Sult Cascais – a creative and comforting Italian fusion fine dining experience

There’s nothing like rich, comforting food to chase away the blues caused by a cold, gray, drizzly January day.

In fact, as I drove against the wind, trying to control my umbrella from turning inside out through the narrow shopping lanes of Cascais, all I could think about was reaching that restaurant and ensconcing myself in a cosy corner booth and stuffing my face.

That restaurant was a new Italian fusion eatery with the unusual name Sult – a Norwegian word for ‘hungry’ – which I was, but kind of found off-putting. To Anglo-Saxon ears it sounds like ‘silt’ or worse. But no matter, that’s just a personal opinion.

And I admit that I was skeptical before setting out on learning that the project was from a 52-year-old self-taught Brazilian chef from Rio de Janeiro where he already had another – the Sult Botafogo which has been operating for just over four years.

This restaurant has been a roaring success, having won the Bib Gourmand award, is on the ’50 Best Discovery List, and the Louis Vuitton City Guide.

For me, however, there were low initial expectations laced with not a little doubt since the Greater Lisbon Region is full of Italian restaurants run by Brazilian individuals or groups offering Italian cuisine which simply don’t live up to expectations. Having travelled extensively in Italy I already knew what was good Italian fare and what was not, so I was therefore expecting the worst.

I have to say, though, that after spending a leisurely three hours consuming around a dozen dishes (miniature tasting dishes, of course), washed down with a bewildering array of fine Portuguese wines, I then had to eat my hat! (For Portuguese and Brazilian readers that means ‘eat humble pie’)

I was roundly proved wrong, not only because of the creative take on each dish, the obvious care and attention lavished on each one, the careful balance of texture, colour and taste, but most of all the fact that the proprietor and chef Nelson Soares spent more than a candid hour with us chatting about the concept of the dishes, how he went from a 25-year career spent rearing sheep – not for roast lamb or cutlets, mind you, but for the biotech industry!

Now, first off, Nelson, who explained why Portugal was a natural foray for internationalising his brand by choosing the chic resort of Cascais – Portugal’s answer to Positano – to expand his concept, is a big man to say the least. It gives a certain comfort to me (if not to his doctor) to be served by a chef that is, well, let’s just say ample, and so obviously a man who likes his food. And a man who likes his food knows what’s good!

For when confronted by a chef who is lean, no matter how mean (read amazing) his food is, I am immediately distrustful. I mean, for goodness sake, nobody goes out and splashes between €100 and €200 a head in a restaurant to eat tofu, quinoa and leafy comestibles fit for a rabbit.

A minimalist approach

It is true that the food is fusion, and mixes an Italian base with Portuguese flavours, a French twist with the use of the basic fresh ingredients, and a Scandinavian minimalist influence of no more than four or five ingredients to each dish. Then there is a subtle nod to the Copenhagen Italian restaurant Mangia which Chef Nelson highly recommends.

This, says Chef Nelson, ensures that the dishes are not overwhelmed with tastes, providing a more authentic and faithful experience.

And experience is something that Chef Nelson has in spades. He has been living on and off in Portugal for six years, but before that the had travelled extensively in Italy: Piedmont and Liguria (And is interested in transalpine cuisine) as well as France and the Nordic countries, yet he had never been to Portugal.

The starters, while pricey at between €16 and €22, do contain premium ingredients and are artfully prepared with a perfect balance of flavors and textures, such as the 4 arancini stuffed with smokey chicken Alheira sausage meat with Azeitão cheese, prepared from locally-sourced produce. And that’s just for starters!

There was baby squid with green gremolata sauce and cherry tomato confit (€20); Cacio e Pepe (Spaghetti With Black Pepper and Pecorino Romano) – that’s grilled wild mushrooms with pecorino romano cheese fondue (€20); and a take on Piemonte steak tartare with hazelnuts and grand parano cheese, tasty burrato salad with tomato confit and wild arugula (€18).

Sult also has a selection of grilled savoury ‘enchidos’ (cured sausages) that are sliced before serving at the table.

