Last updated on November 6th, 2024
I was touring around Portugal and the last two days I was in Estoril at the Intercontinental hotel. They have a small Portuguese restaurant just next-door to the hotel that I really wanted to try during my stay. Lucky for me I didn’t have to walk farther than a few meters from the hotel. If you haven’t yet, make sure you take a look at the Intercontinental Estoril review! Wink.
Much like the hotel the dining room in the restaurant felt very fresh and new. Just for me? Thanks Intercontinental, you shouldn’t have. It was absolutely beautiful with a perfect view of the water. I’m sure in the summertime with great weather this place would be a perfect spot to sit outside!
Soon after we sat down the lights were dimmed and and this made Pierre very happy because he appreciates a good ambiance. Then we were served some warm-up food a.k.a. starters. We decided to go with the chef’s recommendations for the entirety of the meal. All the starters were wonderful and familiar because they also offer them in the hotel lounge. How convenient.
Up next was an octopus ceviche. Mother of god! This put all of my favorite flavors into one dish. I love anything that is sour, salty or has olives in it and this had them all! A very strong flavor but just perfect. Nothing is too strong for Pierre!
The entire meal was paired with Portuguese wine which was a given because it’s Portuguese food. The first was Soalheiro Alvarinho with many more to follow!
The second starter that we had was a scallop dish that… drumroll please, had bacon foam, crispy bacon all over with a pea purée. As soon as you start talking about bacon I’m interested. This dish was magical!
For our first set of starters we had a risotto with seafood and champagne foam. Our chef clearly loves using foam and we did as well! The risotto had a great taste but the fish was a bit dry. It was then onto a new wine and a new main course. This was a piece of salmon over broad beans with chorizo. Much like bacon, if you say chorizo Pierre is very intrigued. This dish also had exquisite flavors that I was not used to trying together. It was paired effortlessly.
Before we knew it, it was time for dessert. Time flies when you’re having fun! We were given a very long explanation about how amazing our dessert wine was. It was a winner for best Moscatel in previous years and I was very excited to try. It was a 2002 Bacalhoa Moscatel ROXO Superior. It was like drinking heaven! So smooth, yet so complex.
Along with the dessert wine, we also had my favorite dessert of my entire Portugal trip. This dessert also might be one of my favorites that I’ve ever had. Yowza! There was so much on the plate to try! Different types of ice cream, sorbets and chocolates, all with magnificent flavors.
This meal was amazing! At the end of the day, the flavors were so good that I have to rank it well, along with the atmosphere and the service. You must try Atlântico restaurant in Estoril, Portugal at the Intercontinental hotel now!
The Nitty Gritty
Taste - 9.2
Value - 8.4
Feng Shui - 8.9
Convenience - 9.3
Service - 9.5
9.1
Tasty!
Restaurant
Av. Marginal 8023
2765-249
Portugal
Phone: +351 21 829 1049