Fine Dining Places: Discover ‘Ocean’, A Once In A Lifetime Experience In Algarve ♦ This amazing and luxurious restaurant with two Michelin stars is located at the Vila Vita Parc Hotel in the Algarve Coast and is the perfect combination of sublime food and casual elegance. Hans Neuer is the Chef behind the Ocean Restaurant, and Secrets from Portugal couldn’t keep this restaurant a Secret! Stay tuned to get to know all about this amazing project.
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With spectacular Atlantic views, Ocean offers the perfect combination of sublime food, seamless service and an atmosphere of casual elegance, and has held two Michelin stars since 2011 – a tribute to Hans Neuner and his team. Leading the kitchen since 2007 is Austrian-born Hans Neuner, Portugal’s Chef of the Year in 2009 and 2012. By his side, a dedicated and talented team that helps to develop the remarkable gastronomic creations based on the best local ingredients and products that make up its seasonal menus.
The decor, based on a palette of blue and golden shades is the reflection of a peaceful seaside scenery, and the magnificent corals which fill up one of its side walls, as well as the Murano crystals resembling medusas by the entrance, are a clear clue to the inspiration behind Ocean’s new image, entirely renovated in 2016. Hans Neuner, executive chef of Restaurant Ocean at the Vila Vita resort in the Algarve Ocean loves to travel. When he left Austria to head to Porches in the Algarve he did not know he was going to end up staying there. But the region, the sea, the quality of the product both from the land and the sea have made him stay.
Octopus is a staple in Portugal like in other places on the Mediterranean as is the ‘prickly pear’ plant which is found pretty much everywhere in hot climates. And while it costs a fortune to buy one such fruit in the North of Europe where it does not grow, it is not only abundant but also wild in many countries in the Mediterranean. The prickly pear fruit is considered to be an exotic fruit for some and makes for a refreshing summer fruit but its leaf or cactus is also edible and used in South America. The Chef learned this on a trip to South America and he assessed whether this would be possible with the Portuguese variety which is so common here. From that came the idea to use it with octopus a dish that proved to be one of my favourites at the restaurant. Neuner served the octopus with corn mung beans, sour cream and the cactus of the prickly pear. Next, to the main dish, he served an octopus taco on a cactus to emphasise this.
The wine rack, separating the room from the kitchen, is made of around 560 national and international references, carefully selected by Sommelier Nelson Marreiros, that constitute one of the largest private vintage wines collection in the Iberian Peninsula.
Jantar 4-Maos com Christian Bau
Foto: Filipe Farinha / Stills
Accommodating 30 people, Ocean restaurant is open for dinners from 19h30 to 22h00, from Wednesday to Sunday. Reservations are strongly advised.
