Restaurante Trigal

Trigal is the useful Funchal restaurant that becomes more appealing the less everyone at the table agrees on dinner. The menu is broad but grounded: grilled lapas and bolo do caco to begin; tomato soup with egg; black scabbardfish with banana, Madeira wine or passion-fruit sauce; tuna, octopus à lagareiro, seafood rice, espetada and carne de vinho e alhos. Pasta, pizza, omelettes and thoughtful vegetarian dishes make mixed groups remarkably easy to satisfy. The pleasant outdoor area softens the city-centre setting, while the service has the friendly efficiency of a kitchen accustomed to both regulars and visitors. This is not the address for a tightly edited tasting menu. Its strength is choice without losing sight of the island, and portions that understand dinner as nourishment rather than a design exercise. If you are new to Madeira, the menu can serve as a generous introduction; if you have been here for days, it is a dependable place to revisit whichever local dish has become an obsession. Few restaurants are this accommodating without becoming anonymous.