In the time since it opened, in late 2017, it’s hard to say what Optimista, a compact, elegant, and eclectic restaurant in Cais do Sodré, became best known for: the ethereal unicorn gazing out over the dining room, or the decadent oxtail croquettes that have become one of the signature dishes.
Let’s start with the unicorn. Her name is Pureza and she’s the restaurant’s mascot, a symbol of purity and the ethereal. She was made by the highly talented taxidermist João Fernandes at Lusotrofeus and—perhaps—inspired by the friendship between the owners, Filipe Rocha and Rita Andringa, and Louis-Albert de Broglie, the owner of Paris’s celebrated taxidermy and curiosity shop Deyrolle. At any rate, de Broglie gave them their motto—“optimism is always the best recipe.”
The dining room, dreamed up by Andringa (an interior designer by trade), is generally exuberant and playful, filled with a rotating collection of artworks, giant flower arrangements, and a six-meter tapestry covering an entire wall, on loan from the textile company Ferreira de Sá.
Now for the oxtail croquettes. They’re representative of the dishes on the adventurous menu, made by a pair of young chefs, André Andrada and Pedro Correia. The menu changes with the seasons but some standards remain: the croquettes, polenta with preserved razor clams and confit garlic mayonnaise, and the fish of the day with cauliflower-and-presunto purée, sautéed green beans, Portuguese kimchi cabbage, and vegetable sprouts.
(at top) Oxtail croquettes, (above) Braised chicken kebab and leek with red cabbage, orange salad and nuts (below) Fish of the day with cauliflower and presunto purée, sautéed green beans, Portuguese kimchi cabbage and vegetable sprouts
Optimista is clearly a labor of love, with Rocha and business partner Pedro Ventura frequently working dining room. The chefs themselves sometimes bring dishes to the table and explain what went into them. The optimism, of course, goes without saying.
For more information, visit the Optimista website.
Optimista
Rua da Boavista 86
Lisbon
Phone: +351 213 460 629
Email: info@optimista.pt
Hours:
Tuesday to Friday – 12:00 to 15:30 and 19:00 to 23:00
Saturday – 19:00–23:00