ThismonthwehearfromchefJOSÉAVILLEZ
onwhere to eat and drink in his hometown.
A CHEF’SGUIDETO...
Lisbon, Portugal
J
oséAvillezknowswhat’shappeningin
Portuguesediningcircles.Notjustat the
topend– hisrestaurantBelcantobyJosé
Avillezis Lisbon’s firstrestauranttoreceive
twoMichelinstarsandis42ndontheWorld’s
50 BestRestaurantslist– butat thecasual,family-
friendlyendofthespectrum,too.Fromtascas
(a casual,localrestaurant)towhitetablecloths,
thisis wheretheinfluential,award-winningchef
takes visitors when they come to Lisbon.Life is acabaret
ThisyearweopenedCanto,a
restaurantwithlivemusic.Themenu
is basedontraditionalPortuguese
cuisine,butafterdinner,themusic
cantakeyoufromSpaintoBrazil.
It’sa veryintimateandspecial
performance.Thistypeofdining
experienceis somethingI am
fascinated with. My great-great-grandfatheropenedthefirstcabaret
showinPortugalin1908.I wanted
tobuildonhisconcept,whichis why
I firstopenedBecoCabaretGourmet.
It’sa placewherecreativefinedining
andcabaretcometogether.It’s
somuchfun.It’swhereI celebrate
specialoccasions.It’sanamazing
cabaretshowbut– touse a culinary
term – not too spicy.132 GOURMET TRAVELLER
PHOTOGRAPHYJOSÉAVILLEZGROUP (DINING ROOM, FOOD & PORTRAIT)& GETTY IMAGES (LISBON).