Horta

The first thing you notice at Horta isn’t the dining room – it’s the grocery store. A small deli counter to the left, the day’s ciabattas scribbled on the glass in white marker, and shelves packed with organic products that make it hard not to start shopping on the spot. As we make our way through the space, we take a quick look at the drinks shelf, spotting bottles from Skbi and Brasserie de l’Hermitage before heading to the back, where a cosy dining room unfolds in shades of parma and blue-grey, with velvet banquettes and opaline glass pendant lights.

It’s the kind of place you immediately want to settle into. But with the city in the middle of a heatwave, the cool little courtyard out back is impossible to resist, so we grab one of the bistro tables outside instead.

The menu is concise: four starters and three daily mains. The pastéis de bacalhau nearly win us over, but we end up ordering the tomato gazpacho (€7), bright, refreshing and perfectly seasoned. Then comes a reimagined shakshuka (€17) with melting eggplant, slow-roasted tomatoes, fresh coriander, ribbons of zucchini and a squeeze of lemon, served with a za’atar flatbread on the side. Every bit as good as it looked when it landed on the table.

Across from me, the sheep’s milk labneh with preserved lemon, crispy polenta and roasted vegetables (€17) is just as impressive. And while it’s definitely too hot for dessert, skipping coffee never crossed our minds.

And that’s where Horta really seals the deal – their coffee is excellent. And yes, it matters. Outside of specialty coffee shops, surprisingly few restaurants pay much attention to what ends up in the cup. Youdra, however, tells us she’s been working with OR since the very beginning.

A neighbourhood spot that gets everything right.