Earlier this month, I ate the most amazing ceviche that reminded me how much I love ceviche. I photographed the entire lunch — the wine, dessert, the small details — but for some reason it’s the ceviche that imprinted itself in my brain. Taste has such a powerful memory: two weeks later, I still remember it!
But there’s much more to mention about Restaurante Oficina than their ceviche. Take, for example, the greeting message in bold neon at reception.
They also have a terrace space upstairs which is devoted to conviviality and art — a space I have yet to see because I wanted to return at night, the best time to photograph (and view) the outdoor art installation made of lights. You can see shots of it in the website gallery.
Restaurante Oficina opened about a year ago, in September 2016, founded by gallery owner Fernando Santos and Chef Marco Gomes. The restaurant hosts thematic events periodically — seven thus far, and they will resume next month. The name Oficina is one of those false friends between Portuguese and English, which is easy to mistake for “office”. But as it was explained to me, oficina is a workshop with tools. In this case, Oficina was a former auto mechanic shop and then it became an art gallery, which fits into the current neighbourhood vibe of Rua Miguel Bombarda. If you look at the top of the photo above, you can still see the elements of the shop that were retained post-renovation.
But let’s return to the food, shall we? Here’s a highlight reel of the lunch, with some special presentation mentions: the paprika butter with “Oficina” on top, the beautiful marrow-on-the-bone, the extroverted swordfish with banana purée which was the envy of my arroz de bacalhau hidden under foam, and lastly but not least, the rhubarb in dessert which is quite rare in Portugal (in fact, this is the first time I’ve seen it on a menu). You can click on any of these pictures to see them larger in a new window.
Many thanks to fellow Porto-centric blogger Sara of Portoalities for inviting me to lunch and introducing me to the folks at Oficina. I’ve signed up for their newsletter and plan to return for an event (and so I can photograph the light art by night).
Website: Restaurante Oficina . Arte . Gastronomia
R. Miguel Bombarda, nº273-282
Porto, Portugal
+351 220 165 807
+351 936 712 384
August 4, 2017
Album: Portugal [Summer 2017]
For more posts/photos of Portuguese food and drink:
https://gailatlarge.com/blog/tag/portuguese-kitchen
https://www.pinterest.com/gailatlarge/portuguese-food-drink/
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