Verdelago Resort, a “sustainable luxury development” which is due to open this summer just a stone’s throw away from Verde beach in Castro Marim, has announced that chef Marco Alban will be heading its restaurant.
The restaurant will be part of the resort’s exclusive club, which will also feature two bars, an infinity pool and an open market selling premium and local products.
Having called the Algarve his home in recent years, the Italian chef Marco Alban has a wealth of experience in fine dining under his belt, having served as the Executive Chef at the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo in Egypt as well as at Hotel Quinta do Lago and Pine Cliffs: a Luxury Collection Resort, both in the Algarve. He has also worked at Cascais Miragem and the Ritz in Lisbon, among many others.
“The restaurant, with direct access to the beach walkways, aims to showcase the most genuine flavours of the Algarve region, with a contemporary menu that reflects the local culture and culinary traditions,” the resort says in a statement to the press.
Dishes will be inspired by the “geographical richness of the area between the Algarve coast and mountains,” as well as “the influences of the Lower Guadiana and the Mediterranean”.
The menu will feature fresh fish and seafood, alongside several dishes such as zander with mushrooms and asparagus, lamb shank, and a variety of slow-fermented artisanal pizzas that “highlight local products”.
The menu also includes dishes which can be shared, such as octopus “pica-pau”. traditional “estopeta” with “muxama” (cured tuna) from the Algarve, and “biqueirão albardado” (breaded anchovies).
For dessert, sweet lovers can enjoy plant-based options, such as almond milk-based Algarve rice pudding with local organic honey.
