Caravela, Portugalos

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Good morning,

Just when you thought it was all over, we received another dumping of snow and beleaguered Ottawans know that the zen approach is to just shrug it off. After all, Seedy Saturday is just around the corner on March 1st, and that’s when thoughts turn to springtime gardening. 

Today we revisit an old favourite and a new Portuguese restaurant that also has a solid track record but on the Gatineau side. Now they’ve opened a location in Blackburn Hamlet, and I was curious to see what their kitchen produced.

Let’s begin.

Ralf Joneikies, food and drink editor. [email protected]

PORTUGUESE

Grilled chicken done right at Caravela

• Name + address: Caravela, 3712 Innes Rd.

• Diet: Meat, Seafood, modest vegetarian

• Appetizers: $7-$21

• Mains: $25-$47

• Wheelchair accessibility:Yes

• Licensed: Yes

• Website: www.caravelarestaurante.ca

We humans are funny in many ways. For example – we’re always surprised by “how time flies”. I was reminded about how long it had been since I first reviewed the Portuguese restaurant Caravela, when another Portuguese restaurant opened in nearby Blackburn Hamlet.

So I thought I would do a small side-by-side comparison. Of course, there would be similarities in the dishes offered but I also decided on these visits to take in a little of that famous Piri Piri chicken.

I began at Caravela with a few appetizers of seafood chowder, rissóis de camarão (shrimp fritters) and grilled calamari. 

The seafood chowder had been thickened with potato and was liberally peppered with fish, shrimp, scallop and surimi (imitation crab). It was unadorned and would have had more eye appeal with a sprinkling of chopped parsley or chive.

It was a good-tasting chowder but had a little too much surimi which, when heated, gives off a stronger and sweeter character that dominated all other flavours.

The rissóis de camarão were perfect however. I find it too easy to finish an entire plate only to be left wanting more. 

These little fried dumplings were filled with shrimp and a luxurious and savoury bechamel with the occasional pop of sweet onion. An ideal snack with a glass of Vinho Verde.

The grilled calamari at Caravela is always first-rate and they do one of my favourite versions of the squid. 

On this day owner Fernando Diniz was in the kitchen and he proved a deft hand at interpreting the menu. The squid, while delicious and tender, was a little underseasoned and felt more poached than grilled.

It was my first time trying their chicken, and as I had ordered a half-bird, I was told it would take approximately 30-40 minutes to prepare. Perfect. Chicken prepped to order.

It arrived piping hot giving off those appetite-inducing rotisserie chicken aromas and came with a side of rice and a salad.

The rice was mildly seasoned and fairly standard while the salad was very fresh, crisp and dressed in a light citrus and olive oil dressing.

I immediately tucked into the leg of the chicken and found the meat coming off the bone without effort. Every mouthful was moist, beautifully flavourful and steaming hot. The skin was brittle and delicate and added a textural contrast to the leg meat. 

It was perfectly grilled and in terms of flavour, it proved to be a bird of quality. It was my oversight however that made the experience a little less ideal: I’d neglected to ask for a spicier version. I was missing that extra kick and the accompanying Piri Piri sauce proved just too mild for this palate.

It was satisfying to end on a high note however and Caravela remains a place where you can rely on freshness and a skilled Portuguese kitchen.

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REVIEW

Portugalos opens a second location

• Name + address: Portugalos, 2A-110 Bearbrook Rd.

• Diet: Meat, Seafood

• Appetizers: $9-$24.50

• Mains: $15.50-$60

• Wheelchair accessibility:Yes

• Website: www.portugalosrestaurant.ca

After arriving back in Ottawa, Portugalos was the first Portuguese restaurant I’d visited. It was on the Gatineau side and after a few successful visits, I made it a regular destination for lunch.

This went on for a year and then something changed. The food was just not as fresh or well prepared and I later learned that there’d been a change in the kitchen staff.  I continued to support the business but gave up after a while when the improvements didn’t come.

In November of 2024 Portugalos opened a second location in Blackburn Hamlet. It occupies the space that once was home to another Portuguese eatery, Olito’s Café which was in reality more of an old-world sports bar.

I was looking forward to a few classics of the Portuguese kitchen and imagined an elevated experience over my last visits to their Gatineau restaurant.

On this cold day I began with a caldo verde, a potato-based soup made with either kale or collard greens and filled with slices of Portuguese chourico and drizzled with olive oil. For all its simplicity, the soup is filling and a surprising flavour force. The kitchen at Portugalos was off to a strong start.

After rissóis de camarão, the other best known appetizer snack is known as pastéis de bacalhau. These are salt cod fritters made with potato mash, onions and parsley and have a shape like tiny footballs.

They are often made by food service companies but the Portugalos interpretation was made in-house as evidenced by the number of fish bones. They were hot, fluffy and delicious but caution is advised.

Having such success with the grilled calamari at Caravela, I wanted to know how they’d season theirs at Portugalos. 

The presentation was the same, but that’s where the similarities ended. The squid had been delivered tough with one end tasting in my opinion of freezer burn and I wondered if the thing hadn’t been cooked from a partially frozen state. 

While I found the calamari inedible, the bean salad on which it rested was a highlight of the meal. It was fresh with sweet beans nicely cooked and plenty of bright flavours courtesy of the onions, dressing and tomatoes. It’s not on the menu as a separate item but ask if they’ll sell you a side. 

I also ordered the piri piri chicken (picture not available) and it was a reasonable $20 for a half bird. It came with a side of very standard fries that became increasingly dry as they cooled and a decent enough side salad.

The chicken was properly cooked, hot and moist enough although there was a very familiar, almost commercial, taste to the meat. The kind of flavours I’ve experienced from grocery rotisserie chicken and I just didn’t feel that their supplier was delivering the best quality.

Their house-made piri piri sauce however did save the day with its slow-burn heat and evolving flavours and the good news is they will sell you a bottle to take home.

Perhaps it’s early days but Portugalos is a mixed bag and perhaps another trip across the river is warranted to revisit their original location to see how that kitchen fares.

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