LISBON, PORTUGAL O Arco

We searched for a good cataplana for Ricci and Amy, and decided on O Arco for their high reviews.

We ordered the seafood cataplana and the lamb chops, with sides of rice and fries. We also ordered their couvert with bread, butter and olives. Ricci was very unhappy with how much we were charged for each individual pack of butter. Amy and Thanh were not so impressed with their olives. As a side note, in Portugal, restaurants will sometimes bring a couvert (typically bread, butter, olives, chips, etc.) without asking, and if you touch it, you will be charged. If you don't want to be charged, you can send it back. To be fair, here, we specifically ordered the couvert and knew the cost of each couvert. Ricci just did not realize the butter we ordered was simply one of those individual packs of butter.

The cataplana was good, and the broth was a nice seafood broth, but it was not as big as the one we had in Lagos. Phil also liked the curried broth from the Lagos restaurant better. The lamb chops were not as well seasoned as we would like.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Pass. We really wanted Ricci and Amy to sample a seafood cataplana, but we were not impressed by the food here.