Carolino opened a product cuisine restaurant in Coimbra

It is on Rua Figueira da Foz that the new restaurant in Coimbra has opened, aiming to be a neighbourhood eatery. The new space starts with seasonal ingredients combined with the best that the Coimbra area has to offer.

From the lower Mondego, comes the rice that gives the house its name. The meat comes from pastures in the riverside areas. The fish (of the day) comes from the sea and the river.

With Vitor Pereira in the kitchen and Bruno Paiva executing the artisanal, slow, natural fermentation bread and pizzas, the Carolino restaurant presents a menu with seasonal ingredients and a selection adjusted for each season.

“It was a happy meeting.” – is the conclusion that the two chefs reach about why they started working together. The idea of having a modern eatery was already in their minds. “A space of our own with a unique identity that would connect gastronomy to service.” Vitor has always been linked to the restaurant industry through his mother’s side of the family. He even went to the United Kingdom to seek more knowledge and experience in the field, but it was in a book by Marco Pierre White that he found the desire to chart his path.

After venturing through various culinary cultures from London to Phuket, Bruno returned to Portugal, where he worked from north to south of the country, absorbing the richness of our gastronomy. During the pandemic, he learned the art of sourdough, in the form of pizza and the various types of bread, which is now his main area of interest.

Open since the end of May, entering Carolino is meant to feel like a return to the past. The counter is long and serves those who want to watch soccer games while enjoying some amêijoas à bulhão pato (€19.50) or some cod cakes (€3.5) and drinking their end-of-day beer.

With a direct view into the kitchen, 2 high tables at the entrance welcome customers while they wait for a table or if they want to eat right there. The restaurant has 10 seats at the counter and 48 at the tables.

In the decor, some marks of a certain Portuguese identity are present that the chefs are not afraid to embrace. There is also space to honour the women harvesting rice in the Mondego (and the tricanas of Coimbra – women who always carried a clay pitcher when going to the Mondego for water).

The music was chosen directly from the chefs’ teenage playlist, featuring hits from the 80s and 90s by well-known national artists.

At the counter, customers can order Sourdough pizzas (the most requested so far are: Pepperoni, Marinara, Braseola, and Italian Ham and fresh mushrooms) accompanied by beer.

In the main dining area, the emphasis is on meals with different kinds of dishes, ensuring the quality of the products and how they are treated. On Carolino’s menu, meals can start with a Carpaccio of matured Rubia Galega beef and red onion pickle (€16). Followed by the Carolino brothy fish and seafood dish (€55) or any of the matured meats from free-range fed animals (€68-€75). For desserts, at Vitor and Bruno’s restaurant, there is Mother’s Crème Caramel (€4.5) and Dona Laura’s Sweet Rice (€4.5).

The wine list consists mainly of Portuguese wines but also includes international wines with low intervention, which have proven effective in complementing the entire meal.

For takeout, to ensure customers don’t miss out, only Sourdough pizzas and fresh bread, prepared daily, are available. – “We wanted to ensure that the best we produce, in terms of product quality, reaches the customer, and it was in the pizzas that we realized we could fulfil this better.”
For the making of these pizzas, Bruno wanted to gather the best, such as San Marzano tomatoes, and cooked ham, combining the rich flavour of Organic flours from Moagem Carlos Valente and cured meats from Boticas like Braseola and Ham.

In an allusion to home-cooked food and familiar recipes, every weekday, at lunchtime, there is also a suggestion of soup and a dish of the day, along with a drink, sourdough bread, and coffee, in a more accessible version (€11.50).

The Carolino restaurant (Rua da Figueira da Foz 166 Coimbra, tel. 239092846) is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 12:00 to 14:30 and from 19:00 to 22:30.

Always confirm with the concert hall or promoter the conditions of access, confirmation of the date or time, ticket place of sale, price, and availability.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok and see the exclusive content for social networks.