Pinhão: Spring brings novelties to the menu of Cozinha da Clara restaurant

In Pinhão, overlooking the Douro, Cozinha da Clara restaurant takes advantage of spring to renew its menu. Between regional dishes and a more contemporary cuisine, the products of the day are the hallmark of the Quinta de La Rosa restaurant.

After a winter prolific in cosy dishes, it is time for a toast to spring at Cozinha de Clara, the restaurant located at the entrance of the wine estate Quinta de la Rosa, in Pinhão, overlooking the Douro River. Chef Pedro Cardoso has opened the doors to the new menu, the ‘spring menu’, which will be valid until mid-June. The gastronomic novelties extend to the ‘Tapas Menu’, where there is an upgrade of the snacks served during the afternoon in this cosy space open to all.

There is a fixed base menu, but the chef’s philosophy is to bet on seasonal products, which dictates the substitution, even if only occasionally, of some dishes. The ‘Clara’s Table’ is one of the restaurant’s icons – which pays tribute to Claire Feuerheerd, Sophia Bergqvist’s grandmother Clara, co-owner and manager of Quinta de la Rosa – and this is where diners can sit down to share delicacies, almost always different and idealised at the time.

To please both connoisseurs of haute cuisine and lovers of regional dishes, Chef Pedro Cardoso decided to divide the ‘Spring Menu’ into two parts. The first is geared towards a more contemporary cuisine, enhanced by the detail and presentation, without forgetting, however, the roots of the Douro recipe. The second is inspired by regional cuisine, a matrix based on the survey of dishes by Claire Feuerheerd.

As for starters, contemporary options include ‘beef ravioli with sheep’s cheese sauce and braised shitake mushrooms’ (€6.90), ‘sautéed squid with crushed kidney beans and cuttlefish ink’ (€7.10) or ‘quail confit at low temperature and stuffed with foie gras with creamy yellow corn and “maçaroca” (€10.50), while the traditional options are ‘the traditional Douro onion soup and the “moira de Lamego”‘ (€5.80) and ‘crispy petingas with dried tomato aioli’ (€6.10).

For main courses, chef Pedro Cardoso suggests ‘corvina corada with pea textures and chorizo flavours’ (€20.10), ‘veal loin with celery puree, roasted vegetables and tuber chips’ (€23.90) or ‘confit chicken, with potatoes stuffed with flavours from Trás-os-Montes, sautéed asparagus and mushrooms’ (€19.80), as examples of contemporary dishes. For traditional dishes, there’s ‘kid with roast potatoes and garlic sprouts’ (€25.10), ‘cod with Covas do Douro cornbread, crushed potatoes and olives from the farm’ (€23.10) and ‘octopus à lagareiro with roast potatoes and Quinta de la Rosa extra virgin olive oil’ (€24.40).

Vegetarians can choose between ‘spinach and ricotta cheese ravioli’ (€6.90), as a starter, ‘creamy polenta, vegetables and mushrooms’ (€17.90), made with traditional Douro corn, and ‘penne with tomato sauce and seasonal vegetables’ (€16.80), not forgetting the side dishes: sautéed greens or asparagus, roasted vegetables, cream of transmontano maize or salad from Quinta de la Rosa’s vegetable garden. For the little ones, there is a ‘Children’s Menu’.

Finish your meal with one of the seven desserts on the menu – ‘chocolate cake with pink pepper and yoghurt ice cream’ (€8.50); ‘pastel de nata and Portuguese espresso coffee as interpreted by the chef’ (€6.70); ‘our almond afternoon and hazelnut cream’ (€7.30); traditionally roasted custard milk’ (€6.50); ‘orange pudding with tangerine sorbet’ (€6.30); or a ‘selection of national cheeses and jams made from our own fruit’ (€12.50) – and add the respective suggestion of Port wine by the glass.

For the more daring, the challenge rises and the suggestion is to share company and dinner, seated at ‘Mesa da Clara’. In this option, chef Pedro Cardoso gives wings to imagination and creates a menu thinking of local gastronomy, using only fresh products. This menu includes starters to share, main course and dessert, always paired with Quinta de la Rosa wines by the glass, water and coffee (€50.00). If you choose Reserve wines, the price rises to ¤60.00. This challenge is scheduled for 7.30 p.m., subject to reservation and availability.

For those who enjoy snacks so well at Cozinha da Clara, it is worth taking a look and choosing some of the chef’s suggestions. The typical ‘tábua de queijos nacionais’ (15,00) or the ‘bolinhos de bacalhau da avó Clara’ (6,00) are on the ‘Tapas Menu’. Not even the ‘alheira sausage balls stuffed with queijo da Serra cheese’ (€6,00) or the ‘asparagus and mushroom revolto’ (€10,50), among the nine appetisers and four dessert suggestions.