Davvero: the restaurant at the new Sublime Lisboa boutique hotel is about to open

22/04/2022 at 19:58

The Sublime group bought an old 1920s mansion in the center of Lisbon – between Marquês de Pombal and Amoreiras – in 2019. The aim was to bring the concept of the well-known Comporta hotel to the capital. The project suffered some delays due to the pandemic and the consequent lack of delivery of building materials. Construction resumed in 2021 and the concept is about to open.

Guests will have to wait a few more weeks to sleep in one of the 15 rooms of this charming hotel. However, it will be possible to have a meal in the restaurant – Davvero – from next Tuesday, April 26. Reservations for a table at this restaurant, which serves Mediterranean cuisine with an Italian base and several Portuguese products, opened in the last few days.

The main entrance is on Rua da Artilharia 1. There will soon be another door, with access through the Sublime Lisboa reception. The old palace has been completely renovated, but some elements of the original building have still been kept – both in the hotel and in the restaurant space.

The iron columns, painted in shades of green, in the middle of the room, are one of the highlights of the decor. The floor is the original, with brick-colored hydraulic tiles. The same tone was chosen for the employees’ uniforms and also for the plates – a limited edition created exclusively by Vista Alegre.

The interior design was conceived by Rita Andringa, from Andringa Studio. She had already collaborated with the Sublime group on the beach club that opened in the summer of 2020 on Carvalhal beach. For Davvero, a more sophisticated and classic atmosphere was created to match the style of cuisine served.

Hélio Gonçalves is the group’s executive chef. Isaac Kumi, 31, is the chef at the Sublime Lisboa restaurant. They developed the menu together. “It’s a Mediterranean project with Italian inspiration and various products from this region. The aim is to give more importance to ingredients and products, to serve quality food through simplicity. Sometimes that’s the most complicated thing to do,” Isaac Kumi explains to NiT.

This is his first restaurant experience in Portugal – he’s been working at Sublime for almost a year. He comes from Treviso, a town 20 minutes from Venice. She worked for the Cipirani group for several years. “It’s one of the biggest Italian brands outside Italy. I’ve been to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ibiza and even the United States, between Miami and New York, where they have seven restaurants.”

At Cipirani the basis is classic Italian cuisine. The idea at Davvero is slightly different. “It’s a Mediterranean cuisine that’s somewhere between fine dining and traditional. We present everything in a more careful way. We want to add more value to the ingredients.”

They use many Italian ingredients, but also Portuguese ones. “Especially fish, like sea bass, from local markets. The same goes for clams. We also use high-quality Portuguese meats.”

The kitchen visible from Davvero’s living room is where the various dishes are finished. There is also a preparation area downstairs. You’re sure to see Isaac Kumi there preparing the various suggestions.

For starters, there’s Baccalà Mantecato, a cod brandade with crispy black polenta (€12); rice and pea croquettes with mozzarella (€10); or polenta with veal croquettes (€10).

Other suggestions include Spaghetti Alle Vongole, with national clams (€24), homemade beet gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce (€20), risotto negro with cuttlefish (€24), or even grilled salmon with broccoli and a mixture of herbs (€26).

The ideal is not to fill up too much to try the desserts, such as the panna cotta. “It’s the best in the world,” pastry chef Mauro, 34, tells NiT. It’s not as gelatinous as the ones we’re used to, it’s creamier and drizzled with a red fruit syrup.

Tiramisu is a must (€7), as is the Algarve lemon tart with meringue (€8). Another option is the Torta Meringa (8€), which combines sponge cake, meringue, whipped cream and vanilla (8€).

Davvero will be open for lunch and dinner. The space will serve breakfast as soon as the hotel opens – which can also be taken by those who are not staying. Another piece of good news is the brunch served on Sundays between 12:30 and 4 pm – it starts on May 1st.

It’s called Bellini Brunch, which is the house drink – it combines prosecco and white peach juice and can be ordered at the bar. This composed breakfast costs €65 per person. The menu starts with the cocktail, then moves on to a selection of cheeses and sausages, corn with parmesan, salmon tiradito with avocado and lemon and sea bass tranche with caper and lemon sauce.

The restaurant also has an outdoor terrace with seating for 20 people, where a snack menu will be available. Inside, it can accommodate 60 customers. Davvero is the only Sublime Lisboa space that will be open from next week. You’ll have to wait until May to spend a night at the hotel.

In: https://www.nit.pt/comida/davvero-o-restaurante-novo-hotel-de-charme-sublime-lisboa-esta-quase-abrir