Cantinho do Avillez (Lisbon, PORTUGAL) ★★★☆☆

José Avillez is considered by many as one of the most exciting chefs in Portugal. The El Bulli alumni who owns an impressive resume having worked alongside culinary masters including Ferran Adria, Alain Ducasse and Eric Frechon, is among a young core of talented chefs behind the renaissance in Lisbon's dining scene these days. 

In 2011, following his successful stint at the ageless Restauant Tavares, chef Avillez started his own restaurants Cantinho do Avillez and Belcanto. Belcanto went on to capture its first Michelin star in the following year.

Unfortunately, Belcanto was closed during the time when we were in Lisbon so we had to settle for the more casual Cantinho do Avillez.



The menu at Cantinho do Avillez offers Portuguese inspired dishes with a modern twist.



First thing first, a small but nice basket of bread. We haven't had much to eat all day having just arrived from Palermo, Italy in the late afternoon. So it was finished up almost instantly.




Our dinner began with one of the 12 appetizers on the menu - marinated scallops with avocado. 6-8 thin slices of scallops were sitting neatly on a pool of avocado cream.

This tasted very much like an average scallop ceviche from a Pervian restaurant. Nothing too exciting to report I am afraid.



For main course, I had the Portuguese suckling pig bruschetta with Asian flavors, which was supposed to be a house specialty here. But it was not the kind of suckling pig I was expecting.

Thick slabs of suckling pig were served on a bruschetta with lettuce, chilli and mayo on top. I thought the suckling pig tasted more like pork kebabs but without the exotic spices.



Another main course, "Barrosã DOP" hamburger with caramelized onion and foie gras, was equally uninspiring. The beef patty was lacking the texture and flavor to be considered top notch.

Perhaps we were guilty of going with all the signature dishes instead of going with our heart and that decision turned out to backfire. 

On the bright side, the service was excellent. And from what I have seen from our neighbours, some dishes did look fairly promising (for example, the grilled scallops with tomato and asparagus looked really good) so maybe our misfortune and poor selection played a part in this subpar experience.




Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$

Address: Rua Duques de Bragança 7, Lisbon, Portugal

Tel: +351 2119 92369
Website: www.cantinhodoavillez.pt

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