After exiting the São Sebastião subway station, we found ourselves climbing the slopes at Parque da Casa Ventura Terra before finally arriving at our destination - Restaurant Eleven.
From the dining room, we got a perfect view of the neighboring Eduardo VII Park and the city of Lisbon all at a glance.
Born in Germany, Chef-partner Joachim Koerper started his career working for some of the world's most renowned restaurants such as L’Ambroisie, Hostelerie du Cerf and Moulin de Mougins but it was the cuisine and ingredients of Southern Europe that he fell in love with which made him one of the masters of Mediterranean cuisine today.
Chef Koerper made a name for himself following the opening of his own restaurant, Girasol, in the seaside town of Moraira. In just nine months, he was awarded his first Michelin star and three years later his second.
What a pleasant surprise to see Chef Koerper on hand!
Not only is Chef Koerper's cuisine full of Mediterranean flavors, even his dining room has added a little Mediterranean touch as well.
Bread was a good start to our lunch but I was too focused with taking photos and ended up forgetting about snapping a photo of our bread!
Chef Koerper's cuisine focuses a great deal on using natural, fresh and seasonal products and that philosophy was immediately put on display with our amuse bouche.
A beetroot purée with green apple and crumbs, sautéed shrimp, crispy mushroom risotto ball with oatmeal and a cup of creamy porcini soup rounded out an excellent amuse bouche.
Our first starter was a combination of tuna salad, tuna tartare, seared scallop and smoked oysters served with a complicated mango vinaigrette and oyster lemon foam.
While we were still warming up our palates, a green cabbage soup soon followed. Checking closely, we realized there's a lobster tail and foie gras on the bottom of the soup.
Comparing to the previous dish which was refreshing and light, the green cabbage soup was surprisingly flavorful and in my opinion perhaps way too flavorful that even the taste of foie gras took a backseat. I didn't enjoy this dish at all.
Then it was our fish course, a nicely executed sea bass with ravioli and shellfish sauce. I thought they tried to do a little too much with the ravioli by preparing it with curry meat.
Moments later, my main course arrived in the form of a roasted Alentejo black pork with black truffle and eggplant pudding. Unlike the famous pork dish coming from the Alentejo region of Portugal, it didn't have any clams in it.
Like many of the dishes before this one, I thought the seasoning was a little too much.
Slightly more successful was the other main course, Challands duck with caramelized cherovia, chestnuts and poppy spaetzlis served on a lemon and ginger sauce.
We were so full by now and therefore were quite relieved that they didn't bring us their cheese trolley. Instead it was a trio of cheese the chef has already prepared for us, some from France and others locally made in Portugal.
But what I enjoyed most on this plate was the special apricot sauce. That was awesome to go with the cheese.
Onto dessert we go, it was an analogy of mousse as our server explained. Orange, chocolate, mango and a flavor made with a Brazilian fruit (whose name I forgot).
A simple petite four before we head towards the doorway.
After lunch, we took a slow walk along Eduardo VII Park towards the Old Town.
Thank you, Lisbon. It's been a lovely three days. We will definitely come back some other time.
Food Rating: 6/10
Price: $$$
Address: Rua Marquês de Fronteira, 1070-051 Lisboa, Portugal
Closest Metro Station: Parque / São SebastiãoTel: +351 2 1386 2211
Website: www.restauranteleven.com/eleven/?lang=en
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