail with chickpea, foie gras, veal tendons, onion cream with Serra cheese

Located in the heart of Lisbon, Belcanto is one of the only 2 Michelin starred restaurant in Portugal, and some would consider it is the very best the country has on offer in terms of fine dining, as voted one of the top 100 restaurants in the world by the much celebrated San Pellegrino's world best restaurant award. Operated by heavyweight chef Jose Avillez, the restaurant is all about progression and develop highly creative modern Portuguese cuisine. The restaurant has a short choice of a la carte, along with 3 tasting menus to pick from. It is a small restaurant with no more than 15 tables, so do book well in advance.

Hidden amuse bouche

Bread

"The garden of the goose that laid the golden eggs"

Grilled red giant shrimp with rosemary ashes

My starter of grilled giant red shrimp was as fresh as you can get, it had such a sweet sensation and the rosemary ashes somehow worked really well with its robust, grassy taste. The suckling pig was at another level, it had a fablous melting texture and the sourness of the orange gave the dish a lovely balance to it. The Oxtail and foie gras was another really fine plate of cooking, it was seasoned to perfection and packed with luxious flavours and the onion cream added a hint of sharpness which offered a beautiful harmony. The dessert of mandarine reminded me a lot or Henston's meat-fruit, but it tasted nothing like it, it was a proper crafted dessert packed with some intense citrus flavours which was very refreshing.

Sea bass with seaweed and bivalves

Suckling pig, fried potatoes, orange and salad

Seared beef sirloin, smoked with rosemary, marrow and garlic purée

Mandarine

Chocolate

The dinner at Belcanto was indeed special, the quality of the dishes could not be questioned, and the cooking was full of imaginative with some playful elements in the mix. It is easy to understand why Belcanto is so highly rated among both the press and customers, and one of the hardest restaurants to book in town. On top of that, the service was faultless, everyone was on top of their game with the finest attention to detail, together with the exceptional creative cooking, Belcanto indeed is a top restaurant and one that you need to give a try to experience what Portuguese fine dining is all about.  

Food 4.5/5

What I paid: 
£100 per head with wine

Average cost without drinks and services:
£84 dinner menu
£144 tasting menu

Largo de São Carlos 10, 1200-410 Lisboa, Portugal

http://belcanto.pt/en/