O Jango (seafood) - Review - Madeira, Portugal (8/10)
July 7, 2007 by foodieguide
For a summary of all restaurants, have a look at Where To Eat In Madeira, Portugal
O Jango came highly recommended by a Portuguese foodie friend in Lisbon who regularly visits Madeira. It’s located on a little street in the Old Town, near many restaurants, and had it not been recommended, we probably wouldn’t have chosen it over any of the others. It’s small, with a basic, rustic decor, the service fast and friendly, and most importantly, it’s not a tourist trap.
The exciting menu features predominantly seafood prepared in different ways - prawns, sardines, codfish, swordfish and so on, all at very reasonable prices. The owner brought over a platter of their fresh fish of the day - sea bream, parrot fish, blacktail and lammfish - each large enough for two people to share. This was more than enough to tempt two of my dining companions, who ordered the sea bream (25.50 Euros per kilo).
I chose a platter of fresh boiled shrimp (8.50 Euros) as a starter, followed by grilled black scabbard fish, a Madeiran speciality, with boiled potatoes, vegetables and salad (8.50 Euros). The shrimp were the size of large prawns, and there were over 20 on my plate, sprinkled with rock salt and incredibly crunchy and fresh.
Another highly recommended starter was the pasteis de bacalhau - deep fried salt cod, potato and parsley fishcakes. Bolo do caco, the local flat bread, was served warm with garlic, and was absolutely delicious. This disappeared within minutes of arriving at the table. The black scabbard was lovely and fresh, simply grilled, with just a bit of garlic and oil.
Even the desserts were homemade, with passion fruit cake, passion fruit pudding (with real pieces of passion fruit and similar to panna cotta, not too sweet), lemon pie and apple pie to choose from. Dinner for five with wine cost 144 Euros, excluding service. Highly recommended!
10 - Perfection, 9.5 - Sensational, 9 - Outstanding, 8.5 - Superb,
8 - Excellent, 7.5 - Very good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 - Average
Contact details:
O Jango
Rua de Santa Maria 166
9060-291 Funchal
Madeira
Tel: +351 291 221 280
www.ojango.net
