EAT

Eat. You can always count on me for that. Eating for wild pleasure and never for sustenance alone. However, as I usually lament, for some reason my eating capacity has dwindled over the years; I struggle to pack away as much I used to, I did a better job in Paris when I wasn’t even at my peak.

However, I did manage to hit a few spots. One word of advice, even if you’re a spontaneous traveler, try and BOOK in advance (you can always cancel) because a lot of the good restaurants are reservation only and you could end up missing out on some excellent grub.

---

Image Credit

FLOW

I managed to persuade my pal Cash who was over from Australia to come to Porto after having reunited in Lisbon a few days earliers after many years. A group of us went to Flow on a Tue nigh; the restaurant was fully booked but they managed to fit us in the conservatory. In the main dining room, there are Cesca chairs, wicker basket chandeliers and exposed brick walls which gives the space a chic, laidback but luxe feel. Luckily, style doesn’t come at the expense of substance here, as the food we ordered stood up – with generous portions to boot. Good tuna ceviche to start and a solid sea bass risotto for mains. The main dining room was fully booked on a Mon night but we managed to get a seat in the conservatory which is equally lovely.

Instagram 

---

DOP

The next day, on my birthday, Cash very kindly treated me to a birthday lunch at DOP. Holder of a Michelin Plate, the restaurant is helmed by Rui Paula. We opted for their very reasonable €27 set lunch menu. Starting off with the octopus carpaccio, delightful albeit a little salty for my tastebuds; followed by a hearty portion of veal and gnocchi and summing up the meal with the ‘banana, orange and cookie’ – a modest description for what would turn out to be an excellent dessert plate – there was a mini banana flavoured crème brûlée of sorts which paired delightfully with the orange puree, cookie crunch and caramelized bits of orange. Just yum. Would certainly revisit this spot.

Instagram 

---

EUSKALDUNA STUDIO

In the evening I treated myself to a meal at Euskalduna. It. Was. Wonderful. With it’s roots in the Basque Country and Portugal, Euksalanda also taps into Asia for inspiration both for its dishes and overall aesthetic and sensibility. There’s no smoke, there’s no foam, there are no gimmicks at this studio; it is focused, considered, precise cooking that experiments with seasonal produce to deliver flavours to delight your tastebuds. The sommelier guided me through 8 glasses of booze alongside the 10 course tasting menu which you can find out more about here.

Instagram

---

CRUEL

The menu is split into three: cruel, cautious and fearful. To me, it felt a little gimmicky and elaborate for what was fairly average food – Jose Avillez on the other hand nailed his theatrical menu at Mini Bar when I visited a few years back. The salmon doughnut balls were fine. The salmon with quinoa I had was perfectly ok. I didn’t hate Cruel by any means and I’d possibly eat here again if nowhere else I wanted to check out was available.

Instagram

---

ZENITH

Their Shakshuka is weak – possibly one of the worst meals I’ve paid for. I’d had an Eggs Benedict here on a previous occasion when it was less busy and it was fine. The quality goes down when they are overwhelmed with large numbers. I don’t generally diss places but the huge queues that gather here are insane, so I just want to warn people, it’s really not worth the wait, eat elsewhere! It’s also heavy on the tourists front. If you’re after brunch, I’ve heard Rosa et Al Townhouse does a killer one which is open to non-guests but this is only available at the weekend.

Instagram

---

STAY – DINE – DRINK – DO

---

MAP