A chef who’s cooked his way through Bentley, Est. and Dinner by Heston doesn’t usually end up running a neighbourhood cafe – let alone taking it out at night. But that’s exactly what Justin Martins is doing with Manteiga.
From 8 August, the Darlinghurst daytime haunt – already beloved for its coffee and pastel de nata – is stepping into the evening with Manteiga Nights, running every Friday and Saturday. Same address, entirely different energy.
Martins is taking that same fine-dining pedigree and turning it toward Portugal after dark – smoke, char, spice and acidity, across fresh local seafood, charcoal-grilled meats and reimagined regional classics.
Things kick off gently with ‘Saude’ hour, running 4pm to 6pm, where you can ease in with drinks and bar snacks. That means smoked patê de bacalhau — a refined riff on the classic Portuguese codfish spread – served with roasted sourdough and Lisbon lemon jam, alongside warm bolo de caco, Madeira’s stone-baked flatbread traditionally paired with garlic butter. It’s also a nod to where Manteiga got its name in the first place: the Portuguese phrase “pao com manteiga,” or bread with butter.
The dinner menu keeps that same reinterpreted, flavour-first approach going. Expect burrata with smoky chorizo XO and nigella crumb, and an elevated take on feijoada — Portugal’s beloved slow-cooked bean and smoked pork stew – reimagined here as a rich winter soup with crispy potato and charred allium. There’s also charcoal-grilled Bannockburn chicken finished with house-made piri piri, designed for sharing around the table (translation: order more than you think you need).
Dessert is where the fine-dining background really shows. The Pasteis de Nata gets reimagined with cinnamon ice cream and fig leaf, while the Madeira Bombe Alaska pairs gingerbread ice cream, Madeira genoise and toasted meringue — finished tableside with a blowtorch, because a bit of theatre never hurt anyone.
On the drinks side, the Portuguese Tart Martini (inspired by, you guessed it, the pastel de nata) leads the cocktail list, alongside a Sangria Spritz with tempranillo and cava, and the savoury Manteiga Martini with guindilla.
Martins sums up the whole concept as “serious food without the stuffiness” — considered, flavour-led cooking that doesn’t take itself too seriously. “The dishes are thoughtful and refined, but the experience should feel relaxed and approachable,” he says.
That balance carries through to the room itself: dim lighting, traditional Portuguese music and a warm, unhurried atmosphere built for long dinners rather than a quick in-and-out. It’s the kind of low-lit, slow-paced dining room that makes you forget you were sitting in the same café earlier that day, sipping a flat white.
Manteiga Nights launches Friday 8 August, with ‘Saúde’ hour running 4pm–6pm and dinner service from 6:30pm–8:30pm, Friday and Saturday, at 169 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst.
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