Silvas

The best thing about eating Portuguese is the carb loading. Not only are you likely to get rice with your chips, but also mashed potato. Make sure you order the chicken at Silva’s, though. It’s tender, perfectly seasoned and excellent with a cerveja (beer) on the side. Salt cod croquettes are more potato than cod, but it’s hard to resist a ball of deep-fried mash. And of course, you’ve always got meat on swords (espetadas). Dangling over the table like a Madeiran sword of Damocles, the weapon comes with a slice of bread underneath the meat to catch the juices. Service is swift, the room is breezy and best of all, it’s cheap.