5/5 Rob K. 6 months ago on Google
Tapas
come
in
so
many
shapes
sizes
and
styles
it’s
hard
to
differentiate
one
restaurant
from
the
next.
Do
yourself
a
favor
and
walk
a
bit
off
the
main
tourist
drag
to
Tasca
Jota.
Elevating
tapas
to
next
level,
the
food
is
plated
professionally,
the
quality
is
well
above
your
average
tapa
and
service
is
friendly
and
fast.
Having
a
hard
time
choosing,
we
went
with
four
tapas
and
a
main.
I
should
point
out
that
only
a
few
times
out
of
17
nights
in
Portugal
were
the
mains
as
good
or
better
than
the
tapas
or
charcuterie
plates.
This
was
an
exception.
We
started
out
with
a
house
pate
which
was
tuna.
Small
but
excellent.
The
first
tapa
we
had
was
crunchy
squid
sticks
with
harissa
mayo.
Better
than
most
calamari
in
North
America
the
portion
is
big
and
the
squid
is
excellent.
Harissa
is
flavorful
and
there’s
plenty
of
it
for
dipping.
Next
we
had
burratta
over
truffled
black
olives,
tomatoes
and
grapes.
Looking
like
a
Michelin
star
dish,
the
sweetness
of
the
cheese
matches
all
the
delicious
goat
and
sheep
cheese
we’ve
enjoyed
in
Portugal.
Excellent
choice.
The
menu
lists
the
salad
as
butternut
squash
with
cottage
cheese,
pesto,
seeds
and
almonds
but
they
called
it
pumpkin.
Either
way,
it
would
be
$25
or
more
back
home
but
here
it’s
less
than
ten
euro
and
worth
it.
One
of
the
best
salads
we’ve
had
anywhere
actually.
We
asked
if
we
should
choose
chicken
wings
or
shrimp
and
they
suggested
the
prawns
in
sautéed
in
ginger,
chili
peppers
and
garlic.
We’ve
had
shrimp
about
ten
times
in
Portugal.
Many
times
it’s
over
cooked
and
not
flavorful.
Not
this
time.
A
large
portion
of
8
or
9
deliciously
perfect
shrimp
is
easily
shareable.
Finally,
we
chose
penne
with
spiced
chorizo
from
Monchique.
Not
having
visited
that
area,
I
wanted
to
have
one
last
chorizo
before
going
back
to
the
spicy
Mexican
version
we
get
at
home.
The
pasta
was
perfectly
al
dente,
the
chorizo
was
amazing,
portion
size
is
bigger
than
the
tapas,
sauce
is
flavorful.
We
had
no
room
for
dessert
and
actually,
you’d
be
full
with
three
tapas
and
a
main
or
four
tapas
and
no
main
Asking
if
the
chef
has
experience
in
Spain,
they
told
us
they’re
from
all
over
including
Argentina,
Spain
and
other
parts
of
Europe.
Whoever
they
are,
this
was
our
best
meal
in
the
Algarve.
Prices
are
a
bit
higher
than
most
tapas
but
the
elevation
of
the
food
makes
it
well
worth
it.
Five
stars
all
around
and
nothing
negative
whatsoever
to
critique.
We
only
had
two
experiences
where
mains
and
tapas
were
both
five
star.
(The
other
one
was
Aneto
&
Table
in
Paso
De
Regua).
Hats
off
to
the
owners.