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2013-06-12
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It was muggy and nasty on a Saturday night. Fool that I am, I suggested that my wife and I go try this Sichuan place that was like a 45 minute walk from our house, with no reservation. Oh, and that we should walk there. Of course, they were booked. We wandered back toward LKF, my beard soggy with sweat. Where could we eat? I would literally eat anything that came with air conditioning and a beer. But it's LKF on a Saturday. Everything's packed. And then!Sweet Casa Lisboa. My savior. And really g
Sweet Casa Lisboa. My savior. And really good food too! Here's what we had:
Olives: The best olives I have ever had in my life. I tasted garlic and oregano, but that can't be what made them so amazing. I literally asked for more. They were that good. A+
Octopus salad: Octopus is easily one of my favorite seafoods when cooked right. Almost no one cooks it right. I got an octopus salad at Rick's on the escalators and it was chewier than Han Solo's friend. But this was some tasty, tender octopus. Not as tender as it could have been, but still impressive. A-
Pork with clams: This dish also had lemon, black olives (not the amazing olives. Just plain black ones), and potatoes. The clams were juicy and full of flavor. The pork was firm and dry, but in a good way, and also tasty. It's difficult to describe what the dish was like as a whole-- seafood, pork, and citrus will do that to you. But it was pretty good. A-
Salt cod (bacalhau) with roast potatoes and greens: I like Portugese salt cod, but man is it intense! My wife and I were lucky to be sharing this-- I don't think either of us could have got through the whole thing on our own. The greens and potatoes were great, and came with an unnecessary oily sauce. The fish itself was a little oily-- the skin was fatty and crispy. A-
I gave everything an A-. Don't take that in a bad way. It was all "excellent" (that's what the "A" means), but in the low range of what I consider to be excellent (hence the "-"). But don't get me wrong: it was excellent and I will not hesitate to eat here again.
On a final note, we got a free glass of port at the end of the meal. And not because our orders were messed up or anything-- just straightforward generosity. Every restaurant is trying to turn a profit. But so few places in Hong Kong realize you have to give a little to get a little-- place your money grubbing avariciousness outside the faces of your customers, and every now and again take a small expense that you don't need to take to reward them. They will reward you back.
And I should point this out. I was sweaty and poorly dressed, and I can't tell a serving fork from a salad fork. I was treated with nothing but class, even though I didn't have any class myself. Big plus in my book.
Other Info. :
There were mariachis. Or whatever the Portuguese version of a mariachi is. They played over by people's tables... luckily not ours. I'm totally down with live music, but strangers watching me eat and singing in my face is not relaxing.
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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