The taste of Europe's wild west

Gourmet tour Algarve

Praia Vale de Centeanes near Carvoeiro, early in the morning. The beach is almost deserted, except for two fishermen. One of them made the big catch today. He will soon be trolling off the beach with a proud number of "sargo" (goat bream). Scenes like this are repeated thousands of times a day on the Algarve coast between Sagres and Faro. The delicious treasures from the sea form the basis for the Algarve's rise to become one of Europe's hottest gourmet hotspots. This mild and wild spot on the southern tip of Portugal has always been a paradise for nature lovers, beach fans, surfers and golfers. Now it has finally become a trendy destination of longing and a place of pilgrimage for foodies.



The Algarve: a destination of longing and a place of pilgrimage for foodies


Hans Neuner is not entirely innocent in this development. Neuner is a culinary artist, playful, creative, highly decorated with two Michelin stars. Many a food critic considers the Tyrolean to be "the best fish specialist Austria has ever seen". The restless chef from Leutasch near Seefeld runs the "Ocean", the fine dining restaurant in the luxurious VILA VITA Parc hotel village on the outskirts of Porches, with passion and verve. Although Neuner docked at VILA VITA Parc over ten years ago, he still marvels at the most important raw material on the doorstep during the Connoisseur Circle's inspection of the restaurant: "The quality of the fish here is amazing. Whether it's sea bass, red mullet, monkfish, grouper, octopus, crab, sea snails, barnacles, lobster or sardines - I always get everything fresh from my dealer." The food is often combined with organic products from the hotel's own Herdade dos Grous wine estate in the Alentejo.

Add to this the elegant, cosy, cosmopolitan ambience of the "Ocean" with floor-to-ceiling windows, bright silk carpets, furniture in maritime blue tones and decorative African corals - and the culinary and visual work of art is complete. Neuner enthuses: "You can see the sea from every table - it feels like being in an infinity pool!" The view is not only inspiring for the guests, but also for himself: "It's even better to cook when I can pause for a moment in stressful situations and look out over the Atlantic from the panoramic window in our kitchen." But what else could be refined with a composition of Olhao oysters, frozen foie gras, pineapple and mallow? Or the pimped version of the traditional Portuguese dish feijoada, with sea bass, peppers, beans and sea urchin? Or a dish, sorry poem, like tagliatelle of sea fennel with leek and bergamot on black ink? "The Art of Dining" - the restaurant's bold motto really isn't overstated.

A little less avant-garde, more classic, haute cuisine with two Michelin stars is celebrated just a few kilometers away by another Austrian: Dieter Koschina, Hans Neuner's best buddy, has been wielding the wooden spoon at the classy Boutique Hotel Vila Joya since 1991. He is also a declared fan of seafood: "80, 90 percent of our daily changing menus come from the Atlantic - fish and shellfish. It's a dream to be able to work with such great, fresh products!"

When the Vorarlberg native was lured to his sunny workplace 30 meters from the sea by the German owner of Vila Joya over a quarter of a century ago after a ten-minute phone call, he found a culinary wasteland. "The quality wasn't right - all there was in the meat sector was quail, rabbit, chicken, pork and tough beef." Koschina also saw an acute need to catch up in terms of infrastructure. A new kitchen was needed. "In the beginning, a lot of pans flew at us, not only in the direction of the kitchen team, but also in the direction of service."

When the kitchen door flies open today, usually shortly before midnight, and Koschina receives the ovations of the spoiled Vila Joya guests, he looks tidy. He has long since gathered a "strong collective" around him. "The trick for me as coach of the team is to find the right balance between attack - the service - and defense - the kitchen - just like in soccer. After all, we play Champions League twice a day, at lunchtime and in the evening!"

And the competition is not sleeping on the booming Algarve coast. Since spring 2017, a new competitor, the Anantara Vilamoura, has been trying to dribble its way to the top. The Anantara's motto is to score points not only with its feel-good ambience, spa and Arnold Palmer golf course, but also with first-class cuisine and cellar offerings. This is most convincingly achieved in the signature restaurant EMO, where the dishes are based on the wine and not the other way around. It is the playground of "wine guru" Antonio Lopes. Lopes, who is in his early 30s and grew up in the university city of Coimbra in the center of Portugal, skillfully celebrates his expertise without intimidating his customers. "Every wine in the category up to 150 euros per bottle is also served by the glass." 430 different items are currently slumbering in the cellar. His greatest treasure: a port from 1882 for 13,000 euros!

Of course, guests can not only taste the finest wines, they can also lend a hand with the cooking - if they book the "Spice Spoons" experience. First, they go shopping with the chef at the market in Loulé for the fresh, regional ingredients for lunch, then prepare and enjoy the spoils together at the cooking course at the resort in a soupy, juicy seafood stew ("Cataplana").
Despite all the striving for upscale cuisine and complete indulgence, it is also nice to see that the Algarve continues to uphold small pleasures - at small prices. Whether you're sipping a "bica" (espresso variation) in the hinterland below the castle of Silves or in a café on the palm-lined beach promenade of Armacao de Pera, you generally won't have to fork out more than a paltry 70 cents. Obrigado!



Text: Andreas Jaros