Putting down your chopsticks in a fine-dining restaurant might seem like an act of rebellion.
After all, Western etiquette requires the use of cutlery, but Eastern tradition takes a different path.
In the heart of the Portuguese capital, direct contact with food has once again become the norm.
The rule of the hands at JNcQUOI Asia
JNcQUOI Asia has a new menu inspired by Japan. The restaurant, located on Avenida da Liberdade, takes an approach focused on the origins of Japanese cuisine, with chef Rui Rosário leading the service under a clear premise: the best way to evaluate the fish—”without masks”— is to use your fingers.
Touching the pieces directly allows you to gauge the exact temperature of the cooked dish and the texture of the raw slice before taking that delicious bite. Doing without utensils preserves the heat of the base and the freshness of the cut.
Nigiri and the classic Unagi
The menu is grounded in technical excellence, starting with a selection that includes nigiri designed to highlight the quality of the ingredients, served with surgical precision.
The meal is elevated by the arrival of eel rice with tamagoyaki, served in its classic form. The balance between the sweet-and-sour profile of the eel meat and the starchiness of the rice establishes this new menu as a unique experience in the capital.
We also sampled a delicious sea bass sashimi with cherry blossom vinegar sauce and sesame oil, some beautiful thin slices of sea urchin with truffle ponzu sauce, ikura, and mizuna, as well as tuna marinated in soy sauce and mirin with caviar and shiso.
We also tried this platter of Red Velvet uramakis, featuring akami, otoro, chives, takuan, and fresh wasabi.
And we finished with three gastronomic works of art: the Wagyu Meshi Tamago Sando, which left us eager to open a business dedicated solely to this type of sandwich; the Tarte Romantique JNcQUOI, which took us back to our childhood, as it was inspired by the famous “Romântica” afternoon from Olá magazine; and, of course, a bowl full of Baba de Rinoceronte, one of this restaurant’s most iconic desserts, served directly at the table.
If you’ve made it this far, you must already be salivating over all these delicious options, right? That’s exactly why, if you’re looking for more than “just sushi” and want a dining experience that honors Japanese roots, the new sushi menu at JNcQUOI Asia, created by Chef Rui Rosário, is a true delight.
And the next time you sit down at a sushi restaurant or for an omakase experience, don’t be afraid: put down your chopsticks and use your hands to feel the difference of eating this way.
Useful information:
Address: Avenida da Liberdade 144 (Restauradores)
Hours:Sunday through Wednesday, 12 p.m. to midnight; Thursday through Saturday, 12 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Average price: €50+ per person
Menus and reservations:onthe website
