Bar Lourinhã

Spu worked late tonight but that doesn't mean he's not up for some late night munching!  What a good eating buddy.  Late night eating options are a little more limited at 11pm but we managed to strike another restaurant off the Hitlist - Bar Lourinhã .  

It was a balmy night - the best kind - and wandering the streets for some munchies just makes so much sense.  I totally understand why the Spanish eat so late!  Bar Lourinha has embraced that spirit and their kitchen (not just the bar) opens until 11pm Monday to Thursday and until 1am Friday and Saturday.  All for your eating and drinking pleasure.

The venue itself is a small to mid-sized which added to the overall feel of tapas bars found in Spain :D  Me already happy.  Eating can be done seated at the bar or at table.  It was still half full at 11pm, so we were seated at the bar.  Still comfortable and if anything, it's nice to watch the barman serve up drinks and easier to order your own drinks!

I brought my camera but because the bartender was right in front of us, I was a bit embarrassed to take photos, so here's the run down of what we ate:

• Pork trotter and morcilla croquetas ($5 each) 
• Jamon Serrano Montesano Gran Reserva ($20)
• Slow cooked pork butt and piri piri ($24)
• Roasted mushrooms and garlic cream ($15)
• House made free range chorizo, apple and cider ($20) 
• Blood orange crema and burnt orange caramel ($11)

It was a pretty porky dinner.  A bit of overkill but we didn't notice it when placing the order.  Each dish was a reasonable size (although $5 per croqueta, large as they were, was pushing it) and for an 11pm dinner, we probably ordered one plate too many.  But because we are Asian, we left nothing to waste!  

Each dish was tasty and I particularly enjoyed the croquetas and mushrooms.  The mix of apple and chorizo sounded interesting and it worked quite well.  I was fairly content with the size of the jamon serving too although I could always do with more.  I thought the dessert would be more like a creme brulee but it was more like a panacotta.  Tasty nonetheless!

At $50 a head, I though it was reasonably priced and more happily so, all of the dishes were tasty and on the repeat-eat list.  I should go back and sample more of the food and drinks though.  I think Bar Lourinhã could become one of my regular haunts!