Volta do Mar

Covent Garden is awash with tourist traps and as a result, this isn’t always where you might come in search of a good independent restaurant, but Volta do Mar stands out from the crowd thanks to some homely cooking, excellent service and pleasant interiors.

The first signs of something good come with the soothing striped awnings and clamour of people out front, basking in the evening sun and sipping drinks. The restaurant is situated just off one of Covent Garden’s main thoroughfares, so it’s a little less hectic than the main plaza. Inside is similarly classy - varying tones of wood, blue-grey walls that remind us of the sea, and loads of natural light thanks to the glass frontage.

The menu combines Portuguese cooking with food from places that have been touched by Portugal’s seafaring history, like Goa, Brazil, Macau and Angola. Dinner is both delicious, and a fascinating history lesson. We kick things off closer to home with a few slices of sourdough, gently kissed by the grill, and some gorgeous sardine pate. Iberico ham, chorizo and morcilla croquettes were an extremely generous size, and oozed with layers of smoky pork. And who can say no to grilled prawns, their shells blackened from the grill - a glorious mess of sweet, tender meat and crustacean juices?

The restaurant was best when delivering simple thrills, and it was the slightly more complex dishes that flattered to deceive at times. Grilled chicken wings with sambal oelek - inspired by Portuguese communities in Malacca, Malaysia - were well cooked but needed a lighter touch on the seasoning. A Brazilian fish and tiger prawn stew, though nice enough, was rather one-note and lacked refinement.

The drinks list is proudly Portuguese and sourced with an exacting eye for quality as well as value; you can enjoy a juicy Douro Tinto from £6 a glass, and there’s a cracking selection of port and Madeira too. Combined with the warm, friendly service and mostly excellent cooking, Volta do Mar is certainly somewhere we’d head back to amid the thrum of Covent Garden.

Dreamt up by Salt Yard co-founder Simon Mullins and his wife Isabel Almeida Da Silva, Volta do Mar, which roughly translates as ‘return from the sea’, was inspired by the couple’s love of Portuguese cuisine.

Taking up residence in the beautiful double-fronted Georgian townhouse that used to house Strada Covent Garden, Volta do Mar has been designed to reflect the vibrant atmosphere of Portugal, with plenty of curiosities and artworks on display throughout the bright, wood-panelled dining room split across two floors.

The restaurant is under the direction of chef George Tannock (The Dorchester, The Fat Duck, Sexy Fish), who works closely with Simon and Isabel to serve up a frequently changing menu of classic sharing and large plates that celebrate the richness of Portuguese cuisine.

Diners can expect everything from classic staples, such as smoked ham hock feijoada, and Macanese arroz marisco served tableside from a traditional Portuguese cooking pot, to dishes inspired by ingredients symbolic of the country’s trading past, including chillies from Angola and Mozambique used to make the restaurant’s signature piri piri.

The restaurant’s wine list has been carefully assembled to showcase Portuguese wines, from the vineyards of the mainland to those of the volcanic Azores. Most are available by the glass or carafe, and for those who don’t fancy wine, port or Madeira, an exotic spirits list offers plenty of alternatives.

Volta do Mar also caters for diners seeking breakfast, a light lunch or pre-theatre meal thanks to its provision of fresh, hand-baked bread and pastries, and selection of charcuterie and cheese sourced exclusively from one of Portugal’s oldest and most respected family-run businesses.

Operating as a traditional Portuguese pastelaria as well as a restaurant means that commuters or those working or shopping nearby can drop in for a bola de berlim – a type of Portuguese doughnut – alongside a classic Portuguese espresso.