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In an ideal world, all fish restaurants would be like Casa Ideal, with its fresh red mullet, proper fish stews with rice, lovely staff taking care of your orders and affordable prices.

Also in an ideal world, we would have visited Casa Ideal much earlier. We first heard about the restaurant, which for 40 years has operated in the backstreets of Trafaria on the south bank of the Tagus River, some time ago but never made the time to stop in for a bite.

Yet after learning that the restaurant had changed hands a year and a half ago – 54-year-old Conceição Augusto took over from her sister and brother-in-law, and now runs Casa Ideal with her cousins Gabriela Carmo, who works in the kitchen, and Delfim Carlos Gomes, who works behind the counter – we decided to check it out.

Considering its location close to where the Tagus meets the ocean, it’s no surprise that Trafaria began life as a fishing village and later, in the 19th century, developed a relatively large fishing and clamming industry: two fish-canning factories were built in the area, as well as factory that turned fish into fertilizer.

Trafaria also became a popular leisure spot in 1901, when Queen Amélia opened Lisbon’s first seaside resort, a place where people could come for a swim and some fresh air, in the area. New houses and accommodation were built for the influx of visitors, turning the neighborhood into one of the region’s first beach destinations.

But eventually the canneries closed, and the beach became smaller as the sand receded, causing the crowds to flock to nearby Costa da Caparica with its long sandy beaches and dunes. In the 1980s, the construction of a sizeable grain terminal, where large ships could unload wheat or corn, changed the landscape with imposing towers and deposits.

It’s hard to imagine now, looking at the industrial silos and empty buildings, but throughout it all, the neighborhood’s fishing community endured. And Trafaria’s reputation for excellent fish and shellfish restaurants remained intact.

Taking note, tourists are now arriving by boat from Belém across the river (2.90 euros per person for a round-trip ticket on the car ferry), hungry for the local catch. In addition to clams harvested in the area’s waters, they are treated (depending on the season) to octopus, cuttlefish, sea bream, red mullet, sardines or horse mackerel, particularly the carapau manteiga (butter horse mackerel, so-called because of its soft texture and buttery flavor), caught by local fishermen in the nearby Atlantic Ocean.

One of the best spots to taste these delights from the sea is Casa Ideal, aptly located on Travessa dos Pescadores, or “Fishermen’s Street.” Conceição assured us that they are maintaining the traditions of her sister and brother-in-law, the former owners. “We love to get fresh fish directly from the fishermen, and when we have customers from other countries we make sure to bring to the table all the fish we have available, so they can decide,” she said.

“We must keep with our traditional food – after all that’s what fascinates visitors.”

In fact, this commitment to traditional food is what brought Conceição and her two cousins back to Trafaria. Taking over Casa Ideal, for them, was a chance to get back to their roots and move away from what they see as an overly “chefy” food scene in central Lisbon. “I agree with making food look prettier and restaurants cleaner and well decorated, but we must keep with our traditional food – after all that’s what fascinates visitors,” explained Conceição.

The three cousins and their families have always worked in restaurants. At the age of 15, Conceição began working at Antiga Casa Marítima, a restaurant in the waterfront in Trafaria, and for years owned a restaurant in Rua do Século in central Lisbon. “My aunt was the owner of Primavera do Jerónimo [a famous classic restaurant in Bairro Alto] and she taught me and my five sisters how to cook,” she said.

They’ve kept most of the traditional dishes like caldeirada, a traditional fish stew with tomatoes and onions (available by special pre-order, as customers can choose the fish they want in it), on the menu. But the trio have also brought some new flavors to the table, like crispy peixinhos da horta, green beans in a tempura-like batter, grouper rice stew, and John Dory with soupy tomato rice.

On the weekends, it’s best to book in advance, as the restaurant gets busy both inside and out on the terrace. “We get people from Lisbon, Cascais and Almada, as well as some tourists who wander through the backstreets,” said Conceição. Escaping the crowds in Belém and crossing the river to Trafaria for lunch can be a lifesaver. Dinner is also quite nice too (and sometimes means a ferry ride at sunset), although we recommend going early enough to get the last boat back at 9 p.m.

Also be sure to go hungry. As part of the couvert (the food that automatically comes to the table, although you only pay as much as you consume), there’s sheep butter from Azeitão, garlicky olives and an addictive corn bread with chouriço.

While it’s tempting to fill up on these starters, save some room for the mains, ideally at least one fish dish and one rice dish. “All the fish is grilled over charcoal and all the dishes are cooked freshly so you might have to wait for the rice to cook,” warned Conceição. But when the rice does finally arrive at the table, it’s a joy: runny and soupy. Just make sure not to waste time taking photos – the rice will soak up all the juice by the time you’re done Instagraming. Lesson learned.

Published on July 18, 2018

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