One of the great things about living in a cosmopolitan city like Abu Dhabi is being able to sample different kinds of cuisine from all over the world. Having just launched a revised menu with a new chef, Vasco’s now offers some special authentic dishes straight from the countryside in the south of Portugal. New on the scene, chef Vitor Viegas brings with him his old family recipes and a truly authentic Portuguese experience.
Vitor has been in Abu Dhabi for just under two months, and his dishes are already peaking the interest of many of the capital’s foodies. Having worked all his life in Portugal, we spoke to the new chef about the experience of suddenly catering to a new market in Abu Dhabi.
‘The dishes had to be modified a bit, especially as the ingredients are not the same here. However, the feedback from the customers has been very positive, so I’m happy about that.’
Looking over the menu, we take note of a new section titled ‘Cataplana’, offering up five variations of the dish. One of his signature dishes, Vitor tells us about the traditional fare that graces homes and restaurants abundantly in his native land. Cataplanas are steamed pots with vegetables, meat or fish and tomato sauce. The dish is then served in the pot. The recipe he uses for his cataplanas is hundreds of years old, and handed down through the generations in his family.
He smiles, ‘Everyone in my family knows how to make this dish; it is very common in Sombrash, my village, and in the south of Portugal’. Although the protein used can vary, it is usually ordered with shellfish and cod.
The cataplana pots (flown in especially from Portugal) come in varying sizes, however for the moment, Vasco’s only has the single portion pots. The dish is normally served with either steamed rice or with French fries, although people often eat it with both. Vitor explains to us that preparation normally takes about 20 minutes, because he puts all the ingredients together to steam before serving. ‘The sauce takes the longest to prepare and I have to do this beforehand,’ he explains. ‘Otherwise, everyone would have to wait for hours before eating!’ he jokes.
The menu offers five kinds of cataplana and we decided to try the one with bacalhau (dried and salted cod fish), shrimps, clams and mussels. Soon enough, the closed copper pot arrived. Once the waiter opened it up, we were immediately struck by the intense aromas of the tomato-based sauce and the coriander, all accentuated by a hint of garlic. Although the dish we ordered came with rice, we soon decided to forgo the starch and concentrate on the seafood and vegetables. The cooking method of steaming all the ingredients together makes each bite consistent in flavour and the whole dish is on the lighter side.
While undoubtedly a highlight, the new menu at Vasco’s, launched just over a month ago, boasts some other intriguing additions introduced by Vitor. Among them are a starter called sopa de peixe, a seafood soup with shrimps, clams and mussels, as well as many other seafood dishes, such as shrimps peri peri, spicy shrimps with mixed peppers. Another of his additions to the menu is served as a special Christmas and festive dish. The confit Portuguese cod fish bacalhau is a large dish, prepared with grilled cod fish and potatoes, vegetable rolls, bell peppers and a coriander dressing. ‘This dish is very common at celebrations and holiday feasts where I’m from,’ remarks Vitor.
On the sweeter side of things, Vitor has also introduced a dessert typical of his homeland; the Algarve orange and fig pie. We couldn’t resist tasting this visually stunning concoction and were delighted by the fruity taste of it. Served with a lemon sorbet, it appears as though the dessert could be nearly guilt free, although the chef warns us that there is a lot of sugar involved. Overall, our experience of these new additions was positive and decidedly worth the trip to Vasco’s.
Vasco’s is open for lunch Sun-Thu noon-3.30pm, Fri-Sat noon-4pm; open daily for dinner 7pm-11pm. Hilton Abu Dhabi (02 681 1900).
