Belcanto

Chef José Avillez offers a unique gastronomic and sensory journey with contemporary Portuguese cuisine in a sophisticated setting that takes us on a journey in time, from Chiado's old romantic past to the future. With two Michelin stars and currently #42 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants List, Belcanto is located at Lisbon's historic center, offers an attentive, welcoming and discreet service, and an extraordinary wine selection that showcases some of the best Portuguese wines as well as other celebrated international references.

We were excited to have dinner at this Michelin restaurant and with it just a short walk from our hotel, we knew before we arrived in Portugal that we wanted to eat here. We were seated by the front door, which annoyed me at first however was soon forgotten as I drank a glass of Portuguese sparkling wine for my aperetif.

We saved this for our last dinner in Lisbon, and frankly we had overindulged so much during our trip that we decided to not do the full tasting menu experience, and instead just order a la carte.  Nevertheless, we were still treated to some extra treats during the meal.  The first bite was a light puff served with a "martini" of sorts with a fake olive sphere that tasted like lychee.

The next few nibbles were a "suit of cards" with a bite of foie gras, a mystery ball of chicken heart pate, a bite of avocado, followed by a shot of cream of chestnut.  These were all a great start to our meal.

Next, we enjoyed the bread course.  The olive croissant was lovely and the different butters were fun to spread on the baguette.

For an amuse bouche, we were treated to kanpachi with eggplant ash.  It was surprisingly refreshing and one of my favorite bites of the night.

Since we did not do the tasting, we did not do the wine pairing which we often default to.  Instead, we decided on a nice bottle of 2015 Quinta da Pellado, Vinto Tinto, from Dao Valley.  This was a dry red with complex flavors that married well with both the meat and fish dishes of the night.

I started with the Giant Red Shrimp with spherified clam xerem over maize with a sauce made from the shrimp's head and codfish.  The shrimp was large and the head had all the flavor.  I liked it, but found it a bit scarce.

Keith ordered the Portuguese Pot-au-Feu, and was underwhelmed with the cabbage and lack of meat that appeared.  Though this is a more high-end restaurant, he expected a little more traditional presentation.  Even the deconstructed flavors did not hit the mark of the comforting dish he was seeking.

For my main course, I ordered the Sea Bass with Avocado, with dashi, coastal prawn, salsify, razor clams, lime zest and pistachio oil.  The fish was cooked very light, and I liked the silky smooth avocado with bright citrus from the lime zest.

Keith enjoyed the Squab Roast with sauteed chards, "pastel de nada" with aubergine, mushrooms, black truffle, foie gras and cinnamon sauce.  It was a very seasonal dish for the winter.

As a final palate cleanser, we ate a raspberry sorbet and I ordered a Classic Negroni.  The raspberry was quite sweet, but balanced with the bitters in my drink.

Lastly, for dessert we shared the Mandarin.  A trompe l'oeil with a bright orange candied shell filled with orange cream, and served with a orange sorbet.  It was a nice bright burst of citrus to end our meal.

With our bill, we were presented with mignardises.  We had a nice meal, however we were a bit disappointed by a couple dishes and the lack of attention to detail with service (e.g. not pouring wine/leaving empty glass, didn't fold/replace napkin when left table to use restroom, didn't place flatware for left-handed guest) which was expected for a two-star Michelin.  For the price paid and notoriety, we expected more which is reflected in our overall total rating.

Total Rating: 3.88
Food: 4.5, Price: 2, Service: 4.5, Ambience: 3, Accessibility: 5