The Algarve is on a roll and has come away with multiple accolades from Expresso newspaper’s ‘Boa Cama, Boa Mesa’ restaurant and hotel guide, including the coveted ‘Chef of the Year’ award which went to Vila Vita Parc’s Hans Neuner.
This is the second ‘Chef of the Year’ title for the 42-year-old Austrian chef who arrived in the Algarve in 2007 to take charge of Vila Vita’s gastronomic endeavours and is responsible for the resort’s acclaimed Michelin-starred Ocean restaurant.
“From a personal and creative standpoint, Hans Neuner learned how to get to know the Algarve first, and then the rest of the country, learning and absorbing everything about Portuguese products and gastronomy,” the guide explains.
It adds that his quest for knowledge has paid off and that the “evolution of his cooking is noticeable” as is the “audacity and disruptiveness” with which he approaches the confection of his dishes.
“Today, each dish is a work of art, with humour and a message behind it, such as about the need to protect the sea.”
But the prize for Portugal’s top chef wasn’t the only accolade that the resort received as Ocean restaurant was awarded a ‘Platinum Fork’ and the resort as a whole received a ‘Platinum Key’.
Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort and Conrad Algarve in Loulé and Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel in Sagres (Vila do Bispo) were also prized, each receiving ‘Silver Keys’.
Elsewhere in the Algarve, the prestigious São Gabriel restaurant in Loulé was awarded a ‘Platinum Fork’ while Vila Joya (Albufeira) and Vista (Portimão) received the second highest accolade, the ‘Golden Fork’.
Bon Bon (Lagoa), Pequeno Mundo (Loulé) and Restaurante Noélia (Tavira) were also among the winners, being awarded ‘Silver Forks’.
The ‘Boa Cama, Boa Mesa’ guide will be available for sale this Saturday, April 13, for €12.90.
