He got his first pair of shoes when he was 10 years old, to take his 4th grade exam. At the age of 17, Totobola changed his life: he set off for Lisbon and two days later he was working in a restaurant. Through Vasco Morgado’s hand, he went from Convés to the world of entertainment and learned what he needed to realize his dream of owning a restaurant. He accumulated more than a dozen, represented Marítimo and the country abroad and considering almost 45 years of O Madeirense, he does not hesitate to call himself a happy man.
This time, the guest is the host and therefore lunch time is incompatible with those of the many who, fleeing the storm that was felt, swarmed in O Madeirense. The table is that of the locals, close to the team and allowing Manuel Fernandes to hide when he finally sits down to the roast cod with browned potatoes and onion, but to remain attentive in order to complete the necessary goodbye hugs . Those who know how to receive, do not leave credits in the hands of others, even though the silver in the house is worth gold here and, in case of need, it would be replaced accordingly – and this is, alongside the passion that Manuel has put into this house for almost 45 years. , one of the secrets that justify the regular attendance of prominent politicians (Almeida Santos even had a reserved table, but many others, active or away from these activities, do not do without weekly visits) national and international, footballers, public figures of all types. Madeirense is an indispensable Lisbon classic and Manuel Fernandes is the architect who makes the team, the kitchen and the living room the precious filigree that makes this house special, a success story with a longevity reserved for a handful of Lisbon restaurants.
Even though discretion and politeness prevented him from going beyond greetings when months of these weekly lunches were held here, my regular visits made Manuel a friend. And so the conversation flows without ceremony or reservations, while we enjoy the garlic bread and the cod improves in the oven. In addition to O Madeirense, there are another 25 restaurants owned by him, across the country, of other types but managed with similar rigor – the team has 63 people. “There are 63 families, I’m not the boss of anything”, he emphasizes, revealing his concern for that extended family that welcomes and helps, some even giving society, even if the idea of reform doesn’t cross his mind. “This is also my home, my living room, where I receive friends.”
The most recent project is the Portuguese café, opened with a terrace in Amoreiras at the beginning of the year, at the insistence of the center’s managers. He says that now he no longer opens anything – “I would like to keep the house with the glamor that I think it has”, he says. But he admits that he has already said it many times and laughs with the unconfessed certainty that he is unlikely to refuse a good challenge.
“I learned a lot at Convés, with Vasco Morgado”, he tells me, remembering his early days in Lisbon and going back to the experience of a very young Madeiran who found himself thrown into the midst of singers and actors, the best artists in the national square. – including his idol, Roberto Carlos, who served with the emotion of a kid meeting an idol. The owner of Convés was also the one who managed the city’s theaters and Manuel would quickly stand out as a model employee, highly trustworthy, rising in his preferences and becoming an essential pivot of his legacy: he would give it to him, in times when the Maria Matos and Villaret were the center of Lisbon’s entertainment, the bars of these theaters, definitely contributing to a future that Manuel Fernandes sums up in one sentence: “A happy life.”
Read the full article in the edition of NEW which is, this Friday, March 29th, on newsstands
