First and foremost, the location is gorgeous. Away from the sight and sound of human noise. They look after their space beautifully with perfectly cut grass and general care for their business and environment! A area find in this regard.
The service of the team was good. We came early before any other clients but during operational hours and asked about eating. We were told it might be ok but would check and then the person disappeared and we were left waiting in true Portugese style until by our insistence the floor manager was re-briefed by us again and we were finally attended to and seated with excellent attention. As a more casual style restaurant owner in Portugal myself, a few things were noticed.
the push on sales was too hard. We found the place on google and hadn’t planned to spend these prices as we were looking for a spot with a view at 12:00 for a light lunch. The push on the tabua or covert was hard and we agreed to the covert expecting home made pates and rolled herbed butters… but it was all served in plastic prefabrications. As this is standard in Portugal, that was ok.
the table was set correctly casual formal with starter cutlery and mains, lovely. Cloth, water and wine glasses with fabric serviette… but the glasses were dirty, not polished.
the menu pricing is basic without range. Starter, Main with some high priced Mains that presumably were shared items. It was not clear what was a large share portion or individual.
For personal taste I do not enjoy slabs of meat like steak as I find 99% of the time they are dry or monotonous. I do not enjoy any form of seafood in Portugal either. I opted for the pork skewer that arrived drier than any pork I’ve eaten in my life. The punched potatoes were over cooked, but the bean bread spinach was ok, fine. The chilli oil had no kick and the general flavour of the meal was bland.
Service was attentive and very well above anything I’ve experienced in Portugal. The manager is clearly a career server and has trained and managed his team well. I see reviews of slow service, but at this quality of service he likely does not have sufficient support which I know is a very difficult balance to maintain in this business.
I would recommend the restaurant for the location and would also say to pay more for the pride they have in the space (but please remove supplier branded parasols and furniture) and good quality of service. I would not rate the food as particularly tasty or interesting but do love the location and outlook for a quiet and beautiful experience for larger groups or something more intimate. We sat in the garden on a sunny day which helped a lot in...
Read more
Learn more insights from Wanderboat AI.
