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More Good Food in the Algarve

An interesting week here in the Algarve. First, the hot weather is back. We have had a run of cooler days and nights, but this week we are back to summer temperatures, and things are looking good. In fact the water skiers are out in force, skidding up and down the Arade estuary right in front of my study window.

A friend of mine alerted me to the opening of a new restaurant just outside Almancil. It's very close to another restaurant I visit quite a lot, so I decided to pop down a check it out.

That's the trouble with this part of the world, it is very much a case of there being two Algarves. There is what is known as The Golden Triangle, and then there is everywhere else. The Golden Triangle is basically that chunk of the Algarve that lies between Faro, Loule, and Val de Lobo. There's a lot happening there; the golf courses are busy, the restaurants serve great food, and the place is booming. The rest of the Algarve is simply the rest of the Algarve: empty golf courses, empty hotels, empty restaurants, generally low grade food, and not much happening, and too many people going round with long faces.

So, any hint of something new at the sharp end of the country has my interest. In short, I put on a clean shirt, and sallied forth.

I chose a great day to check out this new place. It was their show opening. I thought the place had opened at the beginning of the month, so I was quite surprised to be told that they didn't have the full menu, didn't know whether there was a seat for me, but they were sure they could fit me in, and there would be no charge. Did I want to stay?

Gosh, what a silly question. A free lunch in what looked like very convivial company? Just try throwing me out!

I did mention another restaurant nearby. We go regularly. It's called Couleur France, and I thoroughly recommend it. It's just off the N125, minutes from Almancil, and has a great ambiance. The setting is superb, especially when all the glass panels are open. The food is good, and the prices are very reasonable, and the service is unobtrusive, but efficient. In fact, it is all a good restaurant should be.

The new place is obviously trying to hit the same market. In the winter it will do well. In the summer Couleur France will have the edge because of its position. The idea at the new place is that the cooking is done almost in front of you. That's not quite the way I read the ad, but that's because I used to be a member of Ken Lo's magic little circle where we used to dine in what he liked to call Ken Lo's Kitchen.

Let me back up a bit here and fill you in on what you missed.

Ken Lo used to run a restaurant in Ebury Street, just down the road from Victoria Station in London. It was called Memories of China. (It's still there.) There used to be a similar restaurant in the Algarve but I cant see it listed any more. However, down in the basement of the London emporium was a different setup altogether. Here, an elite little circle used to turn up clutching small orange-coloured menus, looking forward to a great evening. The cooking area was positioned all along one side of the room, and as we came in we'd seat ourselves in front of the gas rings, and watch as Ken, or some guest chef, talked us through the evening meal, and prepared it there in then in front of us.

Half an hour later we'd be seated at two large round tables, scoffing the various dishes, and, if things were going well, which they usually did, after the meal dear old Ken would be gently dozing in a corner, while we polished off some more wine, and someone would start telling stories about the Tibetan outback, or journeys through the wilds of Mongolia, or Frank would regale us with some wicked limericks. (A warm hello to you Frank if you are still around.)

As they say: the good old days.

Thus, I was expecting something similar, but no. The kitchen is rather austere and ultra modern. The thing is, downstairs is a kitchen shop: Leiken. As they sell kitchens they have decided to put those kitchens to use, and upstairs is the restaurant. Admittedly the meal was prepared and cooked right next to us, but it was still rather hidden, and it wasn't the huddle round the stove that Ken Lo's Kitchen was.

The end product was very nice, so was the wine, and so was the service. Everybody seemed to like the style and the food, and I think most, if not all, will be back. Once again, I can recommend the place.

For the record it is at Quatro Estradas, just a couple of miles west of Almancil. Check it out. I'm sure Google will oblige. And thanks guys for the welcome, and the very nice lunch. I'll be back.

john


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