«Allgarve Gourmet» no Museu de Portimão

This one was part of the «Allgarve’11» initiative:

Set up within the excellent dining area of Portimão Museum, everything was organised to make people feel welcome: a check-in where one paid and received a “tasting ticket”, counters offering glasses of wine, a “live kitchen” with well-known chefs (Vítor Matos on 26th to 27th June, Nuno Diniz on 28th and Henrique Mouro on 29th to 30th), a coffee corner, liqueurs and live music.

Everything very much designer-label, fashionable and efficient, giving the impression of affluence – just like a top-flight restaurant. We opted for the €10 menu, where you get two dishes with a glass of wine (good wines from the Algarve and others from around the country). After the first glass, every other costs €1.50. Not bad.

We went with friends who chose the €15 option – giving a choice of 4 dishes plus 2 glasses of wine – and the end result was surprising and enriching. Even though we arrived late on a Friday evening, we were still able to sample chef Henrique Mouro’s menu: grilled (boneless) sardines w/ fish eggs, Portulaca oleracea (commonly known as pigweed) and tomato sauce, served in a tin; “Moxama de atum” (smoked sliced tuna) on a bed of puréed white beans and algae.

The roasted salt cod with cornmeal and snails had all been eaten (surprisingly), but the option with sardines were delicious – and for dessert, a delectable delicacy from Alentejo, Sericaia, with little bits of orange and sweet olives, and coffee thrown in.

The slightly cold evening was warmed by Brazilian music and an excellent male vocalist. Frugal but exceptional.

A good experience.