Refuelling In Style

Fine dining restaurant Al Sud Palmares, which won international acclaim when it earnt a Michelin Star just six months after it opened, has now reopened with a new menu, Abode2 catches up to Chef at Al Sud Palmares, Louis Anjos, to discover more

Under the direction of chef Louis Anjos, the talented Al Sud team will be celebrating the wealth of delicious flavours that are native to the Algarve, drawing on the bounty of its sea and mountains.

Louis Anjos, Chef at Al Sud Palmares explains “The sea, given its all-encompassing nature as we sit here on the restaurant terrace, is a predominant part of the menu. In the nine-moment menu, for example, five of the seven non-dessert moments feature fish or shellfish and two contain meat, from the 'serra' or mountains. There are oysters from the local lagoon, mackerel plucked from local waters, estuary bivalves and John Dory, including its roe, to name a few. Partridge and Iberian pork, on the other hand, represent the hills of the Algarve's inland areas.”

Al Sud offers diners a choice between its six-moment menu and its nine-moment menu, with each dish showcasing local produce and traditional flavours. The team has spent two months perfecting the new dishes, all of which share a lineage with the restaurant's original menu. This evolution will continue throughout the year, with the flavours naturally changing along with the seasons. Paired wine recommendations are available with each menu.

In addition to the six- and nine-moment menus, diners can expect a series of surprise appetizers, contrived to distill the tastes of the Algarve into a single bite. Chef Anjos cites the Algarve's famous garlic-infused marinated carrots. A staple appetizer on the menu of many Algarve restaurants, the carrots are given new life at Al Sud, after the team dedicated weeks to playing with the concept and delivering their own unique variation.

Al Sud is based at the luxurious Palmares Ocean Living & Golf, 10 minutes by car from Lagos and home to some of the Algarve's most stunning scenery, with views from the natural amphitheatre stretching out over the sparkling waters of the Alvor estuary. The resort, which is owned and operated by Kronos Homes, delivers exceptional golfing facilities and accommodation. Its signature apartments are priced from €510,000, land plots from €1.05 million and four-bedroom, turnkey villas from €3.4 million. Having a Michelin-starred fine dining eatery on site is the jewel in the resort's crown.

Alda Filipe, Sales and Marketing Director at Kronos Homes commented: “We were delighted to welcome chef Anjos to Al Sud last year and thrilled to see how beautifully he and his team have showcased the true flavours of Portugal and the Algarve. Their culinary collaboration in creating the new menu promises something very special indeed.”

The reopening of Al Sud will build on the exceptional foundations that the restaurant has already forged. Known for the authenticity of its presentation of the Algarve's culinary heritage, the venue will welcome diners on a reservation only basis for dinner from Wednesday to Saturday each week. Having gained its first Michelin star so quickly, Al Sud now has a stellar reputation to uphold, but chef Anjos and his team aren't phased by the pressure.

Louis concludes: “To get a Michelin star so soon after we opened, literally months after we first opened our doors to guests, was just incredible. It truly has been a year of great beginnings and one on which we are excited to build, to continue to grow, to remain consistent to our concept, to invest and to surprise.”