Right in the centre of Cascais is the newest restaurant on the Linha. Lumière was inaugurated on May 10th and aims to fill a gap that the owners believed existed: a high-end Portuguese restaurant with a contemporary approach, in an elegant space with a nighttime ambiance and attention to detail. The restaurant accommodates 38 people between the dining room and the terrace.
“We want to offer a complete experience. We use quality ingredients, we aim for perfect dishes, perfect music, and we want people to feel comfortable. We wanted to create something with personality,” explains Mário Araújo, one of the four partners, along with his husband João Paulo Andrade, colleague Tiago Almeida, and his mother Bárbara Baganha (who also runs 21 Wine is Food, also in Cascais).
As Mário and Tiago have experience in the acting industry, they decided to pay tribute to the Lumière brothers — the Frenchmen often considered the fathers of cinema — in this restaurant, whose decor alludes to Hollywood studios, with a more industrial component.
To finalize the menu, they established a partnership with consulting chef Bruno Kai Zen, who curated the menu. Originally from Rio de Janeiro and raised in a family involved in the restaurant industry, he has lived in Cascais for several years and did not hesitate to join the project.
“There was a lack of a high-end culinary concept in Cascais. It’s where I live, and I felt there was a need for a restaurant like this, where I would want to dine on my days off. We wanted to create a concept of exclusivity and excellence”, he says.
The menu features several Japanese touches. For Bruno Kai Zen, this was a way to evoke the Portuguese roots that have greatly influenced Japanese cuisine. You can start with seared Azores tuna, served with ponzu sauce and crispy leeks (17€); an Asian crunch, which is a tempura-fried mushroom with spicy mayonnaise and sweet and sour sauce (7€); or cod carpaccio with dill oil, rocket, tomato, crispy onion, lemon, ponzu, and olive oil (15€).
For main courses, try the cod loin with a herb crust and mussels served over aromatic chickpea stew (24€); the confit duck leg with creamy lemon rice, orange reduction, and fried quinoa (21€); the glazed octopus in oyster sauce with smoked sweet potato purée (21€); the Lumière beef tenderloin with sweet potato purée, port wine sauce, and pickled onion (29€); or the beetroot risotto with mushrooms and leeks.
“I wanted to implement a certain variety that could cater to everyone”, explains the chef. “We have meat dishes, fish dishes, vegetarian options, and also dishes for children, but all with high standards”.
They also have a Movie Star burger (13€), served on rustic bread, with Lumière sauce, brie cheese, caramelized onions, crispy ham, and French fries; and a version for the little ones, named Mini Lumi (10€), which comes with cheddar cheese.
Finish your meal with a double chocolate dessert, a chocolate mousse tart with two textures; a banoffee tart; or a cherry tiramisu, with mascarpone cream, cherry, and a biscuit soaked in cherry liqueur and coffee.
“We wanted to bring something truly different and special to Cascais. We don't serve just another cod or just another duck. We want to serve 'the' cod. These are different proposals, at a time when originality is increasingly rare”, adds Mário Araújo.
The kitchen is open until 10.00 PM. After that, Lumière operates as a bar for those who wish to enjoy a cocktail in a comfortable space. The signature cocktail menu is still being developed.
Travessa Afonso Sanches, 12B, Cascais. Tue-Sun 12.00-00.00. 927 424 281