Taberna Londrina, Portuguese restaurant specializing in francesinha in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés (94)

Ah, Portuguese gastronomy. Fresh, generous and gourmet, this comforting cuisine is a favorite with gourmets. Portuguese restaurants are a big hit in the capital. Among the best-known specialties are pasteis de bacalhau, the famous cod croquettes sometimes topped with cheese, grilled sardines and the unmissable pasteis de nata, the famous Portuguese egg cream tarts from Belem.

At Val-de-Marne, in the town of Saint-Maur-des-Fossés (accessible by public transport), a very special tavern awaits gourmet lovers of Portuguese cuisine. Taberna Londrina is the standard-bearer for the city of Porto, focusing on a very speciality: Francesinha.

Nicknamed the "Portuguese croque-monsieur", this dish is said to have originated during the French invasions of Portugal under Napoleon 1st. It is said to have been inspired by the French croque-monsieur principle, consisting of sandwich bread, meat and cheese, with the twist that the sandwich is covered and surrounded by sauce. A comforting specialty that would be well worth a forkful!

For some, the name of this restaurant will sound familiar, and with good reason: Taberna Londrina is already present in several Portuguese cities. This is the brand's first French address. The restaurant is already attracting a large Portuguese diaspora. In fact, the reflex is more to greet you in Portuguese, and less to explain the restaurant's menu and specialties.

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Nevertheless, when you ask what's the must-try dish on the menu, it's without the slightest hesitation that we recommend the Francesinhas " A Moda do Porto", consisting of veal steak and fresh sausage, with a fried egg on top and generously covered with a port sauce in which to dip French fries (not homemade, contrary to what's on the menu). Beer lovers beware: it goes perfectly with Taberna Londrina's own beer.

If you'd like to nibble before enjoying this dish,the restaurant offers other specialized starters, including cachorrinho da Natalya, feuilleté de alheira, and garlic bread au gratin with cheese. In addition to Francesinha, Taberna Londrina offers other simpler dishes such as grilled salmon with two garnishes, including rice cooked Portuguese-style.

Finally, on the dessert side, it's hard to miss the homemade pastel de Nata. However, if you'd like to round off your meal with a more substantial sweet, we suggest you indulge in another specialty, the Baba de Camelo, a creamy, airy caramel custard that almost reminds us of the consistency of whipped egg whites, topped with pieces of cookie.