At first glance, everything seems the same, but the truth is that there has been a small revolution at O Trade. The spirit, at least, has not changed. The menu is no longer the same, nor is the chef. Carlos Duarte Afonso, who had opened the restaurant with his cousin Sergio Fradi, left to open Oito, and when the time came to choose his replacement, Sergio went in search of the son of the house: Diogo Carvalho. Now his mission is to take control of the most popular kitchen and bar in Belém.
“The proposed challenge was to go back to the origins. “It means preparing more food from a pot, something more seasonal, or changing the menu more, like in the old days,” says Diogo Carvalho, across the counter. Maybe my challenge is to show more of Portugal than Alentejo. It was easy in Alentejo because they were from there, and they knew the area well, but I’m from an area that I know well too.
Diogo Carvalho from Matosinhos already has many ideas up his sleeve: “Who knows, maybe I’ll cook some porridge with Sarapulho.” Without being afraid to take risks because I feel safe going home where I have learned so much. “I’ve worked for a year and a half here at O Frade. It was my first professional experience in a post-course restaurant kitchen. He left for Sem Maneras, by Ljubomir Stanisic, and was in Kabuki when he was invited back.”
The menu is already there, and it starts right away with the special oyster rissole (5 euros) in antipasti. In the main courses, there are novelties such as oxtail stewed with vegetables (€19), fried octopus feijoada (€20.50) or creamy mushroom rice (€16.50). In the field of desserts, Diogo’s field of specialization, a revolution has taken place: in Four, only the chocolate mousse with coconut sorbet (5 euros) has been preserved, with the highlight now being the cake and walnut ice cream (6 euros) or Dom Rodrigo, lemon and meringue (6 euros). ).
However, there is one dish that is unlikely to ever leave the menu. Duck rice (€19.80) is always available. “It is without a doubt the best-selling dish and we can’t get rid of it, because it’s really, really good,” says Pedro Fradi, Sergio’s brother and COO, revealing that the aim is to create new products “so that people come back and try different things”, ideally on the counter “to get the full experience”.
Proof of this is that even with the opening of a second store, at Time Out Market, the counter has remained the focus, even though O Frade, in Cais do Sodré, has a 42-person terrace.
Calzada da Ajuda, 14 years old (Belem). 93 948 2939. Mon-Sun 12.30-16.00/ 19.30-00.00
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