For the love of Lisbon
I’m officially in love with Lisbon. Although this might be because (despite being in the same time zone) their climate is regularly 5, if not 10, degrees warmer than London - it’s currently 15 degrees higher as I post this… So, when asked few weeks ago to cater for the Lisbon outpost of Song Sleuth, a music meets AI and technology platform, I also took the opportunity to sample some of the city’s buoyant food scene.
Recommended by many when visiting Lisbon is @restaurant.sem – an award-winning restaurant that focuses on promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly practices, with a zero-waste kitchen serving seasonal, local produce.
If, like me, you enjoy the opportunity to dine solo, this was a great opportunity to watch the kitchen, as they carefully constructed my 8-course tasting menu, in a space dotted with intriguing jars of pickles, preserves, and ferments, all harnessing flavour from offcuts that most kitchens would ordinarily throw away.
I love a pun, so the king oyster with ‘wastershire’ sauce and black garlic was both witty and delicious, and my favourite from the menu, which also included fresh kumquat and garum, hasselback style pumpkin with sunflower and smoked beef, lamb wrapped in beet leaf with parsnip puree, and gingerbread cake with magnolia caramel, and an outstanding milk ice cream with a hint of salt.
Highlights also included anchovies on fresh brioche, local MEGA prawns, and flavoursome Portuguese natural reds at @vino__vero, creamy pistachio gelato at @gelatodavvero in @timeoutmarketlisboa, cocktails at popular speakeasy @comadre_lisboa, and the consumption of many, many pastéis de nata.
