Text José Silva

Lisbon is always improving and calling more and more tourists from more and more countries, and it’s classified as one of the most interesting destinies in the world.

With a lot of interesting reasons for a visit, from the architectural beauty, to the cultural area and the historical inheritance, Lisbon has got its own life and, as a very modern town, it keeps the traditions that made it famous, mainly the authentic look of its old neighborhoods, where you still eat titbits and sing the fado.

And one of the great quality Lisbon traditions are the restaurants, many of them serving good food for decades, and many others more modern, that showed up and improved, all around the city. But it is in the center of Lisbon that in the last years many quality restaurants have appeared, some of them led by very well-known Chefs who can spread their knowledge and their art there.

One of those Chefs, who left his home town, Porto, to go to Lisbon where he has been developing some projects, is Miguel Castro e Silva, very well-known and esteemed, a creator and researcher with a lot of work done. Recently he opened another space, right in the center of Lisbon, in the beauty of Praça das Flores, which he named “De Castro Flores”.

When we paid him a visit we were received in a very beautiful space, modern, well decorated in light shades, very cozy, a familiar restaurant. Outside, even at night, the terrace is much requested, we feel good there. The dining room is large, with several small corners, a nice balcony in the middle, some tables with strait stools leaning against the wall, but very comfortable.

Well-dressed tables, a mix of simplicity and refinement, good appliances and very good glass service. Very young people, well led, take care of the service, very efficiently, with affection and attention, guiding us with safety through the meal, an example of professionalism to be followed.

The menu, as usual in Chef Miguel Castro Silva´s work, has got an enormous component of titbits, some of them change now and then, but many others have got great tradition in his work, in this case peas with smoked sausages and poached egg, tender dough pies, Beira black pudding with apple and onion or delicious clams with butter beans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the meal we had, we were delighted to have smoked codfish with dry tomato and almond vinaigrette, followed by the also traditional “vegetal garden fish” with mayonnaise and lemon.

Then came broken eggs with trumpets (mushrooms), creamy and very tasty, some particular fried scruff codfish coated in batter, soft and tasty, and delicious peas with smoked sausages and poached egg, presented in small pots, very hot.

As main course, as there are also some wonderful dishes there, very complete, we tasted a superb lamb shank with chickpea stew and wild mushrooms, a dish for brave people, well balanced, tender and tasty meat, the mushrooms making the perfect connection.

Nobody could stand dessert anymore, but we still drank another glass of some of the wines we brought with us and from one of Miguel Castro e Silva´s wine, the white blend Ribeiro Santo, from Dão.

Lisbon’s night was just beginning…

Contacts
Restaurante De Castro
Praça das Flores
Rua Marcos Portugal, 1
1200-265 Lisboa
Tel: (+351) 215  903 077
Email: geral@decastroelias.com
Site:  decastro.pt