Pizzaboy and I had been looking to dine at a portuguese restaurant for a long time and for some strange reason I always thought that Little Portugual at Petersham was a little too hard to get to. It turned out that it was within walking distance from Petersham station and the cluster of Portuguese shops wasn’t too long either.
Take away bar
Silva’s was easy to spot being on the main corner of Little Portugual and from the outside it looked quite charming. We enter the premises through a side door and I think we could be forgiven in thinking that we had just stepped into the local tuckshop.
Traditional Portuguese Charcoal Chicken
The takeaway bar was not the reason for our visit tonight, but the sight of freshly barbecued portuguese chickens in the display glass was enough to warrant a huge jaw drop from Pizzaboy and myself.
Just over the partition next to the take away bar is the warm wooden dining area. There is a large mural of the owners hometown, Madeira, across the main wall. It all adds to the cosy and inviting atmosphere of this family run restaurant.
Chorizo with pickled vegetables $12.90
We take a lot of time to order and settle on the chorizo with pickled vegetables for the entree. The chorizo was wonderfully fragrant and delicious. The sausages are sliced and then char-grilled. The lightly pickled vegetables were surprisingly moreish. They complimented the sausages really well, it could have been far to rich without them.
Espetada a Madeirense $26.90
We order the Espetada a Madeirense expecting the conventional skewer of perfectly cooked beef. What we got were slabs of aged rump steak carnivorously stabbed through with a sword-like skewer and hung over our table with a piece of bread at the bottom to catch the drippings.
The steaks were succulent and full of meaty goodness. We take great joy in pulling the meat off the skewer and Pizzaboy is tempted to demonstrate his swashbuckling sword skills after we finish devouring the perfectly char-grilled steaks.
ps. eat the bread at the bottom with all the drippings. It’s gold!
The side salad was bursting with freshness. This was the ideal accompaniment to the rump steak. All that meat and no vegetables would make me feel like a slab of meat myself!
The portuguese are known for their Salted Cod dishes. I have never eaten it before, so I was keen on ordering it. There were three different types to choose from and I was lured towards the Bacalhau Lagareiro by the mention of a squashed potato in garlic and olive oil.
Sadly, the dish was not a standout. The salted cod was average and nothing to write about. However the roasted squashed potatoes were amazing. I virtually doused the potato in the garlic and olive oil. It was so good!
Guida, the owner, comes around and asks how our meal is going. I tell her that I am disappointed by the salted cod and she mentions that she doesn’t really like it herself and that it is an acquired taste.
Our tummys were full to the brim and we could barely fit another mouthful of anything. However, it didn’t feel right to visit a portuguese restaurant and not order a portuguese tart. Pizzaboy and I agree to share one. The portuguese tart is served very warm and the custard is almost oozing out from the pastry from the first bite. It is sweet, fragrant and so much more richer than the portuguese tarts I’ve eaten in the past. Guida tells me that the portuguese usually eat it warm. I never should have suggested to share this one with Pizzaboy.
The verdict
The restaurant does brisk business through their takeaway section. There are people lining up for the charcoal chicken and the restaurant is at capacity by time we leave. I think I saw some people being turned away because they did not have reservations. I am definitely coming back for another round of the steaks on swords and perhaps their charcoal chicken.
Guida also tells me that Nhut Huynh of RQ Restaurant, is a regular customer. He gave her a signed copy of his cookbook Little Vietnam as a thank you.
Silvas
Shop 1, 82-86 New Canterbury Rd
Petersham 2049 NSW
Phone: (02) 9572 9911
www.silvas.com.au
Opening Times
Tuesday to Sunday – 11am-9pm
Bookings essential
Comments
Maria
July 23, 2010 at 4:36 amMmmm I love chorizos, and that meat, boy it looks so good! AND I need to try one of their Portuguese tarts!!
Richard Elliot
July 23, 2010 at 6:31 amOohhh, I’d love to go back to Petersham to try some Portuguese food.
Rhonda (thedaintybaker)
July 23, 2010 at 8:48 amOh My! I love Portuguese chicken but I’ve never had Portuguese Steak! … sounds like a good find! 🙂
sweetlife
July 23, 2010 at 10:22 amyou and pizzaboy always seem to find great little places, great pics
sweetlife
JT @areyouhungary
July 23, 2010 at 2:34 pmSteak on swords sounds and looks amazing. I have friends that live around the corner…sounds like its time for a visit!!
Lisa @ bakebikeblog
July 23, 2010 at 3:16 pmOh my – Portugese food when done well is oh so tasty!
grace
July 24, 2010 at 11:15 pmoh, the saturated bread at the bottom is the best part!! nice find. 🙂
monica
July 25, 2010 at 12:17 amMmm……bread soaked with drippings….mmmmm
Angie’s Recipes
July 25, 2010 at 3:35 amEverything looks gorgeous, esp. that potato dish!
Helen (grabyourfork)
July 25, 2010 at 3:36 amI find bacalhau is an acquired taste too – I’m not a huge fan either! I do love the dramatics of the espetada – eating meat off a sword is always so much fun!
Forager
July 25, 2010 at 8:10 amLooks so good! Shame about the salted cod though – had salted cod fritters elsewhere once and they were amazing!!
Karen missklicious
July 25, 2010 at 11:03 pmI need to get myself to Petersham- The espetada looks awesome, mmm meat on a sword!
mademoiselle délicieuse
July 26, 2010 at 12:33 amMeat on a sword! And with bread to catch all the juices – serious YUM.
tasteofbeirut
July 26, 2010 at 3:00 amI am sure I would have enjoyed this experience as you did; have never sampled Portuguese food before!
SK
July 26, 2010 at 12:09 pmLove Silvas!
I sneak across to Sweet Balem for the egg tarts though.
cityhippyfarmgirl
July 26, 2010 at 12:11 pmVisually the meat on a sword looks very enticing. I love a good portuguese custard tart. Have only eaten once in Petersham and the the food was really… average. This makes me want to revisit though.
john@heneedsfood
July 27, 2010 at 9:43 amThe bread with the dripping would definitely have to be saved until last! I had bacalhao in Spain last time we were there and quite liked it. There are many variations so I guess you need to find the right one. That charcoal chicken looks incredible!
Rhiannon
July 28, 2010 at 7:45 amI want dinner now, now, NOW!
I’ve wanted to visit this place for a while….the review had placed a “must visit” notice in my brain!
Jen
July 28, 2010 at 11:24 amI usually end up at Petersham Charcoal Chicken but Silvas looks like it would make a nice alternative.
Juliana
July 29, 2010 at 4:11 amYummie, I love Portuguese food, but is so hard to find it here 🙁
Conor @ HoldtheBeef
July 30, 2010 at 8:17 pmomg, drippings bread! The name sounds so wrong but the reality is all kinds of right.
Pity about the disappointing bacalao! I had some great bacalao dishes in Little Portugal in Montreal.. hoepfully you can enjoy it in a different dish.
angie
August 2, 2010 at 8:27 amHehe my friend and I went here only a couple of nights before you did, photos are stuck in the backlog so hadn’t got around to blogging yet. Definately coming back here again!