Contemporary Portuguese Cuisine with a buzzy atmosphere
WORDS Vicki Harding
There is always a friendly welcome at this contemporary restaurant, which has a cool vibe from its décor through to its staff. The owner Boris explains that he learnt a lot about his trade through working for one of the most influential food chains in London, where his training focused a lot on customer service skills. This certainly shows when you dine here with the staff bustling around, making sure everyone is being given attention.
When our family and Tom visited on a Saturday in September, there was a continuous turnover of tables and the atmosphere was very lively. There’s a waiting bar on the first floor where you can get a drink while you wait for your table. Our waiter Wes couldn’t have been more attentive and entertaining throughout the evening.
We were pleased with the varied menu, with tapas, sandwiches and main courses. The tapas made a great sharing starter. We went for the pica pau, which is stir-fried beef strips with garlic and mustard sauce, camarão frito (prawns stir-fried in garlic and ginger) and a cheese selection. Our daughter chose the O Prego sandwich as a main meal: this was an amazing steak sandwich and came in a bolo de caco (a typical Madeiran bread) with queijo da Ilha (cheese) and an egg.
I opted for the São Jorge steak, which was a lovely tender steak served with queijo da Ilha and a balsamic vinaigrette. My husband went for the Açoreano, a seared tuna steak served with caramelised onions and tartar sauce.
Meanwhile, Tom’s tastebuds were tantalised with a dish originating from Évora: grilled black pork tenderloin with chorizo, caramelised onions and a two-mustard sauce. All the mains came with chips. It would have been rude not to have a dessert to finish the meal off and I can highly recommend the Cheesecake Mojito. We all thoroughly enjoyed this very sumptuous and tasty meal.
We would highly recommend a visit to Casa do Prego for any occasion.
Closed on Sundays
For reservations call: +351 913 505 038
Photo © Ellaouise Harding
