Sunday, March 4, 2012

Lisbon PT: Bonjardim Restaurant

As promised with my previous blog entry, I wanted to share the food adventures I had in Lisbon. The first meal I spent together with HT Couple in Lisbon is at Bonjardim Restaurant. It is a tavern restaurant that serves Portuguese restaurant and HT wifey found the place as one of the recommended restaurants from her research.We went into an alley with a number of restaurants and it was not that easy to find the place, especially at night. After 10 minutes of walking back and forth, my friends and I were able to find the place and I was quickly excited of the food about to be served.

We had Pasteis de Bacalhau, Portuguese cheese and bread as our starters while waiting for our orders. It is common for Portugese restaurant to serve cheese, bread, and bacalhau on the table. They do not come free and will need to be paid when the bill arrives. No worries though as they are not expensive too.




I ordered a warm soup called canja as a starter. It is a popular chicken rice soup in Portugal and very delicious. You would know that the soup is made with real chicken and not with seasoning cubes. They also have sliced gizzards served in this soup which I don't really mind as I think it made it tastier. It was perfect on a cold night!  Surprisingly, this huge serving of soup only costs Eur 1.9.

Next is the main course, I ordered Frango de Asado or in English Peri-Peri Chicken. It is the restaurant's best seller. The chicken skin is rubbed generously with coarse salt thus making the skin very salty but also made the meat very tasty. They also have a chili oil on the side and I must warn you that when they say spicy, it is not a joke. I've never seen "real" chili oil served in European restaurant with "Asian" level spiciness.

For the sides, I had Arroz Brasileira and Esparregado. Arroz Brasileira is fried rice cooked with chicken internal organs. It is my favorite and is definitely a must try. Esparregado is a spinach puree. This vegetable side helps balance out the saltiness of the chicken but I'm not a big fan of this dish. The sides comes with huge portions and is best for sharing.




Our meal was accompanied with a red Portuguese wine recommended by our server.


The 1st meal I had in Lisbon left only a very good impression about the city. The staff were very friendly and warm. When we were asking about Arroz Brasileira, they even came out with a small plate of the dish so that we can try it out before we order. Good food, good ambiance, and cheap price. Don't miss this when in Lisbon!


BONJARDIM RESTAURANT
Travessa de Santo Antao, 11, Santa Justa
Nearest Metro Station: Restauradores


Canja Eur 1.9
Frango de Asado (1/2 chicken) Eur 5.2
Esparregado Eur 4.6
Arroz Brasileira Eur 3.2
Porta de Ravesca Eur 7

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