Members were served ‘A love letter to the Algarve’ menu
Members of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs and their guests met for lunch at Alameda Restaurant in Faro on Sunday, March 26.
The green, tiled exterior of the restaurant is very traditional Portuguese, and the interior has been customised to provide an open kitchen which allows the diners to view and have contact with the Chef and kitchen brigade as they create the dishes on the menu.
Chef Rui Sequeira and his wife Cristina realised their dream of opening a fine dining restaurant in Faro in 2018 when they opened Alameda.
Here their passion for gastronomy, together with the fresh local products and traditional dishes of the Algarve, continues to delight their guests as Chef Rui recreates the traditional dishes of his hometown using the contemporary methods and techniques.
Baga, a sparkling rosé, was served as a welcoming drink and with the first dish on the menu, Sr. Custódio’s beef sandwich.
The restaurant’s capable and knowledgeable sommelier guided the group through the dishes on the menu with advice regarding in which order the separate parts of the course should be eaten in order to appreciate the full flavour of the combinations.
This was particularly applicable to the second course of shellfish tartlet, mussel shell filled with shellfish and cataplana.
Skate Olhão-style followed with lemon pearls and an intriguing ingredient by the name of “old lady’s hair”, apparently a seaweed sort.
The homage to the different produce of the Algarve region continued with shellfish from the Ria Formosa before the palate cleanser of Monchique smokehouse broth served with sourdough bread, homemade butter and local olive oil.
The main course was quail piri-piri and the meal concluded with Chef Rui’s grandmother’s cake, chocolate cake and meringues.
The wines chosen for the pairing both complemented and supported the dishes they were served with. The selection included Phaunus Pet Nat, a sparkling vinho verde-style white wine; Flui, a white wine from the Lisbon region, and Cepa Pura, a rich red organic wine made from a sole grape variety Touriga Nacional.
The meal ended with tea and coffee. Chef Rui Sequeira and his brigade were thanked on behalf of those present by Marie-Anne Ferran, Bailli do Algarve.
To know more about the international gastronomic association Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, visit www.chainedesrotisseurs.com or email Marie-Anne Ferran at [email protected]
By Valerie Lantau
