Folly & Feast Vol. 5 arrived on the Ando Living rooftop with the kind of anticipation usually reserved for concerts or rare‑bottle tastings. Maybe it was the Easter timing, maybe it was the setting — Lisbon stretched out below, the river catching the light just so — or maybe it was the fact that the event sold out instantly, leaving sixty hopefuls hovering on the waiting list. Whatever the reason, the energy was unmistakable long before the first glass was poured.
In the kitchen, Ali Bilton was back at the helm, which always brings a certain quiet excitement. There’s a particular pleasure in watching someone who has cooked for Michelin‑starred rooms, for King Charles, and for the McLaren F1 team during the Senna‑Prost era turn her attention to a long Sunday lunch. She cooks with the kind of assurance that doesn’t need to announce itself.
Guests eased into the afternoon with a choice of two very different openers:
1995 Carcavelos Bloody Marys, savoury and slightly decadent, or Sonhador Rosé 2024, bright and breezy for those who preferred to start gently. Both did their job — conversations loosened, shoulders dropped, and the rooftop settled into its own rhythm.
The first plate to land was a smoked salmon and prawn terrine, cool and silky, lifted by pickled notes and just enough richness to feel celebratory. Sonhador Branco 2024 brought freshness and a little citrus tension, the kind of pairing that quietly makes the dish taste more itself.
Then came the centrepiece — the sort of main course that doesn’t need embellishment because it already carries its own sense of occasion.
Boned, stuffed roast leg of lamb, served with dauphinoise potatoes, roast parsnips, petit pois à la française, and mint sauce. A proper feast, generous without being heavy, nostalgic without being old‑fashioned. Sonhador Tinto 2020 stepped in with bright fruit and gentle structure, a red that knows how to behave around lamb and creamy potatoes without trying to dominate the conversation.
Dessert was a soft landing but no less memorable: chocolate roulade with brandy cream and fresh berries — the kind of sweet that disappears faster than anyone intends. And because some bottles deserve more than one appearance, Carcavelos 1995 returned, this time unadorned, amber and elegant, wrapping itself around the chocolate with quiet confidence.
As the afternoon drifted on, the rooftop took on that unmistakable holiday‑weekend feeling — sunlight lingering, people lingering even longer, the city below moving at its own pace while the tables above seemed in no hurry to give up their seats. Ali moved through the room with her usual calm, and guests settled into the kind of easy contentment that only comes from good cooking, good wine, and the sense of being exactly where you’re meant to be.
Folly & Feast has always been about more than the menu, but this Easter edition felt like a reminder of why the series works so well: a beautiful setting, thoughtful food, wines that shine without shouting, and a crowd that genuinely wants to be there. No wonder the waiting list keeps growing.
