Belcanto
A recent work trip took me all the way to the other side of the world a new country to experience: Portugal. We had a jam packed schedule while we were there, but I did managed to squeez in two Michelin starred meals during our time there. The first was at Belcanto, right in the heart of Lisbon.
Here is the dinner we had on August 12, 2025:
“Sea” - Sea vegetables, snow
Beetroot - Varying textures of beet, pine nut milk, mustard seeds
Hamachi with cabbage, broth “Cozido a Portugeusa”
“Golden Egg” - Egg, truffles, textures
Scarlet shrimp on a “campfire”, sauce of the head, codium, roated pepper
Grilled fish from the Portuguese coast, razor clam rice, lemon, caviar
Suckling pig with mole of sarrabulho
Ham “ice cream” sandwich
“Farofias” with strawberries
Minardies
This was the first Michelin meal I’ve had in Europe since my 1-star experience at Dill in Iceland back in 2018. As is to be expected from a 2-star restaurant, service was impeccable and welcoming. We found the pace of the meal to be fine although perhaps a bit long toward the later courses. While there were certainly some Portuguese specific elements, the food felt mostly modern-French influenced with Portuguese ingredients, versus being Portuguese cuisine. Although, admittedly, I am not an authority on the latter.
Overall I enjoyed our experience at Belcanto, although I did leave wishing for a standout dish that really hit on Portuguese cuisine.
Belcanto
R. Serpa Pinto 10A, 1200-026
Lisboa, Portugal
https://www.belcanto.pt/
