Aaron
Google
Given the restaurant’s stellar reputation and premium pricing, I had high hopes for our visit. We made a reservation for a Saturday in August several months in advance, even planning our trip to Oporto around it. A sizable deposit was required at booking, and we opted for the 12-course tasting menu with wine pairing.
Our experience began pleasantly. We arrived early and were warmly greeted by Pedro, who took our cocktail order. The signature cocktails were enjoyable, though the “Blindness” cocktail was overly dominated by lemon juice, which masked/blinded the other flavours.
Once seated, the meal commenced. The dishes—referred to as “moments”—were intricate and clearly crafted with care. However, they were extremely small and heavily reliant on sauces (at times it felt like they were adding caviar to make it fancy). To me, the menu felt overly theatrical, perhaps influenced by the restaurant’s theme but lacking substance. While the quality was evident, the overall concept didn’t resonate with me personally.
Several issues, unfortunately, seriously detracted from the experience:
Lack of clarity about the dishes The blind tasting format left me frequently unsure what I ate. While staff did provide information when asked, I would have appreciated more proactive explanations.
Service timing: There were noticeable gaps between courses and wine pairings, leaving us without food or drink for extended periods. Oddly, the only consistently attentive service was the water refills, with our glasses never dropping below three-quarters full.
Wine pairing issues: The most disappointing aspect was the wine service, led by sommelier Wagner. His timing was often misaligned with the food, resulting in wine being served before the dishes arrived and frequently finishing before we could enjoy them with the food. The pours were surprisingly small (see the attached picture which makes the serving of wine look more generous than it actually was), raising questions about whether the restaurant was cutting corners. When I inquired, Wagner responded politely but with a lack of genuine engagement. The final straw came during dessert when we were told there would be only one wine pairing for two dishes, contrary to what was advertised online. Again, the response was indifferent: “That is all you are getting.”
In summary, while the food was nice and the setting was pleasant, the overall experience fell short of expectations, especially given the restaurant’s reputation and cost. I left disappointed and, regrettably, cannot recommend this restaurant or understand the hype surrounding it.