Belcanto - Lisboa

Our dinner at the Chef’s table was beyond all imagination. From the charming young lady that hosted us on arrival, introducing us to all the Kitchen chef’s and workers, to the beautiful scenery around us, our random partners to this dinner, our kind waters and last but not least- the food. Jose Avilles is a very very good chef, no doubt. During our 3 days in Lisbon we ate in 3 of his restaurants, all very fresh and tasty. But Belcanto is a dream. The food is so diverse and so beautifully made and sooooo tasty. We had an amazing evening that we won’t forget. The problem is that it left us with a taste of more…..:

Great food! Great service! Our second time in Lisbon/Portugal, and we kind of already familiarized Lisbon in our first go and for our second time, we wanted to explore more of the food scene here and Belcanto and the other we ate at did not disappoint. I have been to some fine dining restaurants but this was our first Michelin starred one, and it was a great experience. Nothing presumptuous about the place! I mean it was beautifully decorated but the service was very welcoming which is the most important part for me. My wife and I did not reserve beforehand, and we got really really fortunate to be able to get a spot here for dinner. As soon as we entered, we asked about it and the friendly receptionist mentioned there was a last minute cancellation and the rest is history! We did the Evolution tasting menu and a few of their champagne and wines. And our seat had a perfect view over the kitchen, and I believe chef Jose Avillez was there! Our main guy, Jose, who is from Porto was very nice and informative in serving each of the beautiful dishes! Each dish was a delightful surprise. Was it worth the 700+ CAD that we paid for, it is all relative but one thing for sure I will do it all over again!

The food was absolutely great we had the classic tasting menu with wine pairing. My own favorite was the white fish that was cooked to perfection and had a super nice texture. Nevertheless, there are some things that should be improved and addressed. The wine pairing was a disappointment. The glasses were embarrassingly small and there were no questions asked if we liked the wine or not. When we finally got some red wine and asked for something that had more body (the one from the menu didn’t really have any identity and after so much cold white wine we had hoped for more ‘shift’ in taste) we got another red wine but was also charged 44 EUR extra. I know there are other equally highly rated restaurants (check your neighbor Alma for example) where the waiters would pay a little bit more attention to your liking of the wine and also refill your glass if it’s empty especially when you decide to pour 8cl only. Another thing I found disappointing was the offering of one tiny piece of bread without asking if I wanted more through the long dinner. Finally, and this is important, I’m sure you don’t present the Michelin inspectors a fixed tip when they have to pay there was a suggestion for 10% tips added to our bill without us asking. That makes you seem like a tourist attraction.

The menu was based on the chief's food memories which sometimes was interesting but other times less so. You get a set of cards at the end with the dishes on though TBH I would have preferred a menu at the start. Service and food were good. What lets it down is its ridiculously expensive and sometimes quite horrid non alcoholic matching avoid.

We had heard positive reviews for this Michelin starred restaurant and decided to give it a try for my wife 's Birthday, as we 're staying in the Chaido area. The service was smoothly professional from our greeting to our departure. Extra touches everywhere include white glove service at table side and an invite to tour the kitchen between dinner and dessert! We chose the a la carte option as the tasting menu is too many courses for us. We also opted for the wine pairings. With that, we were served pre-appetizers on an amazing display rack (delicious), followed by beet salad and shrimp dish (appetizers) and steak plus roast squab (our mains). We finished off with chocolate dessert as well as an amazing Tangerina (tangerine flavour 3 ways in a frozen sphere)! This was definitely a splurge but also an experience we will remember and talk about for a long time.