Comforting and delicious. Kimchi tortellini, kombu seaweed dashi, seasonal vegetables
paired with Fritz Haag Riesling Trocken 2019
@arkherestaurante by @joaord.alves and @chavarroalejo

Plant-based wonder.
There was a time when opting for dining at vegetarian restaurant always implied some kind of compromise. It might be that food was healthy but bland, that the atmosphere was all but exciting, that wine pairing was an alien concept. The “alternative”/activist mood somehow came with an implicit trade-off.
Things have evolved considerably and that’s way is so refreshing and uplifting to places like @arkherestaurante in Lisbon.
I’ve followed with interest the work of Brazilian chef @joaord.alves since he opened his restaurant back in 2018 and was pleased to hear this year that Colombian Maitre / Sommelier @chavarroalejo (who I’ve met years ago at three Michelin star Astrance from the great Pascal Barbot, where Alejandro was in charge of the wines) joined him as partner.
Together, and despite the madness and anxiety of the pandemic, they are demonstrating that a plant-based gastronomic experience can be on par with any other.
In these pics, some of my favorites, a dish of sweet potato nann, cashew cream, leek, chanterelles mushrooms, pesto, and hazelnut vinaigrette
paired with Cristimil, Fio de terra 2018 and Open ravioli with seasonal mushrooms, parmesan fonduta, celery root, jus tamarind, boletus foam, paired with Bourgogne Blanc Grand Gouttes 2015