Until 2020, iconoclastic chef Ljubomir Stanisic was arguably the best chef in Portugal who did not have a Michelin star. 2021 changed all that with the Michelin guide awarding a star to Stanisic for his reimagined 100 Maneiras.
The original 100 Maneiras served one of the top tasting menus in Lisbon and came across as an excellent fine-dining experience. Now he shuns that term—he prefers “dive dining,” as in a deep dive into an immersive experience. The menu, which is tellingly called “the Story” traces Stanisic’s journey from a teenage refugee leaving war-torn Yugoslavia to a master of the Portuguese kitchen.
Therefore, a dinner begins with a couvert of typical Bosnian foods—including his mother’s own homemade bread, avjar (a red pepper and eggplant spread), and kajmak (somewhere between cheese and butter). From there, the snacks get creative—fitting for a restaurant whose phonetic name can be translated as “one hundred ways” or “without manners.” “Great balls of fire” are spicy octopus fritters, and “talking heads” are the actual heads of carabineiro prawns.
The more substantial courses include unusual ingredients such as codfish tongue and the meat from the head of a cow that diners assemble into taco-like creations. (Or the head of a fish, in the case of a pair of pescatarians, who were accommodated without a single hiccup or complaint.) Foie gras features prominently in the first of the desserts, and fermented garlic in the last.
Of course, the attention to detail on the plates is obsessive. In fact, that attention is in every aspect of the restaurant, which took four years to complete. They obsessed over every piece of cutlery, tableware, glassware, fabric, light, and music. The uniforms, designed by fashion professor Mário Matos Ribeiro of ModaLisboa, resemble Ottoman tunics. Managers’ uniforms have colorful belts, similar to those of the wealthiest members of Bosnian society.
They also added a non-shaker cocktail bar so as not to disturb guests with the sound of clattering ice. The signature cocktails are inventive, such as the Lisboa, made with mescal, bell pepper juice, coriander, and lemon. If the uniforms or the avjar make you lose your bearings, a few sips of that will take you straight back to Portugal.
For more information, see the 100 Maneiras website.
100 Maneiras
Rua do Teixeira 39
Lisbon
Mobile: +351 910 918 181
Email: info@100maneiras.com
Everyday – 19:00–2:00 (kitchen closes at 22:30)
Photos: Fabrice Demoulin/100 Maneiras
