With a Spanish accent, and in front of a place called Boutique del Jamón, it's easy to be misled. But no: Avelino Correia de Sousa Ascensão is a Madeiran who spent much of his life in Venezuela, hence the pronunciation. Responsible for the restaurant Solar dos Bicos in the Campo das Cebolas area, he had already planned to open a project in Cascais mainly dedicated to Portuguese, Spanish and Italian sausages and cheeses. It's the Mediterranean trilogy on which the whole concept is based. After several failed attempts, he finally settled in One Market.
It's already up and running, but with a menu still to be finalized. One thing is for sure: they will serve dishes such as pork leg, bacalhau espiritual, octopus, Spanish tortilla, lime risotto with prawns, or starters like broken eggs with fried potatoes and ham, or garlic prawns. At the moment, they also focus on extensive platters, filled with cheeses, sausages, or dried fruits; and an extensive selection of Portuguese wines. "I'm very patriotic about that," admits Avelino.
They will also make their own bread there and are preparing to sell cheese and sausage boards for customers to take home, vacuum-sealed, so that nothing is lost. The person in charge of Boutique del Jamón also mentions that they plan to open a similar space soon in the center of Cascais village — and that they will have a Palacio del Jamón in Lisbon, located in a condominium in Benfica.