The Chef’s Table at Belcanto // Lisbon, Portugal

At the top of every Lisbon restaurant list sits Belcanto, the Portuguese food jewel of the city. Run by Chef José Avillez, and awarded 2 Michelin stars in 2014, Belcanto was 42nd on 2021’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants, and 46th on 2022’s list.

The entrance to the establishment is inviting, with doors that feature massive windows, surrounded by a warm green hue. An arched transom further emphasizes the height of these windows.

The first thing one notices when they walk into Belcanto is the incredible interior. Vaulted ceilings with lots of natural light, the decor of the place is absolutely beautiful. It really elevates the dining experience.

Once seated, the sommelier asked us what we’d like to drink, and started us with a sparkly Portuguese wine that was delicious.

We opted for the Chef’s menu to try a bit of the Evolution and the Belcanto menus, and it did not disappoint. However, everything was a surprise because while the other two menus are detailed online, the Chef’s menu reveals nothing of its dishes. So every time a dish came out, it was a total surprise.

I’m not sure how often the menu here changes, but if you’d rather be surprised by your meal, you might want to skip this post.

Amuse-bouches

Elderini with lemon foam and zest, and paprika salt (2020)

Drinks are rarely part of a food menu, but this elderini was fantastic. Light, airy, and the right way to prepare the palette for the rest of the meal.

Brioche with sunflower seed butter, scarlet shrimp tomalley and caviar (2021)

This was so good! Who doesn’t love a caviar + bread combination? The flavors in here were incredible.

Minced squid with roasted chicken skin, egg yolk purée and huacatay (2021)

By the time I had finished photographing everything, M had already eaten his serving of this starter. Crunchy and flavorful, this was basically a perfect bite.

Tuna tartare with borage (2020)

I absolutely love tuna tartare (sushi is my favorite food), and this did not disappoint. It had a light soy drizzle and was beautifully presented.

Foie gras full moon and Port (2021)

Chef’s kiss. I’ve always loved foie gras and port, and this combination in a truffle was an explosion of flavor. It popped in my mouth with a masterful sweetness and delicacy reminiscent of a fruit tapioca ball. Even my husband, who doesn’t like foie gras loved it, and of course I would eat again in a heartbeat.

Soup & Salads

Carrot and olive in different textures with pine nut milk and lupin bean "caviar" (2021)

This dish is a take on a traditional Portuguese carrot dish, and while creative, was a pretty big miss for me. The “caviar” were ice cold, which made it hard to enjoy any of the other flavors in the dish. The larger balls were slightly sour (especially the olive one), and the best part of this dish was the orange carrot purée with the pine nut milk. Overall, an interesting experiment but I’d rather have had the traditional soup.

European lobster "Caesar salad" with avocado, tomato water and, yuzu and truffle emulsion (2021)

Unfortunately, this salad wasn’t much better. The tomato water (really ice) was again frigid, and the tiny bites of avocado, to me, lacked avocado flavor. The lobster, too, felt slightly overcooked. Maybe I should have eaten the whole thing in one bite? Unclear. In any case, I think this was one of the worst salads I’ve ever had.

Bread

At this point, we must take a very important interlude to talk about Belcanto’s bread. The bread is served between the soup and the salad, in a large bread tray carrying 4 varieties. They are accompanied with 3 whipped-to-perfection butters in a matching wooden box: from left to right, the flavors are rosemary ashes, dried tomato and Farinheira, a Portuguese smoked sausage, and egg from an Azores bullfinch (I think).

The bread is even better. Olive rolls (very good), classic, spelt, and the absolute star, the cornbread. Slightly sweet, with a less meal-y texture than average cornbread, this gluten-ridden mouthful is a baked good of genius. When they asked if we wanted more bread, we were already stuffed, but had to get more of the cornbread.

Entrees

The garden of the goose that laid the golden eggs, egg, crunchy bread and mushrooms (2008)

After brilliant amuse bouche and really mediocre starters, I was starting to get a bit worried about the overall quality of the meal. This dish, however, redeemed it entirely.

Chef Avillez’s signature dish, this truffle egg dish was one of the best dishes I have ever had. Fragrant, flavorful, and fantastic. Breaking a poached egg is always a pleasure in-and-of-itself, and every bite had such complex and thorough flavors. My only critique would be that it feels very rich, as there is quite a bit of egg yolk. But mm. This was delicious.

Scarlet shrimp curry, apple and hibiscus (2021)

Then we followed up top 5 dishes of all time with M’s top 5 of all time. This scarlet shrimp is only found in Algarve coast waters, and is considered the most flavorful shrimp. And it was cooked perfectly. The curry added savory and depth of flavor, while the apple and hibiscus brightened the dish while adding a crunchy texture. This was brilliantly executed.

Mains

Hake, crawfish and caviar (2022)

By the time we got to this first main, I was already quite full. Tasting menus are a lot of calories.

This hake was flakey and perfectly cooked. It was definitely less flavorful than the previous two dishes, probably for the better.

Squab Terrine with mushroom and truffle Portuguese custard tart, squab terrine and, cinnamon and hazelnut sauce (2021)

Then we returned to full flavor, with this absolutely delicious squab and accompanying tart. A take on the famous pastéis de nata, this mushroom version was delicate and buttery, and paired perfectly with the much saltier terrine.

Crispy suckling pig with sarapatel, peppercorn sauce, lettuce heart and puffed potatoes (2021)

Puffed potatoes made for such airy fries. Not quite the same, but interesting nevertheless.

Dessert

"Bacon-from-heaven" and earth with "leche de tigre" (2021)

I really liked this dessert until I realized that it was actually made of pig fat and fish. Then I didn’t like it nearly as much. There was just too stark a disconnect between what I knew I was eating and what I felt I was supposed to be experiencing.

Apple and rhubarb pie (2022)

Before this meal came out, M literally said that he’d rather have something light and refreshing than a heavy dessert. And then, voila, a sorbet and fruit “pie.” It was an excellent dessert and palate cleanser in one.

Choux with yuzu curd, huacatay and sunflower seeds (2021)

This choux bun presented in a sunflower was a really great way to end the meal, topping off the menu’s creativity and fun.

Anniversary Surprise

As our second-to-last surprise, we got a vanilla chiffon cake coated in chocolate and topped with marshmallow frosting that was “made with a lot of love,” according to our waiter. It was so delicious, and such a pleasant surprise! I loved that they actually did something special for our anniversary. ❤️

Petite Fours

These yuzu candies were ok.

Final Surprise

The final surprise of the afternoon was the menu! I had actually kind of ruined it by asking earlier in the meal if we would get the menu or if I should take copious notes on the dishes, and the waiter had said, “Maybe yes, maybe no, I can’t say.” But getting the menu was so lovely, and made writing this blog post much easier!

Final Thoughts

Belcanto was special. I get why it’s #42 on 2021’s list of the World’s Best Restaurants, and it deserves to be there. If I were to go back, I would probably try the Evolution menu, but the Chef’s Menu was the right one for us, even though it was a lot of food (it’s their biggest tasting menu).

One of the other things I liked was that the number of covers was limited, making the dining experience feel particularly special. It was never overly rushed, with people walking in and out, or too loud to hear your companion talk.

To conclude, we’d say food was 8/10, ambience was 10/10, service was 9/10, and value for money was 7/10.