AFRICAN BORN, US raised Jorge Santos, who has lived in Portugal since 1993, opened his restaurant Frango no Bairro in Cascais’ Fontainhas area recently. Americans living along the Linha will be pleased to know that, apart from his special, marinated grilled chicken, Jorge is also serving ribs with baked beans and coleslaw (like his grandmother in Virginia used to make them), as well as pork chops and 100 per cent beef hamburgers stuffed with ham and cheese.
Among the typical Portuguese dishes on the Frango no Bairro menu are espetada de lulas (grilled squid kebab), grilled bacalhau (codfish) and febras (pork steak). There’s also a hot vegetarian dish, the chef’s salad and, everyday, a different Portuguese prato do dia (dish of the day).
“What people will find here is good food at very attractive prices, served in a homely, family type, informal atmosphere”, 62-year-old Jorge Santos, who runs the restaurant with his Portuguese wife Rosário, told The Resident recently. “I don’t serve any 40 euro dishes, but the quality of our meals is probably the same. Our restaurant doesn’t have any snob appeal, but we do offer good value, good portions and some very nice wines.”
Prices at the friendly, neighbourhood restaurant, which also has a take-away service, range from 6.50 euros to 10 euros. Served at lunchtime, the dishes of the day, such as cozido à Portuguesa (a typical dish of different meats, cabbage, rice and vegetables), mixed grill or feijoada (bean stew), are only six euros and include couvert, soup, beverage and coffee.
Frango no Bairro is situated close to the Fontainhas taxi rank. Except for the chicken, take-away orders should be placed in advance. Tel: 214 861 422. Hans van der Put
