Cicero Bistrot, French-Brazilian art and gastronomy in Lisbon
Art and appetite
Cicero Dos Santos Dias, better known as Cicero Dias, is a Brazilian artist who spent most of his life in France. He died there in 2003.
Born in 1907 in Brazil, this artist is at the crossroads between Brazilian Modernism and the School of Paris.
Poorly known in Portugal, he is now present there thanks to the restaurant that bears his name: Cicero Bistrot.
Indeed, the restaurant located in Campo de Ourique, gives pride of place to the art of Cicero Dias and to art in general.
Neither an art gallery nor a simple restaurant, Cicero Bistrot has chosen to combine the cultures and gastronomies of Brazil, France and Portugal.
You will find the mastery of French cuisine, the exoticism and creativity of Brazil, and the rigour of good Portuguese products.
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Cicero Bistrot, a gourmet restaurant
Cicero Bistrot is definitely in the middle-high category of thematic restaurants.
The decor of the three rooms is decorated with original works of art from the personal collection of Paulo Macedo, one of the founders of Cicero and mentor of the project.
The collector was looking for a way to showcase a collection he had built over 25 years.
Furniture, frames, lamps contribute to create the “arty” atmosphere of a traditional French Bistro.
The idea is to transcribe the delight of a painting or a sculpture onto the plates.
The challenge is taken up by the young chef Hugo Cortez who proposes a fusion cuisine. The art lies in creating a blend of exotic touches and French know-how.
The quality products are of Luso-Brazilian origin. The wines are essentially Portuguese, a choice assumed by the Cicero Bistrot.
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A small restaurant for an XXL welcome
The three rooms that make up Cicero are small. But the conviviality is reinforced.
Designed on two levels, the space offers different atmospheres
The table of friends on the first level, the romantic or family meal on the second level, and in the room at the back, an almost exclusive space that can accommodate “business meals” or other.
On the staircase that connects the two levels, the poet Fernando Pessoa’s phrase welcomes us
“Life is beautiful, but the wine is better
And what about the food?
Cicero, as http://www.lisbonne-affinités.com puts it, falls into the “chic bistro” category. It is located in the Campo de Ourique district, often considered the French quarter because of its proximity to the Lycée Français Charles le Pierre.
It has 40 seats and an additional ten on the terrace with the added bonus of trams 25 and 28 passing in front of it.
On the plate, it is of French and Brazilian inspiration, and the products are Portuguese.
For dinner:
Mutton chop in a honey and quinoa crust with dried tomato, asparagus, dehydrated papaya, on a bed of rucula
Carabinieri and sea bass, coconut and dendé oil sauce, basmati rice, sprinkled with parsley
Back of tuna with capers, flambéed with white port, sweet potato cream, orange and young spinach leaves
Low temperature French duck leg, cashew rice and sultanas, fennel salad with orange.
for the desserts,
pear with young wine, salted caramel almonds, raspberry ice cream
Breaded banana with breadcrumbs, Amazonian dark chocolate sauce and acai ice cream.
For lunch, the Cicero offers a main course + starter or dessert and coffee for 22 euros.
And tasty omelettes in the bistro spirit.
The remarkable wine list is entrusted to the sommelier Ricardo Tristão, who offers top-of-the-range, even very top-of-the-range Portuguese wines (Barca Velha, 2016, Douro 1200 €). As well as an assortment of Champagne.
The restaurant takes care to harmonise the wines with dishes that often mix flavours, particularly with the acidity of more exotic fruits.
An informed Cicero Bistrot
The Cicero Bistrot is located in Campo de Ourique
Cícero Bistrot
Rua Saraiva de Carvalho, 171 – Lisboa
Contacts and reservations:
(+351) 966 913 699
reservas@cicerobistrot.pt
https://cicerobistrot.pt
It is open from Tuesday to Saturday for lunch. Dinners are served from Monday to Saturday, with later hours on Saturdays (until 11.30pm)
Further information can be found on the website cicerobistrot.pt and the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/cicerobistrot.
It should be noted that Cicero Bistrot is committed to promoting gastronomic exchanges, as was the case with the Viver Portugal e Brazil festival, designed to promote gastronomy from both sides of the Atlantic.
As for Campo de Ourique, our suggestion is to visit the area during a lunch or dinner at Cicero. Follow this link to get a taste of what the neighbourhood has to offer. https://www.lisbonne-affinités.com/lisbonne-visite-campo-de-ourique/