By Jack Stevens

I’ve always believed that there is no such thing as perfection. However, I soon changed my views after dining at K.O.B by Olivier in Lisbon.

K.O.B stands for Knowledge of Beef and the restaurant lives up to its name. It isn’t your usual steakhouse; it’s more of an experience. As the leading foodservice pr agency, we take our food seriously so we thought we’d investigate.

Opened by Olivier da Costa in December 2014, K.O.B is the first aged meat restaurant in Portugal and I was given the opportunity to visit it in March whilst on a business trip.

K.O.B is a very sophisticated and trendy steakhouse that can be found between two narrow streets in the heart of the city. On arrival (after finding the correct entrance) a team of enthusiastic waiters welcomed and escorted us through the dark atmospheric dining room to our table.

The dining room is exquisite and rather enigmatic. Old-fashioned wine bottles and mirrors are used as the central decoration, with low-level lampshades hanging from the ceiling.

With a cold Sagres in one hand, I looked through the menu. As you’d expect the restaurant offers a wide variety of steaks including Sirloin, Rump, Tenderloin, Ribeye, Black Pork, Simental Entrecote and Black Angus. It’s a truly international menu with meat from Australia, Argentina, Ireland, Japan, Spain and the USA.

After much deliberation, I decided on the Portuguese Ribeye, served medium rare, (well done is a crime against steaks) with crispy French fries. Yes, it’s simple, but it’s a classic winning combination.

I had a great view of the tiny corridor that led to the kitchen, every time a waiter brought out a tray of food; my heart would beat with excitement, but would then suddenly sink in sadness when the dish would go straight past me and head towards another table. Damn those other diners!

A short while later, a chopping board was placed in front of me with the most beautiful, sizzling, mouth-watering steak I had ever seen. The sides of the steak were charred; the center was pink and juicy with a hint of red, gleaming brightly in the lights.

Each mouthful from start to finish was a delight. It was a masterpiece, and you could tell it was prepared, cooked and seasoned with care and passion.

The only regret of the night was not having room for dessert; the chocolate cake looked heavenly.

If you ever stay in Lisbon, it does not matter which part of the city you are in; I’d highly recommend experiencing K.O.B by Olivier.

Perfeito!

Keep reading! Read our Guide to Foodservice PR here.