From the outside, you might walk right past this restaurant, but at second glance, Escama is a truly extraordinary place right at the entrance to Faro’s entertainment district. A quick glance inside the restaurant might lead you to think it’s a fish shop or a stall at the fish market—and that’s exactly the idea (not that you’d think that, but that’s just how it is): “Talk to the fishmongers to choose your fish at the counter,” reads the menu handed out at the start of your visit. Along with this friendly invitation, there’s already a subtle hint at what happens next at the counter: a technical discussion with the chefs about how the fish will be prepared.
It all sounds unusual and maybe even a little crazy—but it’s actually the most customer-friendly concept a restaurant could have—and it’s a great way to strike up a conversation with the chefs. They explain the different types of fish—after all, you don’t have to know them all, and the Portuguese names don’t always help either. This is also because the restaurant primarily offers fish and seafood caught right there locally, which you might not necessarily be familiar with. Don’t let the per-kilo prices put you off: I chose a bica, a local species of sea bream, at 80 € per kilo. But the red sea bream (or dorade rosé) they selected for me was relatively small (400 g, or 32 €). Still, it was large enough to be served two different ways. At Escama, depending on the size of the fish, you can have it prepared as two, three, or even four different dishes.
