A delicious steakhouse experience with a dark atmosphere: Restaurant O Talho by Kiko (5. November 2023)

Given it wasn’t easy to find a place, which is open on a Sunday and already opens at 12:00, I ended up going to the second place of Chef Kiko, which is a steakhouse. Once you’re seated, you’re given a little amuse bouche in the form of “cardamom biscuits with foie gras and passion fruit gel” and I must say this combination works incredibly well to get your palate started.

I know the play with liquid nitrogen, but I do admit that I have never seen a steak tartare being prepared with liquid nitrogen around. It definitely looked quite formidable.

And, to be fair, it did not only look formidable, the “O Talho’s tartare (beef, nori seaweed, French Fries and vodka)” (EUR 27.60) was also nice in terms of flavour and texture. For me, the nori seaweed in which you were supposed to wrap the beef tartare was not entirely necessary, as it didn’t really add to the dish.

I did like the “Portuguese Stew Croquettes (Portuguese stew meat, mint and chorizo mayonnaise)” (EUR 9.80) and especially liked the attention to detail that you get the chorizo mayonnaise (mega delicious, btw!) in an own little tube to squeeze it out. The croquettes were absolutely enjoyable as a starter.

Given I was rather hungry and felt like I wanted something a bit bigger as a starter, I went for the “oxtail with egg tagliatelle and truffled mushrooms (oxtail, egg tagliatelle, truffled mushrooms and Gruyère cheese)” (EUR 29.80) and it was absolutely amazing. The oxtail was hidden under the cheese cracker, and it was so well-cooked that it basically dissembled when you would put your fork onto it.

Then, the meat was served – and it was brought as a whole piece, cut in the middle, they showed you the temperature and asked if you liked it that way. And I did.

So, as a main, I got the “Uruguayan sirloin 100% grain fed (250gr)” (EUR 34.20) with “creamed spinach with 24 months PDO Azorean cheese (spinach, olive oil and Azorean cheese)” (EUR 6.80) on the side. The meat was absolutely delicious. It had nice grill flavours and was rich in its own meat flavour – without any of the two being overpowering. The creamed spinach on the other hand wasn’t really that enjoyable. To me at least, the spinach wasn’t ‘creamed enough’.

The place is rather lovely in terms of interior – you get in, and you see the butchery, where you can also just buy your meat. Once you enter into the actual restaurant (which is literally right next to the butchery) …

… it becomes a bit darker. So, if you’re looking for a place with a lot of sun, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a nice place, which offers great meat, then this is it.

All in all, I really enjoyed the lunch at the O Talho by Kiko – great food, relatively fair prices, nice interior, and very professional service. No need booking for Sunday lunch service (at least till 1.15pm, when I left, the place was still basically empty), but I can imagine that looks a bit different in the evenings.

Rating:

Atmosphere:
Service:
Dishes:
Price-Performance Ratio:
Overall Rating:

Contact Details:

Restaurant O Talho by Kiko

R. Carlos Testa 1B

1050-046 Lisbon (PT)

Tel.: +351 21 315 4105

E-Mail: otalho@comeromundo.pt

Homepage: https://www.otalho.pt/otalhobychefkiko-steakhouse

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.