Restaurante 5 Sentidos

So I am here off season in February for lunch, and the place is pretty busy with locals. I think that’s a pretty good sign. To start with you are being presented a tray with bread, spreads, olives and cheese — but not after you have been given the menu and had a fair chance to see that each of these items will set you back by a very moderate amount (with the exception of the cheese all about 1 – 2 Euro). They have a comprehensive wine list with mostly local labels, all very reasonably priced, and a fantastic offer to go with it — have a glass of wine for ¼ of the price of a bottle. Brilliant — wish they would do that everywhere.
I decided on the warm goats cheese for a starter — nicely presented and tasty, not exceptional, but nothing to complain about. I then followed with the Octopus, Razor Clam and Bacon Crumble risotto — which was lovely! A very generous portion saved in a separate clay pot (ideal for sharing), a bit on the salty side, but very very tasty — and the Vinho Verde helped tremendously with washing down that salt! Against better judgement I went for the orange tart with honey and pistachios for desert — sweet but very tasty. Cafezinho and a brandy to top it all off, and then marvel at a bill of less than 50 Euro.
The service was very friendly and attentive. I speak Portuguese so cannot comment on their ability to tend to foreign language speakers. Oh yeah, and they played an unusual Latin house track for background music (low volume — don’t worry). Kind of weird, but in a good way!
I would certainly come back here, but not after having explored a few of the other tempting local options.

Bei gutem Wetter kann man schön draußen sitzen und sehr leckere Fische man muss unbedingt die Dorade auf Schrimps Butter probieren.

Dieses Lokal ist ein echter Geheimtipp. Exzellente Risottos, super freundliche Bewirtschaftung und ein wirklich geschmackvolles Ambiente. Weit über dem touristischen Durchschnitt von Cascais und trotzdem sehr bezahlbar.

5entidos is a great little place for a meal with friends. If you head out of Lisbon at all (which I DO recommend), Cascais is a lovely spot. And 5entidos embodies the spirit of Cascais. It is elegant, but warm and inviting. They have a variety of specialties, but my group all ordered seafood and we were not disappointed. We had a group of 5, and were seated upstairs in the loft. It was a nice area above the rest of the restaurant, and afforded us a little privacy. We felt like VIPs.
I ordered the salmon with lime risotto and I have to tell you that the rest of my dinner companions all had a taste of the risotto! Easily the best risotto I’ve had outside Italy. It was perfectly cooked of course, and had the perfect hint of lime. It was noticeable but not obnoxious… just the right amount of acid to cut the creaminess. The salmon was marinated with some kind of oil (I’m not familiar with it) and was tender enough to flake off into chunks with my fork.
Prices were very reasonable given the quality of the food and the ambiance. Around 12 – 15 euro per person for entrees. The name is clever – substituting the S for a 5 makes it stand out.