Some 30 years ago, Japanese sushi chef Tomoaki Kanazawa was invited to be the chef of the Japanese embassy in Lisbon. From that post, he went on to open a restaurant that turned out sophisticated sushi for just eight guests at a time.
Eventually the reins were passed to Paulo Morais, who for the past 30 years, has been one of the first and most committed Portuguese chefs to dedicate themselves to sushi. After several internships in Japan, as well as stints in influential Portuguese restaurants such as Midori, Bica do Sapato, and Rabo d’Pêxe, he took over the management and head chef duties of the counter-service Kanazawa in Belém.
Now, of course, Lisbon, is teeming with sushi joints, but Kanazawa still stands out for several reasons (which are probably why it was awarded its first Michelin star in 2022). One is Morais’s dedication to using the whole fish—one lunch started with scales that had been toasted so that they took on a pleasant texture not unlike popcorn—and being creative with it.
Another is vegetarian oyama menu, a five-course menu inspired by Buddhist temple cuisine that pulls off the rare feat of not just being vegetables on top of rice but actually taking diners on a journey of taste, texture, and umami that’s similar to what they would have when eating fish.
There are other fish-focused kaiseki (Japanese fine dining) and omakase (chef’s choice sushi) tasting menus with seven, eight, or nine courses, as well as a simpler lunch menu with bento boxes and noodle dishes like udon and ramen, and Japanese-style afternoon tea on Fridays and Saturdays.
For more information, visit the Kanazawa website.
Kanazawa
Rua Damião de Góis 3 A
Lisbon
Phone: +351213 010 292
Email: reservas@kanazawa.com.pt
Dining: Tuesday to Saturday – 12:00 to 15:00 and 19:00 to 21:30
Afternoon Tea: Friday and Saturday – 16:00 to 18:00
