Polvo à Lagareiro at Duque Restaurante, Lisbon. Photo: Elaine Krugman
Ever since I savored perfectly prepared octopus at the Mercado de Abastos, in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, I have been in search of its match. Where would I find it next? I knew my best chance would be in Lisbon, Portugal, where octopus is a specialty. After all, I would be spending a month based in the city.
Pre-trip research turned up a neighborhood Portuguese restaurant just a short walk from our apartment: Duque Restaurante, on Rua do Duque near Largo do Carmo. Photos of Polvo à Lagareiro, the traditional Portuguese octopus dish, looked promising. The reviews made my mouth water. This was in June, and I wouldn’t be there until mid-September. Usually I have chocolate on my mind when it comes to food, but I was obsessed with octopus all summer long.
September 13 arrived, we landed in Lisbon, and I anticipated that plate of octopus being placed in front of me like a kid opening presents on Christmas. Would it taste as good as I imagined?
In a word, yes. Not only was it so tender a knife wasn’t needed to cut it, but it was wonderfully full of garlic, which tasted so good with the grilled octopus in olive oil. It was perfect. And the sweet potato mash was a surprising accompaniment.
Duque also had a charming atmosphere. (Our little table by the open window was framed in walls covered with tins of sardines.) And one other bonus: they have the most delicious chocolate mousse I have ever tasted in my 64 years. Served very cold in a glass jar, the dense texture was more like ganache. Pure heaven!
Yes, I still have chocolate on my mind…
Elaine Krugman is a U.S. Masters swimmer who writes about her three passions, travel, swimming, and chocolate, at ElainesTravels.com.
