Herdade do Esporão was founded in 1267, located in the sunny Alentejo, it is one of the most important wine producers in Portugal, with more than 400 hectares of vineyard (housing 194 types of grape) and 80 hectares of olive trees.
Wine Bar...
Since we arrived in the morning and before lunch we thought it would be a great idea to eat something at the wine bar before the lunch... And what a wonderful idea... apart the food, wine would be a certainty... and of course! if you read previews post I all try to choose "tasting menus"... this time was a wine tasting (4 wines).
To go with the wine... we choose the roast beef sandwich, cheese and curated sausages plate and also a selection of olive-oils and Alentejo bread... what can I say about this pre-lunch... simply fantastic... delicious. The roast beef was so tender that melted and it came with this amazing fried potatoes and Dijon mustard with dry olives! Outstanding.
The cheeses and curated sausage were also perfect and went really well with the wine and came with an homemade pumpkin jam and pickle parsnips.
Restaurant Esporão...
Once in the restaurant we skin the starters due to everything we had ate the the Wine Bar...
Directly to mains... And the chosen ones were:
Free range duck with cherries, beetroot, granola seeds and leaves. The first thing that you are the vibrant colors... the intense red... presented in a artistic way. The duck was perfectly cooked. Overall the dish was very balanced.
Maturated beef entrecôte with grilled scallion, slow baked celeriac and "Serpa" cheese stew. The most generous dish of the tree... once again! the meet was perfect... red, tender and really well seasoned... the dream dish. With this one we choose Esporão Reserva (red wine).
Turbot with crayfish, broccoli stems and fennel. The only fish dish on the menu. A really good dish but my least favorite... maybe because of the broccoli stems (they were a little bit tough).
After all this stunning dishes we had to make room for the desserts... the fun part is about to begin.
The first one... yellow beetroot, apricot, mint and noisette... very light and fresh... the chef nailed it... it goes very well with the menu... very artistic, but at the same time classic.
the second one... Juniper Yogurt with red fruits, granola seed and coriander... Served in bowl it looks like breakfast! Very appropriated to the local... rustic with a twist.
At last... my favorite one! Green figs, chocolate tart and hibiscus and fig leaf ice cream... I'm a chocolate lover and the tart was amazing, top chocolate... maybe over 70% of cacao. The figs had a little glaze... this is the kind of dessert that I always want to see in this kind of restaurant... simple, local products and rich in flavors.
Food:
Address:
Herdade do Esporão
