Integrated in the luxurious Fortaleza do Guincho hotel, the restaurant is an open window to the infinitude of the Atlantic ocean. Awarded with a Michelin star, the restaurant and its executive chefe, Vincent Farges, are characterised for a traditional French cuisine and a classic formal atmosphere.
Service: 15/20
Well intentioned and attentive. Improvements are required in the coordination cuisine-service-client...and in the minor details that differentiate the good from excellence.
Ambiance and decor: 15/20
It is a formal and heavy atmosphere in light blues and whites. The breathtaking view of the colourful ocean in the horizon makes every penny worth. For this reason, it is preferable to have lunch than dinner.
Food: 15/20
Vincent Farge's food is complex and detailed, it is not hard to see that each element in each dish has undergone several processes. The result is superb, full of colours and textures and yet it is wonderful classic French cuisine with fresh ingredients and a soft touch of Portugal...and a respect for the products' seasonality and consistency.
À la carte and two tasting menus are available. We opted for one of the tasting menus.
It all started with the amuse bouche, a trilogy composed of a pumpkin creme, a mussel pudding with a parsley foam and oxtail. A conservative start with comfortable food. Different textures, colours, with little magic, but great confection.
As a starter, we were served scallops with endives, simple and cooked to perfection. Autumn colours (even though it was Winter) and a pallet of textures seemed to be the recipe of the day. A winning combination.
The starter was followed by a fresh fillet of sea bass, steam cooked, with an aromatic and intense sauce and green vegetables. A straightforward dish it seems, but the processes in relation to its elements and the care in the preparation makes us understand that this is not for everyone. On my mind...the sauce...
As it was Winter, what about an Anjou pigeon? And if such pigeon had a complex and embodied red wine sauce, crepe with pigeon's leg and liver, dates and spicy vegetables?
Before the desserts, a grapefruit sorbet with grapefruit and a coconut and passion fruit panacotta. Fresh and a creative alternative. Halfway between a pre-dessert and a cleanser.And then there were 8, eight was the magic number of elements that composed the perfect ending: caramel, the cake base, pear, chocolate souffle, chocolate mousse, chocolate sorbet, tempered chocolate and dehydrated pear. It is hard to say if there was a
perfect harmony amongst all elements, but each of the elements was perfectly executed and that was good enough and I would go back there again just to eat it again.The petit fours, tea and check...in clearly one of the best classic restaurants and best views in Portugal.
Genre: French
Price: €60/75 (no wine included)
Michelin: *
Date of visit: Winter 2011
Overall: 15/20
Pros: Perfection in the cuisine, the view
Cons: Somewhat lack of creativity, certain deficiencies in the service and extremely conservative atmosphere.
Fortaleza do Guincho
Estrada do Guincho, 2750-642 Cascais
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