José Avillez, an imposing Portuguese and renowned chef who stands out for his entrepreneurial spirit and great desire to move forward, considers his main mission to promote Portuguese gastronomy on a global level and to make Portugal a gastronomic destination of excellence.
José Avillez has several restaurants in Portugal — in Lisbon, Porto and Cascais — as well as in Dubai and Macau. And in 2023, together with his wife, José opened Casa Nossa — The Lake Farmhouse, located in Alentejo.
All restaurants have their own unique concept and showcase the best of Portuguese cuisine, from north to south, from continent to islands, from tradition to modernity. A great reference in haute cuisine and a master of different concepts, José Avillez shows in every project his tireless passion for gastronomy and his desire to discover new facets of it. Our recent discovery of ENCANTO and BAIRRO DO AVILLES are the best proof of this.
ENCANTO
This is the magical vegetable world of José Avillez haute cuisine, where the protagonists are vegetables.
Accoladed with a Michelin Star in the same year it opened, ENCANTO serves a unique tasting menu, 100% vegetarian, with around 12 moments, that celebrates the work of small or local Portuguese farmers and cedes the spotlight to seasonal products.
The game of colors, textures and temperatures with contrasting and refined flavors José has managed to present in the most surprising and original way.
Vegetables, leaves, seeds, seaweeds, mushrooms, flowers, fruits, eggs and cheeses are skillfully combined and prepared and served delicately and exquisitely.
The first course consists of five small appetizers:
-Grilled asparagus tartlet | Green almonds
-White beans | Avocado | Leche de tigre | Flowers
-Eggplant azevia | Pimenton de La Vera | Lemon
-Gold | Hummus
-Satay peanut | Paprika | Lemon
The next course is served with bread:
-Spelt sourdough bread | Smoked butter | Sage ashes
-Celeriac | Xerém | Preserved tomato | Yolk | Tamari
-Turnip | Turnip Greens | Ginger | Konatsu | Pine nut milk
-Beetroot | Sweet potato | Dijon
-Cuscos transmontanos | Atlantic seaweeds | Hollandaise
-Green curry | Green vegetables | Green citrus
Main course is presented in 3 moments:
-Vegetable “Alheira” | Egg yolk | Kale
-Wild mushrooms carolino rice | Parsley | Pear | Cep “scallop”
-Leeks | Pomme rosti | Puff pastry | Beurre blanc | Verjus | Winter truffle
Rounding out the tasting menu are two desserts:
-Rice pudding | Amazake | Pear | Must | Hazelnut | Limequat
-Brioche french toast | Jerusalem artichoke | Quince
Wine accompaniments will include alcoholic paring or non-alcoholic, as well as biodynamic wines and craft beer, homemade juices, infusions and tea mushroom.
Menu Encanto — 135€
8-course Wine pairing — 85 €
8-course Alcohol-free pairing — 85 €
Address: Largo de São Carlos, 10, 1200-410 Lisbon, Portugal
Instagram: @encanto_joseavillez
BAIRRO DO AVILLES — Lisbon’s Most Atypical Neighborhood
Bairro do Avillez, in the heart of Chiado, is a 1000 m2 space featuring different restaurant concepts inspired by the best Portuguese flavors: Taberna, Páteo, Mini Bar and Pizzaria Lisboa.
As José himself says, Bairro do Avillez is the place for those who like eating well and still want to be surprised.
PÀTEO
This is the most impressive PÀTEO in Lisbon, where seafood and fish are the kings of the cuisine, but meat lovers and dessert lovers will also find something to indulge in.
A very atmospheric and just excellent place to have a delicious lunch or dinner.
To make the experience complete, it’s best to order different dishes and share: seafood, snacks, meat, fish and desserts.
