Cuisine

Couvert and Appetizers

1. Complete Couvert Our couvert consists on different kinds of bread, flavoured butter, olive oil and seasoned olives. Price per person
2. Olive Oil Tasting Taste 3 of these 5 olive oils
3. Tomato Soup A classical Portuguese soup, with a twist: egg jam, to balance the natural acidity of the tomatos
4. Vegetable Soup With fresh vegetables
5. Chef... I dropped the pot! VEGAN. Root Salad (Carrots and Beetroot) with Quinoa and Soy Vinagrette
6. "Cozido" Croquets Croquets with Assorted Meats and a bit of Pineapple Mustard.

1. "Picapau" A different version of a classic Portuguese snack. Steak cubes with roasted garlic and black garlic sauce, mustard and red onion pickles.
2. Breaded Cheese PDO Azeitão Cheese, Breaded and Baked, with Bell Pepper and Ginger Jam.
3. Tropical Shrimp Shrimp Sautéed with Garlic, Lime, Ginger, Chili, Orange and Coriander. Served with Yam and Passion Fruit Purée.
4. Tábua de Queijo e Enchidos Três Variedades de Queijos artesanais, Cachaço de Porco Alentejano, Cabeça de Xara, Enchidos de Porco Bísaro (Salsichão, Cachaço, Salpicão)
5. Vieira da Silva This little "portrait dish" is a simple tribute to the painter Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, a reference in Portuguese Arts. But there is also a double entendre, as "Vieira" is the Portuguese word for sea scallops and "Silva" is the wild bush in which blackberries grow. Pan Seared Scallops, Celery Purée, Apple, Lettuce, Red Onion, Honey, Edible Shell, Truffle Sand and Pebbles.

