I’m a huge fan of European food. Spanish Churros, Italian Spaghetti Bolognese, British Fish and Chips, Stroopwafels from Amsterdam, German Apfelstrudel – you name it, I love ’em all! That’s why when our professor in Portuguese class invited us to have a lunch out (uma festa) at O’Sonho Portuguese Fusion as our semester-ender, I had the most excited face in the room.
Come to think of it, after all my eat outs with friends, I’ve never really tried Portuguese food. All I know is that they’re famous for their Bacalhau… which got me even more excited because I’m a fish person!
The nearest Portuguese restaurant we can find is O’Sonho Portuguese Fusion Restobar in Eastwood Mall. O’Sonho, meaning “The Dream,” speaks a lot about the food served by the restaurant. We sure had a dreamy lunch out with all the scrumptious dishes we tried!
O’Sonho is a Portuguese fusion restaurant and bar; so we already expected that not everything in the menu will be pure, authentic Portuguese food. There were, however, some dishes that (according to my professor) would really bring you to Portugal.
The first dish we tried is Caldo Verde (P180). It’s a famous Portuguese creamy spinach soup that will definitely warm your tummy up. I’m not a huge fan of veggies, but this one really got me digging in. Que bom!
As I previously mentioned, Portugal is known for their Bacalhau dishes. I’ve never tried Bacalhau before so out of curiosity, I ordered a plate of Bacalhau Portuguesa (P460). It is basically made of Bacalhau strips cooked in a creamy herb sauce. The dish actually tasted like the Philippines’ Dilis mixed with Lugaw.
As for our main course, we ordered Peri Peri Chicken on Fragrant Chicken Rice (P210). I love chicken and I love spicy food so this dish definitely made my day. Peri Peri Chicken is another famous dish in Portugal. However, unlike how it is served in O’Sonho (plating and all), Peri Peri Chicken is actually eaten as street food in Portugal.
We also ordered a platter of Paella de Frutos do Mar (P460). There is obviously no such thing as a paella in Portugal (only Arroz de Marisco), but we ordered one anyway. I prefer the Spanish Paella, though, since it has more flavor in it.
Our class didn’t order dessert anymore since we couldn’t find anything Portuguese in their desserts menu. Besides, by the time we finished eating everything, there was no room for more food – we were all surprisingly pleasantly full to the brim. After more than two hours of munching on Portuguese food and talking about Portugal, we finally called it a day.
I definitely enjoyed the food in O’Sonho Portuguese Fusion Restobar and I will probably come back. It’s a bit expensive for the serving size, but it is a must-try if you want to have a taste of Portuguese food.
