A Marisqueira de Matosinhos

This is a simple seafood restaurant in Matoshinos, which is technically a city in its own right though to all intents and purposes is a northern suburb of Porto. It is a fairly industrial area, with an oil refinery, cruise terminal and assorted factories, though also a fine beach facing the Atlantic Ocean, and an historic fortress. The restaurant was opened in 1978 by a gentleman called Miguel Faria. It is in a parade of shops and has a simple dining room with a large tank as you enter containing live lobsters. A display of shellfish is the centrepiece of the dining room.  

Clams were good, served with a sauce made of olive oil, the water of the clams and garlic. The clams themselves were indisputably fresh and avoided the chewiness that can often afflict this product (13/20). On a platter of shellfish were pleasant small prawns, langoustines and brown crabmeat made into a mousse and served in a shell. The langoustines were reasonable though they did not have the glorious sweetness of really top-notch langoustines, but they were cooked fairly well (13/20). The prawns were fine (13/20) but I most liked the crab, which you could spread on the bread provided and was fresh and enjoyable (14/20).

The bill came to €42 (£35) each with a simple glass of wine each. Service was pleasant, and overall this was a perfectly nice restaurant serving fresh shellfish. It was nothing remarkable, but if you are in the area it is worth a try.