Tasting Experience

1. Tasting Menu - 50 Years of Faz Figura Every month, a new themed Tasting Menu. In this case, a celebration of Faz Figura's 50th anniversary. **In late 1974, a few months after the Revolution, Faz Figura became part of what then was a restricted lot of quality restaurants in Lisbon.** The city was completely different back then: after decades of isolation from the rest of the world, good restaurants were a rarity and few could afford to visit them. Eating out was a luxury for the vast majority of people and restaurant menus were a mix of traditional dishes (soups, the unavoidable salt cod, maybe a good cut of meat in very special days), with a lot of foreeign influenced dishes, mostly based on french cuisine, then regarded as the pinnacle of culinary art. 1974 was also the first year of the modern Michelin Guide. In Portugal, 4 restaurants were awarded the coveted Star: "Portucale” in Porto, “Pipas” in Cascais, and two others in Lisbon: “Aviz” and “Michel” (closed by now), and so things remained until the 90's. Food critics didn't exist. The only exception was Luís Sttau Monteiro. He wrote using alias and most of the time he was a very though critic, both to the restaurants and the "bourgeois" habits of their customers. Here's a couple of examples: *“These people couldn't care less if the soup comes from a package, if it's old or whatever, as long as it the menu calls it Vichyssoise and costs at least 25$00. It's no surprise that by now restaurant owners laugh while they mix any potato leftovers with a bit of milk and promote onions to leeks". "When you compare what you eat at any small routier in France with the stuff you get all over Portugal, your stomach cries...”.***** However, things were beggining to change. "Snack-Bars" were opening fast, people started talking about hamburgers and other novelties (not necessarily good ones...). The following master food critic, José Quitério, began his work in 1976 and, many years later, recalled: **“In 76 this was a disgrace. No one made real Portuguese food, but a "frenched" thing. After the independence of the Portuguese colonies came a national identity crisis: who are we, where do we come from? I believed we had to go back to the basics. That´s why i always talked about traditional dishes. In 1982, Maria de Lurdes Modesto's book, "Traditional Portuguese Cuisine", was a decisive help, things became easier. In the 80's, mentalities started to change. The Tourism Boards and City Halls started to care about gastronomy and the search for our roots became a real movement. But it still took more time for restaurants to follow. Only in the 90's a new generation of cooks came along, also caring about new and careful dish presentations, which was always poor in our food. But by then real change had happened and traditions were revived.”**** Here's the contradiction: Portugal pioneered gastronomical globalization (the Japanese tempura or Indian Vindaloo are two good examples of this), as well as the use of several ingredients (spices, to begin with). But as the country regained its freedom after the Revolution, it was in fact a very outdated and backward nation. As in all other areas, dictatorship kept Portugal very far from anything modern or progressive. Arguably, the only positive consequence was that it acidentally preserved some old food production methods and recipes. Going back to José Quitério: **“We don't have a national cuisine. We have one haut cuisine dish, which is Partridge Convento de Alcântara. Rich people were always very few in Portugal. The really interesting stuff came from the people, amazing anonymous things. Regional cuisines have an extraordinary variety, if you look at how ridiculously small the country is. We were able to use all the available elements in every region, mostly simple and poor things, and turn them into dishes with a lot of personality.”**** Today, everything is different. And so are we. Celebrating half a century, Faz Figura embraces all the changes, tries to stay young and learn something new everyday. We are very proud of our past and, most importantly, of the Portuguese gastronomic culture and its simples but authentic products. This Menu brings back some of the dishes that were common in Lisbon's menus when our restaurant first opened. Being honest... yes, it is a "frenchy" Menu. But that's the way it was back then... We don't want to replicate those dishes, rather recreate them, somehow. **Amuse-Bouche: Vichyssoise** With all due respect to Sttau Monteiro, this is not "yesterday's soup", but a propper Vichyssoise. Faz Figura became famous for being very popular among Portuguese politicians, so this cold soup became an obvious choice, considering it was at the heart of an episode in the early 90's, involving current President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Paulo Portas, director of "Independente" newspaper (and later a politician himself). Portas accused Marcelo of feeding him a pile of wrong or plain false informations about a meeting in the Presidential Palace. Even the menu was false (Vichyssoise, supposedly). **Starter: Prawn Cocktail** In the mid 70's, pretty much any respectable restaurant would offer a version of this. As a rule, prawns were served cold in high glass cups, the fancier the better, and usually drowning in mayonnaise. For this menu, we do use a coriander mayo, but we add a salad of blackbbery, celery and apple and some chili threads. **Fish: Sole À La Meuniére** The literal translation from the french is "millwoman's fashion" (or Millerman's wife), because the original recipe requires to coat the fish with flour. Then it was cooked in a lot of butter (keep in mind the three secrets of French cooking: butter, butter and butter), adding some lemon. Truth be told, in Portugal a lot of people skipped the flour and added other things, like parsley or capers. But, regardless of details, 50 years ago the dish was almost mandatory in any good restaurant. We add a radish and parsley purée, radish medallions and a lemon crust. **Meat: Partridge Convento de Alcântara** As mentioned before, for a long time this was considered the only haut cuisine recipe in Portugal. French influence is again notorious, considering foie gras and truffles are two key ingredients. The recipe is originally Portuguese, but it was made famous by the French. Napoleon's soldiers found it in the archives of Alcântara Convent, during 19th century's french invasion of Portugal. The document ended up in the hands (and written memoirs) of the Marchioness of Abrantes, wife of General Junot, Commander of the French Army. According to António Maria de Oliveira Bello – known as Olleboma, the founder of the Portuguese Gastronomical Society in 1933 - that's how the recipe made its way to celebrity Chef Auguste Escoffier, who included it in his prestigious 1903 book, “Le Guide Culinaire”. We cook the bird's breast separately and add the rest to a ballotine, with foie and truffles, adding a Port wine sauce.. **Dessert: Flan Pudding** We could go with a Crepe Suzette, which is great and for years has been prepared in Faz Figura's dining room, right in front of customers. But then again… french!. So, we opted for a flan. Almost every country has a version of it, but the true origins are lost in time. Ancient Rome, some say... 50 years ago, it was in every menu, now it's gone. Except for same small places that still serve them in traditional aluminum individual moldings that crossed generations. There is even a famous comedian that showed on TV his talent for gulping whole puddings in one single slurp. By the way, please do not try this... ENJOY!

