We recently visited Porto in Northern Portugal, where we were also in need of dinner. A while away from the busy hubbub of the riverside and the touristic areas of the city, we found ourselves on an unremarkable street in front of Apego.

We were welcomed in, and seated on a nice table near the kitchen in the calm and rustic restaurant. You can either choose a tasting menu of 5 courses, or eat à la carte. Five courses seemed a bit much, and we wanted to select our own courses, so we picked the latter option.

The menu is not very extensive, but each course did come with wine recommendations. As a started, I picked the Atlantic bonito crudo on a bed of beetroot and crème fraîche with a seeded cracker. My wife decided on the corn empanada with mushrooms, cucumber, and lime. Usually I have a red wine, and my wife a white, but in this case the recommended wines were of the opposite colour. The red to go with my wife's empanada wasn't totally fitting, and she liked my white more.

This meant that for our main courses she disregarded the recommendation and instead had the wine I had with my starter. As main course, she selected the artichoke with egg, pesto and Parmesan, whereas I opted for the pork shank, which was served with a crispy potato dish. Just like the starters, the mains were well cooked, with balanced flavours, with a delightful presentation.

The deserts looked great too, and to finish our meal, I picked the coffee tarte, while my wife choose the "Chou", served with strawberries and basil. We paired that with a Madeira, and, as we were in Porto, a glass of port.

Apego was a really nice experience, with great food and atmosphere. It's a little out of the way, but well worth visiting.

Atlantic Bonito Crudo

1 / 7

Corn Empanada with Mushrooms

2 / 7

Pork Shank

3 / 7

Crispy Potato Dish

4 / 7

Artichoke with Egg, Pesto and Parmesan

5 / 7

Chou

6 / 7

Coffee Tarte

7 / 7

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