Great wines but anorexic on the Italian

Of course, no gourmet tasting menu is complete without a selection of fine Italian wines and here the restaurant lets the show down. While the wine list is impeccable (we were served whites, sparkling, rosés and reds from Portugal and France) and an interesting champagne from the latterI when in Rome do as the Romans do, not the Lisboners.

Still, they were good and balanced each dish. Chef Nelson says he discovered Portuguese fine wines through Portuguese wine importers when he worked in Brazil who were selling wines from small Portuguese producers.

We variously sampled a 2020 Bourgogne à Ligoté (a Burgundy), a Paulo Coutinho rosé from the Douro, a 2021 Morey-Saint-Denis, a white Ghiomo Lanster (OK, I admit that one is Italian from the Piemonte region).

And to be honest, by the time you’ve got through those and more, you’re too tipsy to know what you’re drinking or even care!

And given the owner is Brazilian, inevitably there is a Brazilian twist such as with the grissinis made from tapioca flour and other touches.

Best lasagna ever!

While almost impossible to choose a favourite dish, the lasagne (€26) made from freshly-made pasta, is to die for, with the concept brought directly from the restaurant in Rio. Made with parmiggiano fondue, the chef says he was inspired by the famous Chef Massimo Bottura. In this case Chef Nelson has elaborated on the dish and made it his own with its rich taste and creamy texture.

In homage to the restaurants coastal leanings there’s the octopus fregola with marrow (€32) served with a classical Sardinian pasta made with semolina; a scummy roast suckling lamb, boned and served with sweet potato puré and grilled bimi (that’s a cross between broccoli and Chinese kailan).

We also sampled tortellini with asparagus and mascarpone cheese with pecorino sauce, egg yolks and truffles (€26); or a delicious duck risotto confit served with foie gras and porcini mushrooms. (€28)

For fish lovers, there’s spaghetti with locally sourced Sado Estuary razor clams (€28), fish of the day grilled and served with baby vegetables and white guniciale butter, while returning to meat there are pappardelle pasta shells with a ragu prepared from Alentejan black pork cheeks stewed slowly with tomatoes and red wine. €24)

And on to the desserts; a modest but tantalising offering of pistachio tiramisu (€12), a devilishly delicious rich chocolate cake with hazelnut praline (€10), a fresh and zesty lemon and basil tort (€8), and ricotta and strawberry cake with a sweet balsamic sauce.

Overall, apart from some core staples brought across the Atlantic from Brazil, the rest is a clever blend of Portuguese and Italian regional flavours, so certainly not a facsimile of Sult Botafogo, which Chef Nelson admits is in a rather rundown neighbourhood that has a lot of potential.

This restaurant in Cascais is still fairly new, having opened in March 2024 on a site formerly occupied by the restaurant Fora de Pé. It’s a bit tucked away at the end of there lane, so you’ll need your Google sat nav.

Unlike the Rio eatery that has an open kitchen concept allowing dimers to see the chefs at work preparing their meals – this wasn’t possible because a bearing wall separates the kitchen from the dining area – there is a triangular table outside the kitchen door where they put the fishing touches to the dishes before plating up.

So, after spending a relaxing foodie experience in this fusion Italian restaurant were there any criticisms? Not really. The food is clever, beautifully presented, packed with rare and hard-to-source ingredients, (hence, in part, the cost), carefully and skillfully blending mediterranean and Atlantic flavors, ingredients and influences from the north of Europe, Portugal, France, Italy and the Alps, and, of course, Brazil.

There was just one observation that I felt needs rebalancing. Many of dishes had these dark brown sauces which at times proved monotonous while the liberal use of a green savory vegetable ‘coulis’ (Really not sure what this was) perhaps needs toning down a tad.

Interestingly enough, I showed the pictures of the dishes to an Italian chef friend of mine from Naples and he remarked, judging from the aspect, the cuisine looked 100% Italian. Bravo! Of course, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and good eating it certainly is.

What: Sult Cascais
Where: Rua das Flores 10A, 2750-642 Cascais: Tel: 21 130 7006
How much: €75-€200
Marks out of 5 – 4.5

Text and Image: Chris Graeme

Image: Chef Nelson with his signature lasagne.