- Where? London Bridge (32 Southwark St, London SE1 1TU)
- How much? ££
- Cuisine? Portuguese
- Booking ahead? Yes
- Vegetarian options? Yes
- Vegan options? Yes
- Gluten free options? Yes
I usually try to avoid chains, but having heard amazing things from my friends and seen brilliant reviews online, I thought I’d finally give this place a Casa do Fran-GO!
First things first: I love the decor. The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated and I can imagine that the upstairs restaurant is even more spectacular in the light of day. Cascading arched windows, hanging planters and rustic decor, it really is a lovely spot to sit and catch up with friends…
…unfortunately, I didn’t stop by for interior design inspiration.
The Food
If I’m totally transparent, the food was rather disappointing. I usually love this style of dining and had high expectations as I’d heard great things. We were recommended a range of small plates, identified as the customer favourites, some of which were nice, but nothing really blew me away.
1. Sourdough Bread (£4)
5/10 – A classic crowd favourite. The bread itself was thick cut, soft and tasty, no complaints. I would have preferred if it was served with something a little fresher however. It came with pickled carrots, lupin beans and olives, all of which were nice, but a little underwhelming. My favourite part about this dish was dipping the bread into the prawn jus later.
2. Piri-Piri Garlic Prawns (£10)
6/10 – This was one of the tastier items on the menu. The prawns were nicely cooked and the garlic coriander oil was a lovely touch. Again no complaints, but nothing really blew me away flavour wise.
3. Iberico Pork Croquettes (£8)
3/10 – Full disclaimer, I’m not a huge fan of croquettes, so my perspective here is probably slightly skewed, but these were really not for me.
The textures just all felt a little bit off. They needed something a little more hardy to bind the pork and the potato together. The sauce also wasn’t quite right. It didn’t pair well with the coquettes, and again, the texture combination was all just a little too mushy for me.
4. Grilled Chorizo (£8)
5/10 – This was perhaps the biggest disappointment for me, as chorizo is one of my all time favourite dishes. It was really chewy and had very little flavour. I was hoping for something a little punchier and a little more refined. If I had to describe the flavour, it just tasted like meat. The saving grace was the black olive mayo, which I did really enjoy, but that’s about it.
5. Fire-Roasted Broccoli (£7)
7/10 – By far my favourite dish of the evening. This was surprisingly packed full of flavour, cooked nicely and had a lovely combination of textures.
Whilst my first time experience at Casa do Frango was not as anticipated, I’m not quite ready to give up on it yet! I’m keen to know what others order when they eat here, and am willing to return for round two. Who knows, maybe we ordered all wrong…!
Calendar Girl 