It is not every day that Midori, the first Japanese restaurant in Portugal with a Michelin star, presents new dishes. But when it does, it's impossible not to try them and come back to share the experience. The two tasting menus offered by the restaurant – the Kiri, with eight courses (€154), and the Yama, with nine (€186) – have been revamped by the duo of chefs Pedro Almeida (consultant) and Tiago Santos (resident). The concept remains the same: to combine Japanese and Portuguese cuisine, merging culinary methods and ingredients from each country. This evokes the shared history between the two territories and the influence Portuguese cuisine has had on Japanese cuisine since the Portuguese arrived in Japan in the 16th century.
Both menus start the same way, with a Hassun – a selection of appetisers that includes a scarlet prawn takoyaki, a coast prawn tartlet with chickpea miso, a ray tempura, a chicken karaage with chilli and a toro cone, the only speciality that has remained from the previous menu.
Next comes another major novelty: the miso soup with Portuguese stew, which can be found on the Yama menu. This classic Japanese soup, in this version, evokes traditional Portuguese flavours – perhaps one of the most representative fusions of Midori’s concept.
As for the nigiris, common to both menus, there are new options as well as classic ones that remain unchanged. Try the new pieces with yellowtail and fig leaf, squid and citrus butter, and langoustine and carrot; and savour the well-established favourites like smoked akami with bay leaf, preserved shutoro with rosemary, and torched otoro served at the table. After all, you don’t change a winning team (much).
The Yama menu also features a new main course, a beef tongue cooked kakuni style – with the Japanese holy trinity of sugar, sake and soy sauce – which gives it a unique consistency. This dish involves meat cooked for long hours until it melts in the mouth. It is served with tomato and miso.
To finish, the dessert that concludes both menus is a true experience. Hachi, oats and honey combine crunchiness and thickness – and before this, it is possible to sample different types of honey, from the most intense to the mildest, to select the best combination according to each person's palate.
Coming in July, additional dishes will join the menu: yellowtail and bell pepper sashimi (Kiri menu); and roosterfish and almond sashimi (Yama menu), served so thin and with such a special presentation that it becomes a work of art; and the magnificent asparagus kushiage with chawanmushi (Yama).
Both tasting menus can be ordered with wine pairings, selected by sommelier Eveline Borges. With the wine pairings, the Kiri menu costs €252, while the Yama menu goes up to €314. For the latter, it is also possible to add a wagyu beef supplement for €50, if you wish to make the meal even more unforgettable.
Inaugurated in 1992, Midori is one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in Portugal. It is located in the Penha Longa Resort, alongside other restaurants (including the renowned LAB by Sergi Arola, also awarded a Michelin star), and owes its name to the “green” of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, which provides a stunning backdrop for diners. But that's not all: the restaurant is also named Midori after the daughter of the former Japanese owners who founded the hotel.
Quinta da Lagoa Azul, Sintra. Tue-Sat 19.00-22.30. 21 924 9011