EAT | IL Mercato, Lisbon

A lot of people told me about this place... An Italian fresh-pasta restaurant, that only has pasta dishes. --there's no pizza here -- and where everything comes from Italy. Everything: the flower, the olive oil, the proscoiutto, the parmigiano-regiano... They don't sell Coca-Cola, for example, just juice and Italian soda. They only have Italian beer... The staff speaks Italian... You get the idea, it's supposed to make if you feel like you are in Italy. Oh and yeah, the menu is in Italian. 

It's a very charismatic restaurant, in a very charismatic place -- Patio Bagatela. I don't know if you've heard of this or not, but it's just a small nook, a small courtyard, that almost make you forget that you are just around the corner of one of the busiest thoroughfares of this city.

Inside the actual restaurant, they have a small traditional looking grocery store, where you can buy all kinds of Italian goodies. Inducing freshly made pasta that you can actually see the lady making and kneading it right over the counter. 

I ordered what I always order whenever I go to a new Italian restaurant -- Spaghetti carbonara alla romana. With real organic eggs. I love carbonara and I mesure the quality of an Italian restaurant by how good it's carbonara is. It's served on a large plate, and they grate fresh Parmesan and pepper right on top of it. It's so nice. The carbonara was creamy, cheesy and delicious. The pasta, for me, was a tiny bit over al dente... but I'm extremelly picky with pasta and I like it really under cook. But it was really really tasteful and comforting. I'm definitely going back -- the ravioli looked delicious!