A Symphony at Belcanto

‘EACH DISH TELLS a story and sets out to stir the emotions of those willing to try it,’ says José Avillez, speaking of his culinary style, which he likes to term ‘inspiration cuisine’. After relishing a 12-course menu at his flagship Belcanto in Lisbon last night, it is easy to concur. Tears of pleasure and ‘moments alone with one’s plate’ were aplenty as we were treated to an evening out in the Chiado.

Every dish was a delightful surprise, being delivered in style, with each table of six served by three waiters, who placed down and collected the plates in perfect synchronicity. The dishes themselves were also part of the experience, as Avillez works with a ceramicist to design and create them especially for his culinary concoctions. The dishes’ titles were, in themselves, enticing preludes, placing ideas, but certainly not defining what was to come.

Olive 3, for example, was indeed made up of three different olives – one deep fried such that it looked more like a roasted almond but melted exquisitely on the tip of your tongue; one spherified, using a molecular technique, no doubt inspired by Avillez’s time working at El Bulli; and one an ‘inverted martini’ – a tiny glass filed with olive juice, with the gin inside the fruit. This amazing trio was served on an individually selected and polished olive branch.

Next came Rich Clown, Poor Clown: sour cream and caviar sitting on veal tendon, which had been boiled for 50 hours to produce a crisp, light cracker.

With the intriguing title of Ferrero Rocher, but clearly not yet having reached the dessert or coffee course, what might one expect? Edible gold leaf, nonetheless, with, a hazelnut studded, cocoa butter coated ball of foie gras. Quite simply delectable.

The next two courses were a celebration of typical Portuguese flavours – Roasted Chicken and Shellfish Rice, each one a ‘revisitation’ with intensified, condensed flavours. The former comprised a tiny dollop of chicken liver parfait and cream cheese on a perfectly crisped base of chicken skin; the latter some tiny shrimps on a delicately fried rice leaf.

Working through the harmonised wine menu, from the initial sparkling Raposeira Blanc de Noir 2007, Távora Varosa, to the Quinta de Porrais White 2012 and the Quinta de Porraise Reserve White 2006, both from a cellar in the Douro, the plates began to become larger, even if their contents were still mere suggestions of traditional dishes, albeit offering a far more intense flavour than an entire stockpot might. The Typical Portuguese Seafood Platter Revisited proffered a mixture of shellfish, including prawn and goose barnacle (percebes), pureed apple, coconut milk and forks of seaweed served on texturised seawater, taken from inside a mussel. It was becoming increasingly hard to touch these artistically presented creations, since they were so beautiful to look at, and this one looked like a palette. It certainly painted a picture in our minds as we consumed it – the beach, the waves, the sand – the taste of the seaside; the taste of Portugal.  

Smoked Mackerel ‘Torricado’ came on a sliver of bruschetta, with marinated vegetables, and was then followed by the pièce de résistance, by, what would seem to be general consensus – The Garden of the Goose that laid Golden Eggs: an egg boiled at low temperature (precisely 62.5C for 42-44 minutes, to ensure a thick, custardy yolk and perfectly textured albumen), served wrapped in gold leaf, sitting upon toasted breadcrumbs dyed black from cuttlefish ink, with fried leek straw, hazelnuts, mushrooms, truffle, cheese cream from the Azores and poultry jus. The Garden of the Goose was certainly nowhere on this planet.

The Portuguese Style Pot au Feu was Avillez’s take on the traditional cozido à portuguesa, or stew, where a number of different meats – beef, chicken, sausages of all kinds – are boiled in water and then replaced by vegetables – cabbage, turnips, carrots, potatoes – again boiled in the same water, finally replaced by rice, boiled in the same water. Typically, all of the ingredients are then served together as a feast. Here, however, the main ingredient – the fantastically infused water – was served as an intensely flavoured broth, poured over a cube of pork fat with mini carrots.

To follow was a Dip in the Sea – not literally, of course, but another market-fresh seafood course, with sea bass cooked sous vide (at 60C for about five minutes) in seawater with a selection of seafood and served with seaweed.

The final savoury dish was Suckling Pig Revisited, with melt in the mouth soft pork, between sheets of crisp crackling, served with a grilled lettuce, orange cream sauce, black garlic and potato crisps in an edible starch ‘plastic’ bag. The oohs and aahs of the happy and enchanted diners were audible.

The latter dishes were paired with Primeira Paixão Merlot Red 2012 from Madeira, which, along with the Azores butter to accompany the breadbasket, helped represent all of Portugal, not just its continental peninsula.

To close, we enjoyed a glass of Vieira de Sousa White Port (10 Years) along with a platter of Citrus and ‘Egg Sweets’ – halved kumquats filled with egg custard, cinnamon ice cream and toasted almonds.

Having enjoyed the company of Avillez’s charming Communications Manager, Mónica Bessone, throughout the meal – a longstanding friend from the days when Avillez himself was studying Communications at university – the chef came out to accompany us for a drink in his gourmet bar, Mini Bar, situated a short walk away in the São Luiz Theatre. A delightful ending to a delightful evening – or, for some, just the start of a fun Saturday night out in Lisbon’s coolest area.