Nood Chiado — Restaurant in Lisbon

Aubergine with miso - this was the true star of the show. A perfectly cooked slice of aubergine with the skin on. The flesh peeled away perfectly and the flora really worked well together. This has to be one of the best starters I’ve had in a while. Don’t be worried to order it instead of your standard appetizers like crispy rolls/edamame you’ll thank me for it!

Mushroom Boa - again I thought I’d try a vegetarian option and it was pleasant. However the mushrooms were rehydrated and you could taste that. I don’t mind this flor but others may not like it. The teriyaki sauce used was far too salty and this took away from the overall experience. The bun was a little soggy on the bottom which may just need parchment paper used when to cooking. The pop of cilantro/coriander added a much needed flavor escape from the salt forward nature of this dish.

Prawns in panko - standard well cooked and crispy. The sauce accompanying was nice and I would recommend this.

Chicken katsu curry and rice - so areas of improvement first. The chicken had no flavor whatsoever this coupled with the fact that the chicken was super moist and the bread crumb fell off easily means it was perhaps cooked in a souse vid first?! The chicken could have done with some salt after frying. The same could be said for the sauce it was missing something and I think it was the salt. It was perfectly fine and perhaps works for the more local ‘palette ‘.

Atmosphere - bright and airy with good music (covers of Elvis, The Eagles and Joni). The staff were very nice, attentive and pleasant. They checked and asked if the main should be bought out for example as well as checked how each dish was and to my liking. This is excellent attention to customer service.

Overall good some dishes a hit some a little missed I would come back and can recommend. The price point is a...

Lisbon tourist trap. Cheap crappy imitation of Asian food. Food is really overpriced by Lisbon standards. Especially for the quality of food and service that you're receiving. Ordered a fried rice dish that costed 8+ EUR but tasted like the $3 USD fried rice dish I can get at the crappy, no frills, hole in the wall chinese take out places by my home in NYC. My wife ordered the ramen noodles with a similar price and said it was the worst ramen noodles she's ever had. Probably the saltiest meal either of us have had in a long while. There are ways to make Asian food taste good without having to throw a ton of MSG and soy sauce into everything. And the service.... The staff seemed more interested in socializing with one another than actually attending to their job. Ordered a Sapporo and was brought another Japanese beer by the bartender because the waitress had failed to inform us that they were out of Sapporo. Fine. That type of miscommunication happens. But when we order a simple fried rice dish and the kitchen staff ends up cooking the vegetarian option and you come out with it, then it's time to start writing things down on a paper pad for...

The food is very good, but twice now we’ve asked for a glass of tap water each to go with our meal and they’ve tried to refuse it, saying that they only sell bottles. It’s ridiculous to refuse one glass of tap water when someone is paying for food (and sometimes even other drinks). It’s also against the law in Portugal. We had to ‘threaten’ to walk away/mention that by law they have to provide clients with tap water. And while eventually they did give us water, it spoils the experience quite a lot. It seems like they’re trying to take advantage of tourists or anyone else who doesn’t know that it’s mandatory for restaurants to provide clients with tap water for free.

In the future I’ll avoid the Chiado restaurant and go instead to the Saldanha one where the staff is very welcoming and has never refused me tap water. The Saldanha restaurant also has a bigger menu and I’ve always managed to order what I wanted (as opposed to the Chiado one where at least one thing I want is sold out everytime...