Sabores da Ria — Restaurant in Tavira

We were very disappointed with out visit to this restaurant yesterday. We ordered the Couvert which at €7.10 is far more pricey than normal but it was a bit fancier with Tuna pate and sauteed mushrooms. A bread basket was served with it, I had fish and chips which was OK - chips were frozen I think and the fish was more crispy batter than fish (could not tell what the fish was)! My husband had the tuna with onions and peppers - he requested it medium but the middle of the fish was completely raw - the fish or sauce had no flavour - he did not eat it and when we advised the server that there was not flavour to the dish he told us that the fish should have no flavour as it was steamed! We live in Portugal and have had this dish hundreds of times - we know what it should taste like. It appeared the dish had been heated in a microwave - despite my husband being served at least 5 mins after me! The most disappointing bit was when the bill came (on a tablet with the bank machine in hand- really bugs me) I asked the waiter to leave the tablet so I look at the bill - there I noticed a charge of €2.90 for bread - I told the waiter I had not ordered bread - he answered well how were you going to eat your Covert without bread! I told him that it should be included - he went off and brought back the menu and showed me what was included in the couvert - I told him it was misleading and customers should be told when ordering of the extra charge and he advised Well that would make the Couvert €10! Well thats what it is when you are given bread that is EXTRA! It wasnt the €2.90 that bothered me it was the way it is done underhanded. We left the exact amount of the bill and will not...

I went in at lunchtime and booked a table for 7 o'clock that (Thursday) evening. The patron was apologetic that no balcony table would be available. When we arrived we were treated as honoured guests and ours was a window table which was (for us) every bit as good as the balcony - the view was to die for. Gill ordered crab pate for starter while I had fish soup - both served quickly and both of high quality. For main, Gill chose linguine with salmon in a rich cheese sauce and I the fish mixed grill. Gill loved hers and I was dismayed by the breadth of mine. First a platter of three different fish, (with chips and mixed salad) and then when I'd waded manfully through all three, another four of yet different varieties arrived and would I like some more still? I wasn't sure whether they could be serious, so I said 'Yes' and sure enough, as I finished my seventh fish, a large golden bream arrived with another dish of chips and another of mixed salad. We'd washed it all down with a jug of sangria, and I could manage only a single ball of ice-cream for pudding and Gill had a crepe. We declined coffee but were served a complimentary liqueur. Gill worried what it was all going to cost and was amazed that the bill was only 54 Euros. Waiters had danced attendance throughout and made us feel special. Though this was our first visit, the patron personally thanked us for coming and saw us off, having taken the trouble to remember our names. A lovely...

When we moved to the area 8 years ago we ate at this restaurant regularly and the food was superb, especially the fish and chips and the fish pie. After a few years, there was a change and the deterioration was notable. We've tried it again intermittently because there's a lovely balcony overlooking the water but each time, we've been disappointed. After a long break we decided to try it again today and I had the fish pie. Oh my word.... a few bits of fish, thrown in with way too many mushrooms, quite a bit of bacon and some spinach with almost no sauce, topped with mash potatoes that were just mashed .... no butter or milk, just dry potatoes and everything under-seasoned. An egg custard was added as a topping, but it was so thin, it was just a tasteless paper-like layer. My husband's portion had the tiniest bit of mozarella in one spot that he discovered 2/3rds of the way through his meal (good for pizzas, not so good for pies) but my fish pie had no cheese at all. To be fair, prices have gone up in all the restaurants... when we first started going for fish (replenished as you pleased, with beautiful batter) and chips.... €7,50. Now, it's €13.10. I would be happy to pay this increased price if the food reflected the increase in price. Decision taken today.... we will never go...