For Starters we recommend trying:
– Tuna Tartare with Spicy Marinade and Chives
– Aged Beef Carpaccio, Watercress, Truffle and Parmesan Emulsion
– Truffle Burrata, Watercress, Honey and Pine Nuts
To accompany the meals — Olive Bread, Cornbread, Bread from Alentejo, Marinated Galega Olives and Smoked Butter
And to experience the Portuguese flavors even more vividly, you should definitely pick up a local wine, like we did:
– Howard’s Folly, Sonhador Rosé, Alentejo, Portugal
Our selection of Mains:
– Brás-Style Cod with “Exploding Olives”
– Scarlet Shrimp, Crab and Clams Rice
Wine suggestion: José Avillez x Niepoort, White, Alentejo, Portugal
The renowned wine producer Dirk Niepoort and the “ambassador” of Portuguese gastronomy José Avillez have teamed up to create two new wines that offer a sensory journey through the stunning Douro region: Avillez/Niepoort Red and Avillez/Niepoort White.
A fresh wine with great aging potential, it has a very intense and deep mineral aspect, very complex in aroma, with excellent notes of toast from the barrel and fine herbs perfectly integrated into the citrus and slightly floral profile. This wine to be enjoyed in a Burgundy glass.
An absolute favorite is a light and delicate dessert:
– “Passion Fruit” With Coconut Sorbet
Wine suggestion:
– Soalheiro Alvarimho 9%, Monção e Melgaço, Portugal
And at the end of the meal, a nice treat — Special Cup of Gelato from Ice Cream Cart:
Coffee ice cream, Hazelnut ice cream
and cinnamon ice cream, hazelnut sprinkles and cotton candy
Address: Bairro do Avillez, Rua Nova da Trindade, 18, Lisbon, Portugal
Instagram: @bairrodoavillez
MINI BAR
This fun, sophisticated and surprising gastronomic bar is a hidden gem in Bairro do Avillez, where you will be taken on a journey through a unique menu teeming with flavors accompanied by skillfully prepared cocktails.
In a fancy and entrancing atmosphere of MINI BAR, it’s so pleasant to dine here or enjoy a drink at the end of the evening.
The place offers a Drinks Menu with Special Cocktails, Wines, Craft Beers and small, varied gastronomic experiences full of flavour, wonder and fun that you can enjoy in the bar area or at the tables.
You can taste the “Chef’s menu” of 12 courses with wine paring. It features some of Mini Bar’s classic “artists”, such as El Bulli Olives or Passion Fruit Globe, but also new “stars” and revelations, such as Matured Beef Tartare with Parmesan or Grilled Meagre with Prawn Moqueca Sauce.
José also developed a menu that is divided in several “Acts”: Snacks, Raw and Crispy, Tempuras and Savouries, Small starters — and has just launched a number of irresistible new dishes:
Coastal prawn and aguachile tostada and a surprising Tuna belly tartare and caviar; a Green asparagus and lemon tempura and a delicious Oven-baked scarlet shrimp rice with lemon, a Charcoal grilled octopus with kimchi emulsion and Charcoal grilled maturated sirloin with truffled mustard; Giant foie gras pearl; Tuna tartare temaki cone with spicy soya and much much more.
From desserts, be sure to try a novelty — it is a modern version of the famous classic “Artist”: Caramel Waffle, Popcorn & Cotton Candy
And as a special surprise in the end, so extravagant and glamorous petit four is waiting for you.
For dinner you will be offered a bar menu with special cocktails, wines and craft beer.
Our Choice of Cocktails:
– Cuban Cabaret
(Havana Club Slección de Maestros Rum, Aperol, Champagne, Grapefruit and Cranberry Juice)
– Miss Saigon
(Olmeca Altos Plata Tequila, Passion Fruit, Tarragon and Cucumber)
And also from Wednesday to Saturday MINI BAR turns into a Mini Bar Club with its own musical program — music, dancing and fun take over this place.
On Wednesday there is live music, on Thursday live music and DJ, and on Fridays and Saturdays SHOW and DJ with dance music until 3 am. It’s time to get on stage and enjoy a great evening!
Address: Bairro do Avillez, Rua Nova da Trindade, 18, Lisbon, Portugal
Instagram: @mini_bar_joseavillez
Text: Marina Timo
Photo courtesy: EATWEEKGUIDE
