Chiveve
A lesson in peri-peri
- Picoas (Linha Amarela)
- €€
- R. Andrade Corvo 5D, 1050-007
Go to any town in the UK of a weekend and you can be certain that the Nando's in the town centre will be packed with British people getting their fill of that famous peri-peri chicken, although for many it will be cooked in the medium spice and topped with the lemon and herb sauce. No need for snobbery here, spice is an acquired taste and gone wrong it will ruin a dinner.
However, considering how popular the South African founded brand is, it remains a curiosity to me that the Mozambican food it rips off has not created a raft of restaurants. Even with Portugal's connection to the country, Chiveve stands out for being an unashamedly Mozambican restaurant in the centre of the city.
The owner, Eddie, was extraordinarily friendly in welcoming us in to his restaurant without a booking and he switched seamlessly between Portuguese and English as he tended to the bevvy of nationalities dining that evening.
With a small menu focussed on the foods they know well we kept it simple selecting the peri-peri prawns and "frango a zambeziana", classically grilled chicken in a cream sauce. Like everything in Lisbon, it was served with rice AND chips, which if nothing else helps mop up the sauce and leave you feeling plenty full at the end.
Honest food done well, we couldn't recommend Chiveve enough for those that dream of owning the Nando's Black Card. Eddie recommended we have the prawns medium spicy. But this is Portugal and for spice fans, this is never enough. When we go back we'll go for extra spicy for sure.