76 CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: ENTRANCE TO THE OLD TOWN, FARO; ONE OF FARO’S BEAUTIFUL TILED WALLS; DESSERT AT VILA JOYA; MANAGER OF HOTEL BRISA SOL’S PASTRY SHOP WITH HIS SPECIALITY MARZIPAN TREATS; LOCAL GRILLED SEABREAM; PORTUGAL’S FAMOUS PERCEBES
is no ‘R’ in the month’s name. The fish are seriously fat, but it’s this fat that keeps the flesh succulently moist. I also discovered that a lot of the best little restaurants to eat at don’t have names. Along the coast, just 20 minutes from Vilamoura, there’s a village called Aldeia das Acoteias, where a small, nameless café on the harbour serves up grilled sardines, seasoned simply with sea salt for about €1.50 (£1.30) a pop – right next to the boats that caught them. This is cheap, local and delicious food at its best. You’ll find simple preparations of freshly caught grilled fish everywhere, but it wasn’t until I stumbled across Três Palmeiras in Albufeira (51 Av. Infante D. Henrique, +351 289 515 423, restaurantetrespalmeiras.com) that I truly understood what Portuguese food and hospitality meant. The owner, João Labisa, is far past retirement age, but can still be found in his restaurant day and night with his daughter and long-serving staff. He cooks traditional recipes with such passion and enthusiasm that the result is a restaurant so good, I wish I lived next door to it. We devoured plates of salt cod, grilled and marinated in vinegar, olive oil and parsley, seasoned to perfection and utterly divine. There was also mackerel cooked in a local escabeche (a vinegar or citrus pickling sauce), and garoupa (grouper) simply simmered with onions, tomatoes, peppers, white wine and a single clove of garlic. It was simply one of the nicest things I ate in the Algarve. João also talked in great detail, with pride and authority, about a national dish called cataplana. He explained that if you live near the sea, the dish is made with shellfish and fish, while inland the locals add pork and use less shellfish. In basic terms it’s a bouillabaisse or fish stew that’s cooked in a copper pot – which is where the dish’s name comes from. It originates from the time of the Moors, whose tagine cooking style left its mark on the region. This is one dish that no visitor should miss. I’m always looking for new ideas and, although I don’t quite know how, I’m certain João’s inspiration will come through in my menus in some way soon. Another dish that intrigued me was caldeirada, which is made with layered potatoes, fish, sliced garlic, olive oil and tomatoes and cooked over an open flame. It’s made and shared by fishermen out at sea and hard to come by, but it has the satisfaction factor of any hearty British dish, with hundreds of years of heritage thrown in. But it’s not all seafood. Further inland in the village of Alte, we tried kebabs at a small Don’t miss eating percebes, or goose barnacles, which are worth the airfare here alone café (again, no name) that give the ones back home a serious run for their money in terms of quality. Made from prime chicken marinated in local piri piri (African bird’s eye chilli), the meat is cooked on ornate metal skewers over a charcoal grill. Wash it down with a glass of vinho verde, the local, almost fizzy, white wine, that goes with pretty much everything – including breakfast. Those with a sweet tooth will be more than satisfied by the local delights too. Forget your Cornettos and Magnums, and instead head to Albufeira’s Hotel Brisa Sol’s pastry shop (Rua do Município, Lote 27, Apartado 2054, hotelbrisasol.com). This bright and vibrant pastry shop makes everything from classic French millefeuille and puff-pastry palmiers to tarts and ice creams. But the highlights are the Portuguese specialty, marzipan fruits. These aren’t synthetic almond-essence-laced cakes, but rather delicious creations made from natural almond paste, which isn’t sickly – it just leaves you wanting more. Nearly all of these local specialties contain almonds, figs and oranges – unsurprisingly, as they grow in abundance here. But one native ingredient I didn’t expect was the carob bean. It resembles a black broad bean and is sometimes used as a chocolate replacement – the flavour is perfumed with those bitter notes you get from dark chocolate. It’s a special ingredient and is used to make a local cake, the carob cake – incredibly grown-up, yet moreish and intriguing. Seeking out local produce in the markets is something I make a habit of whenever I’m away. A visit to the fish and fresh produce markets in the fishing village of Olhão, 11km east of Faro, threw up a wonderful discovery. The seafront is lined with numerous small shops selling everything from crabs to live lobsters, winkles to whelks and tasty cooked prawns – all at very reasonable prices. I recommend picking up a bottle of wine, bagging yourself some shellfish and sitting by the marina to enjoy it. At one of these shacks, Agua Salgada, the owner Maria kindly opened a dozen of the largest sweetest oysters I had ever seen and also cooked me up my all-time favourite, percebes, or goose barnacles. If you’ve never had these, you must try them. They’re worth the airfare to get here alone. Nothing I know tastes more of the sea, are so much fun to eat yet linger with sweet saline meatiness for so long. The main town of Faro has delights aplenty, and if you can take your eyes off the incredible architecture there are more food markets to explore, busy and bustling with fresh, seasonal fruit and vegetables. From October to June pick up delicious local figs. In between shopping trips, just follow the lead of the locals who snack on lovely individual deep-filled custard tarts, strong espresso coffee and small plates of cured meats while going about their daily business. An unexpected highlight for me was a boat trip to Ilha Deserta. It started off with a one-hour bird watching trip – birds are not algarve MAY.JUN.JUL 77
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