Salão de Chá Iguana Poética

She, a former legal consultant in the real estate business, is the soul of the kitchen. He, formerly a professional photographer, is the “public relations” of the little business that means to be different from other Algarvian restaurants.

The idea is to start early – serving breakfasts (in true French style), followed by healthy lunches (using biological ingredients) and finally, afternoon snacks.

The atmosphere is nothing like the typical Portuguese café – traditionally uncomfortable and commonplace. Indeed, things are finally changing! Here, there are sofas to enjoy one’s newspaper in tranquility – there’s even a little corner for children to play in.

In tones of green and brown, all is carefully designed – from the crockery to the cutlery. Anyone arriving with little time can lunch at the large glass counter (with 18-places) in the centre, decorated with the sayings of various authors. So, what’s the food like?

Every day there are at least two different types of quiche, and two dishes of the day, to choose from. The “complete menu” costs €6.90.

During our visit, we tried the “Italian” soup, with courgettes, carrots and bacon. To follow, we had a “gratinado de peixe”, with cheese, fresh spinach and rice flavoured with coconut milk. Just the ingredients give you an idea of the taste!

But, more than that, you get the idea that all the food here is very tasty indeed. And for dessert, the star is biological chocolate cake with chestnuts. If you’d prefer fruit, there are baked apples stuffed with almond, but we opted for the raspberry cake.

And, back to the name of the place – anyone who appreciates tea has around 30 varieties to choose from. Some of the tissanes are made by Kerstin Botter from Silves’ «Quinta da Parreirinha» - and according to Fabrício, the «Smoothies» (a special type of fruitshake, at €2.20 each), are a speciality of the house. From the many on offer, the “Booster” is possibly the most popular - a mixture of mint, apple, strawberry, yoghurt, ginseng and guaraná.

At the end of each lunch, diners receive a stamp on a card. Once they’ve amassed five stamps, they’re entitled to a free dessert. It’s a symbolic gesture, but certainly better than nothing!

Specialities: healthy cooking with French and International influences; Hours: Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm and Saturdays from 8am to 3pm; Drinks: multifruit drinks, teas & biological wine; Bankcards: Multibanco (there’s an ATM next door); Bill: €9.80 for one; NIF 509 107 729.