Cantinho do Avillez offers typical Portuguese dishes in a bistro atmosphere right in the heart of Porto.
For this second dinner in Porto, I decided to stick with simple, traditional cuisine but to change the atmosphere: after the friendly Gruta and its simple, modern cuisine, I switched to something more traditional and bistro-style!
At the bottom of the page you’ll find a summary of articles about this trip to Porto.
The concept
It’s the Portuguese equivalent of the French bistro, with traditional cuisine.
More interestingly, this is one of the many restaurants owned by chef José Avillez, who can be described as the “Portuguese Ducasse”, with no fewer than 15 properties in Portugal and Dubai, most of them bistro-style, but with a double Michelin star and a Michelin star in Lisbon and a Michelin star in Dubai.
The setting
The bistro style is again in evidence, with simple decor and closely-spaced wooden tables giving a warm, friendly feel.
The menu
Richer than the previous day, it is composed of simple traditional Portuguese dishes.
The meal
As soon as I arrived, I was greeted very cordially and seated at my table, just opposite the open kitchen.
By the time I’d made my choice, I’d ordered bread with truffle and tomato butter and a few olives.
The olives are a little lemony and the truffle butter is a real killer.
I place my order and wait to be served, watching the spectacle of the kitchen in front of me.
The starter arrives fairly quickly.
Shrimps with white wine, lemon juice and coriander sautéed in olive oil.
Like yesterday, it’s a little light in quantity, but it’s tasty and very good, and as I love coriander… But the dish could be a little spicier.
Confit cod flakes with Mara bread, savoy cabbage, green beans, low-cooked egg and spherified olives.
This time, it’s much more consistent than the day before.
The olives are like jelly beads that explode under the palate, the egg acts as a binding agent between the fish and the cabbage, and it’s really very good.
Toucinho-do-céu with raspberry sorbet
Given the name and my limited knowledge of Portuguese cuisine, I didn’t know what to expect, but at least it’s guaranteed to be homemade.
The cookie is a little dry and heavy, but happily iced, and the whole thing is served in a chilled terrine with fruit and sorbet.
And that’s the end of this excellent dinner for a bill of 77 euros, including aperitif, wine and digestif.
Atmosphere
Lively as a bistro, so a little noisy, electro lounge music in the background, maybe a little loud but covered by the voices.
Service
Young and very pleasant staff.
Bottom line
A very successful dinner with simple, tasty dishes and a lively atmosphere.
The articles about this stay in Porto
# | Type | Post |
1 | Diary | Preparing a trip to Porto |
2 | Hotel | Moxy CDG |
3 | Lounge | Air France Roissy 2F lounge |
4 | Flight | Paris-Amsterdam – Air France – Business Class – A220 |
5 | Flight | Amsterdam-Porto – KLM – Business Class – Embraer 195 |
6 | Hotel | Renaissance Porto Lapa |
7 | Restaurant | Gruta |
8 | Restaurant | Cantinho do Avillez |
9 | Restaurant | Cafeina |
11 | Restaurant | In Diferente |
12 | Diary | Visiting Porto |
13 | Lounge | ANA Lounge Porto |
14 | Flight | Porto-Paris – Air France – Business Class – A319 |
15 | Diary | Debriefing my trip to Porto |