Lisbon: André – Taberna da Rua das Flores and now Taberna Fina (Hotel le Consulat)

 Ceviche of oysters to get us started

Friday night was a real treat – dinner at Taberna da Rua das Flores. No surprise, of course, the food by is always wonderfully inventive as well as being very tasty. 

André Magalhães owner and chef of Taberna da Flores

This Friday (1st December) André Magalhães opens his Taberna Fina at the nearby Hotel Le Consulat.The concept will be very similar to Taberna da Rua das Flores but more fine dining based on a tasting menu with the additional option of enjoying wines by the glass selected by André Ribeirinho to match the dishes.  

Is it a spoon or perhaps a fork or both – which end do you use?

After a rum cocktail we broached this 2014 Beira Int from Anselmo Mendes – venturing away from his customary area – the Minho. This white is made from 100% of the rare grape – Síria from old vines. It has a very particular, quite pungent aroma while the palate is more conventional with attractive texture and length. Just under 20€ from the Garrafeira Campo d'Ourique.  

Some of our dishes:   

 Corvina

 

 Scallops wrapped in bacon 

 Art on a plate: still life 

Soft shelled crab burgers 

Once we had seen off Anselmo's fine Beira we moved onto the lovely, complex 2006 Casa Figueira Branco made from Roussanne. 

Desserts:  

A light egg dessert rather like an Ile Flottante

 

 Passion fruit cheescake

 Rich, opulent chocolate cake 

With our desserts we had the mellow 1994 Colheita, Pocas.

Le Consulat, Lisbon + Taberna das Flores – an impressive restrained soirée

 

 The bar area

Yesterday evening turned out to nicely restrained starting at the new Le Consulat Hotel in Central Lisbon and opened at the end of May. It is a French venture involving François Blot and Valérie Guérend. François hails from Honfleur in Normandy but has close family links to wine in both South West France and North Africa. Le Consulat used to be the Brazilian Consulate, hence of course the name. 

I met François and Valerie last evening. If I had known his surname was Blot I would have asked if he was, by any chance, related to Jacky Blot of Bourgueil, Monlouis and Vouvray fame.

François and Valerie have, I think, made two smart appointments. Portuguese wine expert and the chief apostle of Adegga, André Ribeirinho, has been hired to look after the wine side, while the brilliant chef André Magalhães (Taberna das Flores) will soon opening their restaurant to be called Taberna Fina. 

 Through to the wine bar area 

 Menu and view from Le Consulat (No 22) 

over the Plaça Luís de Camões

 View over the Plaça Luís de Camões
(above and below)

 

Couple by window 

André Magalhães Taberna Fina 

Two briliantly creative meals – part 2: Roger Jones@The Harrow

The Harrow in Little Bedwyn

As promised this is the second part of a double post on a couple of brilliantly creative meals we enjoyed in July: one in Lisbon at André Magalhães at his tiny Taberna da Rua Flores, Lisbon and this one at Roger Jones' The Harrow. 

Amuse bouche – olives, garlic cloves and 

the famous foie gras macaroons

2008 Chenin du Puy, AC Saumur Blanc, Frédéric Mabileau

(above and below)

Roger and Sue Jones kindly invited us to bring one or more bottles (BYOB). We took one – the 2008 Le Puy, Saumur Blanc from Frédéric Mabileau. Sadly we only had one bottle left as this one was delicious, very attractively evolved with honey and pineapple notes along with brilliantly clean acidity underlining what a fine vintage 2008 is for dry whites in the Loire. This was Frédéric's second vintage from his small plot of Chenin Blanc at Le Puy Notre Dame.

Pure Chenin this 2008 was picked in two tris – the first on 11th October and the second on 22nd October.     

We chose the six course menu for £50 a head 

Crab & pea cocktail 

(above and below)

Classy olive oil 

Sashimi of yellow fin tuna, caviar rocks, crème fraîche 

with a stunning beetroot sorbet with wasabi 

– dish of the evening against very tough competition.

The tuna was wonderfully fresh and Frédéric's Saumur 

was a perfect match

Memorable decanter for a memorable wine 

The Harrow has an excellent wine list reflecting the Jones' enthusiasm for the wines of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa in particular. The Pinot Noirs from Felton Road (Central Otago) are one of the specially featured estates. We chose the 2010 Block 3, Pinot Noir, which was delicious and finely balanced, silky texture and lovely complexity with good freshness in the finish.  

Line caught turbot, Périgord truffle risotto

New season Welsh lamb, Isle of Wight tomatoes 

Mango, passion fruit and clementine parfait 

After opting for a tasting plate of cheese, we finished the meal with this 

fine dessert - 'Berry' - based on soft summer fruits  

Not only was the food delicious, the service was impeccable, relaxed and friendly. We'll be back soon!!

 

Two brilliantly creative meals – part 1: Taberna da Rua Flores, Lisbon

Fortunately André Magalhães was released 
from his beer prison to cook for us this evening

At André's Taberna you order a series of 

small dishes from the blackboard  

Readers of previous posts will know how enthusiastic we are over André Magalhães' brillantly inventive cooking at his tiny Taberna da Rua Flores, Lisbon. Each time we are in Lisbon we try to eat there – we were back there in mid-July. 

This will be a two-part post as more recently we made a wonderful dinner at Roger Jones' The Harrow in Little Bedwyn. I don't know whether Roger and André know of each other or have met but I suspect that they may well have a lot in common.   

Fantastic (horse) mackerel dish: picadinho de carapau

Just seared tuna (above and below)

André's signature dish – his take on fish and chips

Marlin 

Branco Especial, Quinta dos Carvalhais kindly brought by André Riberinho

A blend of several vintages this remarkable white was only made once 

Even for bears space is at a premium in this tiny restaurant...

The lamb cutlets went before I could take a photo!

Duck livers 

Special 15-YO fortified wine 

Suicide by chocolate!

Address: Rua das Flores 103, 1200-194 Lisboa, Portugal

Phone:+351 21 347 9418