At the incredible Michelin star restaurant in Lisbon, where BREAD is served as the main course

Restaurant bread is traditionally a side dish, an hors d’oeuvre – a snack served in a basket in preparation for the main event.

But should it be so? This was the question asked by Pedro Pena Bastos, chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant Cura. And the answer he gave was a resounding “no”. (Or rather “não”, since he is Portuguese after all.)

As I discovered, at the modern Cura, part of the ultra-luxurious Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon, bread is a star in the 13-course Origens tasting menu for 185 euros (£160/$195).

And believe me, it deserves to be the center of attention.

A small basket of rustic wheat bread and a loaf of milk – with aged butter, topped with smoked hay powder and Portuguese olive oil from Pedro’s family – make up course number 7 and it is enchantingly delicious.

This is bread elevated to gastronomic status.

Crumbs! Bread is a star of the 13-course Origens tasting menu, at 185 euros (£160/$195). The dish consists of rustic wheat bread, a milk loaf (left), aged butter with smoked hay powder and Portuguese olive oil. On the right of the photo is the tuna tartare

Ted writes: “We were intrigued by the restaurant’s culinary offerings.” Above – the lobster and chickpea course

Pedro tells MailOnline: “Our bread in the restaurant is made from milled grains, mainly ancient wheat varieties and malted grains, which gives our bread much more flavor and texture. It is then fermented for 24 hours and baked just before serving.”

The accompanying cold-pressed olive oil is “bread’s best friend,” he adds.

Before the loaves were half a dozen dishes that demonstrated Pedro’s standing as a chef of considerable talent.

Above us hung eye-catching Dali-style lampshades that looked like a series of misshapen letters.

In smaller restaurants they would be a topic of conversation. And that includes the striking sofa we sat on, with its signature tube cushion.

Squid with grilled seaweed butter and Ossietra caviar

But my partner and I were intrigued by the restaurant’s gastronomic offerings from the start, and our conversation focused on whether each dish was nearly perfect or actually perfect.

The brigade, wearing Peaky Blinders-style flat caps, began by sending a starter of mushroom tarts from the open kitchen. “Confused,” I wrote in my notes.

Then came dishes of soft strips of mackerel with a small dome of the sweetest fries; a perfectly formed tuna tartare ball with smoked sauce and green beans; and squid with roasted seaweed butter and Ossietra caviar.

After the bread, there was wreck fish from the Atlantic Ocean, cubes of delicious Iberian port wine and perfectly cooked pigeon with broccoli and beetroot.

The accompanying wines were as delicious as the culinary creations, with the highlights for me being a white Entre Pedras 2022 from the Azores, a rustic Quinta da Caldeirinha 2017 red wine and a fresh, spicy Quinta da Pegadinha 2021 from the Vinhos Verdes region. one of the hottest wine regions of Europe.

The service was impeccable: an almost ballet-like spectacle, with dishes placed on the table by a team and another member of staff then explaining with genuine enthusiasm how they were prepared.

Thorough bread chef: Pictured here is chef Pedro Pena Bastos

The street-level entrance to Cura, a restaurant Ted describes as “a temple of fine dining.”

The wines were also expertly described – the staff here were not only knowledgeable about their own wine list, but also about how wines are made in general.

Every table seemed to be as fascinated by the Cura experience as we were, except for the table with the gentlemen next to us who seemed more interested in watching music videos on their phones.

Sanctuary in a temple of the finest gourmet food.