Incredible Tasting Menu at Cave 23, Lisbon

I have to talk about the amazing 11-course tasting menu at Cave 23, Lisbon. Aside from its incredible location at boutique hotel Torel Palace (yes, you can eat at the restaurant even if you can't afford to stay at the hotel, like us!) with stunning views down over Lisbon, the food was sensational, a combination of traditional Portuguese recipes, fresh market ingredients and playful presentation.

Cave 23 is open for dinner only and offers no a la carte menu - just a mystery tasting one priced at €65 based around whatever they've bought at the market that day. Here was our wonderful journey through Portuguese cuisine...

Amuse bouche: pork terrine with cilantro mayo on a walnut biscuit; sardine paste eclairs; and their signature veal donut with pickle and toffee sauce (sounds bizarre, but works so well!)

Starter 1: Uni with hollondaise, crumbled bacon and fish eggs (bacon in anything = YES)

Starter 2: Beautifully presented sashimi with green curry, in a traditional Portuguese 'peasant's soup' of coriander, garlic and olive oil

First course 1: Super sweet eggplant, crumbled ham, fried leek and oyster sauce

First course 2: Octopus. black garlic, squid ink, coriander flower and powdered olive oil

Main course 1: Scorpion fish, seaweed rice cracker, a Brazilian coconut-lime sauce called mukeka, and tuna flakes

Main course 2: Filet mignon cooked with ash, krispy kale, pureed corn, candied fig

Dessert 1: Strawberry jelly, sour cream, pomegranate sorbet, forest fruits and strawberry-watermelon sauce - a delicious palate-cleanser

Dessert 2: Passion fruit mousse and marshmallow, white chocolate snow, mango chunks, lemongrass whipped cream, lime sorbet - a tropical explosion!

Dessert 3: rosewater pannacotta, curry meringue (yes, curry!), ginger sorbet, beetroot powder (yes, beetroot!), and three textures of coconut. This was our favourite dessert, for obvious reasons!

Whew! 11 courses later, we were already dying to recommend Cave 23 to everyone we know! Not only was the food delicious, but every single staff member we spoke to - including the chef! - was so friendly, telling us about the traditions behind the Portuguese flavours in the dishes.

They also admitted that they'd had three different no-show tables that night which, considering they buy all their food fresh from the market each day, is frankly just rude and can leave the restaurant facing a loss. How difficult is it to call up and cancel, really??

I can't imagine anyone wanting to cancel on Cave 23, anyway. Their loss!