The "Solar dos Nunes" is the real thing. This small but delightful restaurant in a residential corner of Alcantara, in the West of Lisbon, is Southern Portuguese gastronomy at its heartiest, most authentically rich and splendid best. The Alentejo - the large slice of Portugal which separates the capital and its Tagus river from the excesses of the Algarve tourist region - is where I would most like to live. From the hot, red-earthed olive and cork oak groves on the coastal plains of the Baixo Alentejo to the string of glorious hill towns such as Évora and Vila Vicosa in the Alto Alentejo, it is beautiful, inspiring and largely unspoilt. The region is famous for pork, game, fish soups, stews, cheeses, sausages and much more. The Alentejo is also justly proud of its its heady, tannined wines, whose modernisation in the 1980s marked the rebirth of the Portuguese wine industry.
The menu at the restaurant is no disappointment. Acorn-fed Pata Negra pigs provide succulent smoked ham for a starter along with fat olives and cholesterol overdosed cheeses. You can then follow with one of the house specials - the intense Sopa Rica de Peixes (Rich Fish Soup), stuffed partridge or hare jugged with white beans. If you can manage it, after this most refined gluttony, squeeze in the Sericá d'Elvas com Ameixas (rich egg pudding with plums) or the even richer Encharcada de Mourão (more sugar, more eggs, more wicked).
Here light lunch is as nonsensical as Coca-Cola in a winery. Be prepared to allow at least a couple of hours (three is more relaxed) and don't even think about committing the unspeakable crime of not accompanying this gastronomical splurge with one of the outstanding Alentejan wines in their excellent list.
For a restaurant that has won so many prizes, it is not expensive. For around EUR 45 a head you can eat really well and drink a decent wine. Another EUR 10 each or so will get you a great wine and an even more memorable meal.
The menu at the restaurant is no disappointment. Acorn-fed Pata Negra pigs provide succulent smoked ham for a starter along with fat olives and cholesterol overdosed cheeses. You can then follow with one of the house specials - the intense Sopa Rica de Peixes (Rich Fish Soup), stuffed partridge or hare jugged with white beans. If you can manage it, after this most refined gluttony, squeeze in the Sericá d'Elvas com Ameixas (rich egg pudding with plums) or the even richer Encharcada de Mourão (more sugar, more eggs, more wicked).
Here light lunch is as nonsensical as Coca-Cola in a winery. Be prepared to allow at least a couple of hours (three is more relaxed) and don't even think about committing the unspeakable crime of not accompanying this gastronomical splurge with one of the outstanding Alentejan wines in their excellent list.
For a restaurant that has won so many prizes, it is not expensive. For around EUR 45 a head you can eat really well and drink a decent wine. Another EUR 10 each or so will get you a great wine and an even more memorable meal.
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