Pão com molho — Restaurant in Funchal

We had ordered Fish Soup and "Bacalhau à Braz" (Codfish) for dinner (Bacalhau à Braz is a Traditional and very popular Portuguese dish). The Fish Soup was pleasing to our palate, however, we were left appalled when Paloco was served instead of Bacalhau (Codfish). Paloco is an inferior quality fish that bears no resemblance in texture or flavor to Bacalhau. Moreover, the dish lacked the quintessential sautéed onion, bay leaf, nutmeg, and olive oil, which are crucial components of Bacalhau à Braz. In addition, the plate was drenched in an excessive amount of olive oil, resembling more of a soup than a traditional dish. To make matters worse, instead of using the usual thin stick chips, the dish was prepared with large potato chips, which were inadequately bound together with a minuscule amount of eggs, giving it an unappetizing appearance. Furthermore, the table was stained red like a woman's lipstick.

To make matters worse, when we brought this issue to their attention and informed them that what they served was Paloco and not Codfish, the staff responded with disdainful disregard for our concern. Instead of apologizing for their deceitful substitution with a fish of much lower quality and almost one-third the price of Codfish, they still seemed to be more concerned with our lack of appreciation for Paloco. It was apparent that they had assumed we were foreign and therefore susceptible to deception.

It is regrettable that this establishment would deliberately substitute an inferior product and disregard their customers' feedback. We urge them to take corrective action to ensure that such deception does not recur, and customers receive the quality of food they...

They have a smooth and nice gentleman to lure you in. The service from this guy is good. After a while we saw that my pregnant wife was served raw chicken, after we told one of the waiters, they didn't know what to do with this.

Eventually the owner came over and asked my pregnant wife if she didn't feel the rawness of the chicken in her mouth and why we didn't mention it before. He started to discuss with us like it was our fault that we didn't see/mention it sooner. He even told us it was normal that the end of the chicken kebab was raw but that he has never received a complaint before.

Apparently they don't know what raw chicken is dangerous, especially for pregnant women!

Be careful what you eat here and CHECK if the...

We've been avid visitors to Madeira for 40 years, during which time there have been many significant changes. However, two of the menu constants are Espada with Banana and Passion Fruit Pudding. This restaurant produced the best examples we have ever experienced.

Espada with Banana - a beautifully succulent, perfectly cooked, locally caught fish, served with wonderful mix of fresh local veg (today, cauliflower, carrots, courgettes and other squash, and the local salty jacket potatoes).

Passion Fruit Pudding - a deceptively simple dish made with fresh cream, pineapple jelly and fruit, using the restaurateurs' family recipe. A perfect, light end to a simple but fabulous meal.

We...