I never thought I would find Eggs Benedict in Porto outside of a 5-star hotel catering to tourists. After all, Hollandaise sauce isn’t a thing here. The one time I had a real hankering for Eggs Benedict over a year ago, I ended up making them myself and expected to do it again the next time I had a craving. But here it is, served up at Rosa Et Al on Rua do Rosário (near Rua Miguel Bombarda). I’d been researching brunch options and scoured many an online menu to find a place open on Sunday; when I saw that they had not one but three kinds of Eggs Benedict, I had to go.
If you have a look at Rosa Et Al’s brunch menu, you’ll see it caters to foreign tastes, and prices reflect that. But I’m willing to pay for the complexity of Eggs Benedict, and smoked salmon is expensive everywhere. Brunch is such a rare event for me nowadays, I felt like I was on a long weekend trip somewhere far from home and being indulgent.
So how did the Eggs Benedict hold up to such high expectations? Compliments to the chef — it was exactly how I like them. While ordering, I debated whether to put in my usual request for “eggs medium” since the default is typically on the runny side, but I was open to eating what showed up. My only quibble is that the English muffin was replaced by a slice of brown bread, but if the eggs and sauce combination are done right the bread is barely noticeable. My one caveat is that if you’re from a place where brunch is a regular weekend activity and Eggs Benedict is a common menu item, you will be disappointed with just one egg rather than the usual two. For €12, two eggs is a reasonable amount but one seems skimpy, especially if it comes with nothing else. If you are hungry, I recommend ordering from the €20 fixed price brunch menu, which includes choices for three courses (stages?), which also allows for a greater variety of sampling. That’s what I’ll do next time.
Today, scones were ordered since à la carte eggs weren’t enough to satisfy hunger. They took a while to arrive, but they came hot and I could’ve easily scarfed eaten these both myself. In my opinion, if scones are good they need no accompaniment, and I ate the scone with no accompaniment. I would’ve traded the butter and compote for another scone!
Rosa Et Al Townhouse is a 19th century architectural refurbishment project in Porto by Bed and Brunch Collection. The townhouse opens its seventh suite in 2015, and hosts events, eg. receptions, art exhibitions, and private functions. Brunch and five o’clock tea is served on weekends, from 12:00-19:00.
ROSA ET AL Townhouse
BED AND BRUNCH COLLECTION
Rua do Rosário, 233
4050-524 Porto Portugal
+351 916 000 081
http://www.rosaetal.pt/
* I didn’t have my DSLR with me this time; all photos taken with a Canon point-and-shoot.
September 6, 2015
Album: Portugal [Summer 2015]
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