THE MUCH-AWAITED restaurant, Eleven, whose owners have announced that they aim to achieve two Michelin stars within the first two years of operation, will open in November, and not October as originally planned. The two-floor establishment is currently being purpose-built in the centre of Lisbon, overlooking Eduardo VII Park.
“We moved the date forward to November 11, the eleventh of the eleventh, which we thought was appropriate,” Miguel Júdice Jr., son of well-known lawyer and Law Society Chairman, José Miguel Júdice, told The Resident last week. Like his father, Miguel Júdice is co-owner of Quinta das Lágrimas, the Coimbra-based company that will be one of the restaurant’s eleven owners. Others participating in the venture include project developer, Américo Amorim, real estate tycoon Stefano Saviotti and acclaimed German chef Joachim Koerper.
Achieving their goal will mainly be due to the efforts of Koerper, as he is expected to earn the restaurant its stars. Apart from supervising the restaurant at Quinta das Lágrimas in Coimbra, the 51-year-old chef is also the owner of the restaurant Girasol in Alicante, Spain, which boasts two Michelin stars. If Koerper and his team attain their goal, it will be a historic feat, as Lisbon has not had a starred restaurant for years. The restaurants with Michelin stars closest to Lisbon are Porto de Santa Maria and Fortaleza do Guincho; both have one star and are located in Cascais’ Guincho area. According to Miguel Júdice, Eleven will offer “Mediterranean cuisine, based on fresh and natural produce”.
