The Michelin Guide was in Portugal and left us with more stars

The Michelin Stars Gala happened in Sintra and brought additional stars to portuguese restaurants. Alma joined the 2 stars restaurants, which awarded chef Henrique Sá Pessoa's team.

Along with this award, the Michelin Guide gave 1 star to three new restaurants in Portugal:

• G Restaurante, in Bragança
• A Cozinha, in Guimarães
• Midori, on Hotel Penha Longa, in Sintra

With this new (and very well deserved!) distinction for Alma, six restaurants now have 2 Michelin stars. Two of these are right in Lisbon's city center, on the cosmo and trendy Chiado. Portugal thus becomes more important on the Michelin Guide for the Iberian Peninsula. And claiming its place internationally as a destination for foodies - the food lovers who travel in the search of new flavors and restaurants. Also, it starts to be more likely to get a 3rd Michelin star for a portuguese restaurant. This would certainly place Portugal as a food destination!

Photo by Lifecooler

Check here the complete list of Michelin stars' restaurants in Portugal, for 2019.

Two Michelin stars Alma / Henrique Sá Pessoa, Lisboa Belcanto / José Avillez, Lisboa Il Gallo d’Oro / Benoit Sinthon, Funchal Ocean / Hans Neuner, Alporcinhos The Yeatman / Ricardo Costa, Vila Nova de Gaia Vila Joya / Dieter Koschina, Albufeira One Michelin star A Cozinha /António Loureiro, Guimarães Antiqvvm / Vitor Matos, Porto Bon Bon / Louis Anjos, Carvoeiro Casa da Calçada / Tiago Bonito, Amarante Casa de Chá da Boa Nova / Rui Paula, Leça da Palmeira Eleven / Joachim Koerper, Lisboa Feitoria / João Rodrigues, Lisboa Fortaleza do Guincho / Gil Fernandes, Cascais G Restaurante / Óscar Gonçalves, Bragança Gusto by Heinz Beck / Heinz Beck, Almancil Henrique Leis / Henrique Leis, Almancil LAB by Sergi Arola / Sergi Arola, Sintra L’And Vineyards / Miguel Laffan, Montemor-o-Novo Loco / Alexandre Silva, Lisboa Midori / Pedro Almeida, Sintra Pedro Lemos / Pedro Lemos, Porto São Gabriel / Leonel Pereira, Almancil Vista / João Oliveira, Portimão William / Luís Pestana, Funchal Willie’s / Willie Wurger, Vilamoura

Fish and Shellfish: The best Portuguese restaurants

According to bestguide.pt, Portugal has the best fish and shellfish in the world. So, if you are already mouthwatering about these wonderful delights you must know what the Portuguese typical dishes are and where to go to taste them.

With a coastline that covers half of its outlines, an endless assortment of restaurants, a handful of rivers and a vast stretch of ocean and fishing activities, Portugal doesn´t lack fish and seafood. Fish and seafood live on two apparent nonsense: it is not food for lazy people and it's consider a "luxurious" dish. 

Fisherman at Armação de Pêra

Typical fish market

As in Portugal the art of good cooking is shaped by the "preparations" and supermarkets are dictating that for those who cook more than half of the work is already done, the seafood and what is for so many people the best fish in the world has of standing up against winds and tides, so to speak. It is true that the Portuguese have cod as the fish of choice (which is not even caught in our waters), but the variety and quantity that is given by our rivers and the delights of the Atlantic should be settled and at a reasonable price. But they are not...

Moreover… we have the tendency to make the confection uncomplicated. Even with the foreign advent of sushi restaurants, we do not eat raw fish. We cook it in many different ways: grilled, fried, boiled, roasted, "dressed" with butter, a pinch of salt, a few drops of lemon. We do not fill it with adornments, which is enough to have to catch it, scaly it, unravel it and make it the perfect fillets leaving out everything that is skeleton and spine. That after so much work (and even out of respect for the product) we tend not to complicate the making of the dish. After all, not all the fish have the generosity of the little "jaquinzinhos" (miniature mackerels) while eating a whole fish in a single breath.

Bacalhau assado (baked codfish)

Bacalhau à brás (crumbled cod with garlic, oil and eggs)

Cataplana de peixe (fish "cataplana")

Mariscada (seafood)

Whether it be river or sea fish, going out to eat the delights that the waters give is always an event. Cyclically popular festivals celebrate sardines, but the whole country has many fish and seafood restaurants to choose from. Due to the nature of the obvious need for the absolute freshness of the product that arrives on the plate, the whole restaurant of seafood and fish should be good and of guaranteed quality. They gain their fame through years of immaculate reputation, which allows many to glorify themselves for their shellfish even while away from the sea, or to receive fidelity evidence from the fish eater even though the ocean is out of sight.

It is clear that the favorites (for the Portuguese and, compulsively, for tourists) are the restaurants where fish and seafood are eaten with a view of the sea or the waterfront. It is as if the landscape represents a seal of quality. And then the tradition shows how things may very well continue to be as they were but with the twist of today's times: the auctions and squares where one can buy the product from the wise fishmongers, the occasional cane wand on the head or bucket in the old and new markets, and, above all, the restaurants and seafood restaurants where time does not pass and cooks as usual, taking care of seafood and fish, to the 'fashionable' and the taste of the new national chefs for Portugal's fish and seafood, such as cooking with a personal touch, how to 'turn around' and bring them to the table in a more appealing way.

Then comes the shock of reality, which is when the "embellishment" is over. Most of the fish and seafood caught in Portugal is for export. We export half the quantity that we import and what comes from outside hardly compares in quality to what our waters give. But the prices are not comparable. For more campaigns that are made to the virtues of the national seafood and fish, the scenario remains. Of the 200 species we fish in our exclusive zone, we should not consume more than 15. Some say that the case has both community laws and a lazy dictatorship of consumer tastes. And we are at the point where, adoring the fish or revering the shellfish, we stopped asking about the origin of the species.

