I saved the last night in Lisbon to go out and have a culinary experience. It was a coinflip between Ramiro - which is pretty famous and delicious and Anthony Bourdain made it even more famous - and this restaurant that I read so many good things about called "A cevicheria".
The restaurant is opened until 12 a.m so I got there at about 8 pm, which seemed reasonable to me. After all, why would it take 4 hours to eat?
I knew there are no reservation and people tend to wait but I did not know that people REALLY love to wait.
There were about 12 people outside but - horror - inside we saw THE LIST! I guess it helps that the hostess was this lovely portugese woman with a few interesting piercing and the biggest smile.
"YES! there are......[ flips page]...28 people ahead of you!! HAHA, I'll put you here for two. OHHH! that's good, TWO is better than say...table of 5! Your chances are better!"
"How many seats do you have though?"
"15 or so..but people only spend one hour and half eating" she beamed at us with the good news.
Outside it started to be damn cold in Lisbon and I wasn't dressed for it. This is gonna be interesting! Obviously, I did what all the other people shivering in the cold did: Got the 8.5euro Pisco Sour cocktail.
What helped was the joyous athmopshere outside. People were in it together and a natural kinship formed between us, brothers in waiting and foodies in pain, betrayed by random half-smiles and shrugs of understanding. "Oh, the things we do for good food...".
I wondered why and how they got there, if that was the first time and if it was worth it. Who knew?
Well, the people who sometimes exited the restaurant totally knew! Small groups occasionally leaving in good cheer and with a satisfied smile on their faces. I wanted to ask them, "how was it?!" Tell me if the cold I'll catch standing here will be small sacrifice compared to the whole meal. Give me some hope..though a sweater would have helped more.
Embolded by glimpses into the restaurant, the smell of food and a little drunk, we waited and waited.
I swore that I will make it, that I will prove myself worth of the food. At this point it was about 9 30 pm and it was getting even colder.
Others, already folded to the cold and left. Winter is coming even in Lisbon, friends!
I counted surreptitiously the people outside and compared mentally to the list.I liked my chances though the time was not running on my side. At 10 pm I started to think that it's time to look for alternatives.
Someone's name was called and a group of three guys who were furiously drinking cocktails ever since I had arrived started to yell and fist pump the air while high fiving everyone to the entry. We were happy for them if not a little envious but that's how war is, maybe you won't make it home but hey, I'm glad someone DOES!
Later a group of 6 WebSummit atteendees knocked and the door.
"Table of 6?" the wondrous hostess asked in disbelief.
HAHAAHAHAHAAHAHA. We joined in laughter.
"yeah...no..but let me show you THE LIST!"
We all gathered around, was our name a little higher than we remembered?!
At about 10 30 a very tall asian woman with a funny trucker hat advertising some sort of website appeared at the table near us. She wore big glasses and seemed to be very dignified. She put her name on the list in silence and asked for a menu. We all knew the menu, as it is, as is the custom, pinned at the front and we read it and re-read it for the hours we'e been there. I knew it by heart and already knew what I'll order. She just looked over it and pass it back.
20 minutes later she received a good looking bowl and she started to eat while chatting with the guy at the table.
"CAN YOU DO THAT?!" I internally yelled but only said " You're good...". She accepted my compliment with a bow and digged in.
2 hours and 15 minutes and now the chill was biting into my bones. This really sophisticated women came out to smoke a cigarette.
A CIGARETTE! THE NERVE on this woman! Who does she think she is?!?! you don't smoke a cigarette when people are outside, in the cold, waiting, hoping for your seat!
[ don't get me started on people ordering dessert. Those people are the worst!! ]
Turns out she was annoyingly nice and we had a lively chat when her husband appeared and made an observation on me using a lime ---[ bad storytelling, forgot to tell you that there's a big box of limes on the table outside that people are..I think...invited to take home or smell? Me, being hungry and bored and cold took one and came with the brilliant idea that one could cut a thin slice at the top and rub it on the skin, thus creating a nice natural perfume ] - "Are you portugese? They always use lime as perfume!"
"HUH?! I literally thought I had just invented this and was internally congratulating myself on this brilliant idea!!" I answered.
He was very amused by that and we started to discuss food, Lisbon and the world.
"Are you waiting for a meal?" he asked before going in. Well, mr Sherlock....
He came back later with a leather jacket that fit me like glove and said: "Here, use it until you get called". I was literally amazed. This was an at least 500e jacket! Given to a stranger in front of an restaurant.I could literally just leave and he would never catch me.
Of course, I checked all pockets to see if there's money and I found about 12e in coins. A JACKET AND 12euros!!
I was floored by this generous gift because now I was warm and there were 4 people around me who still manged to face the cold and wait. Now we're talking!!
The curly-wonder-of-a-waiter came in to honor the name on the list though it was clear that those people were long gone. As they say:De mortuis nil nisi bonum. We all half-smiled, half accepted that this needs to be done. Then I heard my name.
Inside, I got a seat at the bar and the chef, who cooks the food IN FRONT OF YOU smiled to me. He looked like a very friendly guy and asked how long did I wait for?
"2hours and a bit.."
"ouch..it's cold tonight!"
It is..but that's bad news for you as well, the more we wait the more our expectations for the food grow..I'm sure you can handle my 1 hour wait expectations...but 3 hours?
"I guess I have some work to do then.." he smiled and got back to work.
It's not for me to tell you how good the food is or how it will change your life and you should totally spend an unreasonable amount of dinero for this. I can tell you that the waiting is the experience though and that the people you meet and see and laugh and wonder with, strangers united for a few hours in awe of something that might be or might not be worth it.
David, the guy who lend me the jacket, said to me at the end "Best meal of my life!". But then again he looked like the kind of guy who really knows how to enjoy life, as he and his wife were there even when I left, 10 minutes before closing time, surrounded by friends and strangers pulled towards him with the power of the vortex that the guy's personality seemed to be. I envied him but he was so charitable with himself that my envy could not last but turn to sadness that I might never get to share another meal with him. But that's the beautify of it all.
The Asian girl was just finishing her tasting menu with a huge smile on her face while looking somewhere in the distance, seeing things she can only remember maybe. Sometimes she looked my way and nodded. We both knew.
The great octopus loomed over us all while we drank our coffee and looking at the chefs already starting to clean the counter. "Was it worth 3 hours?" the chef asked me before I left.