Hello and welcome!.
Dear reader, i am still talking about food in and around Lisbon, Portugal.
Today, i will be reviewing another of their Restaurants,
Dear reader, i am still talking about food in and around Lisbon, Portugal.
Today, i will be reviewing another of their Restaurants,
O FARNEL.
Location:
Location:
This Restaurant is located in the Freeport Retail Outlet. Which is on the outskirts of the small town of Alcochete, Portugal.
To get there from Lisbon, it's a 20-30 minute taxi journey over the Vasco da Gama Bridge.
This is a view from the bridge (on the way back to Lisbon).
The clouds were dark, but luckily for us the rain was little.
We eventually arrived at the Freeport Shopping Outlet, (The largest outlet in Europe), for a spot of retail therapy, a different kind of trip away from the crowded Lisbon city streets.
After what seemed like days of going from shop to shop, with endless money off deals, amidst the designer named bargains, but far too many sales posters everywhere, it was soon time for a break for lunch. One of my favourite times of the day.
Tough Decision:
There were many different choices of places to eat, everything from some well known fast food chains, to fine dining style restaurants.
We fancied something more substantial than a burger in a bun, and eventually came across this restaurant. (It looked quite busy inside), so after looking through their menu (which was set up outside among others), it was quite a tough decision, but we decided to visit O Farnel.
The Interior:
There are tables all around the room, with a bar/coffee station next to the far wall. There was also a "through way" to reach another restaurant (of a different name) in a large entrance in the wall.
The Decor:
The Decor was actually very nicely done, the theme was past times farming, with large pictures of farm workers, smiling and happy in the fields. There were quite a few old fashioned farming tools, among which were rakes, scythes, and hoe, all hanging on the walls.
Sometimes it is good to see a restaurant quite busy, it means that it is probably quite good, and the food should be at least OK. The down side of it being quite busy is the minimum attention that the waiting staff can give each table of customers.
The Menu:
The menu arrives and we are keen to try some traditional style Portuguese foods, and there seem to be one or two dishes spot our eye. They sound traditional, and pretty soon we order the main courses.
The Cost:
The cost seems reasonable compared to the other (same types only) restaurants in the area, although a little pricey compared to some in Lisbon.
We are soon given the appetizers (entradas) and some bread.
Today the entradas look particularly appealing.
There was a sardine pate, which tasted very good, a smoked picante choritzo style sausage which was also good, and then a small plate of chickpeas, they were tasty too. The cheese we did not try.
The entradas arrive.
Note:
In Portugal, (and in some other countries now, Venice for example), if you do try any of the entradas there will be a small charge on the bill, if you do not wish them, it is best to ask them to be removed before the ordered food arrives.
Oh! and soon enough, here come the main courses.
This is the lovely hearty bean stew.
It is quite a large sized portion, which had both barlotti, and butter beans in. There may have been another type, they were hard to spot.
The dish tasted really good, and came with plain rice.
The Codfish Farnel.
This was presented very well, it had a large size of Cod, the salad was nicely dressed with enough dressing, and there were toasted almonds and potatoes around, and a slice of lemon.
The taste was very good, i could tell the fish it's self was fresh.
However, the amount of large rib cage bones found in the fish was disappointing. There were even some fin bones on the underside of the fish skin.
Fish Bones:
That seems such a shame to leave so many bones in a lovely piece of Cod for the customer to find.
In almost all restaurants in the UK as many rib bones as possible must be removed, this is all done in the preparation time that all chef's have before the restaurant opens for business.
Another solution could have been to cut the fish into Fillets, which eliminates almost all of these bones, and if the skin is to be served, it could have been crisped up and served as a garnish at the side of the plate, or on the top of the fish.
I would love to hear some other view points on this subject.
We have now come to the dessert.
We decide to pass dessert today, as it is soon time to head back to Lisbon, before it gets dark.
My personal review:
Taste of the food: 8 and 1/2 (Good, but not wow!)
