Rui Sequeira, a 29-year-old chef from the Algarve who has worked with Hans Neuner at his Michelin-starred restaurant Ocean, has publically expressed his goal to become an “ambassador of the Algarve’s gastronomy” at his restaurant Alameda in Faro.
The restaurant was inaugurated in December 2018 and follows a “fun fine dining philosophy” which aims to prove that “haute cuisine can also be laid back.
“I love the area where I was born and grew up and I have the privilege of owning my own restaurant, which allows me to have not only creative freedom but also direct access to the best suppliers of local products, which makes our menu so unique,” said the chef.
His goal is to present dishes which are a “reflection of the region and its flavours, but with innovation, technique and surprises which create good memories for our clients.”
Alameda has four menus which are “regularly changed” depending on the products that it receives each day from its suppliers as well as on the “creativity and inspiration” of its chef.
The ‘Origami’ tasting menu is the chef’s recommendation and features 12 distinct ingredients, which are used in “original ways” to keep things interesting.
“By ordering this menu, clients will only have access to the list of products that will be used – the dishes they will be served will always be a surprise,” the restaurant says.
The ‘Alameda’ menu is described as the simplest and is made up of snacks, an appetizer, a main dish and dessert.
There is also the ‘Umami’ menu, which highlights one of the five basic tastes, and the ‘Vegetal’ menu – a 100% vegetarian menu which includes dishes such as algae and cured egg yolk carbonara or São Brás de Alportel shiitake with Alentejo ‘migas’ and kimchi.
To go along with his dishes, Alameda boasts a “unique” wine list created with the help of sommelier André Ramos. Most of the wines are made by “small local winemakers” who use native grape varieties.
The restaurant is located on Rua da Polícia da Segurança Pública and is open Thursday through Friday between 7pm and 10.30pm. It seats 30 people at the moment – 15 inside and 15 outside.
(+351) 289 824 831
About the chef
Rui Sequeira was born and raised in the Algarve, having moved to Lisbon after secondary school to pursue his passions for fashion and gastronomy.
He worked as a model for some time before enrolling at Lisbon’s Hotel and Tourism School. Sequeira followed this up with an internship in France, where he worked with chef Serge Vieira. After completing the internship, he achieved one of his “biggest goals” – working with Hans Neuner at his renowned Ocean restaurant.
At the tender age of 20, he signed up for the RTP television contest ‘Top Chef’, having finished in the top three. After his performance in the contest, he returned to Ocean where he was hired full-time.
In 2017, after six years at Ocean, he decided to invest in his very own restaurant Alameda.
