In Lisbon, the ‘smell’ of summer lasts all year in the atmosphere and on the menu at Casa Graviola – Chefs e Restaurantes
“Serving love in the form of a plate” is the purpose of Casa Graviola, a healthy food restaurant with roots in Brazil, a country where the brand owns more than a dozen spaces. With a recent address in Lisbon, in the Cais do Sodré area (Rua da Boavista, nº 66), Casa Graviola stands out in its signature for being a “place for all those who not only enjoy good food, made with natural ingredients but also , preferably organic and local, but also a relaxed, light and summery atmosphere”.
A space with capacity to accommodate 50 people seated inside and six on the terrace and with an atmosphere that reminds us of a house on the beach, marked by rustic woods, baskets, plants. White is the color of choice present in all the brand’s stores.
The Casa Graviola project was born by the hands of Abner Cabral and Manuela Maia, in Rio de Janeiro, after much praise from family and friends to the couple’s delicacies. “We love having a full table and we always organize dinners and lunches at our house. As people usually associate healthy food with salads or flavorless food, they only revealed the ingredients used at the end of the meal. The truth is that the guests were as simple as they are very surprising and asked how good and bland like yam or sweet potato can be so delicious”, say Abner Cabral and Mariana Maia.
Approved of the food presented in the first homemade suppliers, the couple began to serve as specialties in a truck and to open, its first restaurant in the city, in the car district. In one of David’s many visits to Brazil, the brothers and Tiago, who are supporters of a healthy lifestyle, happened to come across Casa Graviola. Sharing the good of the space and identifying with its values, to bring the concept to Portugal, thus opening the doors of the brand to Europe.
“Portugal is a multicultural, developed, cosmopolitan country, with a set of unique characteristics for Casa Graviola. To think that when the Portuguese discover a brand, they will go to a new way of eating, trying new ingredients, new dishes and a new lifestyle Almeida”, declare David and Tiago.
Casa Graviola’s menu offers protein-based dishes such as chicken, tuna and salmon, as well as vegan options, salads, pizzas, hamburgers, bowls and smoothies. There is also a special menu for children (the Franguinho do Graviola) and for brunch lovers there is a menu full of options, available all day. For starters, the highlights are the ricotta toast, goat cheese and sweet grape confit with olive oil and herbs, in natural tomato bread on the grill (6.9 euros) and salmon Tataki, with thin slices of gravlax salmon, ponzu sauce. and sesame seeds (9.9 euros).
As for the main course, there is the tuna and avocado Tataki, very tender tuna loin, lightly seared and sliced, mashed avocado, black rice, basil pesto and saffron aioli (16.9 euros), the salmon with cashew crust and a creamy sundried tomato risotto (15.9 euros) and Lasagna a la pomodoro, made up of thin slices of eggplant and courgettes finished in the oven with homemade pomodoro sauce, vegan cheese and basil (12.9 euros).
With regard to desserts, the highlight is ‘The Best Brownie in the World, the oldest recipe at Casa Graviola, a brownie, farofa crust and a scoop of coconut and tapioca ice cream (5.5 euros), the Bolo Mousse de Chocolate with fleur de sel, with an almond base and a top secret ingredient (4.9 euros) and Banoffee Vegan, with vegan dulce de leche and homemade whipped cream, banana, almond and cashew crumbs and cinnamon (4.9 euros) .
Those who visit the space can share a good brunch bread while enjoying the natural fermented salmon toast on the grill, avocado, house sour cream, saffron aioli, cabbage and seed farofa (8.9 euros), or with the Berries Pancakes, made with organic eggs, bananas, red fruit coulis and vegan whipped cream, among other options.
To accompany this journey around the world, you can opt for one of the various fruit juices received in the mail, colder: soursop juice, a home-grown fruit, a cocktail or a suchá – a blend of tea and fruit (2, 90 euros) and finish with a specialty coffee drink, 100% Arabica, straight from a farm in São Paulo.