Now, this is great food. Yum Yum and chums took ourselves to this eatery in Lagoa for the first time. Superb food, great setting, impeccable service and a really nice guy who runs it. Want to know more? Read on.
The low-down
The owner Rogerio and his family came to the Algarve from Lisbon without any experience in running a restaurant but he knew how to achieve the high standards he wanted from staff, food and location. Rogerio interviewed for at least six months to find the right chef – and it shows. He previously worked in the Arts and this is reflected in his manner and the way this place is run. He insists on local sourcing of ingredients and will inspect food for freshness and quality before it even gets to be cooked, so be assured that your dining experience will be of the highest quality.
The flavours
The menu is diverse with local cuisine, meat, seafood and fish, all cooked with a variety of twists that will tempt the palate in different ways. To begin, we had a taster from the chef of prawns served on a smooth, light guacamole. A nice touch. The bread rolls were served from a neat display in a basket accompanied by a dish of homemade butter: one smoked, one with herbs with a delightful rich olive oil and granulated salt. I had never tasted smoked butter before – I loved it.
The starter was a cured mackerel fillet served with a sweet pumpkin, nutty spots around the plate and wasabi. Different but, rest assured, it all went very well together. The others shared a charcuterie board of a variety of cured hams and Alentejo Iberian-bred pork, which was easily on par with its Spanish counterpart. Tasteful cheeses accompanied this dish, again all complementing the meats superbly. Truly heavenly with delicate flavours.
Yum Yum had duck done two ways for mains. This consisted of a duck breast and shredded duck in pastry, with pumpkin chutney and a grapefruit sauce accompanied by a petite, sweet mini blueberry pie.
Yum´s chums had loin of lamb with a lamb stew, spicy pepper sauce, grilled wild boar loin in an acorn liqueur and herb sauce, barley and Iberian pork with asparagus Migas, a nicely grilled plum and chimichurri. All were served with delightfully cooked, delicate seasonal vegetables and not a chip in sight.
Dessert consisted of ice cream, again served superbly, especially the salted caramel. Coffees all round finished off the superb meal. We chose a very nice rosé to accompany the meal, which was perfect for the strong and light tastes of all the food.
The verdict
This was a superb meal. Very different to most places we visit and Rogerio and the team deserve your attendance. No compromising or complaining. Just downright good and impeccable standards from a team that, in the current climate, deserve the patronage of fellow readers for an out of the way place. I’ve already booked again!!
Price
This restaurant is ideal for a special visit for that birthday, anniversary and you can expect to be treated to the best, which is reflected in the price, which was 50€ per head
Rua Francisco L M Veloso, Lote 5 – Loja C
The entrance to the restaurant is through Rua Madre Teresa de Saldanha, a street between CM Lagoa and GNR. Lagoa 8400-348 Portugal
+351 282 039 183
Please consider current COVID restrictions when booking a night out and also with winter here, always ring ahead for availability.
