100 Maneiras by Chef Ljubomir Stanisic "refers to the absence of rules, but also to the infinity of forms" and serves a tasting menu at a democratic price in this 32-seat restaurant in downtown Lisbon featuring influences from chef's Bosnian roots mixed with Portuguese upbringing.
We were greeted with a "Welcome to Bosnia!" by our friendly server as we settled at our table. No menu is presented - instead we are simply asked what drinks we wanted to accompany our meal. We decided on the shorter wine pairing and were ready to begin "The Story" - a 17-course meal made up of various moments. Above is a montage of the 6 wines we tasted on this evening.
The first moment was
Mother Rosa's bread accompanied by Yugoslavian specialties, in plates brought from Chef's trip to Sarajevo. The bread was like a buttery brioche and all the dips were flavorful. Keith enjoyed the dried beef, while I liked the smoked cod. We also preferred my smoked carrot hummus spread over the chicken liver pate.
The next five moments comprised the "foreword" of the story.
Elysium was a small bite of radish, sheep butter, lemon jam, lamb jus (for Keith, replaced with apple for me), radish flowers and clover. It was like a bright palate cleanser.
Mr. Potato Head was an elegant bite of potato, fried seaweed, smântână and caviar. It was presented in a beautiful blue Fabergé egg, and was a nice salty bite.
Another small bite bursting with flavor was the
Orient Express with shallot pickle, baba ganoush and papadum. It's kind of hard to see in the picture above, but is just the flowery part in between the rocks.
Sarajevo Cigar was a fun smoked tea bread filled with potato foam and čvarci "tobacco" (dried beef for Keith, replaced with cabbage for me).
Last of the forward moments was the
La Bohème: scarlet prawn tartare meant to be grabbed with a shiso leaf, served with sheep’s cheese and saffron. This bite was quite delicate and really carried the tone on to the next moment.
Next we arrived at the "Introduction" part of the story with a
Mixed Salad that was a nice cold and refreshing Caesar salad-like bite with anchovies, black truffle and parmesan.
For the "1st Chapter" we ate
Razor Clams with lard (for Keith, and lemon curd for me) and basil. The texture was a bit chewy on this bivalve.
Oh my Cod! featured Portugal's beloved cod with pumpkin puree and oregano. This dish was my least favorite.
Another palate cleanser dish to end this chapter was
Black Magic - shaved kohlrabi wrapped around a watercress chimichurri with recado negro puree and avocado. This was also quite refreshing.
To start the "2nd Chapter" we ate cuttlefish with cauliflower and kimchi in a dish titled
White Flag. This dish was
a bit lackluster in comparison, but was pretty to look at.
Chef truly redeemed himself with
All About That Bass: sea bass and clams "açorda". Paired with the
2006 Quinta do Vallado Reserva Blanco from Douro, Portugal, this dish was superb. The fish was tender in a decadent clam buerre blanc, yet countered with the crisp acidity of the wine for a well balanced bite.
To conclude this chapter, we were presented with a family style presentation called
The Last Supper.
We made our own tacos with cow head meat (for Keith, and fish for me), horseradish, fried onions, kimchi and somun bread. These were very tasty and fun to make.
"Afterword" we had another palate cleanser called
Foie pour Toi: foie gras (omitted for me), Dr. Bayard mint, "Mais Vale Tarde do Que Nunca" late harvest jelly,
yogurt and ras el hanout. It was an interesting bite with a mix of crispy and gummy textures.
As we entered the "Conclusion" of the story, we had our first dessert called
Holy-Wood: Pau Santo ice cream, pine nut marzipan, roasted cocoa nibs, coconut and pine
nuts presented in a youthful popsicle.
A more unusual dessert featured mushrooms - both in the vessel and in the ingredients themselves.
Smurfino: truffled pecorino foam, São Tomé and Príncipe chocolate, crème anglaise and
porcini with grated truffle. The fungi were quite prominent, but not overbearing and added a salty umami-ness to the chocolate.
Lastly, we were presented with another blue Fabergé egg with a secret surprise inside. Simply called
Rock, Paper, Scissors, we were instructed to eat it and try and guess what it is - our clue was that it was made up of only 3 ingredients. When I opened the box, it looked with a chocolate pebble. I took a bite and tasted a soft nougat like interior with a tart center. I immediately picked out the chocolate and passion fruit - but what was this "nougat"? I guessed chestnut, but was wrong. It was a paste made from fermented garlic! So strange, yet intriguing!
After all that, we were still treated to a box of little treats with our bill: a sesame candy, date filled bite, and a small piece of baklava. Service was top notch and on par with any Michelin restaurant. I really appreciated their attention to detail in taking care of my meat-free substitutes, yet still allowing me to experience the whole story. The ingredients were all of super high quality with incredibly smart, fun, and elegant plating and preparation, and the wine pairings were spot on that really elevated our experience. The sound track was great, and service was a well-oiled team albeit a bit immature at times with Jedi-dressed servers dancing and singing along as they waited along the wall. We didn't mind that as it added a lightness to the evening and reduced the formality associated with these kind of restaurants. Though the entire experience lasted nearly four hours, we really enjoyed our meal at 100 Maneiras, and it was our favorite of all the ones we ate in Portugal.
Total Rating:
4.48
Food: 5, Price: 3, Service: 5, Ambience: 4, Accessibility: 4.5
