Mr. Gourmet: Dinner With Fellow Steemians In Lisbon!

sirwinchester (75)in #food • 7 years ago

Left to right: @soldier me @mrs.steemit @vanylou @bluabaleno @agent @originate @steemrollin

SteemFest has been an amazing opportunity to connect with people from all over the world.

I got to meet so many people in real life whose usernames I've seen on steemit for so long!
And I've also met so many people who I would have otherwise never connected with!

As SteemFest came to an end, we spent a couple more days in Lisbon.
And one of those nights, we decided to go to dinner with @steemrollin @bluabaleno and @originate !
As we were searching for a restaurant on TripAdvisor, I came across "Restaurante Ti'Ascencao" with very good ratings.
So we decided to go there - little did I know that the place was actually just across the street from our Air BNB!

The restaurant was literally tiny - only 4 or 5 tables, and we had to wait quite a while before there was space for us.

But it was worth the wait!
This restaurant really focuses on high quality ingredients, unique dishes and great presentation.
The menu was also quite small (only about 6-7 main dishes) but Mr. Gourmet knows that sometimes, less is more!

For starters, we chose the Salad with Arancini.

These are fried rice balls, a delicacy from Sicily.
They were perfectly crispy from the outside, and hot and chewy in the middle.
The Arancini were stuffed with cheese, herbs, and cut up mushrooms. Delicious!
The salad also came with a spicy peach chutney - and the combination of sweet, sour, hearty, hot and cold made a great starter!

And now, everyone's main dishes!

As the menu was quite small, multiple people ended up picking the same dishes - which is why I have only 4 main courses to share.

First, pan-fried seabass with pea puree and potato!

When in Portugal, you obviously have to try the fish.
As you can see from the size and presentation of the dish, this restaurant really offers Goumet Style food and ingredients!
The cod was very crispy and flavourful, and made a great combination with the mellow vegetable puree and potato.

Next: A different version of the traditional Bacalhau!

Bacalhau is a very traditional portuguese dish that consists of dried and salted cod.
For this variation, the cod was softened in water, marinated in certain herbs and spices, and then paired with

For the meat lovers:

Steak with sauteed mushrooms, paired with fries and homemade mayonnaise!
The steak itself was prepared nicely - tender, juicy and flavourful.
It was paired with sauteed mushrooms which had been marinated in a balsamic and herb glaze.
Paired with the fresh french fries and homemade mayonnaise, this was a delicous meal!

A unique variation of Poultry:

Quail seemed to be a speciality on this restaurant's menu, so w decided to try it.
It was oven-roasted quail with potato gratin and vegetables.
The taste is similar to chicken, but yet more flavourful and a little different.
It was actually my first time trying Quail, and I enjoyed it!

Last but not least... Octopus !

This Octopus was definitely the highlight of the menu.
Polvo à Lagareiro is a traditional Portuguese dish that features fresh, pan-fried Octopus, marinated in olive oil and paired with oven-roasted potatoes and vegetables.
I'm a seafood lover and this fresh Octopus was definitely Gourmet-worthy!
When working with Octopus, the last thing you want is for it to become a rubber-like consistency. This Octopus was fried to perfection, absolutely tender and flavourful!

We had a great evening - eating, chatting, and having fun.

After we finished up at this restaurant, we actually went to the TIME OUT market wich @originate had recommended us.
We had some Pasteis de Nata and some Gin & Tonics there - and afterwards it was time to go to bed.
We had a great time connecting with our American Steemit friends - see you next time!