Easily the most buzzed-about restaurant opening of summer 2019, JNcQUOI Asia mostly follows the playbook written by the original JNcQUOI restaurant, just a few doors up the street on Avenida da Liberdade.
That’s not a bad thing, as the original has held on to its popularity for a good reason. Both are defined by grand scale, stunning design—complete with a giant (fake) animal skeleton—multiple spaces including large bars, and, especially, a vibrant social energy. This is a place where you go to see and be seen.
And as at the original, the food is plenty good, if not overwhelmingly memorable (decadent mushroom dumplings aside). It’s just that you don’t go here purely for the food.
But really, the food is plenty good. The menu spans four Asian cultures: Indian, Thai, Chinese, and Japanese. And it’s authentic, if luxuriously presented. It grew out of the 10 years of experience that Miguel Guedes de Sousa, the CEO of the Amorim Luxury Group, which owns both JNcQUOIs, had in Asia. He brought in celebrated chef David Thompson—who earned Michelin stars and World’s 50 Best distinctions for his Thai cooking at Nahm in Bangkok—as an adviser.
Both of the chefs, António Bóia and Mário Esteves, spent months eating, interning in top kitchens and meeting suppliers in Asia. They have a sous-chef specialized in each of the four cuisines and the traditional equipment from each region, such as a tandoori oven and a robata grill.
There is no fusion here, but discrete sections for sushi, dim sum, curries and tandoori. Standout dishes include those dumplings, the black cod with miso, and avocado with shio kombu (seaweed and sesame).
Of course, you might be too enthralled by the room to pay much attention. Like the original, it is the work of architect Lázaro Rosa Violán. There are trees outside the windows that suggest bamboo. Lots of red, green, and gold. Lamps that suggest lanterns. A giant world map in the bar—the concept is also a celebration of the Portuguese discoveries in Asia—and Portuguese plates on the ceiling. And of course the big faux skeleton, this time a dragon suspended from the ceiling.
The space is massive, accommodating some 300 people. But no one area is too overwhelmingly huge. There’s the main dining room, plus a sushi bar room, the main bar, and a terrace.
All of them, no doubt, will be filled with fashionable people.
For more information, visit the JNcQUOI Asia website.
Click here to see the JNcQUOI Asia menu.
JNcQUOI Asia
144 Avenida da Liberdade
Lisbon
Phone: +351 210 513 000
Email: bookatable@jncquoiasia.com
Every day – 12:00 to 24:00