Perched on a cliff next to the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, the glass-walled Le Chat is a great place for a coffee or early-evening cocktail. There are DJ sets most evenings from 5pm and 11pm. At weekends, brunch is served until 5.30pm.
Stumbling
across Le Chat on my first day in Lisbon was an undoubted highlight of my
recent holiday. Perched cliff-side by the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga and found via both a 10 minute
stroll from my hotel and at the top of a take-my-word-for-it very steep climb
of stairs, this place is an angular dream of white, glass & chrome modernity.
With a gorgeous & vast open air terrace as
well as tables undercover, this is the perfect place for a date, a family
catch-up or a girls lunch, all of which I witnessed in passionate, effusive, Portuguese
style on my visits. Note the use of the word ‘visits’ plural; this place was so
lovely, we went first for lunch and then later, when exploration of the surrounding
area failed to turn up anything that looked as nice, back for dinner.
Homemade focaccia & water-bread with oil,
vinegar & olives is the perfect thing to nibble on as the first cold beer
goes down and serving them in hipster-approved kilner jars is a nice touch.
Portions are generous and prices are decent; it’s not the cheapest place around
– if you live in London you know the cost a great view adds on to any food or
drink – but it certainly won’t give you cause for alarm and the quality of the
dishes is very good. Chubby pink prawns came with slices of slick chorizo, a
goats’ cheese & walnut salad was tangy & earthy and codfish &
chickpeas were light, fresh & topped prettily with pickled pink onions.
As with many places in Lisbon, the wine was
cheaper than the coffee – no wonder I felt so at home there – and the servings are liberal.
Don’t leave without spooning your way in and out of a divinely grown-up
chocolate mousse topped with adorably retro popping candy and washed down with
Moscatel. As you’d expect, fresh fish makes up a lot of the menu but you’ll
also find meat, sandwiches & vegetarian options on offer.
Service is good – excellent in a quiet lunch-hour
and slightly more brusque but still sincere at dinner – and you’re never rushed
from your table which, if you follow my lead, will be sun-drenched when you arrive
and star-lit when you leave. If you’re staying in the heart of Lisbon, this
place is a bit out of the way for you but if you’re after somewhere a bit more chilled
and a bit less touristy than some of the central restaurants, I can’t recommend
it enough.