Price: 7 (Seems high for their busy location)
I hope you enjoy my review.
Many thanks for reading.
If you wish to contact O Farnel direct, here are some useful contact details.
http://www.ofarnel.com
Freeport Alcochete
Shop R S8, Avenida Euro 2004,
2890-164 Alcochete
Telephone : 212 342 652
The clouds were dark, but luckily for us the rain was little.
We eventually arrived at the Freeport Shopping Outlet, (The largest outlet in Europe), for a spot of retail therapy, a different kind of trip away from the crowded Lisbon city streets.
After what seemed like days of going from shop to shop, with endless money off deals, amidst the designer named bargains, but far too many sales posters everywhere, it was soon time for a break for lunch. One of my favourite times of the day.
Tough Decision:
There were many different choices of places to eat, everything from some well known fast food chains, to fine dining style restaurants.
We fancied something more substantial than a burger in a bun, and eventually came across this restaurant. (It looked quite busy inside), so after looking through their menu (which was set up outside among others), it was quite a tough decision, but we decided to visit O Farnel.
The Interior:
There are tables all around the room, with a bar/coffee station next to the far wall. There was also a "through way" to reach another restaurant (of a different name) in a large entrance in the wall.
The Decor:
The Decor was actually very nicely done, the theme was past times farming, with large pictures of farm workers, smiling and happy in the fields. There were quite a few old fashioned farming tools, among which were rakes, scythes, and hoe, all hanging on the walls.
Sometimes it is good to see a restaurant quite busy, it means that it is probably quite good, and the food should be at least OK. The down side of it being quite busy is the minimum attention that the waiting staff can give each table of customers.
The Menu:
The menu arrives and we are keen to try some traditional style Portuguese foods, and there seem to be one or two dishes spot our eye. They sound traditional, and pretty soon we order the main courses.
The Cost:
The cost seems reasonable compared to the other (same types only) restaurants in the area, although a little pricey compared to some in Lisbon.
We are soon given the appetizers (entradas) and some bread.
Today the entradas look particularly appealing.
There was a sardine pate, which tasted very good, a smoked picante choritzo style sausage which was also good, and then a small plate of chickpeas, they were tasty too. The cheese we did not try.
Note:
In Portugal, (and in some other countries now, Venice for example), if you do try any of the entradas there will be a small charge on the bill, if you do not wish them, it is best to ask them to be removed before the ordered food arrives.
Oh! and soon enough, here come the main courses.
It is quite a large sized portion, which had both barlotti, and butter beans in. There may have been another type, they were hard to spot.
The dish tasted really good, and came with plain rice.
This was presented very well, it had a large size of Cod, the salad was nicely dressed with enough dressing, and there were toasted almonds and potatoes around, and a slice of lemon.
The taste was very good, i could tell the fish it's self was fresh.
However, the amount of large rib cage bones found in the fish was disappointing. There were even some fin bones on the underside of the fish skin.
Fish Bones:
That seems such a shame to leave so many bones in a lovely piece of Cod for the customer to find.
In almost all restaurants in the UK as many rib bones as possible must be removed, this is all done in the preparation time that all chef's have before the restaurant opens for business.
Another solution could have been to cut the fish into Fillets, which eliminates almost all of these bones, and if the skin is to be served, it could have been crisped up and served as a garnish at the side of the plate, or on the top of the fish.
I would love to hear some other view points on this subject.
We have now come to the dessert.
We decide to pass dessert today, as it is soon time to head back to Lisbon, before it gets dark.
My personal review:
Taste of the food: 8 and 1/2 (Good, but not wow!)
Price: 7 (Seems high for their busy location)
I hope you enjoy my review.
Many thanks for reading.
If you wish to contact O Farnel direct, here are some useful contact details.
http://www.ofarnel.com
Freeport Alcochete
Shop R S8, Avenida Euro 2004,
2890-164 Alcochete
Telephone : 212 342 652
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