Review of the city's Bar Douro

I have something vaguely in common with Bar Douro owner Max, a love of Portugal, its culture, people and cuisine. Max’s passion however, runs far deeper than an occasional visit to Lisbon for an authentic pastel de nata fix.

Having spent his childhood in this great nation, and a family background of producing wine in the Douro valley, Max wanted to fix the gaping hole of Portuguese representation in the UK’s restaurant scene and Bar Douro sets out to achieve just that. Open since 2016 in London Bridge, we headed to the City restaurant, located in one of London’s newest - and still being developed - areas, Broadgate’s Finsbury Avenue Square.

The restaurant’s interior is unmistakably Portuguese, with white and blue tiled murals, and crockery to match. You’d be forgiven for forgetting the Autumn London drizzle, sipping on a Moscatel, imagining sunnier times. As it happens, today’s forecast is bright, so we sit outside and eat al-fresco, imaginations still running wild.

The menu celebrates flavours and dishes from various regions across Portugal, from octopus salads to various incarnations of Bacalhau (cod). Dishes are sized to order 2-3 per person and we’d recommend getting stuck in together and sharing as there are flavours not to be missed.

We get stuck into the smoked Portuguese sausage croquetes which are crisp, savoury and dreamy, with a lemony mayonnaise, accompanied by the infamous Pataniscas de bacalhau (salt cod fritters). Each delicious bite has us grinning from ear to ear, each mouthful placing us onto the cobbled streets of Porto.

We follow with an attractive and colourful plate of tender seared tuna on a bed of crisped vegetables, drizzled with a tangy Vilão sauce. The onglet steak is beautifully pink, with perhaps a bit more of a bite than we’d have imagined, but it’s the quintessentially Portuguese mustard sauce that shines in this dish.

Dessert is a laid back affair of almond tart and pastel de nata  (any opportunity), respectively accompanied with milk and cinnamon ice cream and both have us nodding at each other with appreciation.

It's worth mentioning that Bar Douro has an extensive list of Portuguese wines that you’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere else in London. We of course accompanied our lunch with a red douro and Vinho Verde.

Bar Douro’s city location is positioned perfectly for the city lunchtime crowd to be in and out within the hour and sample some of Portugal's classic and must-try flavours. Our verdict, they are pretty damn good at it.

Book a table now at www.bardouro.co.uk

Address: Finsbury Av. Square, Unit 3, 1 Finsbury Avenue, London, EC2M 2PF

Written by Rick Hartley

Photography by Nyla Sammons