Restaurant Armazém do Peixe, Porto

Porto (Source: own photo)

Many years ago, I had a meeting the Finance Minister of Mozambique in his office in Maputo. He came out of his office to greet me with a big smile, wearing a tie-dye shirt and flip-flops. Things may not be quite as relaxed in Portugal, but you still notice a difference from Spain, where people are also warm and considerate, but somewhat more formal. The Portuguese are immediate and easy going in ways that make you feel really relaxed.

I like Portugal a lot.

There is also something salt-of-the-earth about Portugal's food. Today, we had the great pleasure of taking lunch at Restaurant Armazém do Peixe in the coastal city of Porto. This is a pure fish and seafood dining establishment situated at mouth of the Douro River, near to where it meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Armazém do Peixe sits on the left bank of the Douro River just beyond the Ponte da Arrábida bridge in the distance (Source: own photo)

The restaurant is housed within a converted warehouse with blue facade, high ceilings, and wooden beams, which give the space good light and an open and airy feel. There is also enough space between tables to give diners a sense of privacy. It is not a cheap restaurant, so the clientele are mainly business people and wealthier families. There are also a few tourists and the staff speak English.

Restaurant Armazém do Peixe in Porto (Source: own photo)

The first thing you notice when you arrive, even before you enter the restaurant, are two elderly gentlemen clad in blue aprons, who tend a large charcoal grill. They receive orders from inside the restaurant and barbecue whole fish to order. The fish themselves are laid out on a large counter with ice next to the restaurant entrance, so diners can, should they wish to do so, choose the fish they want to eat. During our visit, the selection on offer included sea bass, turbot, sole, cod, prawns, and lobster.

My turbot (Source: own photo)

This being a sunny day, we kicked off with a bottle of Milagres Vinho Verde, which was kept cold next to our table in an ice bucket with a white linen bottle cloth draped on top. There were two types of bread and starters consisted of grilled scallops served on large shells with an unusually tasty broth and a heavenly salad of parsley, red onion, peppers, and chunks of octopus on a generous serving of peppery extra-virgin olive oil.

Starters (Source: own photos)

For mains, we had a fish each, a whole grilled sole and a whole grilled turbot. Both fishes were brought straight from the coals to the table, where our waitress expertly separated flesh from bone and served the fillets on a plate with accompaniments of ratatouille of cabbage, carrot, and courgette and roasted potatoes. The remaining fish was left on a tray on our table, so we could dive in for seconds and thirds until only the bones remained . This was food deliberately made simple so as to maximise the enjoyment of the fish, which were so fresh they must have swum in cold Atlantic waters that very morning.

Turbot (Source: own photo)

We rounded off the meal with desserts consisting of pistachio fondant with red fruit sorbet and baba de camelo, a rich, airy caramel mousse made from condensed milk and eggs. Then we had expressos, paid the bill, and left full and content.

Dessert (Source: own photos)

Fish lovers will appreciate Armazém do Peixe, which also happens to be a very pleasant one hour walk from the famous Luís I Bridge along the Douro River, just far enough to build up a really healthy appetite.

The End