Silvas

FOR the authentic taste of Portugal look no further than this little hidden gem in the corner of Hampstead.

Silva's Restaurant has been open less than a year but it's already attracting a celebrity clientele, including a number of Premiership footballers, who are looking for the flavours of home.

We visited the restaurant early on a Friday night and were immediately shown to a table by the window where we could watch the world go by.

The place was fairly empty when we arrived but it soon started to fill up later in the evening.

Coming in from the cold, the waiter poured us a special Portuguese aperitif and brought us some crusty bread and olives which soon warmed us up.

To start I ordered the Chouriço Assado, a spicy sausage which impressively arrived in flames.

My friend's Sopa de Peixa (fish soup) was a creamy combination of delicate flavours which he said was deliciously light and flavourful.

As a main course I chose the Bife á Portuguesa, which was steak cooked in a traditional Portuguese way with a slice of ham and garlic on top.

The meat was cooked to perfection and the other ingredients made for an interesting combination.

My friend stayed with the fish and ordered Bacalhau Na Brasa, which was char grilled sun dried cod.

The dish was beautifully presented and fell apart beautifully on the fork.

The char grilled flavour was present but not overpowering.

After all this we still had a little room for dessert so we decided to try the house speciality Baba De Camelo, which was a light and fluffy butterscotch mousse.

The sweet treat was the perfect round off to the meal.

So if you fancy tasting some delights of the Mediterranean in a relaxed setting pay Silva's a visit.

And who knows, you may be rubbing shoulders with sporting talent.

Rumours are Cristiano Ronaldo is planning a visit there in the near future so keep your eyes peeled.

Signature dishes:

• Calamares Fritos – Rings of deep fried squid served with lemon and tartar sauce. £5.50
• Tagliatelle with cherry tomatoes, basil, garlic, chilli and parmesan £7.50
• Bife A Pimenta – Pan fried Scotch fillet of beef with a green peppercorn sauce. £16.50
• Linguini com Lagosta – Linguini with lobster £17.95
• Baba de Camelo – House speciality dessert £4.50
  

Opening times:

• Monday – Closed
  
• Tues - Fri: 12am- 3pm – 6pm -11.30pm
  
• Sat – Sun: 12am – 11.30pm