My friend and I were wandering around Lisbon one day and stumbled upon a beautiful Italian restaurant called La Mafia se Sienta a la Mesa. We couldn’t have made a better choice for lunch.
The decor was lovely, the service was stellar, and the menu was inventive. Imagine my shock to find out that La Mafia is a chain of restaurants in various parts of Europe. But this isn’t a chain like you’d expect to find in the U.S. It’s much better quality – not deserving of a Michelin star, but very enjoyable.
I started my meal with diverse rosso, a cocktail of red wine and lime soda topped with citrus foam. I have tried to duplicate this at home but with no luck. I’m not sure how they make it, but it’s light, delicious, and refreshing – perfect for lunch, especially if it’s hot outside.
I then had a pasta dish with a Bolognese sauce with mustard, orange, and arugula. This flavor combination was unexpected, and the pasta was cooked to perfection.
Other inventive dishes include:
Pork carpaccio with foie gras flakes, lemon juice, and olive oil
Melted provolone with pesto, tomatoes, and pistachios
Iberian pork with lime gremolata, spices, sweet potatoes, caramelized chives, and arugula pesto
Rotondi di cioccolato recheado com rabo de boi – Recheada beef tail and bochecha dough with ground meat toffee in sweet potato parmentier
Quadrati of scamorza, figo and nduja with arugula pesto – massa with Scamorza recheio (smoked queijo), figos e Nduja (spicy chouriço cream), Grana Padano DOP and molho arugula pesto with tomato in pó
The extensive menu also contains pizzas, seafood, meats, and desserts, including mascarpone gelato. But my friend and I opted to skip dessert, only to succumb a short walk from La Mafia when we stumbled upon another European chain, L’Eclair. My friend had discovered this pastry shop in other cities and was delighted to find out they have a location in Lisbon.
The eclairs are gorgeous, and the number of favors practically rivals Baskin Robbins. I had a passion fruit cream confection that melted in my mouth. Highly recommended!
Lisbon’s La Mafia is in a central location on Avenida Deque de Avila, and L’Eclair is just a short jaunt away on the same avenue.
Melanie Votaw is the Publisher and Executive Travel Writer of LuxuryWeb Magazine. She has visited more than 50 countries on 6 continents and written for such magazines as Executive Travel, Just Luxe, Business Insider, South China Morning Post, Travel Mindset, and more. She is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association and the International Travel Writers Alliance. Melanie's photography has won awards, and she has also written 39 nonfiction books as either the author or ghostwriter.
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