RIP Jesus Lee Fernandes…

Shocking news to have to share…the brilliant Lisbon Chef Jesus Lee Fernandes, the mastermind behind Lisbon’s brilliant Jesus e Goes restaurant, has died….here is what was posted on the restaurant’s FB page:

Dear friends,

It is with regret that we inform you that our great friend Jesus passed away last night.

The world has become poorer, and we have lost a great talent and a giant heart.

May we learn to love and be loved; one dies alone, but one doesn’t live alone. Jesus was and will always be loved.

We currently have no further information.

The restaurant is closed until further notice.

Thank you for all the messages and kind words…

This is such sad news…

We discovered Jesus when “Somebody Feed Phil” shot with him…he was funny and passionate about his food…here is the meal we had there…Chef isn’t there, but his team was incredible…

Welcome To “Holy Burger” Food Heaven…

When my wife and I went to Lisbon, we tried to explore all of the restaurants that Phil Rosenthal visited in his TV series “Somebody Feed Phil.”

That meant we had to head to the place that served a heavenly “Holy Burger!”

The Wildly Creative Chef Jesus Lee Fernandes!

One of the greatest things about Lisbon is how they embrace so many different flavors! Fish of course, but their close proximity to Northern Africa and even India has led to an explosion of new tastes!

Chef Jesus Lee Fernandes was a great example. As he said on his Facebook page, he loved to prepare “Goan” food from his Mum’s traditional recipes. 

Chef Jesus was from Goa, India – an Indian state located along India’s west coast on the shore of the Arabian Sea – so there is a middle eastern vibe to his food and also on the extremely colorful walls of the restaurant!

Alex and I made a reservation – and then we re-watched Phil to make sure we knew the specialties – unnecessary as they guide you expertly through the menu!

We loved how the wall art had such colorful food imagery, vivid colors that had a sense of humor and love of food and flavor!

“Holy Crab” Indeed!

We loved that on the upper right of the wall! After settling in and exploring the artwork, we grabbed the menu!

As I said, the terrific staff walked us through all of the options!

Here’s how we started:

Bring On The “Bhajipuri!”

It’s potato bhaji with puri…a spicy filter with hot spicy veggies…

Alex compiled her bite, and added some of that spicy paste in the bowls next to it as well – too hot for me so I only added a hint of it!

The fritter was soft enough to fold a bit, but still had a nice crunch – and was deliciously flavorful.

“Cheo” Is Up Next!

These balls of fried chick pea flour and spices were just spicy enough for me, but Alex added more of that green paste – which carried quite a kick!

More appetizers were to come:

Next Up: Chamucas de Camarao!

These spicy Shrimp Samosas were very crunchy on the outside, and melt in the mouth good inside – a spicy as well, but I was hanging in there!

Next up: one of their most famous dishes!

Bring On The “Holy Burger c/ Ovo Escalfao”!

One of Jesus’s iconic dishes was his “Holy Burger c/ Ova Escallado” – a tiny burger topped with a poached egg!

It came with instructions – our Server gave us the most important tip for biting into this dish – keep your mouth shut! Take a look:

This is heaven on a spoon for me: a crunchy, bite-sized burger patty topped with a delicate poached egg and a spicy sauce – we loved it!

Now, time for the main course:

Bring On The “Xacuti de Cabrito” – Goatling With Eleven Spices!

What a main course!

This mind-blowingly delicious dish consists of pieces of goat marinated and cooked in eleven different spices was incredible!

A large bowl of rice, a warm chunk of naan bread and pickled onion are put down, as well as that spicy paste for anyone who needs more of a kick – but there’s no need this is packed with spicy flavor!

This meal was so delicious and filling – and so reasonably priced as well!

After this delicious meal, our two Servers brought us a special drink to toast the meal – cheers!

We were so saddened by the news – Jesus loved food and culture and he mixed them together deliciously…

His team told me their business exploded after the restaurant was featured in “Somebody Feed Phil” – and we used the episode as our inspiration for our trip…

We had my birthday lunch at Ponto Final, a restaurant that seats you literally ON the Tagus River!

See our incredible meal here:

We had such a magical time in Portugal – I shared another spectacular meal we had in Lisbon as well: the “Scarlett Shrimp” dish at Cervejaria Ramiro is so incredibly memorable, especially the serving of the dish!

This restaurant only serves shellfish – well, except for the steak sandwich – for dessert!

Click here to see it all!

After so much great food, we needed some exercise, who why not explore a Moorish Castle?

The “Castelo Dos Mouros” towers above Portugal – click here to see this classic castle high above Sintra!

Castelo dos Mouros is located just below the famous Pena Palace, and that is a must-see as well!

As colorful as the outside was, the interior was fascinating!

Here’s a look:

You can see more of our tour by clicking on my story here:

RIP Chef Jesus Lee Fernandes…you culinary brilliance and inspiring personality will be missed…

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