Cafetaria Encanto dos Olivais em Lisboa

30/09/2024: Clearly deserving of the Michelin 2-star rating, this is an experience. Imaginative treatment of ingredients, clever presentation, and amazing service. While you can order ala carte, there are two tasting menus: Costa Acosta (seafood) and Alma (traditional). There are many cross over dishes and they will accommodate variations due to allergies/preferences. Eat “cheap” elsewhere so you can indulge in this “not cheap” experience.

24/06/2024: Food was very good and larger portions than I expected for a tasting menu. The service team serving us was outstanding, however, it was very difficult to hear the person responsible for our experience explain each dish as it was so loud in the area we were dining, she spoke too fast and there was a lot to take in so I had to ask her to repeat things frequently. There was a group of six behind us and tables close to us on each side. The whole service team was rushing around so much to care for guests and in the process the experience didn’t feel special and we didn’t feel special. The food was very good quality but the overall dining “experience” didn’t surprise or delight as much as I hoped, other than the sheer number of courses including two unexpected muse bouche courses. It was a nice touch that we received a small envelope at the end of the meal that contained the menus. I had the Alma tasting and my spouse had the Costa tasting menu. Sone courses were the same for both while differed. We both felt the food was very good but the overall experience didn’t match the price. And how really unfortunate, that I had to track down the person responsible for our experience (our waitress) about getting sone toilet paper for the ladies room. These are the small points that make you shake your head when spending so much on a meal.