Vasco de Gama is a chic downtown sandwich outpost for the formidable Ferreira next door.

For breakfast they serve a variety of light breakfast choices like cottage cheese with fruit or toasted baguette with jam, as well as omelettes. There is a salad, a soup, and a sandwich of the day—always good choices. Sandwiches are splendid, with real food and inspired combinations, not cardboard fillings. Choices include magnificent suckling pig, Quebec veal, lamb confit with caramelized onions. Vegetarian panini taste like a Mediterranean garden in late summer: excellent olive bread with grilled eggplant and mushroom, tomato tapenade, creamy goat cheese, and a sprinkling of fresh rosemary. It's hard to choose because everything is outstanding and of impeccable quality! They serve great tapas (codcakes, shrimp, jamon) in the evening. For dessert try the creamy light tart, traditional Portuguese pastéis de nata. Illy coffee is divine, as always. They have luxurious port and champagne by the glass!

Carlos Ferreira opened Vasco de Gama in 2004. He started with the Van Houtte on McGill College in 1990 then he opened the hugely successful Ferreira next door in 2002. There is a second café on Bernard, same idea but different hours and menu. All have offered excellent quality, service, and value. This space is intimate and in quiet good taste with comfortable banquettes, small tables, and plush stools. Old World maps are reminiscent of Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama who discovered the water route from Europe to India. This is not the place to come for a quick bite on the run—this is fabulous slow food, so take the time to linger and enjoy!