BouBou’s (Lisbon, PT)

BouBou’s
R. Monte Olivete 32A
1200-280 Lisbon, Portugal
Dining date: 11/10/21

This was my first time visiting Portugal and I didn’t really have anything on my list of places to go; I came across BouBou’s while researching restaurants in Lisbon. Reviews have been positive for this upscale bistro from a brother-sister team; the kitchen is led by Louise Bourrat who has gained experience cooking in upscale restaurants around Europe. The food here tends to be plant and seafood-forward; while a mystery tasting menu was available for €65 we decided to go a la carte.

The restaurant has an open kitchen around a rather small dining room, but most seats are in the large rear patio.

crab buns

oyster, garlic butter

nori taco, seitan

sweet potato ceviche, coconut, pomegranate, kaffir lime

fresh tagliatelle, crab bisque, lemon, tarragon

ox tongue, ravigote, nasturtium

pork belly, miso caramel, pomegranate

chocolate 76%, eucalyptus, olive oil, sea salt

We had a very good meal at BouBou’s. The sweet potato ceviche is a signature item and I could see why. On paper, I wasn’t sure how it would play out but on the plate it worked very well. Creamy whipped sweet potato was bathed in Thai-accented flavors of coconut milk and kaffir lime. The umami-packed taco was another highlight – crispy fried nori was wrapped around a teriyaki-marinated seitan and topped with kimchi rice. Tagliatelle was perfectly cooked with plenty of shellfish flavor while the ox tongue was super tender. The crab bun was one that disappointed – the bun was much too dense and overshadowed both texturally and flavor-wise. Service was attentive and our server was very helpful at recommending dishes and wines to pair – I’d definitely recommend this place and would return.