RESTAURANT REVIEW

SABORES DE ITALIA – CALDAS DA RAINHA

I shall nail my colours firmly to the mast by stating at the outset that this is far and away my favourite local restaurant. Whilst the prices mean that it is a “special occasions only” kind of place to eat it is always rewarding to think up a reason to go there and enjoy what is invariably a first-rate evening.

The restaurant is situated in the middle of Caldas just a few doors away from the main Post Office; parking nearby is not difficult in the evening when downtown Caldas is relieved of its busy daytime hustle and bustle. A glance at the outside already hints at the fact that Sabores de Italia is in a different league from its competitors as the frontage has been attractively designed and created. This attractiveness is carried through into the interior with tasteful décor in stone and plasterwork. The walls double as an art gallery where not-so-cheap originals attract the eye or not as the case may be. The pictures change on a regular basis, some perhaps finding new homes with people who have that kind of money to spare.

Senhor Norberto, the restaurant’s co-owner is on hand to do the meeting and greeting and his wife is in attendance to complete what will become a very professional double-act as the evening progresses with the supporting cast in the kitchen the un-sung heroes of the performance.

The menu shows a range of pizzas which turn out to be substantial and very good value but the real treats are on the other page where a mixture of pasta dishes and meat and fish dishes gives one that most delicious of dilemmas - what to choose? From experience I can say with my hand on my heart – it’s all good!

The starters on the menu are a treasure for those of you who like me are fond of this part of the evening. The fish soup merits a place on the walls along with the other works of art; it seems a pity to eat it it looks so good. Perhaps my favourite though is the carpaccio de salmão which swims in a delicious olive oil and capers combine which etiquette demands is soaked up with one of the delicious home-made bread rolls. Alternatively one can pretend to be very restrained and order a half portion of the chef’s salad. Be warned though, this is no ordinary salad and a half portion strangely seems to fill the plate in any case. The toasted mozzarella is the pièce de resistance in the salad and the bacon and croutons lend the flavour and crunch. You could go for the rather naughtier langoustine crêpes but you might then struggle to get through your main course. The tomato soup is hot and tomatoey and is great if one is watching the centimes. The melon and prosciutto starter gives that sweet and savoury combination which sets the taste buds going into overdrive.

One of the limiting factors about eating out in Portugal is the caution one needs to exercise when choosing where to order meat dishes which can often disappoint having been fashioned from something other than the best meat available. No such difficulty here - my favourite dish at Sabores de Italia is the Bife de Lombo com Molho de Gorgonzola which I am sure you know means a fillet steak, cooked just as you want it, and served with a gorgonzola cheese sauce. Now, I like my steak virtually raw and Sr Norberto’s chef invariably gets it just right. The meat is superb and generous and the sauce and vegetables offer the perfect complement. The biggest problem I have is persuading myself not to order this every time!

Other meat dishes are the medalhões de vitela, succulent chunks of fillet steak served with a redcurrant relish. The breast of duck, again cooked to your liking, and served in a honey sauce is absolutely delicious. In season the sauce changes to plum and is even better in my opinion but then I am a great fan of meat and fruit combinations.

There is invariably fresh fish on the menu with the lombo de tamboril ( sounds so much better than the English ‘frogfish’ don’t you think?) served in a champagne sauce with rice and the salmon poached in a sauce of red and yellow peppers being two of my favourites. There is a very rich alternative of prawns in a creamy sauce served in a puff pastry vol-au-vent which is as tasty as it is visually impressive.

There are several pasta dishes including an excellent conventional meat lasagne but also a lasagne made with green pasta and seafood. I like the fettucini with salmon and caviar.

Or, of course, you can just have pizza – all made freshly on the premises as is everything else you eat, including the bread rolls and the ice-cream if you can make it that far down the menu!

The desserts are not my favourite part of the culinary experience but many is the time I have sat in Sabores de Italia, finishing my wine and listening to others rave about the home-made ice creams ( apparently the requeijão or cottage cheese ice-cream is truly spectacular). There are also deliciously light chocolate mousses and profiteroles, again all made in the Sabores de Italia kitchens. There is a version of tarte-tatin and a pear mousse which is really delicate.

I have not touched upon wine and there’s a very good reason for that. I never order the wine at Sabores de Italia because I always leave this to Sr. Norberto who knows my tastes and never lets me down – as long as it is red I am happy and he never takes advantage of his permission to bring me what he wants.

Thankfully, by the time the painful bit of the evening arrives, I am more often than not suitably mellow and can withstand the impact of what can be a quite weighty bill landing on the table. Suffice to say that the prices are probably less than a restaurant of a comparable standard in the UK – but not by much. However this restaurant cannot be faulted for value. The price is significant but so is the quality.

One minor issue I might take up with Sr Norberto would be to ask him why he did not ask us to help with his English version of the menu which can be a little quaint. But that is really being nit-picking.

I cannot recommend Sabores de Italia highly enough.

Now what “special occasion” is coming up soon?

An interesting review Kevin.

It's a pity we're not into pricey, you almost tempted us to return.

My favourite for value and quality meat has to be the Adega in Fanadia. The kebab of fillet steak (Trancha de Novilho) virtually melts in your mouth, and the price is unbeatable. The Entrecosto is also juicy and cheap.

Can you tell I'm a meat eater?

You will not get 'posh' service here (thankfully). And sadly the service is often slow as it gets busy in the summer. So we go early and get out before the rush.

Directions:- take the Lisbon road from the roundabout of the Queen in Caldas. Take the first left by the camp site. Go on up the hill through Lagoa Parceira and keep on going straight for a few miles. At the first major junction cross the main road carefully. And again go straight on for another couple of miles until you reach Fanadia. The Adega is on your left, just after the speedbumps, with what looks like a barrel as a doorway.

After entering the main dining room, turn right towards the kitchen. The place has some strange old pieces inside including a display case full of antique guns.

I seem to remember it's shut on Mondays. And as we are early eaters we've often had to go into the cafe and remind them to open the door just after opening time at 7pm.