As we were journeying through the incline streets of Lisboa, we crossed the doorway of a cozy and charming family restaurant that won our hearts with hard work, great food and excellent service.
Being tourists in the capital of Portugal, we were very excited to spend our short but valuable stay with countless possibilities of things to do and places to eat. But as every other big and cosmopolitan city, finding something authentic and unique is not that easy. Luckily here we are, exploring beautiful cuisines again and telling you stories in 360.
Solar 31 is the name of a simple and yet, outstanding restaurant that offers local and fresh seafood, carefully prepared with lots of love and professionalism.
Solar 31 is a dream come true for the owner – chef Paulo whose life has been dedicated to the sea ever since. Once a fisherman, he decided that he wants to turn his passion for culinary into a successful business, which now he runs together with his family. You will probably find him crossing somewhere between the kitchen and the tables where he usually welcomes his guests. “My guests should feel like home” – he says. And if you don’t know yet, a dinner in Portugal starts with Port wine and ends with Port wine.
Cheers!
Post from RICOH THETA. - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
This place is not designed for the mass, but rather for those that truly seek to explore the real spirit of Lisbon that lies far away from the commercial spots. There were two aquariums on the entrance as well as wine bottles and bacalhau decorations to emphasize on the traditional Portuguese food and beverages.
Post from RICOH THETA. - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
The unique dishes we tried were carefully picked by Chef Paulo and we can tell that the taste was more than excellent!
A starter dish of clams, flavoured with olive oil, garlic cloves, aromatic herbs and wine.
This plate of crispy well cooked octopus and shrimps garnished with potatoes was not only delightful but also beautifully presented. Note the flowers that they put in every meal. It definitely brings more texture.
The next dish on the table included soft black scabbardfish fillet garnished with freshly cooked vegetables. The Black Scabbardfish might not have the most appealing look when alive but it is a delicacy at Solar 31 – so if you are curious about how it looks like, you should scroll down to the bottom..
Post from RICOH THETA. - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
To wrap up our dinner, we finished with a tempting desert. The lying glass had the yolk filling of the unique Portuguese’s ovos moles, topped up with cinnamon for a refreshing taste. What we found most brilliant about this desert was actually the cake in the middle – It had a very strong sweet and savory flavor that made all our senses go wild. After asking what was it made of, it took us few minutes to realize if it was a joke or not .. try to guess and let us know in the comments below!
With much joy and warm feelings we left Solar31. We had great dinner, we made friends with an inspiring person and we discovered knew flavors that we will always mention when we talk about Lisbon.
P.S. This is how a black scabbardfish looks like
