Real Cuisine: Portuguese Master Chefs in Beijing

Elisabete Real and her husband Fernando Real operate four branches of the world-renowned Tromba Rija restaurant in Portugal. Over half a century ago the business, then run by Elisabete’s parents, was just a humble shop selling meats, drinks and bricks. Gradually, they began to cook food and serve it to guests along with wine, and the restaurant Tromba Rija evolved, dedicated to the authentic cooking methods of Portugal. This month, from May 17-27 Elisabete and Fernando will bring the Tromba Rija experience to Hilton Beijing Wangfujing.

How is Portuguese cuisine different from other Mediterranean cuisines?
In Portuguese cuisine, there are three very special things – taste, simplicity and variety.

Over the centuries, as the Portuguese visited different parts of the world (China, Japan, India, Africa and the Americas), many new ingredients and spices were brought back to Portugal. With them as well came new techniques that make our cui-sine full of flavors, very rich in variety, yet simple.

What is the key to a spectacular feijoada?
The “feijoada” is a traditional dish unique to Portuguese gastronomy. It is a dish that is mostly eaten in the cold months, composed mainly of beans and different kinds of pork meat, including sausages.

The feojoada dish that gave its name to our restaurant (made by Elisabete’s mother) took long hours to make, and the principal ingredient was the love that she put into everything that she did. People came from everywhere to try that feijoada, and called it “Tromba Rija.”

Do you make your own wines at Tromba Rija?
We are partners in a winery in the Estremadura region, near the Tejo river.

We export our wines to more then 30 countries, and soon we will begin to export them to China.

We have prepared a special wine (made of a blend of Trincadeira, Tinta Roriz, Castelão Francês, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes) for the Tromba Rija restaurant that perfectly matches our “Degustar Portugal” menu.

What are two spices or seasonings used frequently in Portuguese cuisine, and what are a couple of dishes that make the most of them?
Actually nominating just two ingredients is very difficult, as our cuisine is very rich in variety.

We use a lot of olive oil, bay leaf, paprika, white wine, garlic, onions, tomato, parsley, coriander, thyme, and on and on...

If we have to select two, we must choose parsley and coriander, because they endow so many dishes with a rich distinctive perfume. We use parsley in basically everything – stews, sauces, salads, etc. We use coriander more in soups and seafood dishes such as cataplana, seafood rices, and so on.

How is the Tromba Rija menu designed? How important are wine pairings?
Over more than 37 years, we have refined our concept by adopting more and more traditional Portuguese dishes – more than 60 recipes, almost all of which are homestyle favorites in small villages. We serve a huge variety of cheeses, cold cuts and sausages, and of course, the roasted codfish (baclhau) – the most emblematic dish of our gastronomic tradition – is also present.

Our concept of degustation allows our guest to take a diverse tasting tour throughout our country at our table. In total our menu offers more than 100 different flavors. This menu is an amazing experience for visitors, because they can find a wide range of the gastronomy of the Portuguese people in just one sitting at one place.

The wine is very important, as in Portugal it is always a part of all the meals. Our wine is made exclusively for our restaurant and matches our flavors perfectly – it completes the total experience.

Are there advantages to working as a husband-wife team?
To be honest, normally when a wife and a husband work together professionally it doesn’t work very well. But in our situation, we have a perfect arrangement, because between the two of us each of us have different specific delegated duties. The passion that we both have for the restaurant mean that everyday is different, and at the end of the day we have a many experiences to share with each other.

After all, it was the team of Elisabete’s parents – Antonio and his wife Rosaria – that created and developed the business and the concept. The biggest advantage for us working together as a team is the passion that we put into everything that we do, always doing everything we can to look out for our friends (the guests) that visit our home (the restaurant) every day.

Which dishes from Tromba Rija will you be cooking in Beijing?
What we will do at Hilton Beijing Wangfujing in Vasco’s will be very similar to what we do at Tromba Rija.

We will offer a good variety that includes our classic dishes, as well as a great selection of traditional cheese and cold cuts. The menu in Beijing will have almost the same variety as in Tromba Rija – including our signature dish, roasted bacalhau with potatoes and extra virgin olive oil.

What are you looking forward to most about coming to Beijing?
When we received the invitation from Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, we were very excited. Who knows? Perhaps this is an open door to the future in which Tromba Rija is born in China? We believe that nothing happens without a reason, and we strongly believe that our first esperience in Beijing will be the beginning of something great.

The Portugal Food Festival in Vasco’s at the Hilton Beijing Wangfujing is a special dinner buffet available at RMB 228 +15% per person. May 17 – 27. 5.30-9.30pm. For reservations call 5812 8888 ext. 8411 or e-mail wangfujing@hilton.com