Restaurante Casa Chef Victor Felisberto — Restaurant in Abrantes

Victor Felisberto is a Portuguese chef who trained in Paris, London, Barcelona and Andorra. He specialises in succulent slow-cooked meat in a wood-fired oven. His website claims "Chef Victor Felisberto originally studied medicine in Coimbra, the son of a well-heeled family from Golegã and, in reality, it had never crossed his mind to have to work for a living." He now finds himself in the illustrious Abrantes where he has set up shop in a spacious tacky environment complete with chef-hat logo, plastic hanging plants and glaring dressing-room lights, his name emblazoned on the walls. The restaurant was almost empty at lunchtime, with the exception of one couple inexplicably cramped at a tiny table pushed right up against the entrance door, even though two entire empty dining rooms were available. When a similarly poorly positioned table was proffered I requested one near the bar, so I could observe the goings on behind the scenes. A bugbear of mine is being forced to accept a couvert without any explanation or even being asked if I would like it (which I usually do not) so I asked the waitress to remove the plate of olives, mini tostas, cheese and something else covered in kitchen paper that she had unceremoniously deposited there without a word (an act irksomely frequently performed when they think you are a tourist who doesn't know any better). I asked her to leave just the bread. This was a mistake, because the bread - house-made in the wood-fired oven, apparently - was dry from being cut much earlier, whenever the couvert had been prepared. When I asked the waitress to replace the bread with fresh-cut bread, she begrudgingly obliged, but the bread she replaced it with was soft, spongey, and dense, and a delicious example of the chef's talents. I perused the menu for what to order - the pork cheeks, pork ribs, and foie gras all sounded very appealing. I requested wine by the glass but the waitress was not sure which ones they had by the glass, and couldn't help. The umming and ahhing and stalling was comic if not very awkward. So we moved on to trying to order the meal, but were interrupted when Senhor Felisberto himself barged past the waitress and appeared tableside, a rejected slice of my bread in his hand, shouting protests through a mouthful of the same bread - yes the bread my wife and I had both squeezed and touched to ascertain that the entire plate of bread was served stale - that he had now started eating to prove it was not stale, but in fact tasted great. At this point it was clear that we would never taste the other fruits of chef's talents, this unhinged behaviour a portent of further disasters to come, and we placed two euros on the table to cover the bread we did in fact eat, and got up and walked out. A different waitress approached to ask if there was a problem, but at this stage it felt as if it should...

Last night, my friends and I had the pleasure of dining at Chef Victor's restaurant, and what an evening it was! Initially, I was a bit skeptical, but my doubts were quickly put to rest. Here's a breakdown of our wonderful culinary journey.

Starters We began our evening with an exquisite selection of cheeses and charcuterie. The variety was absolutely fabulous—super tasty and paired perfectly with delicious bread. The pâté was another highlight, adding a rich and savoury note to the delightful starters. It was the perfect way to kick off our meal.

Main Courses The main courses were nothing short of spectacular. We enjoyed hearty stews, one featuring pork and veal, and another with cod, potatoes, paprika, and onions. Both dishes were cooked to perfection, brimming with robust flavors. The grilled chorizo was another standout, with its smoky and spicy notes adding a wonderful complexity to the meal.

The selection of wines was impressive and reasonably priced, complementing the dishes beautifully.DessertsAnd then, the pièce de résistance—the desserts! The custard cake with cinnamon ice cream was an absolute screamer. Although I found the desserts a bit too sweet for my liking, they were undeniably delicious and a fitting end to our meal.

Wine Selection They say the wine selection was great, and indeed it was. While the wine and wine glasses were okay, the overall experience was perfectly delicious. Oh my god, we were treated to such wonderful food in a rustic style. I absolutely loved it. The wine list, which is also available online, features a variety of lovely selections.

Although the selection of port wines was somewhat small, it wasn't a significant issue. There were plenty of other delightful choices to enjoy.

Overall Experience Chef Victor and his team were incredibly friendly, making us feel right at home. We had a table in front of the kitchen, adding to the authenticity and charm of the experience. The restaurant's solid "big gourmand" classification in the Michelin Guide is well-deserved.

The food was consistently delicious, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting.In conclusion, I highly recommend Chef Victor's restaurant to anyone in the area. It was a delicious feast, and I am grateful for such a memorable evening. Bravo, Chef Victor! Five...

I should start by saying that I don't speak Portuguese, and I believe that impacts on an experience of a restaurant such as Casa Chef Victor Felisberto because it limits interaction with the staff and makes the menu hard to understand: by that, I don't just mean a translation, but appreciating what the different dishes are, how they are prepared, what's good, what's special, etc. and being able to make an informed choice. It also is not a great start to a meal when I am on my phone desperately trying to work out what each of the 30+ dishes on the menu is!! (I vowed to always get a menu in advance in future). I am certainly not saying that the staff should speak English and that there should be an English menu - I just want to explain why my scores are lower than many in these reviews.

The restaurant is nicely decorated and comfortable, music is nice, staff are proficient. It was quiet when we were there, hence the average ambiance score, but I imagine when it's busier it has a nice buzz to it.

The pate and cheese they bought out were fine - pate was a bit bland and the cheese was difficult to serve (my husband ended up with cheesy fingers). Of course, there's a charge - worked out at nearly €20 - so be sure to say you don't want it, if you don't want it. We skipped starters and went straight into the shared main - the staff said all dishes could be shared, but only a few state they are for 2 people. Anyway, having been struggling with translations, I asked for a recommendation and so ended up with the pork and veal dish - apparently the chef's special. It was tasty and well cooked, for sure, but nothing outstanding. Perhaps because it was like something I'd cook at home.

We made a bad choice on dessert as we shared a blueberry cheesecake - very nice but not as nice looking as some of the other dishes we saw being bought out for the table next to us!

The wine was great - we choose one from the recommendations.

Overall, it was an average experience in an above...