We’ve been to many restaurants where the specialties are meat dishes, where a good piece of beef is served with pomp and circumstance, but nothing could have predicted that the “old” but full of “pinta” restaurant O Talho (now open for 14 years), run by the famous Chef Kiko Martins, would be able to surprise us.
We know that Chef Kiko can do wonders with anything he touches … but we were far from imagining that a carnivorous experience like this could leave our mouths watering.
Before you too start drooling over all these photos, let’s take you on a tour of O Talho.
O Talho – Steakhouse & Fine Dinning
And yes, it’s true! There really is a butcher’s shop in this restaurant, and you notice it as soon as you walk in the front door. And yes, you can go there just to buy them, without even entering the restaurant. But we warn you, you don’t know what you’re missing!
And there are all the premium meats you can taste in this specialty space, which has quickly become one of the most renowned Fine Dining restaurants in the capital.
Located near El Corte Inglés and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, O Talho combines a sophisticated and relaxed atmosphere with an innovative approach to gastronomy, a signature that is immediately apparent to anyone who knows the chef who runs this kitchen (and many others in Lisbon).
As soon as you enter, you notice a very intimate atmosphere, marked by the warm earthy and fiery tones of the décor, which includes rustic details in wood and marble, blood-red leather sofas, a small wine cellar behind a glass wall and a counter capable of accommodating eight guests who love the delights that a good steak can provide.
We entered and immediately made ourselves comfortable at one of the tables just outside the kitchen. After all, Chef Kiko had many surprises prepared for us… and first hand!
On the menu at O Talho
Wow, so many good things… with an emphasis on creatively crafted cuts with some international influences, which the Chef is always very attentive to.
If we didn’t have Chef Kiko Martins cooking for us, we could easily have opted for the O Talho Tartar (€29.80); the Grain Fed Beef Tenderloin Wellington (€112.80/two people); or the Chuletón de Vaca Marela Dry Aged 60 dias (€99.80/two people); among other wonders that we’ll have to try on other occasions.
But as we were invited to the Chef’s table, dishes that aren’t even on the menu yet crossed our taste buds . And it’s these – and a few others – that you’ll get to know below.
The Secret Lisbon experience
Let’s start by admitting that we’re good forks! We’ve enjoyed practically everything we’ve been offered so far in all the gastronomic experiences we’ve been kindly invited to. We like some things better than others, admittedly, but we’re not “difficult”, that’s for sure.
So the task of a chef as well-known as this one would be, we would say, very simple. And it was… because we loved every bite of everything we were asked to try, from the starters to the desserts.
As soon as we sat down, a Couvert (€4.85) with La Vera paprika butter, Fleur de Sel butter, Truffled Ricotta DIP, Olive Bread, Wheat Toast and Papadum, to start preparing our stomachs for what was to come.
This was followed by a Confit Partridge and Foie Gras T artlet (€23.40), a little piece of doom with various textures that served as a way for the chef to show us what we were in for.
We’re pretty sure that Chef Kiko knows that we love croquettes , and he calculated the next moment precisely, not missing the opportunity to show us his specialty, his Croquete Recheado de Cozido à Portuguesa (9.80€/3 pieces), which was simply divine.
The third episode of this gastronomic series hasn’t even been released yet: Tapioca with Chistorra from the Basque Country, a true marvel , crunchy and soft at the same time, which we have no shame in spoiling about its level of sweet intensity for any mouth that has the privilege of tasting it.
Another novelty, which also has no place on the current menu (at the time of writing) was one of the most exciting cold starters we’ve ever tasted in any restaurant: Black Pork Roast with Smoked Eel Cream.
Wow! My God, what is this? We ask you to calm down… we’re still processing this dish in our heads. We’ll be back in a moment.
We’re back and we’re still not sure what happened to the previous starter, unlike the one we tried next, which is already one of the best-known dishes at O Talho and is always worth ordering as many times as you go back.
The Carpaccio of Entrecôte Rubia Gallega Dry Aged 42 days with Gamba do Algarve (€21.30) is worth every penny and should be tasted with all the calm in the world, preferably with your eyes closed and a glass of wine in your hand… white or red, it doesn’t matter, the house one, signed by Chef Kiko Martins, did the honors very well.
Time for the grill! If you’ve come straight here, get ready for your mouth to water.
We tasted two cuts that Chef Kiko is proud of: the Cowboy Steak of Maronesa Veal PDO (€34.70/350 gr) and the Entrecôte de Rubia Gallega Dry Aged 42 days (€37.30/300 gr).
Prepared to perfection to bring out all the qualities of these meats, both pieces, one taken from an animal weighing more than 500 kilos and the other from a young animal, proved to us that there is still a lot of delicious things to try, and this space is undoubtedly one of those “matured meat paradises”, if there is such a thing.
We closed with another novelty that isn’t on the menu yet, the dessert Tiramisu with Hazelnut and Port Wine.
Note: I don’t like Tiramisu, but this disappeared from the plate in the blink of an eye, such was the quality of this reinvention of the Italian classic, with an intense creaminess allied to a depth with a northern Portuguese accent. Superb!
A final point for the service, impeccable and very attentive from start to finish, certainly the work of a chef who is very attentive to detail.
All in all, we left O Talho very satisfied with a gastronomic experience that properly celebrates meat in all its forms… and that’s just the best we can say about this restaurant. Thank you Chef, we’ll be back!
Address: Rua Carlos Testa 1B (São Sebastião)
Opening hours: every day from 12pm to 4pm and from 7pm to 11.30pm
Menu and reservations: on the website