Porto Restaurant Week: This Week, Eight Mercan Restaurants Offer Special Menus

Source: Time Out

From November 21 to 30, Porto Restaurant Week takes a seat at the table of eight restaurants in Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, and Matosinhos. Each one will have an exclusive menu.

Cais-me Bem, L’Égoïste Bar & Restaurant, Casa da Companhia, Blss U, Café Arts, Fontinha Pizzeria, Roast, and The Lobby Gastrobar are the eight restaurants that make up the Porto Restaurant Week itinerary, an initiative organized by AHM – Ace Hospitality Management. Between November 21 and 30, the eight establishments will add exclusive event menus to their offerings.

The formula is simple: couvert, a choice of starter, a main course (meat, fish, or vegetarian), dessert, and drinks (water, selected wines, coffee, and tea) are the elements that make up each of the menus available at the participating restaurants, for a fixed price of €25 per person. After that, each person makes the combinations they prefer.

For example, at The Lobby Gastrobar (Matosinhos), starters revolve around mini beef tartare with horseradish mayo and pork “piano” croquette, while the main course options include tuna steak on bolo do caco, bísaro pork tacos, or grilled leek with romesco sauce and slow-cooked egg. For dessert, there’s tiramisu or sliced seasonal fruit.

At Cais-me Bem (Vila Nova de Gaia), starters include vichyssoise with kale, chouriço crumble, and Avintes cornbread, as well as tomato tarte tatin with crème fraîche. Main course options include cod à Brás; duck confit à Brás with shallots and truffle; or mushroom and asparagus pearl barley risotto. Elderflower panna cotta with red berries and champagne jelly is a great option to end the meal.

Anyone in the Boavista area can sit at Roast, where the meal begins with chickpea salad with codfish and the house croquettes. The restaurant’s characteristic comfort continues with options like seabass with purée and roasted carrots; roasted chicken with rustic potatoes; or mushroom rice, finishing with chocobrownie or rotisserie-roasted pineapple.

Also in Porto, Fontinha Pizzeria joins the itinerary, with 100% Italian ingredients. During the initiative, the special menu includes the “Fontinhanella” salad or the suppa di verdura with garden vegetables and rosemary croutons as starters. For main dishes, options vary between capricciosa or margherita pizzas or spaghetti alla bolognese with fresh pasta, veal, and pecorino cheese. And, of course, dessert couldn’t be anything other than tiramisu—this one made with rum cream, mascarpone cheese, homemade biscuits, coffee, and cocoa.

In the heart of the Invicta city, Café Arts also offers a menu with plenty to choose from. Examples include salmon puff pastry with spinach and cream cheese, cod brandade with a prosciutto crust, pork shank risotto with crispy leeks, or ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese, spinach, and homemade tomato sauce. For dessert, it’s hard to resist the poached pear with vanilla mousse and Port wine reduction.

Casa da Companhia also opens its doors to Porto Restaurant Week, with shrimp niçoise salad, grilled squid with tomato rice, beef Marrare-style, or asparagus risotto with sun-dried tomato. A simple and delicious concept that extends to the desserts, between pineapple carpaccio and toucinho do céu.

In the Lapa area, L’Égoïste Bar & Restaurant stands out. The suggestions begin with green salad with citrus and roasted tomato cream with aromatic oil, continuing with dishes such as gilthead seabream with carrot purée, broccolini, beurre blanc, and chives; duck risotto with pumpkin; and Sicilian lemon rice with burrata cheese. Dessert options include, for example, white chocolate crème brûlée with strawberries and almonds.

For those who enjoy some entertainment, Blss U, the gastroclub in downtown Porto, is a good stop. Starters are presented both cold and hot: mixed greens with orange and balsamic; or vegetable cream infused with smoked paprika and herb oil. For the main course, choices include salmon with sweet potato and citrus; roasted chicken leg with lemon thyme risotto; and creamy Carolino rice with mushrooms, island cheese, and slow-cooked egg. The trio of papo de anjo, caramelized banana, and vanilla promises a very satisfying finish.