Flor Do Sal

This review is from September, 2011.
Ahhhh… glorious food. During my current Portugal stay, I have not pursued food blogging. My focus has been to save money therefore spending the least amount possible. Dining out has been sacrificed. That is why my Braga, more specifically Palmeira, food adventure September 22 at A Flor Do Sal was such a treat.
A good friend of mine works for N-​Escapadinhas as a photographer. She photographs restaurants, resorts and more so they can be advertised. For example, you can view pictures of A Flor Do Sal’s interior that I can’t display.
Their restaurant abuts a small church in Palmeira. You can tell the restaurant utilized an older existing building. Their black, light blue and silver, and red colors mesh well with the exposed stone walls.
Dinner started with a bolsa (bag) of bread. There were medium sized rolls, thin breadsticks, and tiny toasts. This was paired with a tuna salad and herbed olives in olive oil. The presentation is muted much like most of their interior. While muted, there is still life evidenced via the colors. In this case, the light gray/​silver was the perfect backdrop for these food colors.
The second course was goat cheese encased in phyllo dough topped with a light pumpkin compote. The goat cheese was slightly warm. The goat cheese’s natural tang and the pumpkin compote’s fleeting sweetness were the perfect complement of each other.
The main course was an amazing platter of steak cooked medium accompanied by potatoes, green beans, and two pineapple pieces. You must forgive me for this picture because my dining companion and I ate so much before I remembered to photograph it. The steak was savory and topped with rosemary. Our non-​steak knives cut through the meat easily. The beans and potatoes had great flavor profiles (no tasting notes) as they also soaked up the meat’s juices. Our red wine was also a great match with our hearty steak. It was the perfect platter for two.
We had a typical Portuguese dessert called Trouxas. It featured thin flaky layers of dough encasing soft, warm cheese. It is topped with cinnamon and powdered sugar. A cinnamon based syrup decorates the plate. As your fork cuts into this, cheese oozes out and soaks into the cinnamon syrup. Naturally, you crave more and soon the dessert is finished.
A Flor Do Sal struck perfect notes in three main categories. 1. The décor. 2. The amazing food and presentation. 3. The service. Our waiters were very helpful and discreet. I appreciate one’s willingness to translate directly to me and suggesting I don’t try the octupus since I’ve never had it before.