Eat Drink Live Enjoy: Tasca da Esquina

If you are looking for traditional food with a little twist you have to go to Tasca da Esquina, their food is amazing and very tasty. You will find a menu with traditional dishes, tavern's style.

The restaurant is very small so make reservations or arrive early hoping to have a table available. The space is very peculiar... they almost like two distinct room:

Room tavern's style: high tables with matching seats.
Traditional room: much more like a normal restaurant.

We stay at the Room tavern's style which is much more close to the kitchen and where you can see the Chef working.

The food...

I asked a Tasting Menu (5 dishes) and the other two persons that were with me asked a Tasting Mane (4 dishes) and a Steak. By the way, the Tasting Menu is chosen by the chef so it's a surprise.

While waiting we had some bread, olives, sheep cheese and meat croquettes.

First and second dishes... a "Caldo Verde" soup and codfish cake. This two dishes one of the most traditional dishes of Portugal and Tasca da Esquina makes them very well, but of course with a little a twist.

For my surprise the third dish was one of my favorite of all time. It's a simple dish but when done right it can "blow your mind"... It was shrimp's "açorda" ("açorda" is mixed bread). This dish it was very well executed, perfection.

The fourth dish was another fish course... and the fish had strange name "Pampo" aside the name the dish was spectacular (but once again nothing beats the third dish!!!). The fish was perfectly cooked (crispy skin) and was followed by pumpkin pure. (Note: I Already eat at Eleven Restaurant - Michelin star - and this dish was at the same level than fish dish I ate there!)

The fifth dish was the meat dish. They served me pork cheeks with cherry pure (cherries from Fundão - The land of the best cherries of the Portugal) and asparagus. This dish was good but not as good as the last ones, maybe because I tried the steak (Bife à Casa (Vazia) - Sirloin Steak) with fries that one of my friends asked and it was heavenly, really!!!! it was so tender, medium-rare, delicious sauce and fries (real fries! not that ones that look like fast food), one of the dishes that I strongly recommend.