Cantina 32
Rua das Flores 32
Baixa, Porto, Portugal
This lovely restaurant has a great industrial feel to it. Even more importantly, the menu looked so inviting and appetising. We were holidaying nearby and had found this gem through our research. We’re so glad we did. There are no shortage of restaurants in this part of Porto and many are quite good. This means the competition keeps everyone on their toes and the quality stays high.
Once we were seated we were served bread and olives to nibble on. The bread was beautifully light and fresh and the olives had a great tang to them. We couldn’t resist also ordering the banana butter with salt. It had intrigued us as soon as we saw it on the menu and we had to have it. The butter was infused with a subtle banana flavour and sprinkled with coarse crystals of salt. It may sound strange but it was delicious. We’d never had this combination anywhere before and we haven’t since!
The coal grilled chorizo sounded too good to miss. This spicy sausage really did have a nice crisp crust to it which we loved. The charring was very evident but not overdone with the sausage inside beautifully moist.
The coolish weather made the soup sound like a good choice. Mlady loves soup most times though. This was pumpkin cream soup with chives and orange. Again, the addition of orange was unusual yet very effective. They aren’t afraid to challenge the norm with combinations here and they work. Some crusty bread at the side went perfectly too.
Sir loves salmon so the cured salmon in mustard, orange, shallot sauce and grated egg was always going to be ordered. It’s a speciality of the house here as well. It was a fresh vibrant dish in taste and appearance and another winner.
As we’d been eating all day - or so it seemed - we kept things light and headed for the dessert menu next. Chocolate is always a top seller in any restaurant for dessert and the chocolate mousse terrine with crème fraiche grabbed Mlady easily. It was thick and rich with great flavours.
The standout dessert though was undoubtedly this cheesecake - yes cheesecake! Although it looked like a seedling blooming in a pot it was in fact a deconstructed cheesecake made with caramelised bananas and chocolate. The presentation was impressive and the taste matched this. This dessert is hugely popular here for obvious reasons.
Chef Luis Americo has created a real cantina feel here - hence the name - but in a sophisticated way. There are plenty of other decorative ornaments around too so it doesn’t appear sparse or lifeless. The contrast with the outside area is noticeable as it seems almost “normal” there, perhaps needing to blend in with the rest of the area.
Put Cantina 32 on your dining list if you’re travelling through Porto. It’s a great meal experience at very affordable prices and well worth visiting.