Feitoria – Innovative Cuisine Honoring the Age of Discoveries in Lisbon

Given Feitoria’s setting, in the waterfront Altis Belém Hotel, it’s little surprise that much-lauded Chef João Rodrigues took “the Golden Age of Discovery” as his theme. His cuisine—which is more than worthy of its Michelin star but is not precious or fussy—melds traditional Portuguese flavors, top-quality national products, and international influences from around the world, particularly Asian spices.

How strong as those Portuguese flavors? The heads of red cabarinero prawns from the Algarve are run through a duck press tableside, with the resulting jus used to season a seafood dish that could not possibly taste more of the sea. It’s a theatrical flourish, to be sure, but like much of what is served, one that is in keeping with the mission to deliver strong, authentic flavors.

Likewise, the dining room is handsome and attractive—and unlikely to distract from the compositions on the plate. Once you’re past the golden Chinoiserie panel—depicting traders offloading their boats, of course—the room is simple: white cloths on the tables, great river views out the windows.

While there is an a la carte menu, the four- and six-course menus are the best way to embark on Rodrigues’s voyage, which includes those prawns as well as more composed, seasonal dishes, such as bivalves with carolino rice and burnt samphire, and Peniche’s market fish, fish belly broth, asparagus, and caviar. The list of wines with which to pair them is hundreds of bottles deep.