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Editorial Review

Reviewed in May/June '05 Issue of WHERE

There are few restaurants in this city where you can feel like a regular even on your first visit. But when it happens, you immediately know it. You instantly feel like you’re a part of something, that you could turn to the couple seated at the next table and casually start a conversation. Usually this comfort level has nothing to do with the interior or even the food, it’s the people who make things work. Orlando’s is such a restaurant. Owner Arnold Carreira seats you, serves you, watches your meal being made, and, with his enchanting Portuguese accent, he charms you to death. And, bless this magic man, it all seems seamless.

Down a few steps from the Corydon Avenue sidewalk, Orlando’s has been making a Portuguese mark on the street’s Italian landscape for 11 years. The atmosphere buzzes with Latin hospitality. Arnold and Chef Liza Santos give cheek-kisses to departing regulars. The sizzle and clink of the open kitchen flows into dining room conversations, and, more often than not, a complimentary round of port arrives at meal’s end.

The small room’s clientele is largely made up of a group of devoted regulars: men in loosened ties; women sipping wine; and everyone talking to Arnold and Liza about trips to Las Vegas or their newest grandchild.

The room itself is quite feminine. Walls are a pretty lavender, with filmy white curtains framing the back wall. A mirror runs along the long, narrow space, making it feel more spacious.

Orlando’s menu, a combination of seafood and steak, is gentle and uncomplicated. Fish does not drown in heavy sauces; steak is simple and done right. Nothing coats, masks or steals the show.

As is common in Portuguese cuisine, grilling is fundamental to preparation here. The meal starts with grilled bread served with balsamic and olive oil. The bread is heavy and house-made, the flavour of its blackened crust softened by the oil.

For an appetizer, start with the squid. Dusted lightly with flour, the large rings have no heavy crust to mask their innocence. Instead it’s just the sweet flavour and tender texture of squid. For more contrast, the barbecued squid is complemented with red peppers and cilantro. Shrimp Orlando’s features prawns accented with a soft, simple blend of tomato and onion.

For an entrée, the orange roughy is one of the best. The fish is complemented by a dawn-tinted scampi sauce, which plays harmoniously with the famously delicate roughy. The seafood combination features a trio of grilled halibut, cod and salmon steaks surrounded by a rainbow of veggies and a hill of rice. The combination is an interesting opportunity to compare and contrast fish flavours: the salmon is rich, the cod is strong and salty, and the halibut is gentle. The filet mignon with prawns is a delightful mix of surf and turf. The beef is succulent, with prawns grilled simply with lemon and garlic.

For dessert, bread pudding is moist and light, well-accented with a hint of spice and a sprinkling of Triple Sec. A caramel sauce, which is rich but not overly sweet, is also draped across the pudding. Molotov is a cloud-like meringue floating in a puddle of yolk-based sauce and flecked with slim almonds.

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