Dubai In a city that stirs up delectable cuisines from virtually every corner of the world, eateries serving Portuguese food are still a novelty. Of the handful of Dubai restaurants with expertise in menus inspired by the European mainland’s westernmost country, Barcelos (historically the seat of the Braganzas that ruled as the monarchs of Portugal from 17th to early 20th century) makes a fair point in being ‘authentic Portuguese’ albeit with an African touch.
Originally a South African chain specialising in ‘flame grilled chicken’, Barcelos serves healthy bites, more suited for takeaways than sit-down dinners, in varying levels of its signature piri-piri (or peri-peri, if you like) hotness - from ‘Tangy Lemon’ to ‘Mild Peri’ for the less adventurous like me to ‘Very Peri’ to ‘Supa Peri’ for the absolute spice lovers.
“Some love the mix of the two extremes – tangy lemon and supa peri. That’s like making their flame grilled chicken blow hot and cold in a very interesting manner, taste-wise,” says Balu Subramonian, the operations manager at the Barcelos in the China Court, Ibn Battuta Mall, the second outlet to open (last September) after the first one on Shaikh Zayed Road began operations in June 2011.
Hot trail
Subramonian had warned us of the potential ‘spice attack’ before we started eating, so we ordered a couple of drinks (Dh18) as ready dousers – a refreshing ‘Sunrise’ made of equal portions of freshly squeezed oranges, grenadines and bitter lemon and a sweet pulpy mango milkshake made of Alphonso mangoes.
They also do salads and, like their drinks, they too deviate from their main theme of Portugal. So along came a traditional Greek salad (Dh28) with the usual veggie bites, fresh black olives, feta cheese and some unusually crunchy lettuce. Surprisingly for Dh3 less, you could have portions of chicken strips on the salad as well.
My first real test though began with the Chicken Livers (Dh24), served with two warm Portuguese Rolls of bread. Cooked in a semi-thick gravy of ‘very peri’ sauce, the chunks of liver went well with the bread. The ‘hotness’ level though was a bit too much for my comfort!
Chicken Wings (Dh24), three joint chicken wings made buffalo-style and marinated for 24 hours before being grilled according to taste, was also in ‘very peri’ sauce. Succulent and well done, it was surprisingly a far more pleasant experience. Perhaps I had got used to the spice already I wondered. If you excuse the pun, it’s a surefire recommendation for any chicken lover.
Over to the main course and we were served a flame grilled half chicken (Dh35) along with the signature Picante (Dh39). With four side items (Dh9 each) – a spicy rice (Portuguese-style), onion rings, potato wedges and coleslaw – the whole combination looked like a great meal deal.
If you are a health freak then the 550g half of a flame grilled chicken ‘without an ounce of oil’ is a good lunch-time meal for you, insists the operations manager. Largely fat free and, if I may, guilt free as well, it could also make for a perfect light dinner.
However, if you are not counting your calory intake for a day, Picante, a 200g chicken breast stuffed with fresh feta and cream cheeses and made with generous doses of a secret ‘piquante pepper’, should be your pick. A mouthful of chicken and cheese in your favourite level of piri piri hotness in every bite, this is the stuff “signatures” are made of.
We had a Chocolate Granache (Dh18) to round off the lunch. Not necessarily Portuguese but you won’t care as long as it is sweet and divinely chocolate-y!
Details:
Meal for Two: Dh240
Location: China Court, Ibn Battuta Mall
For reservation contact: 04-437 8834
All-Day Dining from: mid-day to mid-night
We Recommend: ‘Chicken Wings’ ‘Flame Grilled Chicken’ ‘Picante’