But with a modern touch or letting the product speak for itself with a hint of seasoning, skipping in all our waters or coming free from foreign waters, there is no lack in Lisbon and its surroundings of quality restaurants for those who do not cook fish at home nor does he deliver the shellfish to the laws of steam. See the list of the best fish and seafood restaurants in Lisbon and Cascais and, for that international touch, take a peek at the suggestions of the best sushi restaurants.

Restaurants known for the best fish:

• Restaurante Peixola;
• Restaurante Aqui há Peixe; 
• Restaurante Monte Mar Lisboa;
• Restaurante O Pescador;
• Restaurante Panorama Guincho;
• Restaurante Furnas do Guincho.

Restaurants known for the best shellfish:

• Cervejaria Ramiro;
• Peixaria da Esquina;
• Ibo Marisqueira;
• Cervejaria Liberdade;
• Luminosa by Furnas;
• Nunes Real Marisqueira;
• Restaurante Marisco na Praça;
• Restaurante Mar do Inferno;
• Restaurante Eduardo das Conquilhas;
• Restaurante Nortada;
• Restaurante Búzio. 

Restaurants known for the best sushi:

• Restaurante Bonsai;
• Restaurante Midori;
• Restaurante Sushi Design.

Source: Bestguide.pt | See the original article here.

Portugal: Europe’s Most Compelling New Food Destination

Not too long ago, all the chatter about the Douro Valley, the flourishing wine region in northeastern Portugal, revolved around its velvety reds and austere beauty. The conversation is slowly changing, however, now that word is getting out about the unexpected excellence of the region’s cooking, which is humble, hearty and newly creative. ​

As I first discovered many years ago during a weekend of wedding banquets I attended, there’s always been some superb food to be had in the Douro River Valley. Back then, just about the only way to taste it was to be invited home for a meal by a local. To be sure, Porto, the seaside city at the mouth of the 557-mile-long Douro (most of which crosses Spain, and the historic center of the region’s Port trade, has long had a few good restaurants. But in the wine towns upriver, the genteel old Port-producing families mostly entertained among themselves, and gastronomic extravagance for their vineyard workers was pretty much limited to communion, marriage and harvest-day feasts.

During the last decade, however, the Douro has emerged as one of the most compelling new food destinations in Europe, with a growing roster of standout restaurants. These range from cutting-edge tables to cozy country taverns. Some of the credit for the growing interest in Portuguese cooking goes to a few high-profile chefs outside the country, including Nuno Mendes in London (Taberna do Mercado, Chiltern Firehouse) and George Mendes—no relation to Nuno—in New York City (Aldea, Lupulo). But most of the ardent new proponents of Portugal’s palate still live there. Take Porto native chef Rui Paula, 49, the granddaddy of the Douro’s restaurant revolution. He learned to cook from his grandmother in the Douro Valley town of Alijó, where his family is from. Mr. Paula now owns three well-regarded restaurants in the region, including Restaurante DOC on the riverbank in the village of Folgosa, and his newest, the Casa de Chá da Boa Nova in a seaside suburb of Porto.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

2014 REPSOL GUIDE – TOP 4 PORTUGUESE RESTAURANTS: OCEAN

According to the Repsol Guide of 2014, there are 4 Portuguese Restaurants that you should consider for an incredible lunch or an amazing dinner.

The gourmet restaurant Ocean is located in Vila Vita Parc Resort, in Porches, Algarve. Its chef, Hans Neuner, won the title of Chef of the Year both in 2009 and 2012, and its whole team won 2 Michelin Stars in 2011. The restaurant only serves dinner and it's closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

If you wish to, you can even enjoy your meal from the terrace, where there is an amazing view of the Atlantic Ocean. Besides weekly menus of gourmet cuisine, Ocean offers a selection of excellent wines from all over the world.

2014 REPSOL GUIDE – TOP 4 PORTUGUESE RESTAURANTS: VILA JOYA

According to the Repsol Guide of 2014, there are 4 Portuguese Restaurants that you should consider for an incredible lunch or an amazing dinner.

In Albufeira, Portugal, there's a gourmet restaurant in the Luxury Spa and Beach Resort of Vila Joya. It is open from Thursday to Tuesday, for both lunch and dinner, and the dress code is casual elegant. This restaurant also has a wonderful view of the amazing Atlantic coastline.

This 2 Michelin Stars restaurant, directed by the Austrian chef Dieter Koschina, has wonderful dishes that mix Portuguese cuisine with other European cooking techniques. The skill that the chef has for local seafood is very impressive, and some of the most interesting and creative dishes include "Cataplana", a stew with pork, cockles and lobster, and Bacalhau with beetroot coulis and yoghurt.

2014 REPSOL GUIDE – TOP 4 PORTUGUESE RESTAURANTS: FORTALEZA DO GUINCHO

According to the Repsol Guide of 2014, there are 4 Portuguese Restaurants that you should consider for a incredible lunch or an amazing dinner.

With a magnificent view over the Atlantic Ocean and delicious French cuisine conducted by Vincent Farges, Fortaleza do Guincho, in Cascais, has found top quality accommodation in an old coastal fort. In addition, its wine list, The Wine Spectator Magazine, that has over 800 wines, is considered one of the best in Portugual.

When it comes to menus, you'll probably take your time deciding which of them you want to choose: Season, Degustation, or À-La-Carte. As for the wine, every month a special dinner is held in order to celebrate the relationship between wine and food. This includes wines that are specially chosen to accompany the dishes, or the opposite - if you would like -, with dishes carefully chosen to complement the wine.