Lisbon’s “Lust” Restaurant Review
UPDATE: New address: Largo Vitorino Damásio, 3 (1 Dto./second floor)
Last week I tried a new restaurant in the Principe Real Santos district. It’s called “Lust” and was opened by an Argentinean who has attempted to create a space where you can enjoy more than just a good meal. So at the entrance is a tiny gourmet shop that’s reportedly waiting to be expanded, there’s a separate bar area serving drinks until about 2AM on weekends, and the dining room also hosts occasional live music and dancing. On the night I showed up it was a special Argentinean night so the spacious dining area had been given extra space in the middle for some tango dancing later in the evening. There was also a special Argentinean menu with the obligatory steak, although we opted instead for dishes from the regular menu which can best be described as international with strong Portuguese influences. The dishes ordered were a goat cheese ravioli, cod loin with chestnut purée, and pork cheeks with Azeitão cheese sauce. They all had interesting and original mixes of ingredients, and were very well presented, not to mention well served. It all tasted great, which combined with the attractive concept would make this a great new addition to the Lisbon restaurant scene. Too bad the service does not match the quality and refinement of the food. We were greeted by a waitress who acted like we were invading her space, seemingly reluctant to direct us to a table, eventually sending us to one in a corner saying everything else was reserved (we left past midnight and they were never taken). We asked another waiter to change tables anyway, and sat somewhere else. This same waitress also seemed more concerned about the upcoming tango dancing and everything else than serving her customers, passing by our table a couple of times to grab our empty dishes and glasses, but turning away immediately before we had a chance for ask for another drink, or didn’t hear us when we did. This was all compensated by a more attentive waitress from time to time, who did try to do her best, although the entire staff seemed way too involved in the preparation of the tango to care about their customers.
If “lust”is synonymous with craving, enthusiasm, desire, and appetite, it rather failed to live up to its name when it comes to service. If that night is typical of the regular attitude, customers don’t exactly feel welcome by the staff, but rather like crashers at a private party. The good news is that the food is quite good, and the prices are quite reasonable. In addition to the three dishes mentioned above we also ordered a plate of cheeses with bread and a lemon soufflé for dessert, which together with drinks came to a total of 72 euros for three people (and no, that did not include a very large tip). So it wasn’t love or lust at first bite at this restaurant, but if you don’t mind the lackluster service, I’ll still recommend it for the food and theme nights.
