Dubai: Bur Dubai and commotion go together.
But if you happen to dip into Picante, this world is totally shut out as you are transported to the serene countryside of Portugal — the land of bacalhau and tascas, Obrigado and Olá.
Located in the Four Points by Sheraton hotel, this authentic Portuguese restaurant with its wooden furnishings, ornamental terracotta pots, veggie baskets and some lovely Fado music playing in the background is an oasis in the midst of everything.
The restaurant opens up to the hotel’s poolside terrace, where we were seated. The first thing that struck us as we scanned the menu was the number of ways cod fish could be prepared. As Chef Goncalo Queiroz informed us: “In Portugal there are more than 1,000 ways to cook cod fish.”
Our palates were untutored to Portuguese cuisine, but our hunger was familiar. I grabbed the menu and made my way to the open kitchen to seek some help from Chef Queiroz.
The Portuguese chef who stood behind the kitchen counter performing culinary acrobatics smiled with a twinkle in his eye when I approached him, saying he had “a special course from the new menu” prepared for us.
A two-month old Dubaiite, Queiroz said in a conspiratorial whisper that he had spent that time “researching what customer’s like”. The previous chef, he said, had made adaptations to suit the local palate replacing dishes made with different meat back home with beef.
Portuguese style
Queiroz said he could very well understand the disappointment of customers. “It’s like taking candy from a baby,” he explained. “I want to introduce new dishes heavily influenced with the Portuguese and Mediterranean style of cooking. Olive oil is the key ingredient. It makes for a healthier dish too. I’m planning to introduce a new menu in February.”
Before I returned to my table the appetisers had already arrived. Home-baked round bread, marinated carrots and olives were the perfect start to our culinary trip into Portugal. We were still nodding in approval when the beef and shrimp croquettes arrived - a crunchy sequel to the soft bread.
A dish from the still-unreleased menu came next. The olive-oil poached cod-fillet, imported from Portugal, pitted the scrambled egg, parsley and crispy potatoes; served “a bras” style with dried tomatoes and black olives looked divine and tasted as good – proof in the form of our conversation drowning to an appreciative hum.
The main course looked like an exhibition piece. A side of the pan-fried lamb sunk into the sweet mash potatoes. Date-sauce found its way through the lemon-grass and dates, assembling on the crisp exterior of the soft meat. It was a nifty union of sweet and savoury. By this time our bellies were full and our Portuguese rhapsody was reaching a finale. It was time for dessert.
A puff pastry loaded with egg custard was the concluding cadence to our course. We were grinning boyishly as we smeared the round pastry with the coffee-flavoured cream and skidded the concoction against the cinnamon-ribbon dividing the plate.
Picante is an ideal place to take your date. And yes, it is almost mandatory to indulge in cod. As Queiroz said: “The new menu features a dish that has an assortment of grilled and fried cod. It is a must for diners to try.”
Details
Meal for two: Dh220
Location: Bur Dubai
Contact: 04-397 7444
We recommend: Cod with scrambled egg and tomato, lamb with mashed potatoes, egg custard
