Restaurante Sopa de Pedra

There are those who say it’s the bible for the current economic crisis and times of recession and austerity. The “prophet” is North American economist David Rosenberg who, in five chapters, shows how frenetic consumerism is doomed – and how once again consumers will come to value each and every cent, each crumb. We cannot know whether this theoretician from Merrill Lynch has visited our tiny country but we can find in popular culture much inspiration for his ideas. For example, the traditional “sopa de pedra” (stone soup) – a humble broth enriched by many lesser ingredients (the legend has become part of the Portuguese psyche)…

This restaurant is next door to a luxury hotel – and many of the guests come here to eat, as a way of cutting costs and using money saved for their stay (more days playing golf) It’s not «neofrugalism», but it’s a start. The place seems quite old and has a quaint interior – a snooker table, sofas, clocks and vintage memorabilia. Economical lunches are served for just €7.50, including bread, olives, the dish of the day, a drink, fruit and coffee. For our visit, we tried the dish that the restaurant is named after, and fillets of sole with rice and salad. On Sundays, there’s the traditional “cozido à portuguesa” (a traditional substantial stew), and the house speciality, steak on a stone. One of our guests lamented the fact that the place didn’t have wifi (wireless Internet), but we can say that it isn’t entirely digitally illiterate, and is already a member of facebook…

Specialities: typical Portuguese gastronomy; Hours: Lunches and dinners; Bill: €40.20 for 4 people; Owner: Herculino Simões; NIF 122 472 250.