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Happy New Year! We hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to a delicious new year! ✨🥂
We’ve decided to get a head start in 2022 by establishing an exciting new category on our website that will feature spectacular destinations, fashionable hotels, and stylish restaurants from all around the world. To assist us with this, we are pleased to announce a new collaborator, Nara Vidal, who will serve as our tour guide!
Nara’s first review for us is of the Clorofila Restaurant, Lumen Hotel, Lisbon, Portugal.
Clorofila by author Nara Vidal
I am sat at a table overlooking the courtyard garden of the new Lumen Hotel in Lisbon. It is a place for those who enjoy clean lines and a modern and elegant decor. My table is at the brand new Clorofila restaurant. I am here by myself and my job is to taste the food and wine and write about it. All very straight forward and it suits me to be alone as I can focus on my notes, the tastes, textures and presentation of the dishes. As I walk in I had been expected and was taken to my table by the lovely Gonçalo, who was assisting me and answering every question I had. He tells me how exciting it is to work at Clorofila with its concept which is sharing their healthy and exquisite food based on local produce.
I think of the word sharing and as I am here by myself today, I will focus on the food rather than imagining a table full of friends sharing and experiencing what comes from the kitchen and its absurdly talented chef.
I look at the menu and decide to give Gonçalo the responsibility to amaze me. He chooses then, the food and the wine. We go through every ingredient and while we chat, a cute plate of panko breaded red onion rings and crudités with Greek yogurt and chives as well as the dried leek nest with vegetable brunesa, beetroot couli and creamy velvet make their way to me. The first word that comes to mind is fresh. This is fresh produce and it is delicious. Still, I had hardly started and was indeed very impressed by the simplicity yet elaborate elements in every tiny detail.
Unforgettable Black Pig Croquettes
My starter arrives beautifully presented with plenty of edible flowers and dotted pistachios and, again, Gonçalos’s choice was impeccable: the black pig croquettes, which I am still kicking myself for not eating them all. Absolutely delicious. To balance the starter, the main was fish. I had the clam fried cakes, lime rice and roasted garlic mayonnaise. All perfectly balanced with the white wine from the Alentejo region selected for me.
Classic to finish
It was time for pudding and that was the only time I, kindly, declined Gonçalo’s suggestion and went with my all-time favourite: crème brĂ»lĂ©e. But at Clorofila that would be just way too straight forward. My brĂ»lĂ©e came with a tangy mojito sorbet and chocolate sand. Gorgeous.
