Text José Silva

A diferent concept, an extraordinary gastronomic experience, the pleasure to sit at the table with time. The young ODE owner has got a true cult for the Portuguese wines that are served with rigor in good glasses at the right temperatures, and the original and traditional products, that are used to perform titbits and dishes in this good eating house. An oasis in a desert that doesn’t seem to disappear.

ODE is the clever and taste fully recovery of an old space, right in the historical area of Porto town, close to Cais dos Bacalhoeiros and Ribeira. In a typical granite building it has got, just at the entrance, a beautiful schist table that sits half a dozen persons, with the open kitchen balcony just in front.

The side wall has got a genuine showcase with fresh fruit and vegetables and, just beside it, the modern temperature controlled freezers where the wines rest in excellent conditions. At the end, two steps up, the first room, almost a private room, the traditional granite of the city on the walls and thick wooden beams on the ceiling. Wonderful décor, refined, cozy, very beautiful. On the right, a wooden stair carries us to the first floor, to the main room with half a dozen tables and the same style, but with a view of the square and a gusset of the river. Perfect service, young people superintended by the owner, handing over passion and good taste.

Sitting on the schist table at the entrance that we shared with two of the many foreigners who filled up the restaurant, traditional bread from Bragança came to the table, as well as two small vessels with olive oil, one from Trás-os-Montes, the other one from Alentejo. Just after that, they served butter from Azores, very good, traditional bízaro pork smoked sausage from Melgaço and a small cheese from Azeitão, which one of them the better!! The journey was launched through a simple cuisine, with various flavors and fragrances, excellent products, well spiced. The small vegetable soup was stimulant, pleasant. A delicious traditional grilled yellow rocket from Vinhais, cut in small pieces, each one with a mango piece on top, contrasting tastes with a good result. Then it was time for a swordfish marinade that was perfect, wrapped up with onion and chili pepper, vinegar on the right quantity, very good. We didn´t miss the traditional, vigorous, grilled octopus “à Lagareiro” tender and very tasty, in the company of smashed potato, with skin, and boiled vegetables, with wonderful olive oil.

At last meat: grilled veal morsels, in the company of curry sauce from Goa and basmati rice with lime zestin a delicious contrast set. Although they tried to seduce us with the chocolate volcano and tangerine Artic or grandmother Dulce’s pudding, we couldn´t bear any more and we stick toavery well done fruit dish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The owner is tireless in the attendance of the customers, communicating in a charming way his passion for what he does, but also the rigor in the presentation of what comes to our table, the carefulness serving the wines, temperature control, and attention with the matchings proposed.
The Wines were very well represented, beginning with Muros de Melgaço 2013, a steady Alvarinho, full of life, fresh, flavored with balanced acidity. White Graça Reserva 2009 from Douro is made with grapes from very old vineyards, very mineral, complex, fresh with wonderful acidity, in very good shape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then came Pardusco 2012, a different red, modern, almost a claret, very fresh and smooth in the nose, involving in the mouth, plenty of fruit and balanced acidity, refined. Quinta dos Frades Old Vines red 2009 was at a great level, very refined, round, silky but safe, a little bit spicy, smoke notes, great wine. In contrast but in great shape, was Grou Red 2008, a wine from Alentejo that is still developing very well in the bottle, great structure, good mouth volume, sober tannins, fresh and acidity very well balanced, delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Late Harvest Olho No Pé 2012 is really good, sweet but with excellent acidity, mature fruit notes, a delicious miscellany, we drank it several times…
We finished talking with the owner with a glass of Ode Port wine, with great tradition, refined, authoritarian, which closed a long but excellent meal, a truthful ode to quality cookery…

Contacts
ODE Porto Wine House
Largo do Terreiro 7
4050-301 Porto
Mobile: 913 200 010
E-mail: info@odewinehouse.com
Facebook: odeportowinehouse