Chama

We made reservation in advance for 18:00 on Thursday. Confirmation email clearly stated that this is not a fast food restaurant and it will take few hours. Our dinner was about 2 hours. It consisted set menu of 5 servings and dessert, as well as some complimentary drinks. Water and bread are extra, but not very expensive. Interior, as well as food was simple, rustic and creative. Service was friendly and fun. Good selection of wine. We liked sea bass and mussels the best. Beef tartar was very good too.

5 course meal that emphasises SLOW cooking. Service is inconsistent between diner groups. As a solo diner, I was seated at the bar next to a pair of friends. At first, the server that guided me to the seat was friendly but as the night progressed, it gets progressively harder to get any server attention except when they are serving food. For my 7PM reservation: 6.45PM - Arrived 6.53PM - served bread and spreads 6.58PM - explained about “surprise menu” and given the drinks menu. Asked for recommendation with the food. She offered white wine. 7.05PM - couple next to me arrived 7.31PM - served tuna tartare (very yummy) 7.44PM - served this pork & tuna meatball - like starter (interesting, I like the flavour) 8.08PM - served clams (nothing special, not particularly delicious) 8.30PM - served codfish with pumpkin purée (can get at any other Portuguese restaurant) 8:55PM - served braised beef cheeks (super tender, but not flavourful nor fragrant enough) 9:38PM - served dessert - lemon mouse (10mins after I asked for it, and it wasn’t great) From the timeline, they seem to serve food at 20-40mins intervals. Very inconsistent and for most part of the evening, it was spent waiting for food to arrive. Yes 5 courses, but manageable serving sizes (even for ladies). I really don’t understand the great ratings and reviews. Will not recommend for solo dinners. They seem to thrive off group energy. For solo dinners, they pay you no attention and it was hard to get their attention. The difference was striking to me as they kept making conversation with the loud girls next to me and when explaining dishes, the servers always want to do it for the group of 3 at the bar but the whole time, they only make eye contact with the 2 girls and chit chat with them. This felt rude and off-putting. Even asking for a small dish for the clam shells was challenging. Either the server’s English proficiency is lacking, or she simply could not care less to help. At checkout, the server asked for feedback but it only seemed procedural. I commented that food is good but was much slower than expected. She only replied that it’s a 2-hour dinner. (lol I got surprised when I saw the timestamp of my photos)… Also, the bar seat is a bad idea as your hair and clothes will stink of the kitchen smells / torches for cocktails.

I was there last night as a solo diner. I chose to sit at the bar which was quite comfortable. The food was extremely good, and well prepared. Each dish had a unique flavor profile. I had an opportunity to talk with the chef, and complimented him on his ability to prepare such high-quality meals with a menu that changes daily. The atmosphere was extremely fun, with lots of music and a boisterous crowd. I would like to offer special thanks to the bartender who was warm and engaging, and enhanced the experience.

I had the best time during such excellent dinner. The restaurant philosophy its a pleasant surprise and refreshing. All dishes were delicious. Portions were big, so it's definitely a lot of food. Best recommendation! Tasty cocktails and great chats!

Since the food changes daily(?) perhaps it was a part of our bad luck. Service was fine, friendly generally but seemed incosistent across different tables. Some got additional shots of something while others don't. Foods were served roughly in batches with those that sits +/- 20 minutes so we ended up waiting longer than some that came in much later. I do not understand many reviews say they were stuffed. The serving size is good for a small appetite person but definitely really far from plenty. The serving size can be doubled and might be just enough. Our fish serving's 1 out of 2 pieces of fish was a dry, very small piece of tail that was distinctly smaller than nearby tables. Fish itself did not have much seasoning. You can taste the natural flavor of the fish but unfortunately was too bland and seemed overcooked for us. The bread and the complements were very good. The soup was also good even though it seemed bland at first. The meat, two beef dishes were both very tough, dry, and quite chewy. The meat balls were good. The music was good but the quality of sound/the speaker was very poor and at times volume was too loud combined with low quality sound. A small JBL flip 6 speaker would have been 10x better sound. We went because of a friend's recommendation and they did have a good meal but I don't think it's worth taking the risks given the cost and random nature of the menu/dishes.