Arcada for dinner

We headed out for an early dinner, arriving at Arcada just after 6.30 to find it wasn’t open yet. So, while Ian waited at the restaurant I strolled down the road to check out if there were other options if this one didn’t open. There were several other options, but luckily Arcada soon opened. We were their first customers, and decided to sit outside. The staff (who are students from the University) were great, really helpful with assisting us choosing the wine, and told us if we ordered too much food. There was a very friendly and cute neighbourhood dog that kept hanging around hoping for some titbits - he would even sneak into the restaurant, but was chased out by the staff.

For dinner we had stuffed mushrooms, a sandwich of pork, caramelised onions, mayonnaise and Padron peppers, chorizo, and a sardines boat, Everything was so fresh and delicious, but in terms of presentation the sardines were the standout. As we were sitting outside, as people wandered past and checked out the menu, Ian would tell them how good the food was and encourage them to come in. I think he probably convinced 4 or 5 couples during the evening.

One couple from the US, who were in Portugal celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary, sat next to us and we had a lovely night chatting to them, and then later a couple from Vienna also sat near us and joined in the conversation. There was also a lovely young German couple, and a young Italian boy called Lorenzo that kept coming out to get our attention. He was very cute, but we think his mum got a bit embarrassed, as she thought he was annoying us but he wasn’t.

We decided to treat ourselves to dessert, a trio of tastes to share, which comprised of a key lime pie, almond mousse and chocolate mousse. Dessert also came with 2 glasses of port, which Ian had to drink, as I had ordered a local Portuguese gin which was very nice - it was called Anicis. The staff then also brought out a shot of a local digestive, for the six of us and themselves, to toast new friendships. It was a really great night, and we didn’t end up getting home until about 11.30 pm.Read more