Paraíso truly exists and is an authentic refuge that exalts the senses. This new space in Lisbon, located next to the famous Pink Street in Cais do Sodré, is an immersive experience featuring chef Kousuke Saito’s authentic Japanese cuisine.
AO (Azul de Okinawa) Paraíso is a space of refinement and sophistication, a peaceful place where you can enter to enjoy a calm tasting experience and share it as a couple or with a group of friends. This was the old Lisbon Erotic Museum and you can see that as soon as you enter, as the walls display the erotic paintings of Diogo Muñoz. A daring and intriguing space that precedes the dinner surprise. We go through the bar doors and Paradise is waiting for us in a private room reserved for just eight seats.
This sushi bar is a new concept that I really like. Intimate, with ambient music and shrouded in mystery, especially because there are only two menus – Saito (with 17 moments) and AO (with 12 moments) – and we don’t know what each moment has in store for us, especially because it varies according to the fish available and also with the chef’s daily inspiration. In other words, each experience in Paradise will always be unique and different.
We are welcomed by chef Kousuke Saito and our journey of sensations and different flavors begins. Right in front of us, at the counter, the chef prepares each moment with surprising delicacy where his enormous respect for the product and the moment itself is clearly visible. The bench is always impeccably clean and there is refinement in every gesture. We have the feeling that each ingredient is sacred and has a specific place in the tasting. This proximity to the chef and his preparation method elevates the entire experience.
Delicate pieces of fish come to us, wisely combined with miso, lime, sesame, soy, ginger or Japanese mustard. The freshness of the fish is incredible and with an indescribable flavor, it melts in your mouth.
The classic Edomae Sushi style emerged in Tokyo more than 200 years ago due to the need to use some preservation methods such as marinating the fish, curing it or cooking it in soy. Nowadays, these preservation methods have evolved and are now used to enhance the umami flavors of fish. At the end, we can choose miso pudding or sesame pudding to end the tasting with a sweet moment.
This gastronomic experience is enriching and different, a true paradise for the senses that we want to return to again and again!
By Carla Branco
A must go! Thanks