Restaurant Prates (Café Snack Bar) Igrejinha, Portugal
We had spotted a different restaurant on our way through town and had actually intended to go there, but it was closed on Tuesday, so I had to find something else. Thank goodness as this restaurant was super and proved to be better than the other one. I asked a local passer-by where to go and with lots of gesticulation, we found Prates.
Like many local Portuguese restaurants, you couldn’t tell from the outside that it was a restaurant. It looked like a bar (and the sign said only Café Snack Bar), but when we went inside the owner took us to a back room and there was the little restaurant. What a pleasant surprise.
The “Prato del Dia” (daily special) was chicken with either chips or “migas”. She said that Migas was something with bread, so we decided on chips, but next time we’ll try Migas as it appears to be some type of bread dumpling and we do like to try new things. The chicken was beautifully spiced and perfectly cooked and was a real pleasure to eat.
I had the “Choco frito a Setubalense” which is battered and fried squid with chips and it was excellent. Meltingly soft and sooooo tasty. Calamari is very often cooked so badly and you end up with rubber bands, but these were thick pieces of perfectly cooked calamari. Super.
For some or other reason I photographed the olives (which were superb) and not the food, so you are just going to have to take my word for it. Must have been too greedy and just got stuck in. Oh yes, and the salad had a lovely dressing, not some bottled stuff with too much mustard in it that you often get in France. Simply but deliciously dressed, basta.
We had bread with tuna and sardine pates and butter, lovely olives, wine, coffees, 2 main courses and all for €16. Incredible value and taste. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you again!