Fish

1. Pan Seared Tuna Tuna Loin, Pumpkin and Ginger Purée, Fried Polenta
2. Bacalhau à Brás Figura Our take on one of the most famous Cod recipes in Portugal. We add crunchy Cod swimm bladder, a Breaded Egg, Olive Paste and Parsley Oil. As for the original recipe, it's origin remains dubious. It is supposed to have been created by an inn keeper called Braz at Bairro Alto, but there are many older and very similar recipes. Anyway, it became an icon of Lisbon´s gastronomy.
3. Shrimp Curry Shrimp Curry with Coconut Foam; Rice with Lemon and Mustard Seeds

1. "Carolineiro" Carolino Rice from Ribatejo with Scarlet Shrimp from Algarve
2. Sea Bass with Olive Paste, Black Rice and Orange Sauce
3. Octopus with "Cuscos" Octopus cooked in Olive Oil, served with Cuscos (the Portuguese version of Cous-Cous) and Chorizo.

Meat

1. PORTUGUESE MEAT Globalization has indeed reached our tables, but Portugal can still brag of having a remarkable list of national meats, with an impressive variety for such a small country. There are 14 certified bovine varieties ( 11 DOP / PDO - Carnalentejana, Arouquesa, Barrosã, Cachena da Peneda, Charneca, Bravo do Ribatejo, Marinhoa, Maronesa, Mertolenga, Mirandesa and Ramo Grande) and three IGP / PGI (Cruzado dos Lameiros do Barroso, Açores and Vitela de Lafões). In pork, there is DOP/PDO DOP Bísaro Transmontano and also Alentejano, not forgetting Malhado de Alcobaça (not certified, but traditional, rare and delicious). Portugal is also the only european country with certified breeds of goat's meat (five): Cabrito Transmontano DOP, Cabrito da Beira, da Gralheira, Terras Altas do Minho, Barroso e Alentejo (all IGP). As for sheeps, there are four DOP (Borrego Serra da Estrela, Cordeiro Bragançano, Cordeiro Mirandês and Borrego Terrincho) and five IGP (Borregos da Beira, Montemor-o-Novo, Baixo Alentejo, Nordeste Alentejano and Cordeiro do Barroso). Capão de Freamunde (IGP), a big castrated rooster is the only certified bird in Portugal. At Faz Figura, we work exclusively with Portuguese meats (certified or not), from autoctonous breeds and traditional production methods, to bring the most delicious and healthy cuts available.
2. Stewed Veal Cheek PDO Mirandesa Veal Cheek, slowly stewed with Spices, Mashed Potato and Vegetables
3. Veal "Mendinha" Organic Veal Chop, Slowly cooked for 12 hours and shredded. Celery Purée, Fried Polenta, Pineapple Mustard, Cheese Tuile.
4. Suckling Pig Duo Two textures of Suckling Pig: a crispy dice and escabeche (onion, olive oil and vinegar sauce), Black Pepper Foam, Orange Gel.

1. Bísaro Pork Loin Grilled Bísaro Pork Loin. With Roasted potato and "Pico de Gallo" (Tomato, Onion, Chili, Ginger, Coriander and Lime).
2. Azorean Rump Grilled PGI Açores Beef Rump. Grilled Lettuce Heart, additional side choice (Chips, Rice, Salad).
3. Faz Figura Steak Fried Beef (meat cut may vary), creamy sauce with Roasted Garlic and Black Garlic, Black Garlic Cracker, Soft Egg

Desserts

1. Cocoa Vase Chocolate Meringue, Dark Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Crumble
2. Cheese Cake Daisies Lime Cheese Cake
3. Coconut Cream Creamy Coconut, Flambéed Pineapple, Salted Caramel
4. Egg Jam Honeycomb IGP Aveiro Sweet Eggs in Honey Cracker, Yuzu Foam, Chocolate Crumble, Toasted Almond
5. Caramel Fondant

1. Orange with Olive Oil Sliced Orange, Olive Oil, Cinnamon
2. Wild Rose Wild Berries Mousse with Port Wine, Raspberry, Blackberry, Blueberry, Lemon Curd
3. Limoncello Tiramisu Itália, Alentejo e Trás-os-Montes, juntos numa sobremesa. Tiramisu de Limoncello Alentejano, Compota de Limão de Boticas
4. Romeo and Juliet Cheese and Quince Marmalade, a match made in heaven. Assorted Portuguese Cheeses, IGP White Odivelas Marmalade

Vegetarian

1. Pumpkin "Steak" Sous-Vide Pumpkin with Cinnamon and Rosemary, Beetroot Purée, Dried Bell Pepper

1. Vegetable Curry