Pedro Limao: The Restaurant that isn't a Restaurant

When is a restaurant not a restaurant?  We found out several weeks ago on our weekend trip to Porto, the saucy city that is the soul of Northern Portugal.  We found Pedro Limao quite by accident, and quite nearly missed our chance for the amazing meal that would come because of our shyness over speaking (bad) Portuguese. 

We were seeking out a different restaurant in the University area of Porto, but happened to wander past a store front with warm lighting, alluring music, and delicious smells already wafting out.  It clearly had room for only 2 or 3 small tables, with little separation between the kitchen and service area (When is a restaurant not a restaurant?  When the kitchen and tables are in the same room).  How could they have room for us at such a small place?  What if they don't speak English?  It's so intimate and after a full day of wandering the town, do we really want to be the awkward foreigners?  Jyl convinced us that it was worth a shot.  The chef and waitress were casual and friendly and said (in perfect English) that we should definitely join them... we would love the multi-course meal they were preparing for an hour later.  We were in!   We walked away to burn the time until our reservation, then stepped back in for a fairly straight-forward question... "by the way, about how much will it cost?"
"You decide."  What?  When is a restaurant not a restaurant?  When you decide what you will pay for the meal. 

















We came back at 8 and sat down to (the first of many) generous pours of typically tasty Duoro River valley wine.  Bread was served with olive oil artfully mixed with vinegar and a host of colorful herb infusions.   A great way to start.  As we warmed up and felt our hunger pangs fade, we talked with the waitress and chef of life in Porto, of politics, and of the non-restaurant.  They were progressive and genuine and sarcastic in a way that reminded me of friends in California. 

The restaurant itself had been around for a couple of years, and was started by the head chef of the same name as the Restaurant, although Pedro was cooking for a dinner party on this particular evening.  Although Pedro seemed to be the driving force of his replacement and co-conspirator was fully up to the task of preparing us a lovely meal experience. 

He let us know that it didn't need to just be him that made the meal... When is a restaurant not a restaurant? When the chef invites you to join him in the kitchen to take part in the cooking.  We declined, but enjoyed the prospect.

Next on the docket was a beet soup with bacon.  I have always wanted to like beets, but find that I can never quite find the right way to prepare it.  I certainly have never enjoyed it as much as I did in this soup.  The perfect balance of sweet and salt, smoke and cream.  Delicious.    

A simple yet tasty side was next.  To be honest, after a few weeks have passed, I don't remember exactly what it was... only that I enjoyed it just as much as anything else that we tried.  Simple yet a great balance of textures and tastes. 

What Portuguese meal is complete without Bacalau (cod)?  This was the best I've had, by far.  Although the meat was firm, the layers of meat slid apart in an every so pleasing fashion.  The bed of grains (couscous, perhaps?) with infused herb juice around it was probably the highlight here.

A tender meat with perfectly cooked mushrooms followed as the main course.  After several hours of drinking and dining, we started to slow and fill... but it was much too good not to savor. 

Desert was an custardy cream with a shot of Irish whiskey.  Despite my normal aversion to many sweet dishes, I had no problem enjoying to the last drop. nor did I have trouble turning down an offer for one more helping of whiskey.  Coffee followed and helped to counteract the generous servings of alcohol. 

When is a restaurant not a restaurant?  When they offer you more whiskey just to help them finish the bottle.  It felt like we were visiting and being thoroughly pampered by old friends, rather than served by restauranteurs.  I hope that the last picture in this series communicates the feelings that I was feeling after this amazing experience: contentedness... lightness... that I had been fed someone's passion, and not just food.  Although Pedro Limao may do some of the things that other restaurants do, eating there seemed to feel more like winning the lottery than enjoying a meal.  Although we didn't know exactly how much to leave in the "payment pot" as the chef and waitress stepped outside for a break, we left a lot more than we had paid for any meal in recent history, and still felt like we may have been getting the better side of the deal.  If anyone happens to find themselves in Porto, and are looking for an eating experience that transcends the norm, this "non-restaurant" should be on the top of your list.