The Idiot couldn’t resist a quick trip to Portugal after a friend from Australia, who recently spent nine months eating his way around the world, contended that “my favourite, exciting restaurant of the entire circumnavigation of the globe is BAHR, which stands for Barrio Alto Hotel Restaurante, in Lisbon.”
The Idiot kicked things off at BAHR with lunch, which features a daily “Menu de Mercado” (Market Menu), on the terrace of the hotel’s rooftop restaurant that opened in 2019. He invited a friend, one of the many foreigners who has flocked to socially progressive and hilly Lisbon during the past decade, to join him.
The Idiot and successful entrepreneur Yan Hascoët, who moved to Lisbon from Paris, lunched on the rooftop terrace of BAHR with the Golden Gate-like 25th of April Bridge in the background.
Their “Menu de Mercado” lunch at BAHR included mouth-watering lentils moussaka with almond and eggplant.
Their “Menu de Mercado” lunch at BAHR included an Alentejano lamb loin with potato pies and Algarve carrots.
What did France-raised transplant Yan Hascoët think of BAHR? “Amazing,” said the first-time diner. “I’ll be back.”
The kitchen at BAHR in Lisbon.
The always changing “Menu de Mercado” at BAHR on February 1, 2023.
The Idiot continued his culinary evaluation at a BAHR dinner with Kim Hamilton, a former Hollywood actor he met in L.A. who began working remotely from Lisbon last July.
“My friend John Keeney recommends the turbot in kale sauce, cassoulet of baby black pig and squid with runner beans,” The Idiot told Kim, whom he invited only after lunch the day before passed his rigorous taste test. “Keeney added that the Italian meringue is ‘the best dessert of all time for me’ and claims that BAHR already merits its first, and maybe second, Michelin star.”
Dining at BAHR near the restaurant’s open kitchen with Kim Hamilton, an erstwhile Hollywood actor working remotely from Lisbon.
Smoked barnacles on toast.
Grilled Squid Runner Beans, Turnip Tops and Seaweed.
Wild Turbot with Green Kale Sauce and Chorizo.
Meringue, Lemon Leaves and Milk Skin.
What did California newcomer-to-Lisbon Kim Hamilton think of BAHR in Lisbon as she ended dinner with Chocolate Crémeux, Spelt Bread Ice Cream and Carmalized Soja? “Elegant, unpretentious and comfortable with a unique twist on delicious classics.”
The Idiot’s Verdict: Inviting venue, innovative menu with many mouth-watering dishes, intriguing experience (“experience” is a word BAHR’s welcoming staff like to use to describe a meal there) but a few cosmetic fixes (think tablecloths) are probably required before still-can-be-stodgy Michelin bestows its first star (which some BAHR managers say isn’t a priority in considerably laid-back Lisbon).
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